MAGELLAN - In The Know

In early 2020, David Gibbs took the helm of Yum! Brands, the American fast-food giant that operates well-known brands including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, to name a few.  After rising through Yum!’s ranks over the decades, becoming President and COO before being promoted to CEO in 2020, he was soon face to face with a worldwide pandemic.  In this episode, we hear how Yum! and its 51,000 restaurants in 150 countries successfully navigated the global shutdown. David also unpacks Yum!’s rise , the enduring focus on people, culture and growth, and how it continues to identify opportunities and build a world with a ‘little more Yum!’ 

“We don't go online anymore. We exist there”. This is a phrase used by Jay Brown, CEO of Crown Castle America’s largest provider of communications infrastructure. In this episode, Jay talks with Magellan’s Chairman and CIO, Hamish Douglass, about the evolution of this extraordinary business which delivers ever-expanding 4- and 5-G data networks to customers across the United States. We’ll hear about a business model which Jay Brown describes as one of the best business models he’s ever seen; and how, through asset acquisition and lease-back, the company provides win-win solutions for operators, customers and shareholders alike. Now, from macro communications towers to small cell networks, we’ll find out how Crown Castle continues to further penetrate the American market and its insatiable appetite for all things data and connectivity.

Hamish Douglass is joined by Michael Morrell, former Deputy Director of the CIA, and Ticky Fullerton, the Australian Newspaper’s Business Editor at Large, who hosts this month’s discussion on how to approach investing in China during these times of heightened geo-political tensions. Can the US rely on its allies as tensions increase? Could there be extended bans on US nationals investing in China by the Biden administration? Also under discussion, cybercrime and crypto-currency; the regulation of big tech in the US and what keeps them up at night. 

In 2017, Mark Schneider left a leading role in healthcare to become CEO of Nestle, the world’s largest food company with over 150 year old history in providing nutritional products to markets around the globe. Mark was Nestle’s first “outsider” CEO in almost a century, and in just four years, he’s overseen new strategic directions for the company, with a major acquisition agenda underway as he re-shapes this extraordinary consumer goods business towards a healthier future for all – all while tackling a global pandemic, and the big issues of climate change and corporate environmental responsibility. In this episode, Mark joins Hamish Douglass, Magellan’s Chairman and Chief Investment officer, to discuss new strategic directions for the company as it takes on a leading role in global health and wellness.

In 2006, after a stellar career as a financier and economist in the US, Kevin Warsh was elevated to the highest level of banking globally when he was appointed to the US Federal Reserve Board. Within two years, the world was plunged into a global financial crisis. Now, 12 years on, another global crisis has been triggered by COVID. Kevin shares his remarkable insights into the role of central banks during times of financial turmoil, and the significant knock-on effect for investors, with Magellan’s Chairman and Chief Investment Officer, Hamish Douglass.

With a market cap of over $200bn, Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and a leader in developing trusted innovative therapies to improve and prolong people’s lives. Under the visionary leadership of CEO Vas Narasimhan, Novartis has achieved extraordinary breakthroughs in gene, cell and other transformative therapies. Vas Narasimhan, discusses these key developments, and their implications with Magellan’s Chairman and Chief Investment Officer, Hamish Douglass.

Since inception in 2006 to a now  A$100 Billion asset management firm, Magellan Asset Management is recognised as a star performer in global investment markets. In this in-depth interview, taken from Morningstar’s recent “The Long View” podcast, Magellan’s Chairman and CIO Hamish Douglass describes the unique way the firm was founded, the secrets of its success, his experiences of investing in China and talks through how Magellan’s cohesive global portfolios of super-compounding stocks are constructed.  (Morningstar has given permission for Magellan to reuse this interview.)   The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; (3) does not constitute investment advice offered by Morningstar; and (4) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely.  Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.  Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Use of information from Morningstar does not necessarily constitute agreement by Morningstar, Inc. of any investment philosophy or strategy presented in this publication.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of ‘Magellan in the Know’.  Frank Casarotti, GM of Distribution at Magellan recently interviewed Hamish Douglass, Chairman and CIO, for a live investor webinar called ‘The Year of Living Dangerously’.  In this bonus episode you can hear a recording of that interview.    As COVID-19 vaccination programs gather pace around the world, so too does a sense of optimism that the virus will be defeated and that global economies will finally move on. But is this optimism really warranted, particularly when it comes to investing? In this interview, Hamish Douglass, considers the efficacy of the newly developed vaccines against the growing number of viral mutations that have the potential to threaten a recovery from the pandemic.  

The Intercontinental Exchange (or ICE) is one of the world’s largest exchange businesses – it owns the NYSE and dominates global energy exchanges.  ICE operates in over 70 countries, and has a market capitalisation of U$65 Billion.  Its remarkable growth over the last two decades is the result of founder Jeffrey Sprecher’s visionary thinking and  unwavering commitment to moving old analogue exchanges into efficient digital platforms, and creating new markets globally. It all started with a single dollar transaction in 1997.

China’s continued rise as a global economic powerhouse has met with increasing caution and push-back from the Western world, not least from the United States during four turbulent years under President Trump. Now a very different administration has taken over Capitol Hill. How will this impact China-US relations? What challenges face President Xi and the CCP as they juggle internal issues with an enduring focus on global dominance. And what might this mean for investors? Chris Johnson, one of the world’s foremost China experts and former CIA analyst, shares his views on the start of Joe Biden’s presidency and how geo-political forces may shift again.