In what may be a dream for many employees around the world, a billionaire boss treated 1,200 of his staff and family members to a visit to Tokyo Disneyland. Ken Griffin, CEO of multinational hedge fund Citadel LLC and founder of market maker Citadel Securities, paid for 1,200 employees and their families to visit Walt Disney World Tokyo for a three-day anniversary celebration, the New York Post reported.
At the celebration, held October 27-29, employees came from six of the companies' offices in Asia Pacific: Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Gurugram. The employees visited both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, along with their spouses and children. The band Maroon 5 and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris were also commissioned for a private performance, the Post reported.
Meanwhile, all the costs of travel, hotels, food, Disney tickets, entertainment, and childcare were covered by him. All his employees received expedited passes, which let them avoid waiting in line for major rides and other big attractions.
Before introducing Maroon 5, Mr Griffin spoke at the anniversary celebration and said, ''Today, the range of talent we have brought together is simply astonishing. We've created not one, but two firms at the forefront of the industry. Together, we have imagined and built the future of finance.''
Last year in December, he did the same for his US, Canadian, and European staff and their families. He booked out an entire Disney World for his staff and their families to celebrate a successful year. He also paid for hotels, park tickets, and meals ranging from lamb chops to sushi and paella. Employees were also treated to a concert where the band Coldplay performed alongside Carly Rae Jepsen and DJ Diplo.
Approximately 10,000 people converged on Walt Disney World for the three days of celebration in the multiple parks, a spokesperson for the company said. The all-inclusive vacation was a way for Mr Griffin to thank his employees for a bumper year of hard work and celebrate the company's market success despite the fact that many other hedge funds didn't perform well this year.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ken Griffin's fortune is worth $35.4 billion. Citadel and Citadel Securities have doubled their headcount over the past three years, and now boast more than 400 staffers in Asia.
