Success and More Interesting Stuff

It's been just over a decade since Andrew Alcock took a risk on a small up-and-coming investment platform. The gamble has certainly paid off. Since joining the firm in July 2013, HUB24's (ASX: HUB) share price has skyrocketed around 4200% - turning an ASX-listed microcap into a market-leading 30-bagger.  In the early months of 2013, HUB24 was on its knees. The company experienced a boardroom battle, an emergency capital raising, and a lack of leadership. Born out of the stockbroking outfit InvestorFirst, the company was losing millions of dollars a year and its future was doubtful. The boardroom bloodbath saw founder Otto Buttula depart, and Bruce Higgins installed as the new chairman. The company looked externally for a fresh start - and a CEO who could bring new ideas and a large dose of optimism.  In a bold decision, they landed on Alcock, an unknown quantity to the listed market. At the time, Alcock was running the AMP-owned planning group Genesys Wealth Advisers. HUB24’s share price in July 2013 was hovering around $1 a share and the company had just posted a loss of $9.7 million with funds under advice of just $479 million. Alcock obviously knew the industry better than most and saw a bright future for HUB24. Fast forward a decade and things have changed. HUB24, along with its close rival Netwealth, have ushered in a new breed of financial platforms, leading the charge against the incumbents – MLC, BT, and ironically, AMP.  Today, HUB has over $80 billion in funds under advice and in FY23 it booked a net profit of just under $60 million. The company’s share price trades at around $33 with a market capitalisation of $2.8 billion. Alcock who, as a youngster on Sydney's North Shore dreamed of playing the keyboards in a band, has clocked up 10 years in charge of HUB24 - and he believes the next decade looks even brighter for the investment platform. Along with his right-hand man Jason Entwistle and a burgeoning team, there is a belief that the surge towards the top of the charts will continue. In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Alcock openly shares his inspirational journey to the top, some of the challenges along the way, as well as some of the exciting initiatives for HUB24 in the future.  Note: This interview was recorded on Thursday 23 November 2023.  Timecodes 0:00 - Intro  2:01 - HUB24's recent record-breaking results  3:34 - A deep dive into Andrew's beginnings  4:40 - Andrew's two early ambitions: medicine and music  5:50 - Life growing up on Sydney's North Shore in a family of six kids  10:10 - Bible college, marriage at 21, and the beginnings of a career in tech 14:40 - How Andrew was introduced to the finance industry  17:24 - Andrew's first gig as a CEO (and why he is all fight, no flight) 21:15 - A foray into financial advice at Genesys Wealth  22:54 - On what attracted him to take the opportunity at HUB24 28:53 - The first few months in the role  32:21 - How the industry has changed since then  34:22 - On the benefits of having a rival in Netwealth 35:44 - Why it's important to have a vision (but set realistic goals along the way) 37:43 - The Royal Commission into misconduct in the banking, superannuation and financial services industry (and the beginnings of a "revolution" at HUB24) 40:23 - The attributes of a good leader  44:59 - What keeps Andrew up at night  47:18 - On Bruce Higgins's retirement from the chair of HUB24 49:04 - What investors can expect from HUB24 over the next decade 52:50 - How HUB24 is using AI to improve efficiency for advisers and investors  55:38 - How investors should measure HUB24's success  58:32 - On coming out publicly and the importance of being authentic

Anton Tagliaferro grew up in Malta, playing football and studying with the dream of someday becoming a doctor. This was pushed aside, however, when political unrest in his native country led him to leave for London, where he ended up studying accounting.    Soon after graduating, Anton discovered the world of funds management and was hooked on the idea immediately. Through taking advantage of chance opportunities, Anton was able to migrate into an equities manager role, where he began building a personal brand as a reliable investor. After receiving encouragement from clients, Anton struck out on his own and founded Investors Mutual Limited in 1998. The timing put Tagliaferro and his team at the formation of the tech bubble. "We set up, and the first six months things were going ok. And then the tech boom comes along," he recalled.  Bolstered by a background in accounting, and some unorthodox methods of avoiding the pressures of the crowd, Tagliaferro avoided falling into the common pitfalls of Dot-com stocks.  "Every single piece of rubbish with technology in the name was running, and all the while every decent company was being sold down," he said.  This led to several years Anton described as the most brutal in the business, as indices bloated with overvalued tech stocks, leaving his value portfolio in the dust. He persevered, however, and when the tech bubble eventually burst, his fund's fortunes flipped and would end up drastically outperforming the market overall. This demonstration of high conviction investing, in the face of much criticism, built Tagliaferro and IML a reputation in the market, and their funds under management grew accordingly. Recently, Anton has been able to move into retirement, which he now spends contributing to the development of soccer in Australia. That being said, he still keeps an eye on the markets and hasn't ruled out a return to the industry. "If I was starting a boutique fund manager today, and I might start one next year, I haven't decided yet, I'd focus on international equities," Anton said.  "I think the Australian market - the amount of superannuation, the amount of money chasing a handful of stocks... it's such a concentrated index - and if you look at the quality below the top 20, I've gone through it a thousand times, I'm still going through it, and you take out the REITs and resources, there are very few good quality industrials in Australia."  In this podcast, Anton shares his origin story, his serendipitous journey into funds management, and the challenges he has faced along the way. He also provides his view on the current market landscape and opens up about his plans for the future.  Timecodes: 0:00 - Introducing Anton 2:12 - Growing up in Malta, early career path through accountancy 9:10 - Getting a start in London 13:36 - Coming to Australia 16:17 - Grabbed by the stock market 18:25 - How do you get into Funds Management 21:00 - Lucking into an equities manager position at Perpetual 28:50 - Perpetual launches a fund 31:25 - Move to County and lessons from institutional investors 34:20 - Investing philosophy 37:00 - "It's time to set up your own thing" 39:25 - Hardest time in Anton's career 41:45 - Collapse of the tech boom 45:20 - What drove performance 50:15 - What's the state of markets at the moment 56:26 - What's next?

Nick Scali is a furniture powerhouse. Since listing in May 2004, the store count has grown from 10 to 107 without having to tap shareholders for additional capital. Who knew Australians had such an insatiable appetite for leather lounges?  Equally as impressive as store growth are the financial returns investors have enjoyed. Since listing, sales have increased by 1,068%, net profit has increased by 1,407%, and the dividend has increased by 1,263%. From a listing price of $1 to the current share price of $10.79, Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) has been a 10-bagger for shareholders who have stayed the course.  The driving force behind this impressive story is Anthony Scali, son of founder Nick, an ambitious Italian immigrant who came to Australia in 1955 at just 18. After a brief stint selling televisions in Melbourne, Nick moved to Sydney and opened his first store in 1962 on the Hume Highway in Ashfield.  Anthony Scali worked in the family business from a young age and progressively played a more significant role in the running of the growing retailer. He officially took over the CEO role when the company was listed on the ASX and says he has no plans on stepping aside and has eyes for further expansion into the UK.  In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Anthony talks about the mindset and approach that has created one of Australia’s most iconic retailers.    Time codes:    00:00 - Introduction 01:56 - The Nick Scali advertisements  02:47 - Slow and steady growth 04:15 - Why investors are cautious on retailers 05:25 - The start of Nick Scali 08:43 - Nick Scali’s business philosophies 12:16 - How Anthony got started in the furniture business  14:01 - Moving from niche to mainstream offerings 15:31 - Lessons in debt and property  18:32 - Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) lists on the ASX 20:41 - Passing the CEO baton from Nick to Anthony  24:07 - Growing the family business 26:21 - The initial plan for store growth  27:50 - The ingredients for success in retail 35:25 - The Nick Scali niche - quality and value 37:55 - Anthony Scali’s approach to management 40:45 - Anthony Scali sells down some of his shareholding 43:54 - The vision for Nick Scali in Australia and New Zealand 45:49 - Taking the Nick Scali concept to the UK 49:32 - The outlook for the Australian market  50:57 - Antony Scali on succession planning but no plans to retire 53:45 - Property investments still intriguing, even after the 1990s experience

By the time most people reach their mid-forties, they are thinking about an exit strategy for their working life. That was not the case for Robert Kelly AM, who, in 1975, after a series of harrowing business experiences, was dusting himself off and preparing to start all over again. Kelly is the Founder, Managing Director and CEO of Steadfast (ASX: SDF), the ASX-listed insurance broking firm with a market capitalisation of ~$6 billion. Insurance is a harsh industry where the big players compete on price and price alone. Steadfast, under Kelly’s stewardship, has taken a different path choosing to focus on relationships and networks to win the loyalty of their clients. “It is sold on relationships and advice. If you keep selling on price, you’re a commodity, just like a cup of coffee. We have a relationship, and the relationship will win through” - Robert Kelly AM The strategy has proven successful, and Steadfast commands more than one third of Australia’s intermediated insurance market. It appears that the job is not done and at age 76 Kelly recently renewed his contract as Steadfast Managing Director and CEO until 2026.   In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Mathew Kidman explores the highs and lows of Kelly’s business career, including the life-changing advice he received from Rugby League legend Jack Gibson.

The latest episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff introduces one of the most enterprising and successful people on the corporate landscape. Robert Kelly had a chequered career in the 1970s and 80s that included a failed business, driving taxis and dealing with some of Sydney’s more colourful identities. In 1996, aged 48 and running his own insurance broking firm, Kelly decided it was time to put the foot to the floor. He, along with some other like minded insurance brokers, thought forming a buying group to help deliver cheaper insurance rates for its members was a good idea. They called it Steadfast. Most good idea only come to fruition due to tireless endeavour. Kelly criss-crossed the country convincing Insurance brokers they should become a Steadfast member. He was obviously a sharp salesman. From humble beginnings, Steadfast now has over $11 billion of gross written premium from its members and accounts for more than a third of Australia’s intermediated insurance market. The company’s market capitalisation is approximately $6 billion. Kelly is hardly calling it quits though. At the age of 76, the Steadfast board recently extended his tenure as CEO of the group until 2026. That should give him time to take Steadfast into the US market, a stated objective of the organisation. One can only guess how big that arm of the business will become.

We have a treat for you today. Historically the show has focused on outstanding investors and leading executives. Today, we are delving into the other cog of the share market machine - the fourth estate, or as most of us know it, the media.  Tony Boyd has been a finance journalist for more than 40 years. The latest 13, he's been writing the preeminent finance column in Australia, Chanticleer. Affectionately known as 'The Chook',  the Chanticleer column has held pride of place on the back page of the Australian Financial Review since 1974.  The Chook columnists include such luminaries as Robert Gottliebsen, Ivor Ries and Alan Kohler. No one, though, has lasted as long as Boyd.  Writing Chanticleer is a monumental task. 1250 words on the issues of the day, every day.  It might sound simple enough, but to be cutting edge and relevant all the time takes an extraordinary person. Not only do you need to know the full spectrum of company issues, but you must talk to the key people involved. Conversations with the top echelon of corporate Australia is only reserved for the respected few.  Boyd started out as a copy boy at Rubert Murdoch's News Limited. From there, he enjoyed stints in Europe, and Japan, and edited sections on banking and IT. A short secondment to investor relations saw him return to the fourth estate to write Chanticleer in 2010. At the end of March this year, Boyd put down his pen for the last time.  Tune in to the latest episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff via the player below or through your preferred podcasting platform. Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 2:41 - Meeting the demands of a daily business column 7:00 - Early years, education and growing up in Sydney 11:40 - Developing an interest in newspapers and publishing 14:15 - Starting as a copy boy with News Limited 22:22 - A trip to London as a finance correspondent 30:34 - The first time Alan Kohler offered Tony a job 36:06 - A brief career change and the second time Alan Kohler offered Tony a job 39:25 - Tony’s approach to writing opinion and the first time a banker lied to him 42:10 - Rejoining the Australian Financial Review 43:28 - The responsibility of writing Chanticleer 47:05 - The best story Tony covered 49:36 - Interviewing the big names including a run in with Kerry Stokes 54:45 - The role of the Chanticleer column in Australian business 1:01:45 - Closing remarks and the next chapter 

It's been 25 years since the first days of Ausbil Investment Management, and Executive Chairman, CIO and Head of Equities Paul Xiradis is still one of the first to arrive at the office.  The self-confessed "market animal" lives and breathes investing. But few know the making of X, as he is now universally known.  The eldest son of Greek immigrants, Xiradis always knew the value of entrepreneurial spirit - having keenly watched his father run several fish shops growing up. While Xiradis admits these years were "never easy", they instilled in him a desire to one day run a business of his own.  "I was an ok student, I wouldn't say I was outstanding. But equally, I didn't have a lot of time to devote to my studies either. I was helping out the family businesses most afternoons and weekends. In fact, all weekends were spent helping the family," Xiradis recalls.  "So when I left school, it was an opportunity for me to really excel and work for myself in the sense of achieving my own results."  And excel he would. Xiradis, unlike many Australian fund managers today, has truly worked his way up the ranks of the industry. He started out as a bank teller and would go on to gain experience in nearly every facet of finance - including personal banking, investment property, equities, fixed income, and broking.  Unsurprisingly, this early education has shaped the investor Xiradis is today. For instance, during the crash of 1987 (Black Monday), when several of Xiradis' colleagues left him "holding the baby", he grasped one of investing's greatest lessons.  "I learnt that you really want to be managing the portfolio rather than the portfolio managing you. And what I mean by that is if you are forced to sell, or the liquidity or quality isn't there, it just ends in disaster," he says. "I have never been able to achieve it since, but I outperformed the benchmark on a 12-month basis by over 30% because I was invested in quality [companies] and no penny dreadfuls." This focus on quality, on both top-down and bottom-up analysis, has helped Xiradis and the Ausbil team achieve truly eye-watering returns over the past 25 years (his flagship fund has beat the benchmark by more than 2% since 1997) - and has transformed $10 million of seed funding into a nice $15 billion in funds under management today.  In the final episode of SAMIS, you'll learn all about Xiradis' journey from Bankstown to Sydney's Bridge Street, as well as some of his best learnings from a career of consistently beating the market.  Time codes 0:00 - Intro 4:19 - Early life 8:06 - Early exposure to business 10:13 - Challenges growing up 12:52 - Unconventional career beginnings 15:50 - Mentors in finance 18:38 - Lessons from the crash of ‘87 24:05 - Striking out independently 30:20 - Early days of Aubil 36:15 - Growing pains of Ausbil 41:32 - Portfolio management lessons 46:17 - Future of Ausbil and Paul

For 25 years, Paul Xiradis has been the CIO and Head of Equities at one of Bridge Street’s most famous money managers - Ausbil Investment Management. Xiradis is the last link to the original foundation group of Ausbil. And as executive chairman, he’ll continue to have plenty on his plate from a leadership perspective when CEO Ross Youngman retires later next year. But Xiradis’ story is far more than his 25 years at Ausbil. It’s a story of migrant triumph, hard work, and persisting on when others have fallen by the wayside.  Now, in this final episode of the current series of Success and More Interesting Stuff, the veteran investor shares insights from his life before and during an illustrious career in the markets.

Dawn Kanelleas has always been academically competitive. The daughter of socially progressive Greek immigrants, she knew, even from a young age, that she was destined to break the social norms of the time.  And so, she decided academics would be a suitable path, donning a laboratory coat for a degree in the male-dominated world of science and later a research position at Oxford University. Luckily, for many of her investors today, this didn't stick.  Backed with a PhD in rare earths, Kanelleas would go on to hold a litany of positions over nearly 15 years before becoming a senior portfolio manager at Colonial First State during the GFC. Today, she heads up First Sentier Investors' small and mid-cap coverage and oversees billions of dollars in the process. But it's her desire to "win" that has truly helped her succeed in the world of finance. Over the past decade, Kanelleas has delivered staggering returns in the small-cap arena, far outperforming the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index. In this episode of SAMIS, you'll learn all about Kanelleas' journey to where she is today, her  scientific strategy for success in small caps, as well as the other passions that have shaped the woman she is today.  Time codes 0:00 - Introduction 3:34 - Early life 12:35 - Journey into academia 21:50 - Return to Australia 25:25 - Starting in finance 36:45 - Financial lessons 52:00 - Passions outside finance

If I asked you to describe the background of a professional investor, I’m willing to bet you would not have picked someone who has a PhD in chemistry. But that’s exactly who Dawn Kanelleas is.  After running through the full gamut of the University of Sydney’s prestigious science program, she pivoted to a career in finance. But it wasn’t smooth or consistent sailing - and one look at her LinkedIn could tell you that. In this edition of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Kanelleas sits down with me to discuss the transition from science and academia to finance and finally her current role - small and mid cap investing at First Sentier Investors.