Hirschel began his career in 1993 in the performance measurement and client reporting group of Paribas Asset Management. In 1997, he was promoted to deputy director of the Middle Office department and was also in charge of US client servicing. In 1998, he joined SG Asset Management (SGAM) as head of performance measurement and client reporting. In 2002, he added institutional marketing to his responsibilities before being named head of the new marketing, product development and reporting department in April 2003. He became a member of the executive committee in May 2005.