For much of life, the world of banking might seem both impenetrable and dull yet there are times, when it vaults to being centre stage, at which point it typically ushers in fear, loathing and even panic. In light of the current traumas, rescues and uncertainties, we were very fortunate to have Huw Van Steenis, the internationally respected banks analyst and strategist join the show for a timely discussion on what might lie ahead. Huw reflects on lessons from history, on the differing regulatory...
Mar 30, 2023•42 min•Ep. 91
‘I drink my Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it when I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty!‘ This famous quote can be attributed to Madam Lady Bollinger in a 1961 interview with the Daily Mail. In this episode we explore the world of Champagne with Groupe Bollinger’s CEO & Chairman, whose family have been central to the sustained success ...
Mar 23, 2023•49 min•Ep. 90
Through direct, entertaining & insightful interviews with masters of the real life money maze, we hope to learn about different approaches to allocating capital, making business decisions and navigating the pitfalls that line the paths to prosperity. Each episode, with invite leading figures from the investment management and finance sector onto the show, who share their investment insights and career tips with our community. We're driven by a commitment to opening up the industry, which can...
Mar 23, 2023•56 sec
To celebrate the three year anniversary of the Money Maze Podcast we’re pleased to be re-sharing our the top 3 most listened to episodes of 2022! In this much anticipated interview, we are thrilled to feature Dame Kate Bingham, Managing Partner of SV Health Investors and former Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce. The conversation begins with a high level overview of the immense changes that are taking place in the world of medical research which have allowed us to move from treating symptoms to c...
Mar 22, 2023•57 min
To celebrate the three year anniversary of the Money Maze Podcast we’re pleased to be re-sharing our the top 3 most listened to episodes of 2022! Today we have a different conversation. Michael Lewis and Simon Brewer go back to graduating from the LSE in 1985, when they were both seeking a place on the fabled Salomon Brothers training programme. Michael’s success in securing that job allowed the world to have the enduring classic, ‘Liar’s Poker’, and from there to write 16 best sellers (three of...
Mar 21, 2023•59 min
To celebrate the three year anniversary of the Money Maze Podcast we’re pleased to be re-sharing our the top 3 most listened to episodes of 2022! In this episode, we’re in discussion with the Global Head of the Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions business, Joan Solotar. Joan has twice been recognised in Barron’s as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, and after a background in equity research covering financial services, she joined Blackstone in 2007. She starts by describing...
Mar 20, 2023•40 min
In this quick minisode, Simon gives an update on the podcast to mark three years since its inception. Simon Brewer & Will Campion set up the Money Maze Podcast in 2020 to bring insightful interviews with proven business & finance leaders to all, without the burden of a paywall. We're thrilled that the show now reaches over 2 million people per year across our channels, with listeners in over 100 countries (despite us underestimating the various technological & logistical challenges t...
Mar 17, 2023•10 min
In March 2020, as COVID curbs were about to descend on us all, Peter Harrison agreed to begin our podcasting journey by being the first guest, and discussed the attractions of the investment business, the shifting world of passive and active, the public v private debate and why ESG would simply become embodied in the investing process. In this interview we review how fast and how secular themes have evolved, why Asia’s opportunity set remains so appealing, and why engaging with China might be th...
Mar 09, 2023•39 min•Ep. 89
This Thursday, we’re pleased to welcome Peter Harrison, CEO of Schroders, back onto the show. To mark this exciting upcoming release, we’re resharing his first interview on the Money Maze Podcast. Peter appeared on the podcast as our very first guest back in March 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 lockdown. In this episode, Peter covers his ascent to CEO, and the journey from managing money to managing an investment business. The conversation moves to him talking about the compelling opportunitie...
Mar 07, 2023•38 min
To celebrate Bremont’s recent successful fundraising round we’ve refreshed this popular interview, originally released in July 2021. Investors in the round included the billionaire hedge fund manager, Bill Ackman, who took a stake in the firm after buying a number of their luxury watches on a visit to London. When we talk of luxury watches we typically think of Switzerland with its quality engineering and dominant market position, apparently illustrating the economist David Riccardo’s theory of ...
Feb 23, 2023•38 min
In this episode we talk to someone whose own firm advises some of the world’s most respected finance institutions, especially within the alternative and private assets arena. Jen Prosek explains why she declined the investment banking offers after her MBA, instead following her vision that effective marketing would come to Wall Street. She describes building the business, client engagement, how to pitch more effectively, what mediums to use, and how social media can be harnessed. She talks about...
Feb 09, 2023•40 min•Ep. 88
There are 3 large global management consulting firms considered to be the most prestigious; McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company. So we’re pleased to feature McKinsey’s Michael Birshan in this conversation, who explains some of the dynamics in the industry and how McKinsey is approaching the challenges and opportunities of 2023. Michael specifically highlights the transition to net zero, and its immense financial implications. He discusses the new markets - like...
Jan 26, 2023•47 min•Ep. 87
In Part 2, General Petraeus explains the woeful Russian execution of the war and possible next steps. In this second part of this illuminating conversation, he continues by evaluating NATO cohesion, before discussing China, and, why a mature conversation is essential between China and the West, given their interwoven and critical commercial co-existence. He talks pragmatically but emphatically about trade restrictions in strategic areas, such that there will likely be “higher fences around fewer...
Jan 19, 2023•49 min•Ep. 86
General David Petraeus has been described as the ultimate soldier/scholar. Targeted by Osama Bin Laden when Commander in Afghanistan, whose communications later revealed that “killing him would alter the war”, he became Director of the CIA and today is Chair of the KKR Global Institute and on their board. In the first part of this absorbing conversation, David Petraeus gives his assessment of the war now, and describes the strategic and tactical failings of Russia compared to the heroic and mast...
Jan 12, 2023•33 min•Ep. 85
In this episode, bestselling author and historian, Simon Sebag Montefiore, discusses his new book, which covers the key families who have shaped global history. His latest work has proven to be a hit, with Henry Kissinger commenting that: ‘Sebag Montefiore interweaves the stories of the servants, courtiers and kings, pioneers, preachers and philosophers who have made history. A brilliant synthesis that will impart fresh insight to even the most learned readers.’ Simon starts the interview by des...
Dec 20, 2022•44 min•Ep. 84
Founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z) is a revered venture capital firm which sits at the epicentre of financing entrepreneurial businesses. In this conversation, David Haber, General Partner overseeing fintech investing, begins by discussing his background, including graduating from Harvard, selling his business (Bond Street) to Goldman Sachs in 2017, before joining a16z to establish their first East Coast presence. David is able to offer a unique...
Dec 15, 2022•48 min•Ep. 83
In this conversation, we have the opportunity to talk to Alex Rodriguez, or ‘A Rod’ as he is better known, arguably the greatest baseball player of his generation. The discussion moves from how he came to dominate his sport to developing a substantial portfolio of investments and businesses through his investment firm, A-Rod Corp. Alex discusses the early years growing up in Manhattan, his love of baseball and becoming the top prospect in the country, and turning down a university scholarship to...
Dec 01, 2022•46 min•Ep. 86
Some of tomorrow’s large companies are today’s emerging ones, and in this miniseries we explore the world of venture capital and look at a handful of organisations that operate at a lower level in terms of size, but who are providing critical capital to early and growth-stage companies. In episode 2 of the series, we’re pleased to feature Roberto Italia, CEO of the global, evergreen investment company, Verlinvest. Verlinvest’s portfolio brands include Oatly, Pedego, Purplle.com , Vita Coco, Chew...
Nov 24, 2022•46 min•Ep. 81
In the first episode of our 4-part Venture Capital Miniseries, we are thrilled to feature Dame Kate Bingham, Managing Partner of SV Health Investors and former Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce. The much anticipated interview begins with a high level overview of the immense changes that are taking place in the world of medical research which have allowed us to move from treating symptoms to changing the way the body works. Kate describes the various leaps forward across medical conditions and th...
Nov 17, 2022•57 min•Ep. 80
As the Money Maze Podcast seeks to understand both the business and investment worlds, especially against the backdrop of a tougher economic environment, we are delighted to speak to Martin Waters, CEO of Victoria’s Secret & Co (VS&Co). Martin begins by explaining his retailing journey, Victoria’s Secret’s history and evolution, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Spun off from L Brands in 2021, the Fortune 500 lingerie and beauty retailer is known for its high vi...
Nov 10, 2022•40 min•Ep. 79
In this discussion we examine the changing world of investment funds and the data ecosystems that surround them. To explore this, we are delighted to welcome Laura González, Head of the Americas at Allfunds, one of the world's leading wealthtech companies, who offer the largest fund distribution network globally. Created in 2000, today Allfunds have approximately €1.3tn in assets under administration (as of 30/09/22), 16 offices across the globe and nearly 1,000 employees, with a strong footprin...
Nov 03, 2022•43 min•Ep. 79
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius counsels his son Laertes, exclaiming: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend”. If you’ve been a fixed income investor this year, you are nursing your wounds and might have wished you heeded this advice! At a global level we’ve seen over a decade of nominal bond returns wiped out for the first time since the early 1950s. Therefore this seems a good time to discuss fixed income, and to do so with PGIM Fixed Income, who manag...
Oct 27, 2022•45 min•Ep. 78
In this episode, we welcome Peter Oppenheimer from Goldman Sachs, who discusses the challenging investment landscape. He starts with an overview of economic growth before unpicking the inflation debate, reviewing rates and the emergence of opportunities in fixed income, before discussing equity markets. He explains why active equity managers are back, why value versus growth discussions are too simplified and the likely character of this bear market. Finally Peter discusses the commodity supercy...
Oct 20, 2022•52 min•Ep. 76
In this different podcast for us, we talk to Justin Byam Shaw, who set up The Felix Project in 2016 after the tragic death of his 14 year old son. The charity redistributes surplus food (that would otherwise go to waste) from 539 suppliers and delivers it to almost 1,000 charities, primary schools and holiday programmes. Justin starts by describing his own career following Oxford University, his first early success, building and selling a media business, through to buying The Independent - a the...
Oct 06, 2022•44 min•Ep. 75
Our guest in this episode is Anne Richards CVO, CBE, FRSE, and CEO of Fidelity International. Fidelity International offers investment solutions and retirement expertise to more than 2.85 million customers globally. Fidelity International operates in more than 20 countries and with $665.2 billion in total assets (as of 30/06/22) their clients range from central banks, sovereign wealth funds, large corporates, financial institutions, insurers and wealth managers, to private individuals. Anne begi...
Sep 29, 2022•55 min•Ep. 75
Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has expanded from providing wealth solutions to include asset servicing, asset management and banking to investors worldwide. It now has assets under management of USD $1.3 trillion and assets under custody of USD $13.7 trillion (as of 30/06/22) In this episode, we welcome Marie Dzanis, born and brought up in the US, now in the UK, who explains Northern Trust’s evolution from fiduciary and custodian to a significant global investment manager. She explai...
Sep 22, 2022•34 min•Ep. 74
In this short episode, host Simon Brewer shares some of the latest news from the Money Maze Podcast and our ecosystem. Featuring interviews with some of the biggest names in global finance & business, the show now reaches over half a million listeners a year across over 100 countries. We’re thrilled to have achieved this momentum, and would like to say thank you to our listener community, Sponsors and Corporate Partners for supporting us on our journey. We’re particularly proud to be inspiri...
Sep 15, 2022•5 min
In the last of our miniseries on the world of private equity, we are delighted to welcome KKR, and its Co-Head of European Private Equity, Philipp Freise, onto the show. Philipp discusses his wide and impressive education, his journey through management consulting at McKinsey, and a dotcom adventure as an entrepreneur, before joining KKR over 20 years ago. KKR today is a leading global investment firm with 2,300 employees and $491 billion of assets, invested across multiple alternative asset cla...
Sep 01, 2022•52 min•Ep. 73
Learn more about the show via our short trailer. Through direct, entertaining and insightful interviews with masters of the real life money maze, we hope to learn about different approaches to allocating capital, making investment and business decisions, and navigating the pitfalls that line the paths to prosperity. In each episode, we feature a high profile figure from the finance and investment management industry. Sometimes, we’re also joined by distinguished individuals from the wider busine...
Sep 01, 2022•1 min
In this episode, English financier Guy Hands discusses Terra Firma’s story and some lessons learnt in his career. Guy set up the firm as a spin-out from Nomura, and through it he’s overseen €18 billion of investment into 39 businesses since 1994. In this episode, he talks about Terra Firma’s business model, the early successes, and types of transactions they looked for, before discussing the merits and demerits of PE investing (for both investors and the economy). He then talks about the risks s...
Aug 25, 2022•49 min
