A Different Perspective podcast

A Different Perspective is a Zeus podcast, hosted by Nick Searle, Equity Sales. Here, Nick interviews interesting characters from the world of business and finance, to uncover a different perspective.

Zeus is an independent financial services group working across public and private capital markets in the UK.  We work alongside many of the most exciting businesses in the UK and we are passionate about supporting our clients.  This podcast is a series of interviews with interesting characters from the world of business and finance, uncovering a different perspective.

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View the ‘A Different Perspective’ Reading list.

This week, Nick talks to Judith Batchelar OBE.

Judith Batchelar OBE is a distinguished figure with over 35 years of experience in the food and drink industry. Her career began in manufacturing before she transitioned into retail, working at Marks and Spencer. From 2004 to 2021, she was pivotal at Sainsbury’s as the Director of Sainsbury’s Brand, overseeing all aspects of the company’s product offerings, including policy formation on ethical and sourcing issues, product technology, development, safety, and packaging, as well as corporate responsibility and public affairs. Batchelar’s academic background includes being a biochemist and nutritionist, holding an Honorary Doctorate in Agriculture from Harper Adams University, and affiliations as a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacturers.

Nick and Judith discuss Judith’s career in the food industry, Judith’s passion for food and dietary improvements and the reduction in ultra processed foods. Judith also looks at how the UK needs to adapt for climate change and the effect on our food production, and finally the recent IPO of Micrsosalt, of which Judith is chair.

Judith’s book choices were: Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey and Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.

This week, Nick Searle talks to Sid Lall, Fund Manager.

After joining Giles Hargreave in 2007 to work on the Marlborough Special Situations Fund, Sid was instrumental in the design and launch of the Marlborough Multi Cap Income Fund in 2011 and has remained its lead manager. The Marlborough Multi Cap Income Fund was the first among their funds to surpass £1bn in assets under management (AUM) for both Marlborough and Hargreave Hale. Hargreave Hale was acquired by Canaccord Genuity in 2017.

It was ranked at the top of its peer group in 2013 and in the top quartile for total returns over 1, 3, 5, and 10 years by the end of 2021.

Sid’s expertise has primarily been in small to mid-cap stocks, but it has expanded from UK small mid cap income to leverage his original expertise in European small mid cap (at DSP) and build on global equities, which are also held in the non-qualifying quota within the Marlborough Multi Cap Income Fund.

Nick and Sid talk about Sid’s life and career journey from growing up in Calcutta to leaving India for the UK, with scholarship under Lord Inchcape, studying at Edinburgh University and his first steps into business and finance, working with Giles Hargreave and what makes a good company stock to invest in.

Sid’s book choices were Maestro: Greenspan’s Fed and the American Boom, The Contender – The Story of Marlon Brando by William J. Mann, My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand and Hedgehogging by Barton Biggs.

This week Nick talks to Zeke Faux, Investigative Reporter and Author.

Zeke Faux is an investigative reporter for Bloomberg and author of the 2023 book “Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall”. The book examines the wild characters of the cryptocurrency world.

Nick and Zeke discuss the downfall of the FTX exchange in 2022 led by Sam Bankman-Fried, purchasing a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, Jean Chalopin the co-creator of Inspector Gadget and his role in the Tether story as well as touch on the darker side of crypto.

Zeke’s book choice was The Lost City of Z by Davin Grann.

This week, Nick speaks to Hugh Hendry, The Acid Capitalist.

Nick and Hugh talk through Hugh’s thoughts on the outlook for 2024 and go on a macro Acid Capitalist trip along the way.

They discuss when will the Fed cut interest rates, the 1970s and Hugh’s white paper on the parallels between the monetary landscape and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, suggesting that attempts by central banks to control economic temperature may lead to unintended consequences. They also cover Hugh’s view of Japan, Greyscale, Bitcoin and the price of Gold. Hugh also discusses arguing with his ‘Ai version of himself’.

Nick’s book suggestion is The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin.

This week, Nick speaks to Mark Mills, Entrepreneur and Advisor.

Mark is an Advisor who has built and sold businesses throughout his career. Mark set out to build and exit Cardpoint plc which he grew from a start-up in 2000 to revenues of £100m annually in 2006 with resulting EBITDA of £19.8m in that financial year. Mark’s expertise is derived from his own experiences and since 2007, Mark has been applying his unique process to other businesses and helping the owners to exit.

Recognizing common denominators of successful businesses, Mark emphasizes the importance of great customers, suppliers, teams, and stakeholders. With an entrepreneurial spirit deeply rooted in his DNA, Mark has served as the Founder and Chairman of www.mark.co.uk since August 2013.

In this episode, Nick and Mark discuss how Mark started in business, his journey, his business principles and how he aids business owners in preparing for sale and maximizing capital value upon exit.

Mark’s book choice was Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki.

This week, Nick speaks to Graeme Carling, Chairman & Co-Founder of The Carling Group.

Graeme is a notable entrepreneur, with a reputation for successfully negotiating deals in his own inimitable style: bold, direct, and uncompromising. He has decades of experience in bringing together fragmented markets and successfully negotiating high-value deals.  In 2019 Graeme, as CEO of investment company United Capital, began acquiring multiple businesses in the UK building services sector, growing group turnover to £40 million. With Graeme leading his expert team, United Capital continues to make significant acquisitions, with a potential acquisition pipeline value of over £1 billion.

Nick and Graeme discuss Graeme’s business journey, The Carling Group’s portfolio at present and some of the sectors that interest Graeme.

Graeme’s book choices were – Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki and three books by Steven Pressfield – Do The Work, Turning Pro and War of Art.

This week, Nick speaks to Edwin Brenninkmeyer, CEO of Oriens Aviation.

Edwin is founder and CEO of Oriens Aviation, an exclusive distributor for Pilatus and Tecnam aircraft in the British Isles. The company, as the Authorized Centre for Pilatus and Tecnam aircraft, is dedicated to providing a comprehensive suite of services for private aircraft owners and operators.

Edwin comes from a family business background, holding an MBA from Oxford University, where he specialized in business aviation and airport operating models. Edwin leverages this knowledge, coupled with his aviation venture capital experience, to form a consultancy focused on advising on the commercial aspects of aviation in Europe. His continued investments span both aviation and non-aviation businesses.

In their conversation, Nick and Edwin delve into the intricacies of Oriens, exploring the private aircraft sector and the dynamics of running an aviation business with an ethical value chain. Edwin shares insights on how he envisions new technologies shaping the future of aviation and covers all you need to know in chartering or owning an aircraft.

Edwin book choice was Reach for the Sky by Paul Brickhill.

This week, Nick speaks to Swen Lorenz, CEO & Founder of Sarnia Asset Management, a fund manager based in Guernsey, Channel Islands.

Sarnia Asset Management is in the process of launching several high-performing niche funds in public equity. Swen has a 25-year track record start-ups, turnarounds, fund management and also runs an investment website and blog, Undervalued Shares.

Nick and Swen discuss Swen’s background, becoming editor-in-chief of a well-respected German investment publication at only twenty one, travel, philanthropic ventures, and the evolution of Undervalued Shares.

They discuss that Swen is in the process of launching a formal offer to buy the Sark real estate portfolio owned by Alistair Barclay, the heir of Sir David Barclay. If a transaction does take place, the Sark Property Company that Swen set up together with the Seigneur of Sark will own 20% of the surface area of Sark with a portfolio of residential, commercial and hotel properties. This company would then also aim to go public in London in 2025.

Swen’s book choice was The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz.

This week, Nick talks to Anthony Chow, Co-Founder of Agronomics.

Anthony co-founded Argonomics in 2018 alongside author, entrepreneur and investor, Jim Mellon. Agronomics is the leading London listed company in the field of cellular agriculture. Cellular agriculture is the production of agriculture products directly from cell cultures that would have otherwise been derived from traditional agriculture methods.

Nick and Anthony discuss cellular agriculture, looking at some of Anthony’s key investments and discussing what the sector will look like in the next 5-10 years.

Anthony’s book choice was Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway.

This week, Nick talks to Richard Mulholland, Founder of Missing Link.

Richard founded Missing Link in 1997, after a career as a rock n’ roll roadie, operating lights for legendary bands including Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. Richard is an expert in persuasive communication and is a global keynote speaker, talking across the world on subjects such as strategy, leadership and sales.

Richard and Nick discuss the changing world of presentations, human connection and communication, tools to communicate persuasively and how to inspire action.

Richard has written three books: Legacide, Boredom Slayer, and Be Here Dragons. His other book choices were – Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith, Your Business Brickyard: Getting back to the basics by Howard Mann and Profit First by Mike Michalowicz.

This week, Nick talks to Stephen Julius, Entrepreneur & Investor.

Stephen Julius is an entrepreneur and investor focusing on acquiring controlling stakes in bankrupt or distressed, luxury consumer brands, mainly in the power sport industry, and then re-launching the companies.

With a love for iconic, product brands, a passion for design, and an interest in fostering craftsmanship within a manufacturing environment, Stephen has brought the following brands back to life: Chris-Craft Corporation, Riva Yachts and Indian Motorcycle Company.

Stephen and Nick discuss Stephen’s background in a Benedictine Monastery and starting out at The Boston Consulting Group. They talk about Stephen’s career, starting with his first investment in Italy, his investment strategy and key lessons learnt throughout his career.

Stephen’s book choices were The Odyssey by Homer and La Serenissima: The Story of Venice by Jonathan Keates.

This week, Nick talks to Emily Williams, Co-Founder of IW Aviation.

Formerly Board Sales Director at NetJets Europe, Emily has spent a decade advising HNWIs and globally recognised corporations on their aviation needs.

Her detailed knowledge of the industry includes operations and manufacturers, having built-up vast experience in strategy planning and long-term business analytics for her clients.

Emily and Nick discuss starting out in Ogilvy & Mather, before joining NetJets, shortly after the merger with Marquis Jet Europe. They talk about what it’s like to work with Warren Buffett, her ten-year career at NetJets, and the journey of founding and building her business, IWA.

Emily’s book choice was Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living by Glennon Doyle.

This week, Nick talks to Bob Holt OBE, acclaimed business leader and philanthropist.

Bob Holt, former Director of Mears Group, built the company from a minnow to a market leader. He has since taken his significant experience to several other company boards. Seen as a no-nonsense hands-on achiever with significant experience at Board level, Bob recently turned around Revolution Beauty.

Nick and Bob discuss Bob’s start in Oldham in the family’s greengrocers to being Tottenham Hotspur’s CEO among many other leadership roles in his career. Bob also discusses his philanthropic pursuits as the founder of The Mears Foundation, The Footprints Foundation and The Holt Trust.

Bob’s book recommendations were the works of Tom Bower.

This week, Nick talks to Andy Lee, Founder and CIO of Parallaxes Capital.

Andy founded Parallaxes Capital in 2017. Previously, he was with Lone Star Funds, focused on investing in the Americas. He began his career at Citigroup. Andy graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Masters in Accountancy and a Bachelors in Finance and Accountancy.

Andrew’s book choice was The Five Secrets of a Sales C.O.A.C.H. by Hilmon Sorey and Cory Bray.

This week, Nick talks to promotional merchandise entrepreneur, Martin Varley.

Martin has founded several businesses within the promotional merchandise industry and has extensive knowledge of supply and distribution in the sector.

Martin left school at fifteen and worked as a photo journalist before embarking upon his entrepreneurial journey. He started his first promotional product company, which he grew and sold to Bemrose Corporation Plc. Whilst working with Bemrose, Martin launched 4imprint, which is now a UK Plc with a £1.3bn market cap. Martin then went on to found Galileo Innovation and Corporate Solutions, and following a series of deals, he created Altitude Group, serving as CEO from 2005 to 2017, before becoming a NED.

His latest project is Merchr.com, a content monetisation platform that gives brands, influencers, musicians, sportspeople, attractions, charities, schools, entrepreneurs, and more, a unique opportunity to create their own merch collection with no inventory, no risk and a 24-hour shipping guarantee.

Nick and Martin discuss Martin’s background and upbringing, the importance of building trust in sales, investing in your team and Martin’s passion for aviation.

As always, Nick and Martin discuss Martin’s book recommendations: Good To Great by Jim Collins and Odyssey by John Sculley.

This week, Nick speaks to serial technology entrepreneur and author, Michael Tobin OBE.

With over 30 years’ experience in the telecoms and technology sector, Michael is the former CEO of Telecity. Michael built Telecity from a £6m market cap to a £2.6bn business.

Michael has since founded Tobin Ventures, and holds multiple NED and Chairman roles with progressive businesses in the datacentre and technology industries. Michael is also Chairman of Audioboom.

Nick and Michael discuss Michael’s upbringing, his route to becoming CEO of Telecity, his management of several successful exit strategies, and his maverick management techniques.

Michael’s book choice was 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke

This week Nick talks to James Ashton, Author and CEO of Quoted Companies Alliance.

James has been a financial journalist for over 20 years; as City Editor and Executive Editor at the Evening Standard, and also worked at Reuters and the Sunday Times. James is the CEO of the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA), which is an enabling, principles-based, corporate governance code for companies focused on growth.

James is also an accomplished author, and his third book The Everything Blueprint: The Microchip Design that Changed the World tells the story of UK’s technology success ARM.

Nick and James discuss James’ background, what drove him to join Fleet Street, joining QCA, perceptions of public markets and what needs to change to keep UK Capital Markets relevant on the international stage. James also discusses the process of writing his latest book and the high-tech, international story of ARM.

James’ book choices were Philip Agur’s The Bank That Lived a Little – Barclays in the Age of the Very Free Market and Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe.

This week, Nick talks to Harris ‘Kuppy’ Kupperman, Founder & Chief Investment Officer of Praetorian Capital Fund LLC. Harris Kupperman is a renowned Investment Manager, who specializes in leveraging changing trends to guide stock selection and Event-Driven strategies. He is the founder of Praetorian Capital Management LLC and actively shares his investment process and insights on his blog, Kuppy’s Korner.

He is also a contributor to KEDM.com, a newsletter focused on Event-Driven investing. In addition, Harris holds the positions of Chairman and CEO at Mongolia Growth Group (YAK: Canada and MNGGF: USA), a publicly traded company, which provides him with a unique perspective as both an operator and financier.

Kuppy’s book choice was The First Tycoon by T.J. Stiles.

Listen to last week’s live recording of A Different Perspective podcast, featuring host Nick Searle with guests, macro trading legends Hugh Hendry and Barry Norris. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at St Ethelburga’s in the City of London on 21^st June.

Nick, Hugh and Barry discussed the rate rise dilemma faced by the FED and Bank of England and what needs to break, are we over peak ESG and what is the future for active fund management.

Hugh Hendry is a hedge fund manager and podcast host. Hugh was previously at Baillie Gifford and Odey Asset Management, and his Eclectica macro hedge fund was famously up 50% in 2003 and up 50% in the month of October in 2008, earning him a reputation as a contrarian investor.

Barry Norris is the Founder of Argonaut Capital, an equity fund management company based in London. Barry is the Fund Manager of the Argonaut Absolute Return Fund, a leading equity long/short fund, managed using contrarian top-down macro views and a bottom-up “earnings surprise” stock-picking process. He also writes the widely followed “Argonautica” blog and creates Argonaut’s distinct “Stockumentary” videos.

This week Nick talks to George Latham, Managing Partner at WHEB Group.

George has over 25 years of experience in sustainable investment. He currently holds the position of Managing Partner and Chief Risk Officer at WHEB Asset Management since 2012. Prior to that, he led the sustainable investment team at Henderson Global Investors which established the positive impact investment strategy that continues at WHEB.

Additionally, he played a key role in designing and launching Threadneedle Asset Management’s sustainable investment strategy in the late 1990s. George holds a degree in Geography from Oxford University, served as a British Army infantry officer, and is an Associate of the CFA UK. He is also an ambassador for B Corps UK.

George’s book choices were – The Infinite Game: How great Businesses Achieve Long -Lasting Success by Simon Sinek and Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein.

This week Nick talks to Isobel Stirling, Founder of Inner Friend, a holistic health, wellbeing and spirituality company.

Isobel is a successful corporate fashion and media executive and entrepreneur who worked in publishing prior to founding her own company. She worked with Anna Wintour at Conde Nast in a high-performing and competitive environment and learnt the skills of brand building and storytelling from the best in the business.

Isobel and Nick discuss Isobel’s background and career, living in twenty year sprints, launching vogue.com, content creation in an increasingly competitive space, and building Farfetch for IPO.

Isobel’s book choice was Becoming Supernatural by Dr Joe Dispenza.

This week Nick talks to Jason Tebb, CEO of OnTheMarket.

Jason has a wealth of experience in property having previously founded his own estate agency business, Ivy Gate (backed by former Dragon, James Caan) and as Regional Managing Director at LSL Property Services PLC. He was also an area director at Chestertons, held various senior positions at Foxtons and has experience in both property development and funding sectors.

Jason and Nick discuss Jason’s background and career, joining OnTheMarket and the focus for the business, and opportunities for the future in the sector.

This week Nick talks to Ken Wotton, Managing Director, Public Equity at Gresham House.

A renowned investor, Ken trained as an accountant and worked as an equities analyst before running client money. Ken now heads up the Gresham House Public Equity Team that manages c. £1bn. of assets across three open-ended funds.

Ken and Nick discuss Ken’s background and career, his investment strategy at Gresham House, the importance on focusing on company fundamentals instead of sentiment and opportunities for the future.

Ken’s book choices were The Big Short by Michael Lewis and Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance.

This week Nick talks to Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports.

Jasmine has had a distinguished career, working in music marketing and sponsorship. She was responsible for masterminding the rebranding of 15 UK music venues, including the O2 Arena. She also launched the O2 Academy TV YouTube channel, creating bespoke content with artists such as Kasabian.

Jasmine and Nick discuss Jasmine’s background and career, the approach that Guild Esports is taking, her view on the future of the sector and her vision for Guild Esports.

Jasmine’s book choice was Daring Greatly by Brene Brown.

This week Nick talks to Mark Costar, Senior Fund Manager at JO Hambro.

Mark, along with his colleague Vishal Bhatia run the JO Hambro UK Growth Fund. Mark and Vishal aim to identify mispriced or undiscovered growth stocks with a smaller company bias, the fund also contains stocks which have a high margin of safety but significant upside potential.

Mark and Nick discuss what first interested Mark in the markets and his early career, how Mark identifies mispriced or undiscovered growth stocks and growth opportunities in the UK market in 2023.

Mark recommends: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, The Avoidable War by Kevin Rudd, Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake and The Sea Is Not Made of Water Life Between the Tides by Adam Nicolson.

In this special episode, the legendary Acid Capitalist Hugh Hendry joins Nick for a truly different perspective.

Hugh, on this birthday, made a very timely surprise, in person, appearance to talk with Nick about the financial woes of the last week.

The discussion includes the Federal Reserve’s expected response to the liquidity crisis, the imminent downfall of venture capitalists, private equity and commercial real estate, inflation, interest rates and what Hugh’s been trading and what he’s looking to buy.  There is also mention of a Jimi Hendrix playing rock goddess and time spent with Brad Pitt’s healer in LA.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUGH!

Follow Hugh on Twitter or Instagram. or listen to his podcast, Acid Capitalist wherever you get your podcasts.

This week Nick talks to Ian Strafford Taylor, CEO of Equals Group.

Ian co-founded FairFX, which became Equals Group, in 2006 becoming CEO in 2012.  Having previously held a number of senior investment banking roles, Ian left UBS, after 13 years, as Global Head of Securities Borrowing & Lending, Fixed Income Repo and Prime Brokerage. Ian is a chartered accountant, qualifying with Arthur Andersen in 1985.

Ian and Nick discuss Ian’s career, the evolution of Equals Group and opportunities for the business going forward.

Ian recommends Tom Clancy as a good read and also his love of cryptic crosswords, preferring the The Times on the way into the office and The Telegraph on the way home.

This week Nick talks to Richard Staveley, Lead Fund Manager of Rockwood Strategic.

Richard Staveley has over twenty years’ experience of equity investment and fund management.

Rockwood Strategic Plc is an Investment Trust which invests in a focused portfolio of smaller UK public companies. The strategy identifies undervalued shares, where the potential exists to improve returns and where the company is benefitting, or will benefit, from operational, strategic or management changes. These unlock, create or realise shareholder value for investors.

Richard and Nick discuss Richard’s career to date, the micro-cap market and indicators for the future.

This week Nick talks to Mark Cutler, CEO of Van Elle Holdings.

AIM listed Van Elle is the UK’s largest ground engineering contractor, offering end-to-end capabilities across residential, infrastructure and construction.

A graduate of Imperial College London, Mark is a chartered civil engineer with over 30 years’ experience in the infrastructure, construction and utility sectors and has held various senior leadership roles with major UK contractors including Cerillion, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty.

Nick and Mark discuss his background and career to date, what sets Van Elle apart from its competition, the strategy going forward and opportunities in a fragmented market.

This week Nick talks to Zoe Watkiss, Co-Founder of SunGod, the performance eyewear brand for Bike, Run, Snow & Everyday.

Zoe is a serial entrepreneur having launched Hats for the Hill whilst at university. She now divides her time between London and Verbier.

Zoe founded SunGod with her now husband Ali to build a better performance eyewear company, through community and sustainability. Collaborations include Team Ineos, McLaren F1, The SAILGP Great Britain team and The England Rugby team. SunGod is now challenging the established brands for global market share.

Zoe talks about her influences, and motivating factors that have contributed to SunGod becoming a genuine UK success story.

In this extended episode, Nick Searle speaks to William Green, Author of Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World’s Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life. William also hosts a podcast, the Richer, Wiser, Happier podcast.

Over the past twenty five years, William has interviewed many of the world’s best investors. He shares insights from his career and the best advice he has received from the greatest minds in finance.

In this episode, Nick Searle speaks to Bobby Vedral, Partner and Portfolio Manager at Toscafund Asset Management.

Bobby has over 20 years of financial market experience. Prior to Toscafund was a Partner at Goldman Sachs and worked at UniCredit/HVB and Deutsche Bank. He is the author of the macro-political newsletter, MacroEagle.

Bobby shares insights on his strategy for the past decades, his views on the current market, how high interest rates will alter the strategy going forward and his views on cryptocurrency.

In this episode, Nick Searle speaks to Barry Norris, Founder of Argonaut Capital Partners.

Argonaut Capital is a specialist equity fund management company based in London, managing both long only and long/short equity funds.

Barry talks us through his journey to starting his own fund, explains what motivated him to create a documentary titled ‘What have fossil fuels ever done for us’ and why he is sceptical about renewable energy sources.

Watch Barry’s stockumentary or subscribe to his podcast on the Argonaut website.

In this episode, Nick Searle speaks to Tim Steer, former top-ranked UK fund manager and author.

Tim started his career as sound engineer to the stars – touring with the likes of Meat Loaf, Diana Ross, Leo Sayer and Thin Lizzy.

He then qualified as an accountant before moving into investment analysis and fund management, becoming one of the most highly rated fund managers in Britain. Since 2000 he has also written regularly for the Times and Sunday Times, as well as contributing to the Financial Times.

Read more from Tim by purchasing a copy of his book, The Signs Were There.

View the ‘A Different Perspective’ Reading list.

In this episode, Nick Searle speaks to Helena Marston, CEO of Purplebricks.

Helena joined Purplebricks in May 2020 as Chief People Officer and took on the role of Chief Operating Officer at the end of 2021 before becoming Chief Executive Officer in April 2022.

Prior to Purplebricks, a passion for driving significant performance improvements in leadership and organisational culture led Helena to hold several senior leadership roles at Virgin Media, Kuwait Energy, Jaguar Land Rover and Vodafone. Helena shares with Nick insights from her background, her motivation, and discusses her interest in human behaviour.

Helena’s book choices are Executive Intelligence: What All Great Leaders Have in Common by Justin Menkes, The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez and the Art of War by Sun Tzu.

In this episode Nick speaks with Alex Hoye the co-founder of the disruptive ski brand The Faction Collective.

After a conventional path of Stanford, Harvard Business School, Disney, McKinsey and even an AIM listing Alex co-founded The Faction Collective.

The Faction Collective produces the skis your kids want to ski. The conversation takes in the ethos and strategy of Faction with strong shadows of Alex’s inspiration Yves Chouinard.

Nick Searle speaks to Simon Young, Fund Manager.

An extremely experienced portfolio manager, Simon has focused on income mandates for many years. Following Cambridge University, Simon joined Mercury Asset Management which became Blackrock, and has also worked at Aviva and AXA Asset Management.

Simon and Nick discuss Simon’s background and career progression, the appeal income mandates and cash generative companies and views on how macro headwinds will affect consumer spending over the next six months.

Nick Searle speaks to Richard Simpson, CEO of Watkin Jones Group.

Richard moved into real estate after starting his career in the British Army. He describes his career progression at Unite and the transition to CEO at Watkin Jones.  Nick and Richard discuss the current economic backdrop and the impact on the business, the outlook and trends in the UK real estate industry.

Watkin Jones is the UK’s leading developer and manager of residential for rent focusing on the build to rent residential, purpose built student accommodation and affordable housing sectors.

This week the legendary Acid Capitalist Hugh Hendry joins Nick for a truly different perspective.

Previously at Baillie Gifford and Odey Asset Management Hugh’s Eclectica macro hedge fund was famously up 50% in 2003 and up 50% in the month of October in 2008. Monikered as a contrarian investor, Hugh certainly has some very different views as Nick runs through a tally of macro thoughts and themes.

Follow Hugh on Twitter or Instagram, or listen to his podcast, Acid Capitalist wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Nick Searle speaks to Mike Allen, Head of Research at Zeus.

Mike explains how he entered the industry, and explains how the research offering is structured at Zeus. He also gives some thoughts on his top picks in these turbulent markets.

Mike’s book choices are The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham and A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough.

In this episode, Nick speaks to ex-hedge fund manager, Richard Howarth.

Richard had a very successful career at Brewin Dolphin, Clerical Medical and Insight yet decided to retire six years ago as ‘money can’t buy you time’.  Richard now lives in Switzerland skiing in the winter and climbing in the summer whilst continuing to invest in the markets.

In this episode, Nick speaks with Albert Ellis, CEO of Staffline Group plc.

Staffline provides recruitment and outsourced human resource services. Staffline is an interesting business for our current economic times of high employment and wage increases. Albert has had a very varied career, from starting as a professional musician to running his own hair salons, before working in recruitment.  As always, Albert shares with us some great life lessons.

In this episode Nick talks to Martin Gilbert and Campbell Fleming of AssetCo.

Martin founded Aberdeen Asset Management in 1983, culminating in the merger with Standard Life to create the UK’s largest financial services firm in 2017. Martin serves on many boards, including being Chairman of Revolut and a Senior Independent Director at Glencore.

Campbell is CEO of AssetCo and was previously global Head of Distribution and Marketing at Standard Life Aberdeen.

Martin and Campbell lay out their vision for AssetCo, and the asset management industry, what drives them to ‘go again’, thoughts on current market movements and have some pearls of wisdom for people starting out on their careers.

This week, Nick talks to Fergus Wylie of SIFA Strategy. SIFA Strategy was established in 2016, recognising the material importance of ESG, and the need for management teams to embed it within their business and reporting in response to increasing influence on the cost of capital and drivers of reputation. Fergus discusses why he founded SIFA Strategy, how he views ESG, how management teams can begin to tackle the topic of ESG and current criticism of ESG.

This week, Nick talks to Adam Bond, CEO of AFC Energy. Adam has been the CEO at AFC Energy for eight years. We learn about Adam’s background and positioning himself to further a career in alternative energy (and specifically hydrogen). A topical focus with our current energy security and climate change agendas, Hydrogen is well placed to be the fuel of the future and AFC is at the bleeding edge.

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