Money Maze Podcast

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn Today’s conversation is with one of America’s most successful investment podcasters, with over 5 million downloads, and who has also worked with one of the investment greats, David Swensen at Yale University Endowment and put himself in the firing line by having the infamous bet with Buffett, whilst at his former firm, Protege partners. Ted has a gilt-edged education, Yale and the Harvard Business School and he describes beginning his investment journey at the Yale Endowment under Dave Swensen, who so sadly has just died. Ted is also author of 2 books on investing, “So you want to start a hedge fund” & just released “How the world’s elite money managers lead and invest” Ted describes his upbringing, education and how he secured the job at Yale after listening to a lecture by Swensen. He then talks about his decision to leave to study for an MBA at Harvard Business School before then starting Protégé partners. He describes how he came to make the bet with Warren Buffet, that a portfolio of Hedge Funds would outperform the S&P 500 over 10 years, which taken early in 2007, looked heroic. Time however, reversed it, in favour of Buffett, and Ted describes the interactions with Buffett and his perspectives thereafter when building capital allocators. He talks about the biggest gain from the bet, which was getting to know Buffett personally. Ted talks about the lessons he has learned from interviewing some of the great money managers and allocators of capital and his  perspectives on what great investors do, what they often avoid doing, and why “our brains are hard-wired to make bad decisions”! Ted talks about the Hedge Fund paradox, where he comes out on the active v passive debate and how he would think about populating an investment committee Finally he offers some valuable advice for youth, for investors and why we here at the Money Maze Podcast think his new book is a “must read”.  

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn Today on the Money Maze Podcast we discuss the future of cash and bank notes. Throughout its history cash has inspired two persistent forces; fascination and forgery. Whilst the accepted narrative is that the use of cash is on a glide path to extinction, De la Rue’s CEO, Clive Vacher offers his view that such a perspective is both premature and contradicted by a growing population whose access to digital cash and e payments is not within reach. He argues that cash is still on the rise! Clive who has been referred to as “the best turnaround specialist you haven’t heard of” starts with his upbringing and great academic successes and then describes his experience at companies like Rolls Royce and Bae before taking up the challenge of turning around De la Rue whose future had looked challenging. Clive talks of the other business that sits alongside their globally deployed cash-production expertise, namely authentication and anti-fraud protocols. He explains why the authentication division is growing so fast, the theory behind a vaccine passport, tax stamps and their “traceology” platforms. He shines light on why these anti-fraud mechanisms have never been more relevant as counterfeiters have not locked-down and the value of such illegal actions are estimated by the WTO to exceed $2 trillion. Clive explains why he is excited about their future, why the 1000 patents they own have intriguing optionality, and why he has confounded the sceptics so far. Finally he offers some potent advice about dealing with turnrounds, his role model in running a business, who he would like to fly with his helicopter license, and why his most important daily habit is talking to his employees.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn In today’s conversation we are joined by Tracy Blackwell, CEO of the Pension Insurance Corporation (P.I.C.). Whilst this company may be below the radar screen for many, it is at the epicentre of an industry undergoing rapid transformation, and undertaking an essential investment activity that is critical to everyone; pensions. The historical importance of pensions is unchanged, from soldiers who served in the Roman armies who were guaranteed an income after they retired to employees in today’s enterprises. Tracy initially describes her journey as a daughter of a single Mother, growing up in Illinois, then moving to Malaysia, then to Business school and from there to Goldman Sachs. She describes rising to head up risk at Goldman Sachs’s asset management division, before her move to the Pension Insurance Corporation  Tracy takes us through an explanation of the fast-evolving £2 trillion market for private defined benefit pensions. She discusses the surprising fact that only four countries in the world have had such schemes and why companies and trustees increasingly recognise that managing the long term liabilities of their current and former employees’ pensions requires different skills from running their core business. She illustrates the immense changes underway in the insuring and management of pensions, describes the key forces at work, and the investable assets that meet regulatory requirements. She also explains the need for regulatory changes and the less-discussed flexibility leaving the EU might offer in this regard. She provides a case study, Philips, as to how the process works, the asset allocation challenges in today’s minimal yielding world, but why this vast pool of assets gives the UK an enormous opportunity to provide long-term financing for some of UK’s infrastructure and housing needs. The discussion refers to the work carried out entitled “purpose of finance”, a thought piece found on their website, and the inter-generational transfer that this pool of assets offers in long-term financing. Finally, Tracy reflects on being an American in the UK, offers advice for young, and why her favourite film is Gone with the Wind.

Enjoy our host, Simon Brewer, summarise the show here! The world of finance has a huge impact on all of us. Created by two industry veterans, this show aims to explore and unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the investing business. Whether you're a current investment professional, a student exploring career options, or just someone with an interest in the stories behind some of the most influential names in business, we hope you gain some helpful insights and enjoy the shows. Money Maze Podcast Newsletter: https://moneymazepodcast.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=81be3573b8a8a1d2fe3530e77&id=53502604e7 Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-money-maze-podcast/?viewAsMember=true Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneymazepodcast/

Merck Mercuriadis, CEO of Hipgnosis Songs Fund, has over 40 years in the music industry, collaborating with stars like Elton John and Beyonce. He discusses the transformation of music into a vital investment, with 90% of US households now subscribing to streaming services. Merck highlights how fair compensation for artists is often overlooked in revenue splits. He shares insights on acquiring 57,000 songs for £1.2 billion, the strategic marketing of classic hits, and the evolving landscape of music as both art and a lucrative asset.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn In today’s interview we have the opportunity for a detailed conversation with a man who has been at the forefront of advertising and marketing communications for 5 decades. Founder of WPP, its CEO for 33 years, he is now the creator of S4 Capital, an entirely digital advertising and marketing business at the epicenter of a marketing and commercial revolution. Sir Martin describes his youth and upbringing, and the ambition that drove him, which he ascribes to his grandparents who arrived in the UK as refugees. He describes his path to Cambridge and Harvard Business School, working for Mark McCormack at IMG before joining Saatchi & Saatchi. He talks about the advertising world that was ripe for disruption, his decision to buy and build WPP into the world’s largest agency, and the battles and challenges and near-death corporate experiences en route. He describes what lies behind his staying power, ambition, and how S4 Capital was conceived. In a rapid time period, S4 Capital has become a major force in the new world order of digital communications and already has a market capitalisation of £2.6 billion. He describes the strategy around building a purely digital advertising and marketing services business, serving major companies around the world and why the Holy Trinity of first-party data, digital content and programmatic advertising will super charge the next wave of growth in the industry. He talks about growth through acquisition, partnerships and culture and the need today to build strong links directly to the consumer and the shifting emphasis to digital, and away from legacy advertising. He explains the dominance of the major tech companies, their evolution and current challenges, and what is going on in the minds of CEOs and their boards. Finally, there is some advice from one of the world’s great corporate warriors about resilience, determination and the need for speed in surviving and thriving.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn The Money Maze Podcast this week is re-uploading our episode with Sir Xavier Rolet, due to the topics covered last week with Sir Chris Hohn, who invested in the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) when Mr Rolet led the firm's transformation (find out more about this episode here).  Rolet talks in-depth about the reorientation he undertook whilst CEO of the London Stock Exchange and the succession of transformatory deals which he engineered, propelling the value of the company from under £1 billion to £14 billion in just 9 years. He goes into a detailed explanation of why “the only asset that creates wealth is equities”, why boardrooms are filled with people ill-versed in technology and innovation, and why France along with other European countries have failed to grasp the opportunity to develop the Googles and Amazons of Europe.  He then discusses why London has a good chance of retaining its pre-eminence as a financial centre, notwithstanding Brexit, because of its global reach in multiple areas of finance. Originally recorded in October 2020.

Sir Chris Hohn, a billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist, talks about his upbringing, journey in investing, and the creation of 'Say on Climate' campaign to address corporate accountability for emissions. He discusses the impact of climate change on poverty, child destitution, and planet destruction, urging companies to take action and disclose climate transition plans for a sustainable future.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn Our guest today is Anne Richards, CEO of Fidelity International, who offer investment solutions, investment services and retirement expertise to more than 2.5 million customers globally. As a privately held, purpose-driven company with a 50-year heritage, they think generationally and invest for the long term. Fidelity International operates in more than 25 countries and with $706.3 billion in total assets, their clients range from central banks, sovereign wealth funds, large corporates, financial institutions, insurers and wealth managers, to private individuals. Anne describes her upbringing in Edinburgh, the decision to study electronic and electrical engineering, spending time at CERN, before going to INSEAD for an MBA. She describes the purpose of Fidelity International and the changing demands of the investing population. Anne discusses the ability of technology to serve clients (of whom they have 2.5 million!), as well as developing a culture that embraces and encourages the “brave/bold/curious/compassionate”.  Anne explains how ESG principles are embedded into all their research work and why their approach to ESG does not necessarily mean divestment is the optimal course. She talks about the decline of public market listings, the importance of research in public and private investing and giving their managers enough room for manoeuvre. Finally, she talks about her drive and hunger to have more women work in finance and gives great advice to “worry less” for those thinking about their careers.

Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn   Simon Hallett, former CIO of the $80 billion Asset manager, Harding Loevner, describes his journey from Plymouth, England, to Oxford University and then to Finance. Starting at Midland Bank, Simon moves to Jardine Fleming in Hong Kong, and he describes an amateurish investing world that was transforming, and his decision to swap continents and join Harding Loevner, then a start-up in 1989. Harding Loevner’s impressive 30 year track record in managing global equities is examined, with a discussion that covers behavioural biases, the need to restrict portfolio managers’ freedom, to the increasing reliance on quantitative disciplines to enhance the investment process. He describes the challenge of staying with winners and the difficulties of dealing with losing companies, in a portfolio context, and what happens when a firm’s assets halve three times in 30 years during bear markets and the challenge of swimming against the current. He explains why top-down thinking should be strictly limited in building an equity portfolio, why their firm has only 2 Bloomberg terminals and stock-price watching is actively discouraged. He also discusses the merits of being partially owned by Affiliated managers Group, AMG.  He then explains his decision to buy Plymouth Argyle Football club – heart over logic, possibly, but why the management of a football team and player selections have more in common with selecting stocks than you might think. Finally he gives some great advice to “keep your nose clean” and “ stay the course” – applicable for both football and investing.