Podcast · Business

Success and More Interesting Stuff

by Livewire Markets · English · Business

Take a front-row seat to hear the stories behind some of Australia’s most successful and iconic sports people and business leaders. The show is hosted by Matthew Kidman, former business editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and author of three books. Kidman takes the time to uncover the rarely heard s

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 55 min
Latest: 6 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026 · 48 min

How Codan became the #1 technology stock on the ASX

Alf Ianniello joined Codan in early 2022 as CEO. Since then, the profits have almost doubled, and the share price is up around 750%. Codan’s market capitalisation is over $12 billion, making it the largest technology stock on the ASX. In this episode, Alf reveals the simple metrics he believes define Codan’s success, explains why R&D investment has been critical, and why he believes Codan’s scale can help the business go from good today to great in the future.

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E70 · 31 Aug 2026 · 55 min
Inside the stunning turnaround of SKS Technologies with CEO Matthew Jinks
Matthew Jinks is helping power Australia’s digital revolution. As CEO of SKS Technologies (ASX: SKS), he spearheaded an extraordinary transformation, pivoting a small commercial electrical firm into a $1 billion data-centre leader and driving a stunning 4,500% share price surge in just three years. In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Jinks discusses scaling operations, partnering with global tech players, and meeting the massive electrical demand of the data-centre buildout.
E69 · 3 Aug 2026 · 57 min
David Friedlander: The Dealmaker
Success and More Interesting Stuff has enjoyed conversations with a range of stock market participants. We have never talked to a lawyer - until today. David Friedlander could possibly be one of the most influential people in Australian corporate activity over the last 40 years.In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, David shares his insights on the impact of AI on the legal profession and takes us inside some of Australia's biggest corporate deals.
E67 · 29 Jun 2026 · 58 min
The world is fracturing and Australia faces some critical decisions - FY27 Outlook
The geopolitical and economic tides have shifted. Recent decades played out against a backdrop of globalisation, disinflation, falling interest rates, and above-normal equity market returns. That era is behind us, and the path forward looks vastly different. This shift sits at the core of this special episode, which brings together three leaders in equity investing, gold mining, and economics. The panel dives into the outlook for geopolitics, commodities, inflation, and equities - highlighting both the challenges and the unique opportunities ahead.
E66 · 1 Jun 2026 · 56 min
Morry Waked and the rise of an investing juggernaut
Morry Waked revolutionised the funds management industry in Australia. Armed with a natural gift for mathematics and the rigorous training of an actuary, he made the leap from insurance to the equities market and helped turn quantitative investing into a legitimate, powerhouse strategy. By using sophisticated algorithms to strip away emotion and generate above-average returns, Morry has spent over 20 years at the absolute frontier of Australian finance.
E64 · 4 May 2026 · 50 min
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,…
E63 · 6 Apr 2026 · 56 min
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,…
E62 · 3 Mar 2026 · 53 min
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.
E61 · 2 Feb 2026 · 53 min
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.
E60 · 16 Dec 2025 · 47 min
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.
E58 · 11 Nov 2025 · 56 min
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.
E57 · 6 Oct 2025 · 53 min
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.
E56 · 16 Sep 2025 · 42 min
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…
E55 · 1 Sep 2025 · 51 min
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…
E54 · 28 Jul 2025 · 52 min
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…
E53 · 30 Jun 2025 · 55 min
Nick Griffin on finding stocks that can double earnings in 5 years
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…
E52 · 2 Jun 2025 · 49 min
Jake Klein: The West is ill-prepared for what lies ahead and the gold price reflects this
Jake Klein left a high-flying banking career to chase a hunch about gold, and it paid off in spades. From pioneering mining ventures in China to building Evolution Mining into a $16 billion powerhouse, Klein has made a habit of spotting value where others see risk. In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, he shares how growing up in South Africa shaped his thinking, why Western democracies are unprepared for what’s coming, and what the gold price is really telling us.
E51 · 9 May 2025 · 55 min
How Fidelity’s Paul Taylor stays ahead of the market
We're often told that beating the market over the long term is impossible. A lucky year or two? Maybe. But doing it for more than two decades? That’s supposed to be out of reach. Paul Taylor has defied that logic. Managing a concentrated portfolio of 30 to 50 local stocks through everything from the GFC to the COVID crash. It sounds exhausting - but he shows no signs of slowing down. In today’s turbulent market, Taylor’s perspective is more relevant than ever. In this episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff, he shares the key ingredients for long-term success, explains why failure is…
E50 · 1 Apr 2025 · 53 min
Bob Desmond: Patiently picking the eyes out of quality global growth stocks
Go back 20 years and consensus said that managing international equity portfolios from Australia was just too difficult. Bob Desmond and his team at Claremont Global are proving that is yesterday’s thinking. Starting from scratch in 2012 the business has grown to over $1 billion and the style of picking the eyes out of quality growth has been able to outpace global markets. Desmond grew up in Rhodesia, the southern African country that was renamed Zimbabwe in 1980. He studied economics in Western Australia before heading back to his homeland to start working in markets. Life became difficult…
E49 · 3 Mar 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Dr Philip Lowe: Interest rates alone can’t conquer Australia’s cost of living crisis
Australia is obsessed with interest rates like no other country, and it is distracting us from tackling more pressing challenges, like productivity, that would have a greater impact on the cost of living crisis facing many Australians. That's the view of former Reserve Bank Governor Dr. Philip Lowe, who spent 43 years working at the RBA, including 7 years in the top job from 2016 to 2023. Dr Lowe believes the current policy settings from the RBA are suitably restrictive with risks remaining and the battle to tame inflation hasn't been won. Lowering interest rates may ease some of the pain…
E47 · 3 Feb 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Inside Chris Corrigan's fierce battle to reform the Australian waterfront
Chris Corrigan has had his fingerprints all over corporate Australia for more than 50 years now. The boy from Bowral joined stockbroking firm Ord Minnett in the late 1960s to get the ball rolling. When Ords formed a joint venture with US fund manager Bankers Trust in the early '70s, Corrigan jumped in boots and all. He saw an opportunity to derail the establishment life insurance companies that dominated the Australian landscape. A disruptive force, Corrigan steered BT Australia to the top of the mountain before he started to get restless for his next adventure. Leaving BT in the late '80s,…
S5 · 6 Jan 2025 · 3 min
Success and More Interesting Stuff is back in 2025
Success and More Interesting Stuff is back in 2025 with new episodes being released on the first Tuesday of each month. We're excited for the year ahead and would love for you to subscribe to the podcast.
E44 · 2 Dec 2024 · 1 hr 2 min
How Joe Aston went from the back page to bestseller
Welcome to the final episode of Success and More Interesting Stuff for 2024. In this episode, we’re closing out the year with a guest who knows how to deliver a knockout punch. Joe Aston spent 12 years as co-writer of the AFR’s Rear Window column, transforming it from a finance industry gossip page into a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred must-read. With a sharp wit and a fearless approach, Aston took on everyone from prime ministers and billionaires to untouchable institutions. In October 2023, Aston signed off from Rear Window with a bang, exposing Qantas and its CEO Alan Joyce for their…
E43 · 11 Nov 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
Inside Barry Irvin's fight for Bega and his life
Bega Cheese turned 125 this year. It started as the Bega Co-operative Creamery Company in 1999, and for over a century, things were pretty quiet. That all changed in 2000 when a young dairy farmer, Barry Irvin, took the reins as chairman. From then on, it’s been a whirlwind of growth and transformation. In 2011, Irvin took Bega to the Australian stock market, and under his leadership, the company made several key acquisitions. Today, Bega isn’t just a dairy business. It’s a major player in Australian food, owning brands like Vegemite, Peanut Butter, Dare Milk, and Yo Plait. Now, Bega has a…
E42 · 9 Oct 2024 · 46 min
Former Wallaby David Lyons' game-changing investments in Ag
David Lyons has travelled around the world chasing a rugby ball. From the time he started to take the game seriously as a 15-year-old he was earmarked for success. Twice he toured Europe with the Australian schoolboys, opening his eyes to a world significantly larger than the one he experienced growing up in the NSW country town of Molong. Lyons played 46 tests for the Wallabies over 8 years including two World Cups and a British Lions tour. At just 28 years he picked up his ball and moved to Wales for a few seasons before settling in France for a longer stint. It was in Europe that he…
E41 · 9 Sep 2024 · 45 min
The former rugby league player who now runs a $1.5 billion business
Sometimes, misfortune can lead to opportunity. Wes Maas was an aspiring young rugby league player trying to establish himself in the NRL. The kid from Dubbo had boundless energy and in his spare time, he worked in an equipment hire business. A football injury not only meant he was out of action on the field, but it also took him out of the hire yard and into head office. It was here that his world opened up. The family-run business was successful. It concentrated heavily on return on total assets. Wes was quick to catch on. It wasn't long before he threw in his NRL dream and headed back to…
E40 · 7 Aug 2024 · 57 min
No shortcuts! How Ian Macoun built a $100 billion funds management behemoth
It is rare for a person to spend the first half of their working life in the public service and then pivot to build a multi-billion dollar financial business. Making the story even more remarkable is that this person grew up in regional Queensland - where financial products are hardly the main course of the local economy. Ian Macoun, the Managing Director and Founder of Pinnacle Investment Management (ASX: PNI) was born in Rockhampton - a city best known for its cattle production. He left town to work for the Queensland Treasury before being poached as a 33-year-old to run the newly…
E38 · 9 Jul 2024 · 58 min
Hungry for profit, patient for growth: Bellroy’s motto for sustainable growth
Traditionally, on the show, we talk to people involved in some shape or form with the share market. Today, we are excitedly going off-piste and delving into the unlisted world in one of Australia's outstanding success stories. In 2008, Lina Calabria and two partners decided to start nine separate businesses as consultants. They had plenty of bright ideas and thought that creating a portfolio of companies, while unorthodox, was a low-risk path to success. Within a few years, they selected Bellroy, an accessories business that specialises in male wallets, as the pick of the bunch. From humble…
E37 · 21 Jun 2024 · 1 hr
Meet the small company prospector who unearthed gems like Afterpay and Bellamy’s
Stockbroking is a dangerous game. Investors depend on your advice, but the smallest slip-up can see the relationship turn nasty. As a result, most brokers tend to be as conservative as possible; not Hugh Robertson. Robertson a 40-year veteran of the stockbroking scene in Melbourne, thrives at the risk end of the curve, specialising in micro and small cap stocks. He works like a gold prospector out in the field with his metal detector looking for the next big discovery. His list of wins includes Monadelphous (ASX: MND), Service Stream (ASX: SSM), Bellamy’s (ASX: BAL), Hub24 (ASX: HUB),…
E35 · 28 Apr 2024 · 1 hr
How WiseTech's Richard White built a 26-bagger growth darling
Richard White always wanted to be a rockstar. He was still young when it dawned upon him that it might be more profitable and realistic to become a tech titan instead. Sounds simple enough, but the journey has taken many twists and turns. Over 40 odd years, White thought life was perfect, hanging out in a rock band and rubbing shoulders with the likes of ACDC and The Angels. Unfortunately, he was going broke. A problem solver, he pivoted and thought repairing guitars for established rock stars was a way to make an interesting living. The business was a resounding success, but it wasn't…

About Success and More Interesting Stuff

Success and More Interesting Stuff is a English business podcast from Livewire Markets. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Livewire Markets
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 55 min
Latest episode: 6 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1546045887

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