The last few years have seen investors buffeted by the winds of pandemic and war, bringing with them supply chain issues, overcooked inflation and much-dreaded rate hikes. Atrium senior portfolio manager Brendan Paul talks to Proactive about why it’s an interesting time to be an investor, what risk really means and the importance of building a truly diverse asset portfolio in uncertain times.

Antimicrobial resistance means the age of antibiotics – when humanity has had the luxury of fixing or preventing all manner of disease with a simple biological agent in a capsule – is coming to an end. Recce Pharmaceuticals CEO James Graham talks to Proactive’s Susanna Nelson about how we stay one step ahead in the fight against deadly pathogens and avoid the next superbug.

The critical mineral boom is taking off. CSIRO senior principal research scientist and Green Mineral Technologies initiative leader Chris Vernon walks Proactive’s Phoebe Shields through the oncoming critical mineral supply dearth, the need for down-stream trade relationships and the potential effect of a circular economy on the mining industry.

What are the rules governing cannabis and psychedelics in Australia? How have attitudes to these substances changed over time, and what does the Australian biotech industry need governments to do to unlock the myriad therapeutic benefits they promise? Emyria's Dr Michael Winlo answers these questions and more in this interview with Proactive's Susanna Nelson.

With AI all over news, it’s hard to sort out the opportunity from the threat. Avanade’s Warwick Talbot tells Proactive’s Phoebe Shields about the business potential presented by digitisation, machine learning’s use in data curation and real time insights, and the emergence of the industrial metaverse and digital twinning.

Long-time indigenous policy maker and advocate Ian Hamm chats to Proactive’s Susanna Nelson about the complex interplay between mining and Aboriginal rights over time. Ian argues for a seat at the board table for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and expresses his hope that the looming referendum on the Voice to Parliament will usher in a period of genuine change.

Australian Electric Vehicle Association president Dr Chris Jones discusses the past, present and future of electric vehicles with Proactive’s Phoebe Shields, with insights from his own career in academia and as a change maker. What will be needed to bring about a change in attitudes toward the transportation of the future in Australia, and how do we achieve it?

Riversgold Ltd CEO Julian Ford talks to Proactive’s Phoebe Shields about the importance of the current battery minerals rush, and describes his journey from Apartheid South Africa to Australia and how it shaped his attitude to work, life and mining. A troubleshooter by nature, Ford looks for solutions, and there is none more pressing than the need to ramp up critical minerals production at a time of global decarbonisation.

Lightning Minerals CEO Alex Biggs tells Proactive’s Phoebe Shields about his eventful early life, personal hardship and eventual foray into critical minerals mining. Alex explains how his background has informed his personal philosophy and why resilience, integrity and a commitment to the social contract is key to his understanding of why he does what he does.

Welcome to After Market, the podcast from Proactive Australia with its finger firmly on the investor pulse.

Each month we take a closer look at the issues shaping and shifting the markets - from cost of living to climate, geopolitics to geology, macroeconomics to medtech and big data to battery metals.

Please note that the views of our interviewees are not the views of Proactive Investors. Seek independent investment advice before making any financial decisions and remember that nothing you hear on this pod constitutes investment advice.