Success and More Interesting Stuff

The Australian commercial property sector was in a mess in the mid-1990s. The industry was stuck in illiquid structures and investors were unable to withdraw their money.  Then, budding investment banker Andrew Pridham entered the picture. He believed listing property assets was the best way out of the disaster. It worked. At just 28 years old, he was a managing director and head of global property at UBS in London. Pridham returned to Australia seven years later to set up his own shop. That company was eventually bought by Wall Street behemoth JP Morgan. And being the restless person he is, Pridham pivoted again just as his 30s gave way to his 40s. This time, he convinced a former American UBS colleague Ken Moelis to create Moelis Australia with the two becoming the largest shareholders. Moelis Australia would expand rapidly beyond investment banking to become a mini-Macquarie Bank. Today, it’s worth $818 million and is listed on the ASX. Now retired for good, he joins me on the latest episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff to discuss his life in investment banking and what matters next.  Time codes 0:00 - Intro 4:24 - Early life 12:49 - Early career in finance 16:32 - Risk in financial markets at the time 19:07 - Recession and investement banking 22:47 - Coming out of a recession, and into the golden era of property 25:58 - Moving to the international scene 30:34 - Joining the swans, and lessons in leadership 35:18 - Striking out independently 51:13 - Listing on the ASX, and the future of MA Financial 1:01:18 - Values of the Swans 1:09:31 - Outro

Not many investment bankers can claim to have a Wikipedia profile, but Andrew Pridham can. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Pridham has covered everything from M&A at J.P. Morgan to real estate investing at UBS. Since 2009, he’s run his own shop in conjunction with US-based Moelis & Company and since 2013, he has served as chairman of the Sydney Swans. Now, Pridham sits down with me on the latest edition of Success and More Interesting Stuff to discuss his lifetime in financial markets and how joining the board of Swans helped shape the way he leads his investment team.

How’s this for an honours list? Winner of the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year Senior Australian of the Year Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Australia Author of 11 books Star of multiple cooking shows Order of Australia (AM) Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) Public company name with multiple products to her credit Maggie Beer is an icon of the Australian food industry. Her larger-than-life personality and likeability have endeared her to a range of Australians from budding chefs to aged care occupants.  Maggie has backed her own skills and played an important role in encouraging people across this country to try their hand in the kitchen. She also can take credit for introducing the verjuice to the Australian kitchen. She also happens to be the only Australian with a self-named public company. Not bad for someone who left school at 14 years old. Now, Beer sits down with me for the latest edition of Success and More Interesting Stuff. We discuss her life before food, those first years operating the (now) world famous Farm Shop in South Australia, and what lies ahead for this Australian treasure. TIME CODES 0:00 - Intro 3:00 - Early life 18:40 - Early career 28:20 - Entrepreneurship in the food industry 38:40 - Transition to the financial world 48:10 - Other passions

Cooking from the heart is the humble and simple philosophy of one of Australia’s most well-known personalities. In a career spanning four decades - and in spite of zero formal training - Maggie Beer has become a beloved figure on our screens and gained a presence in many an Australian kitchen or bookshelf.  Even I was surprised to learn this first lady of Australian food’s career did not begin until she was in her 40s! Now, Beer sits down with me for the latest edition of Success and More Interesting Stuff. We discuss her life before food, those first years operating the (now) world famous Farm Shop in South Australia, and what lies ahead for this Australian treasure.

Leo Barry was everywhere during AFL Grand Final week this year. With a Sydney Swans scarf draped around his neck, you could be mistaken for thinking he is employed full time in the club’s marketing department. In truth, Barry always has a lot on his plate. From the moment he was drafted by the Swans, he has been on the run. The Swans relocated him to Sydney, placing him in boarding school out of the limelight of Melbourne. Soon enough, he cracked the big time, becoming a premiership player and an All-Australian defender. But away from the football pitch, “Leaping Leo” was preparing for his next career. A career that has ultimately led to him part-managing some $500 million in funds across the ASX small cap universe. In this edition of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Leo and I discuss what happened next and how he transformed himself from a football legend to a finance superstar. TIME CODES 0:00 - Intro 1:54 - Move from football to finance 6:53 - Early life 14:22 - Lessons from a career at the swans 24:05 - Beginning of career in finance 33:36 - Lessons from a career in finance 47:40 - Future of Leo and Fairview 51:21 - Outro

The full episode comes out on Wednesday 28th December.

Even after 55 years as a stockbroker, Brent Potts is still going strong. Every day, Potts arrives at his desk to talk to the smartest investors around. He never misses lunch with clients or colleagues. So much so that even in spite of the Coronavirus, he organised for a local Japanese restaurant to deliver food to his workplace (and for that matter, all his colleagues) at Blue Ocean Equities. Over the past half-century, his client rolodex has included Nine's Kerry Packer, Premier Investments' Solomon Lew, ex-Adsteam boss John Spalvins, and even Barbra Streisand. Potts has seen just about everything in the Australian market. Through the 1980s, his business partner was the flamboyant Rene Rivkin. Since then, he has built several broking businesses of his own. Each time he sells, he starts again and constructs another operation. He also tends to back his ideas with his own money - something that has served him and his clients well over the years. In our latest edition of Success and More Interesting Stuff, you’ll hear from Brent first-hand about his career, his take on modern investing, and the future of his storied life. Time-Codes 0:00 - Intro 2:00 - Early life 4:40 - Early career 11:35 - Finance in the 1970s 14:14 - Relationships with key clients 29:20 - Lessons from the 1987 collapse 33:12 - Starting over 36:57 - Brokerage in modern finance 41:20 - The importance of workplace culture 45:35 - Differences in finance from the ’70s to today 50:10 - Lessons from the market 55:45 - Future of Brent Potts 

Brent Potts is a legend of the Australian stockbroking industry and after 55 years he is still going strong. Potts has seen just about everything in the Australian market and has some colourful stories to tell. The full interview with Brent Potts goes live on Tuesday 20th December.

None of it really makes sense. A young man from Queensland teaching the world about Pizzas. Don Meij was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, moving around as a child before landing at Redcliff in North Brisbane. He trained to be a teacher but somehow got hooked on being the best Pizza delivery person in the district.  The next step was to become a franchised shop owner of a small chain called Silvio’s-dial-a pizza. Silvios merged with Domino’s Pizza within a few years, and Meij was at the helm in Australia. A meteoric rise from a delivery boy. Don, though, was just getting started. Domino's was cooking its competitors; in 2005, the company was listed on the ASX. Meij and his ambitious team, with the support of its major shareholder, fast food king Jack Cowin, were preparing to take on the world. Today, Domino's Pizza (ASX:DMP) is an ASX 100 company valued at more than $5.7 billion and has a growing global footprint. While it has been a whirlwind ride, there has also been some indigestion. Battles with disgruntled franchisees and the emergence of multiple food delivery companies have tested the leadership of Meij. Now he has global inflation to contend with.  Never to shy away from a challenge, Meij seems as energetic as ever.

The full interview with the Don Meij the founder and Managing Director of Domino’s Pizzas goes live on the 13th of December 2022. Here’s a taste of what is coming up.