Success and More Interesting Stuff

Manny Pohl: Is Growth still the right bet?

Manny Pohl may well be the 'father of growth investing' in Australia, but his journey began thousands of miles away as an electrical engineer in South Africa. From a chance meeting on the Gold Coast to co-founding the $17-billion-dollar powerhouse Hyperion Asset Management, Manny has spent decades proving that 'quality growth' is the ultimate winning strategy.

But in a new era of rising interest rates and AI disruption, the old rules are being rewritten. In this episode, Matthew sits down with the founder of ECP Asset Management to discuss the early experiences that shaped his philosophy, the evolution of the Australian market, and why he’s doubling down on growth in an age of uncertainty.

Dr Don Hamson: The pivot that built a $25bn business

In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, we sit down with Dr Don Hamson, founder of Plato Investment Management.

Hamson built a $25 billion fund manager, but it started with a problem. His original long/short strategy was disrupted during the GFC when regulators banned short selling.

What followed was a shift towards income, built around a simple idea. In Australia, franking credits matter, particularly for retirees. That focus became the foundation of Plato’s business.

Today, Hamson runs a global investment firm with a systematic approach to investing, focused on consistency, risk management and long-term outcomes. 

In this conversation, we unpack that pivot, how he thinks about building portfolios, and why process matters more than prediction over time.

Why Jillian Broadbent believes reform, not rhetoric, will drive Australia forward

Jillian Broadbent has worked at the heart of Australia’s financial and policy institutions for decades.

She began at the Reserve Bank under Nugget Coombs, helped build Bankers Trust during deregulation, and later served three terms on the RBA board through the Asian and global financial crises.

She also chaired the Clean Energy Finance Corporation from inception and served as Chancellor of the University of Wollongong.

In this episode, Broadbent reflects on central banking, board life, clean energy finance and why Australia still needs meaningful economic reform.

This ain’t junk! Why GYG’s Steven Marks refuses to compromise on quality

Guzman y Gomez Founder & co-CEO Steven Marks joins Matthew Kidman to discuss his decision to leave Wall Street, the tough early years building GYG, why quality is non-negotiable, and what comes next as the business expands into the US.

Gold, AI and the risks investors can’t ignore heading into 2026

To mark the 50th episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Matthew Kidman is joined by Chris Judd, Jun Bei Liu and Dr Shane Oliver for a panel discussion focused on four timely issues facing markets as we approach 2026.

Mark Landau's best investment decision

Mark Landau’s best investment decision wasn’t a stock pick — it was meeting his future business partner, Rafi Lamm. Together they built L1 Capital from scratch into a $17 billion fund manager. In this episode, Landau reflects on the lessons from success, setbacks, and starting again as a listed company.

Alexis George: Rebuilding AMP

From small-town Bega to the boardrooms of London and Hong Kong, Alexis George built a global career before taking on one of the toughest jobs in Australian business — rebuilding AMP. In this episode, she shares her story, the lessons she learned abroad, and how she’s reshaping AMP’s culture and strategy for the future.

Viktor Shvets: The end of cycles and the cost of progress

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.

Paul Moore: The only true arbitrage in markets is time

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.

Simon Conn’s guide to surviving the small cap 'torture chamber'

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.