Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn Leda Braga has earned the nickname “the queen of quants”. After a PhD in engineering from Imperial College London, she spent seven years at JPMorgan as a quant the bank’s derivatives research team. After a stint at a start-up spun out of JPMorgan, the Brazil-born Leda then helped establish one of the industry’s leading systematic trend-following funds at Michael Platt’s BlueCrest.  In the wake of eye-popping financial crisis success - the flagship BlueTrend fund made 43 per cent in 2008 - Leda spun out Systematica into a full-fledged standalone hedge fund group (though she reluctantly retired the Ducati motorbike). As chief executive of Systematica she has ridden through a tough time for trend-surfing systematic funds and solidified Leda’s reputation as a bold-faced name in the quant industry. In this wide-ranging discussion with our guest presenter, the FT’s Robin Wigglesworth, Leda explores everything from gender balance in hedge funds and how “algorithm aversion” is no longer spooking investors to the different forms of trend-following and how quant is the future of the investment management world – whatever the old guard may say. The Money Maze Podcast is sponsored by Schroders and  Bremont Watches. Schroders is a global investment and wealth manager, with a purpose to provide excellent investment performance to clients, through active investment management. Bremont is an award-winning British company that produces beautifully engineered chronometers, designed to appeal to those who share the appreciation of a beautiful mechanical wristwatch.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn In this episode, we’re in discussion with the Global Head of the Blackstone’s $192 billion Private Wealth Solutions business, Joan Solotar. Joan has thrice been recognised in Barron’s as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, and after a background in equity research covering financial services, she joined Blackstone in 2007.   She starts by describing Blackstone’s growth to oversee approximately $880 billion in alternative assets, before explaining their private wealth solutions business. She discusses their drive to “democratise alternatives”, their client base, geographical reach and why they believe we are very early in the adoption of these assets in portfolios. She then breaks down the components of alternatives, with a dive into their real estate expertise, the credit portfolios which have disintermediated portions of bank lending, as well as discussing hedge funds and P.E. She discusses the liquidity trade-offs, why they have developed Blackstone University for clients, before offering some terrific general advice (especially to fathers with daughters!).

To mark two years since the show's inception, we're pleased to present this update of how the podcast is progressing and evolving to further serve our fantastic community.  From the very beginning, we set out to share insightful and engaging conversations with leaders in both the investment and business worlds, backed by high quality research and first-hand experience in finance.  Have a listen to this quick message here to learn about our mission and plans.  Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn  

Billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist, Sir Chris Hohn, discusses his journey from immigrant roots to Harvard Business School, his charity work, and his 'say on climate' initiative targeting corporations lacking climate transition plans. He emphasizes the impact of climate change on poverty, child destitution, and the planet, pushing for corporate accountability and emissions disclosure.

To celebrate our two year anniversary, we're resharing some of the most popular episodes of 2021. In this episode, we welcomed Nicolai Tangen onto the show. Nicolai is the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which administers Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest. This episode was originally released in June 2021.  In this podcast, we have an enlightening conversation with Nicolai Tangen, CEO of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund and seasoned and successful investor. Norway’s great wealth is in large part courtesy of its oil riches, discovered in 1969. With great vision, the Government’s response to the discovery was the decision to create a separate, segregated fund, away from politicians’ grasp, to serve Norway’s current and future citizens. Nicolai describes his education and early investing experiences at Cazenove and Egerton, before starting the extremely successful hedge fund AKO. He talks about his education, refreshed throughout his career, and his decision to become the CEO of Norway’s SWF, otherwise known as Pension Fund Global. Nicolai talks about his immense delight in being appointed CEO, and how the investment strategy is evolving under his stewardship. He speaks about his wish to use risk in a slightly more productive way, how private assets are assessed and incorporated going forward, and how deep forensic analysis such as that undertaken in the case of Wirecard will lead them to exclude companies that might otherwise be owned as part of their ownership of 9,000 globally. The conversation encompasses a discussion about the lofty valuations exhibited within ESG assets, the stocks excluded from their investment portfolio and shown on the website, and the tension between divesting and remaining a shareholder of companies in transition. Nicolai explains why techniques drawn from behavioural analysis can help them assess the risks embedded within potential investments; the resilience that can be learned from top athletes, the dangers of inflation returning and the long term challenges facing investors and the world more generally. Finally he offers some pithy Norwegian advice on cooking, sailing, endurance, charity and why introverts are such an underutilised asset.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn In this special episode of the Money Maze Podcast, we are extraordinarily fortunate to have General Sir Nick Carter talk to us. If the world was already becoming more fractured, divided, uncertain and worrisome- the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made that landscape vastly more troubled. Sir Nick has sat at the top table of global military and security issues both real and strategized, fathoming these complexities, and begins with a detailed evaluation of the current Ukraine war. Sir Nick offers his insights into the background and future of this situation, and then moves onto the wider geopolitical landscape, with insights on China, the Middle East, Cyber, threats to democracy, how the UK can use its strengths in this world and the evolving nature of war. A tour de force!

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn The combination of trust, experience, neutrality and secrecy were the foundations of Switzerland’s reputation as a centre for private banking, and despite globalisation, regulation, and competition from all quarters, Swiss financial institutions have maintained their position of influence, with three Swiss firms in the top ten of global wealth managers. To help explore this landscape, we welcome one of these top ten firms, and the CEO of its UK business, David Durlacher. David discusses how wealthy clients have very different goals from earlier periods, their changing priorities, how Julius Baer manages the challenge of serving different international markets, and the contrasting styles of those clients. He discusses the debate in families between selling versus retaining a family business, why a client might seek out Julius Baer as its chosen partner, and how they differentiate themselves within a crowded field. He covers the lending component of their business, why they seek to be a “sparring partner” for their clients, and why the UK represents a compelling growth opportunity for their business. Finally, in an unusual exchange, Davis discusses the role religion plays in framing his thinking about investing and the future.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn   Gavyn Davies has more on his CV than most can imagine. In his varied career, he’s been advisor to the Labour government of Jim Callaghan, the Chief Economist at Goldman Sachs, Chair of the BBC, founder of Active Private Equity, and now Chairman of Fulcrum Asset Management. He’s also an active writer for the FT and Guardian. Gavyn starts by describing his early work as an economic advisor to the Labour governments of 1974-79, the inflation challenges they faced, and remedies implemented. He describes the emergence of Goldman Sachs on the international stage, the evolution of macro thinking, and serving as one of the “wise men” for two UK Chancellors. He then describes the challenge and opportunity for the BBC, the subsequent decision to launch Fulcrum Asset Management and their more defensive approach to managing capital. In particular, he discusses the rationale for allocating to hedge funds - and other assets - but why lower returns should be expected. Gavyn then compares the inflationary headwinds of the 1970/80s with today, why the Fed’s response is needed and should be taken seriously, fiscal policy and the withdrawal of the turbo-charged COVID responses, and which currencies he prefers. He goes on to discuss the challenges of excessive flows into the world of private equity, the attributes he looks for in allocating capital to venture PE and then in a series of rapid fire questions, he reveals his views on golf, the next PM, education, and why he loves to come to work on the London buses.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn Hamish Baillie, long term Partner and Investment Director at Ruffer, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, joins the Money Maze Podcast to discuss their unbenchmarked, differentiated approach to managing portfolios. Hamish explains that over the 26 years since inception, by following their key investment principles, annualised returns have compounded at 9%, with a low level of volatility. Hamish observes that “our clients have typically made money in good markets and been sheltered from market crises”. He explains their desire to build the portfolio with less correlated assets, why capital preservation is at the forefront of their approach and why their portfolios look very different from many others. The discussion drills down into inflation threats and the assets deployed to mitigate that reality, why Ruffer believes the storm clouds are gathering and how “markets will grind lower and lower, punctuated by rallies of prodigious strength”. Finally there a discussion on the merits of gold, why Ruffer has been investing in oil equities, and an explanation of their large overweight to UK index linked debt and equity.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn Today we turn to music as an investment theme, and our guest has worked with the greats, from Elton John to Beyonce, and has been in the front row of the music business for nearly 40 years. He is CEO of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd, a FTSE 250 company and the first UK investment company offering a pure play exposure to songs and music IP. Music and back catalogues have seen growing investor interest and a number of vehicles have, and are being developed to offer investors access to long duration income streams, often via listed entities. Merck talks about growing up in Canada, making it to his first Kiss concert, working for Simon Draper and Richard Branson at Virgin records, before spending nearly 2 decades at Sanctuary music, where his client list featured some of the great musicians of all time. He talks about the changing nature of the music business, from the Bowie Bonds to the astonishing development that today over 90 % of US households have a music streaming subscription. From a discretionary purchase to a utility within a decade! Merck explains the current economics of the revenue splits, and why he believes that the artists have often not received a fair deal. He explains how a $12 monthly music subscription is split. He then details how Hipgnosis has acquired 57,000 songs and spent £1.2bn since listing on the London Stock Exchange three years ago, and why buying the highest quality catalogues of proven songs generates current and new revenue opportunities through song management. He talks about the rights once the catalogues are owned that endure 70 years after the artist’s death and whose revenues can accrue to investors. Equally he explains how owning the song allows you to take as an example, Blondie’s Heart of Glass and not just license it to TikTok, but reinvent it with current artists like Miley Cyrus. Merck talks about song selection, helping insert songs into movies and commercials, maximising song potential and how technology is changing the music business.  He explains why London was chosen for the listing, reflects on some of the greats with whom he has worked and concludes that the new world of music makes it compelling for investing and for job prospects. And the show closes with the great line….“If you got the money honey, I got the time, and when you run out of money honey I run out of time”. Originally released in April 2021, we're pleased to be featuring Merck's episode again in light of today's inflationary environment, which has resulted in many investors looking to the world of alternative assets to mitigate their risks and capitalise on fast-growing markets. In October 2021, the firm enjoyed a $1 billion cash injection from Blackstone, who also took a stake in the business.