[REPLAY] - Mike Trigg – Defying the Fade at WCM (Capital Allocators, EP.162)
Feb 5, 2024
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Mike Trigg, a partner and portfolio manager at WCM, shares insights from his journey in investment management. He recounts the near demise of WCM and its remarkable resurgence, focusing on the firm's innovative approach to analyzing competitive advantages and corporate culture. Trigg emphasizes the complexities of valuing growth companies, advocating for qualitative assessments over traditional models. Listeners also hear personal reflections from Trigg about hobbies that foster mental clarity, along with lessons on wisdom and relationships.
Nurturing and protecting the culture at WCM Investment Management is a top priority, emphasizing the importance of being different, embracing candor, and fostering a learning orientation.
WCM Investment Management's growth trajectory is driven by its successful focused international growth strategy, but the firm has also expanded its investment offerings to include other asset classes and inefficiencies while maintaining its core investment approach.
Analyzing widening moats and evaluating cultures tied to competitive advantage are crucial aspects of WCM Investment Management's investment process, helping them select companies with enduring growth potential and avoiding value traps and short-term momentum plays.
Deep dives
The importance of nurturing and protecting the firm's culture
Nurturing and protecting the culture at WCM Investment Management is seen as a top priority, as it is considered key to the success of the firm. The culture is focused on being different, embracing candor, and fostering a learning orientation. The firm's core values of "think different" and "get better" embody this mindset and guide decision-making. The firm also seeks to extend its growth by providing opportunities for other passionate individuals and teams to join the platform. The goal is to help them pursue their unique investment strategies while benefiting from the firm's resources and support.
The evolution of WCM's investment approach
WCM Investment Management's growth trajectory has been primarily driven by its successful focused international growth strategy. However, the firm has expanded its investment offerings to include global emerging markets, international small-cap, and ESG strategies. The aim is to leverage the firm's expertise and identify opportunities in underserved asset classes and inefficiencies. At the same time, the firm remains committed to honing its core investment approach, which involves analyzing widening moats and evaluating cultures tied to competitive advantage.
The significance of analyzing widening moats
WCM Investment Management places great importance on analyzing widening moats as a key aspect of their investment process. Through extensive case studies and pattern recognition, the firm has developed typologies and frameworks to assess companies' moats and identify those likely to experience long-term mode expansion. Criteria such as industry dynamics, cost structure, customer base fragmentation, and evidence of moat expansion are evaluated. This analysis enables the firm to select companies with a competitive advantage that can drive enduring growth, distinguishing them from value traps and short-term momentum plays.
The role of culture in investment analysis
WCM Investment Management recognizes the significance of assessing companies' cultures in relation to their competitive advantage and moat trajectory. The firm has developed a set of questions to uncover insights into alignment and adaptability within a company's culture. These questions explore behaviors, advice for new employees, handling mistakes, and willingness to learn and change. Evaluating a company's culture helps identify the behaviors necessary to execute their growth strategy and adapt to evolving market dynamics.
The importance of seeking wisdom in unconventional places
WCM Investment Management emphasizes the value of seeking wisdom in unconventional places. The firm believes that genuine wisdom can be found in people's stories, struggles, and journeys, rather than relying on traditional sources such as celebrities or individuals with wealth. Engaging in random interactions and actively listening to people from diverse backgrounds can provide valuable insights and perspectives. This approach to seeking wisdom encourages open-mindedness and helps broaden one's perspective in investing and in life.
You may remember my popular first meeting from a few years ago with Paul Black of WCM, then a $25 billion asset manager in Laguna Beach, CA. Since then, WCM has gone up and to the right in every way, they sold a minority piece of the business to Natixis, continue to put big numbers on the board, and have grown to north of $66 billion, defying the fade of active management outflows. My guest on today’s show is Mike Trigg, a partner and portfolio manager of WCM’s Focused International Growth strategy that comprises the majority of the firm’s assets. We discuss Mike’s background, arrival at WCM in 2005, near implosion of the firm shortly thereafter, and the rising of the international strategy from those ashes. We then dive in deeper to the core tenants of WCM’s approach, discussing how the firm analyzes widening moats and cultures tied to competitive advantage. Lastly, we talk about how WCM’s growth has impacted the firm. Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access Transcript with Premium Membership
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