Conversations with Institutional Investors

Michael Block is Chief Investment Officer of Bellmont Securities and Adjunct Industry Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where he helped establish the UTS Anchor Fund. The UTS Anchor Fund is a live investment portfolio managed by students to give them hands on experience with managing portfolios.

In this episode, we take a look at Michael's extensive career in investing, spanning roles with Future Plus, Nambawa...

Eduard van Gelderen is Head of Research for Focusing Capital on the Long Term (FCLT), an organisation that was established in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, or Great Recession as it is known in the US, to move away from a so-called “quarterly capitalism”, which arguably contributed to the crisis, and towards a true long-term mind-set.

Van Gelderen joined FCLT in 2024, after spending over six years as the Chief Investment ...

Suhail Shaikh is Chief Investment Officer of Fulcrum Asset Management and is the portfolio manager of Fulcrum’s Discretionary Macro and Diversified Absolute Return strategies. In today’s incredibly volatile environment of tariff wars and deglobalisation, investors tend to be more sensitive about the level of their absolute returns, than their performance against the benchmark. In this episode, we delve into the philosophy of absolu...

In episode 111 of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Michael Weaver, who is the Head of Global Real Assets with the Australian Retirement Trust.

We discussed the role of real assets in the context of a multi-asset, pension portfolio, the ever-lurking threat of inflation, the return of office property and more.

Please enjoy the show!

Overview of Podcast with Michael Weaver, Head of Global Real Assets, ART

02:00 Role of real assets in a...

In episode 110 of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Jamie Newton, Head of Global Fixed Income Research and Deputy Head of Sustainability at Allspring Global Investments. We discuss why now is a good time to add duration to fixed income portfolios, concerns over the lack of experience with high default rates in private credit and opportunities in data centres and other digital assets. Enjoy the Show!

Overview of Podcast with Jamie New...

In episode 109, we are back with Will Liang, Executive Director at MA Financial, to discuss the introduction of DeepSeek and the impact on the future development of artificial intelligence and the global economy. Are tech firms going to scale back their investments due to this low cost model, or is it all a bit of a hype? Enjoy the Show!

Overview of Podcast with Will Liang on DeepSeek

01:00 First impressions of DeepSeek

03:00 Is De...

Private credit has evolved significantly since the global financial crisis, and Brendan Carroll, Senior Partner at Victory Park Capital, has been at the forefront of that transformation.

In this episode, we explore how private credit investments are adapting to meet the needs of insurers, the growing role of asset-backed lending, and why insurance companies are becoming the fastest-growing investor base in the space.

Brendan also s...

In episode 107 of the [i3] Institutional Investment Podcast, we speak with Scott Donald, Associate Professor at the School of Private and Commercial Law of the University of New South Wales, about his research into governance and the now mandatory annual member meetings of superannuation funds.

How do funds field questions from members? How can we check they answer all questions? What impact do these meetings have on the corporate ...

In episode 106 of the [i3] Institutional Investment Podcast, I speak with Craig Dandurand, Chief Investment Officer of the Tuckwell Family Office. Craig has an impressive career in the investment industry that spans time with US pension fund CalPERS and Australia's the Future Fund. We talked about his background in credit investing, setting up a hedge fund program and the world of private wealth. Enjoy the show!

Overview of Podcast...

In episode 105 of the [i3] Institutional Investment Podcast, we speak with Jessica Sclafani, a Global Retirement Strategist with US fund manager T. Rowe Price, which manages $1.6 trillion in total assets on behalf of clients. Retirement is a more complex phase than wealth accumulation and it needs a more sophisticated approach to deliver good outcomes. Sclafani discusses a 5 dimensional approach to retirement and the tradeoffs that...

John Livanas is the Chief Executive Officer of State Super, the $37 billion superannuation fund for public service and public sector workers in NSW. In this episode, we talk about the use of defensive overlays, dealing with the COVID drawdown and machine learning in investments. Enjoy the show!

Overview of podcast with John Livanas, Chief Executive Officer of State Super

01:30 Peter Drucker’s book, The Unseen Revolution, provided i...

Matthew Culley is a Portfolio Manager on the Emerging Market Equity Team at Janus Henderson Investors. In this podcast, we talk about the best performing markets, tensions around China, the impact of the US elections and fighter jets. Enjoy the Show!

Overview of [i3] Podcast with Matt Culley, Janus Henderson Investors

02:00 I initially wanted to become a fighter pilot, but then got glasses and that dream went out the door

06:00 Bra...

In episode 102 of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Andrew Spence, Chief Investment Officer of the $9 billion corporate super fund Qantas Super. Qantas Super recently announced to merge with ART and we took the opportunity to look back at the investment strategy that Spence put in place as the fund's first CIO, the innovations along the way and lessons learned.

Overview of podcast with Andrew Spence, CIO of Qantas Super

02:00 I came ...

In episode 101 of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Damon Callaghan and Sam Byrnes of asset management firm ECP. ECP was established by Dr. Manny Pohl of Hyperion Asset Management fame and in this episode we talk about the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence when investing in Australian equities. Enjoy the show!

01:00 How we got started in investing

04:00 Sam: My dad was CEO of Bega Cheese and that got me both int...

It is our 100th episode of the [i3] Podcast and we are celebrating this with an in-depth discussion on innovation in private equity, especially mid-life transactions, with David Morse, Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Private Equity Co-Investments at Neuberger Berman. Enjoy the show!  

Overview of Podcast with David Morse of Neuberger Berman

01:00 Starting in mid-market lending, but liking what the guys on the other side of ...

In episode 99 of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Julian McManus, who is a Portfolio Manager on the Global Alpha Equity Team at Janus Henderson Investors. We spoke about global equities, the role of the Magnificent 7, Japanese equities and hybrid cars. Enjoy the show!

Overview of Podcast with Julian McManus, Janus Henderson Investors

02:00 Getting into Japanese equities fresh out of law school

04:00 We still invest in Japan

07:00 Ab...

In episode 98 of the [i3] Podcast, we are speaking with Will Liang, who is an executive director at MA Financial Group, but is also well-known for his time with Macquarie Group, where he worked for more than a decade, including as Head of Technology for Macquarie Capital Australia and New Zealand. We discuss the application of AI in financial services and wealth management, ChatGPT and how to deal with AI hallucinations.

Overview o...

In this episode of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Felicity Walsh, Managing Director and Head of Australia & New Zealand for Franklin Templeton about leadership, fostering a great work culture, mentorship and lab coats. Enjoy the show!

Overview of Podcast with Felicity Walsh, Franklin Templeton

01:00 Hanging up the chemistry lab coat and safety specs, and joining Watson Wyatt

05:00 Defined benefit post GFC and getting into client a...

In episode 96 of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Maria Elena Drew, Director of Research – Responsible Investing, at T. Rowe Price about the challenges and opportunities of transforming investments into net zero portfolios. How does it affect your objectives and engagement with companies? Enjoy the show!

Overview of Podcast with Maria Elena Drew, T. Rowe Price

01:00 When I was at school, I didn’t think this was a career path that wa...