In this episode, English financier Guy Hands discusses Terra Firma’s story and some lessons learnt in his career. Guy set up the firm as a spin-out from Nomura, and through it he’s overseen €18 billion of investment into 39 businesses since 1994.

In this episode, he talks about Terra Firma’s business model, the early successes, and types of transactions they looked for, before discussing the merits and demerits of PE investing (for both investors and the economy). He then talks about the risks should interest rates normalise, where the problems might surface, and the very particular failure of his investment in EMI.

He analyses lessons learned from that episode, how it has influenced his thinking on deals, and how Terra Firma assesses each transaction today. He discloses some of the asset allocation thinking of his family office and the importance of a large real asset component.

Guy talks about his charitable endeavours, including where and why he gives. He then speaks candidly about the lessons and scars from the EMI episode.

As part of our Private Equity Miniseries, we’re re-releasing our episode with Guy Hands (originally recorded in summer 2021). In the wider series, we’re examining how PE has grown to become such a significant artery in finance and the wider economy, and have been joined by guests from the likes of Petershill Partners, Permira, Bain Capital and Schroders Capital.

Learn more about Guy’s story in his book, ‘The Dealmaker: Lessons from a Life in Private Equity’. Released shortly after his original appearance on the show, it is a frank and honest account of how a severely dyslexic child who struggled at school went on to graduate from Oxford and become a serial entrepreneur.

Plus, you can enjoy more episodes via our in-depth Curated Podcast series. Designed for professional investors, these episodes offer detailed insights and analysis into a range of funds and asset classes. Also available on  Apple Podcasts & Spotify. 

The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by  Schroders, Bremont Watches, LiveTrade and Mintus.