Success and More Interesting Stuff

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

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

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 

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.

Success and More Interesting Stuff is back for its third and best season ever. Kicking off on December 13 and running through to January 24 the series talks to 7 of the most successful professional investors and business operators in Australia. Each guest has a superbly colourful story to tell. Each one took risks that the rest of us would find to daunting to seriously contemplate. Once the decision was made each one threw everything, they could muster to make the journey a success. Driven by a competitive spirit to win the ultimate prize, each one encountered setbacks but pushed through.  

In this final episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, we turn back the clock and talk to legendary fund manager Peter Morgan. Peter was a 'master of the market' in the 1990s at the helm of Perpetual Investments. When he left in 2002, the group was managing about $12 billion and was outperforming the market year after year, notching up returns of more than 14% per annum. Peter and Warwick Negus went on to turn heads with their boutique venture 452 Capital. But about a decade ago, doctors diagnosed brain cancer and gave Peter less than a year to live. Although this diagnosis eventually proved incorrect (though not before an intensive round of chemo), his time as a professional money manager was over. He still avidly watches global markets, but with only his own funds on the line. Nonetheless, he thinks experience has made him an even better investor these days. In this episode Peter talks about learning from the 1987 sharemarket crash and the dotcom bubble. He looks with the discipline of an ex-auditor at modern reporting metrics and shares his conviction that Australia's culture of regular dividends might be holding us back, closing with a timely challenge for domestic enterprises.

In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, we speak to AFL legend Chris Judd, a former star of the midfield for West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club. His career on the field netted him a premiership, two Brownlow Medals and acclaim as one of the best players of the modern era. Since retiring from the game in 2015, Chris has turned his attention to trading financial markets. He thinks hard about the macro-economic picture and how to make money from his findings. He describes his competitive edge as a non-institutional investor, and how determined he is to make the most of it. The harsh realities of elite sport have taught Chris things other people might not grasp until much later in life, when it is too late to benefit from the lesson. Along the way he expounds the ingredients of success, the prospects for gold and crypto currencies.

Jamie Pherous embodies the importance of drive, resilience and talent. Having graduated at 20, following the status quo was never an option.  After working across brokerage and accountancy, the prescribed pathways never aligned with Jamie's entrepreneurial tendencies, and, when the opportunity to transition into the travel industry arose, Jamie welcomed it with open arms.  From there he has not looked back. His acquisition of a significant stake in what soon became ASX-listed company Corporate Travel Management is a testament to his drive. As Founder and CEO, he has shaped their culture and success from the ground up, building a team ready to take on the world.  "To compete across the whole globe consistently…that is the test of a truly global company. That is what we aspire to be.” In this episode of the Success and More Interesting Things podcast, we discuss Jamie's relentless ability to learn and adapt; the manner in which Corporate Travel Management has grown; and finally the importance of resilience when facing unflinching (and sometimes personal) attacks. Despite operating in much-maligned travel industry, Jamie is filled with optimism for the future. 

David Paradice loves businesses. From chatting to the owner of a bike shop in Byron Bay to discussing the KPIs of his local IGA, Paradice truly believes that everyone has an area of expertise and is always looking to learn.  An Australian Fund Manager Hall of Fame inductee, he launched Paradice Investment Management aged 40, having earned his stripes spearheading the small-cap divisions at ING Group and Mercantile Mutual. A suite of achievements soon followed.  With a laser-like focus on returns and an unrelenting commitment to self-improvement, Paradice grew a multi-dimensional and thriving investment firm that shows no signs of slowing.  Passion is at the core of every action he takes, and, despite stepping down from managing the funds directly, he is as committed as ever. When reflecting on his success, Paradice highlighted a key framework for identifying winners: “Multiple expansion and earnings growth - if you achieve that combination, which you do in smalls, you get massive leverage on your investment ... this creates huge wins and massive value" In this episode of the Success and More Interesting Things podcast, I talk to Paradice about his legendary intensity when it comes to getting the job done, the crucial lessons learnt through his journey in funds management, and even how he once enjoyed a laugh with the Queen of England. 

Grant Hackett is one of the most recognisable figures in Australia. Having experienced the highest of highs through Olympic success, the thirst for a challenge never wavered. After retiring from swimming for the second time, Grant went back to business school and spent a couple of years in banking. When the opportunity to join the team at Generation Development Group arose however, the allure of the opportunity was undeniable. Having recently taken over as CEO, Grant notes that there are clear similarities between his intensity in the pool and the demands of running a publicly listed company. The importance of building a winning culture is paramount and that requires trust and belief in the people around you "The standards you walk by are the standards you accept" - Grant Hackett In this episode of the Success and More Interesting Things podcast, Matthew Kidman talks to Grant about how he has dealt with change and transition; the parallels between business and sports; and ultimately the importance of resilience and internal drive when it comes to achieving multi-disciplinary success. 

A short preview of our upcoming podcast miniseries, brought to you by Livewire Markets.

Viktor Shvets on the end of cycles, the rise of the cloud of finance, and why politics may now be the greatest market risk. At Livewire Live 2025, Viktor Shvets delivered one of the most anticipated keynotes of the event. Over four decades, he has built a reputation as one of the sharpest minds in global finance, unafraid to challenge consensus. In this episode, Viktor explains why the old rules of cycles and mean reversion no longer apply, how financial markets have drifted into a “cloud of finance,” and why inequality and politics may prove the greatest risks ahead. It is a conversation that unsettles, but also clarifies what really drives markets today.

Four decades into his career, Paul Moore seems to be just getting started. Two years ago, he made the bold decision to vend his business, PM Capital, into Phil King’s Regal Partners. Many thought this was an exit plan for Moore. Instead, it proved to be the tonic he needed. PM Capital has since become a growth engine inside Regal, with close to $5 billion under management and performance that continues to deliver. In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Paul shares what keeps him motivated, why he believes the only true arbitrage in markets is time, and how he is positioning portfolios in today’s unpredictable environment.

The professional investment game is relentless. No matter where you are in the world, you cannot escape the endless procession of markets. Sure, you can go on holiday and attempt the concept of relaxation, but each morning when you wake up, Wall Street has just closed. It’s impossible not to sneak a peek. Each month your numbers are measured against the market and your peers. There is no hiding. After 27 years and more than 50 reporting seasons, one of the mainstays of the Australian share market, IML’s Simon Conn, is stepping aside for a well-earned break. It might be permanent. It might be a refresh. Only time will tell. Conn joined IML back in 1998 - teaming up with market legend and past guest Anton Tagliaferro. Before long, Conn found himself overseeing the tough end of town - small caps. In those 27 years he has seen the rise of the internet, the smartphone, the GFC, COVID, and now the AI revolution. Through all of that, investors like Conn have been told it’s a new world. Concepts like ARR, PCV and the Rule of 40 have taken hold, while old measures like PE ratios have been pushed aside for revenue multiples. Meanwhile, the Small Ords index has underperformed for decades. It all sounds like a torture chamber, but somehow Conn has come through it, delivering 12 percent returns for more than two and a half decades. In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Conn shares the lessons he learned over his career and how he adapted his approach as markets evolved and over the past three decades.

Nick Griffin’s path to fund management may have seemed preordained, his father worked in the industry, but his journey has been anything but ordinary. After completing a commerce degree, Griffin missed out on a graduate role with one of the big four accounting firms. That setback led him to the Commonwealth Bank’s investment team, where he cut his teeth before embarking on a backpacking trip that ultimately set the trajectory for his career. Landing in London, Griffin took on a role as an oil and gas analyst and soon found himself in Edinburgh, the traditional home of UK fund management. It was there he immersed himself in the world of long-term capital, working closely with some of the oldest and most respected investment houses in Europe. Eventually, Griffin returned to Australia and joined K2 Asset Management, where he ran the firm’s global fund. Then, in 2017, he co-founded Munro Partners with a clear mission, back companies set to double their earnings in five years or less by riding powerful structural tailwinds. In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Griffin shares how he built Munro from $20 million to more than $5 billion in FUM, the key signals he looks for in structural winners, and what comes next for AI, healthcare, and defence investing.