In The Know

The world’s largest payment network, which facilitates more than 6000 transactions every second, is in the front seat of the digital payments’ revolution . VISA has enjoyed a doubling of its volumes in many regions over the past three years, thanks to the increased uptake of digital payments across the world. VISA Vice Chair and CFO, Vasant Prabhu, says his company’s primary mission to replace cash and cheques with digital payments is gathering pace, with huge opportunities still to come. In this episode, Vasant is interviewed by Magellan Deputy CIO and Head of ESG, Domenico Giuliano, and Magellan Portfolio Manager Elisa Di Marco,  about VISA’s attractive and innovative business, the way the pandemic has multiplied volumes, and the implications of new payment options like crypto currencies, electronic wallets, real-time payments, and the impact of regulation.

Infrastructure investment is a long-term activity, so it pays to identify areas of potential and start talking to governments early. That’s the methodology employed by Scott Charlton, who is the CEO of the world’s biggest toll-road operator — Transurban. Scott outlines how the company concentrates on areas of growth in the three markets where it has a competitive advantage, namely Australia, the USA and Canada. In this podcast episode, Scott Charlton is interviewed by Magellan Infrastructure Portfolio Manager, Ofer Karliner, and Head of Infrastructure Gerald Stack, about Transurban’s way of doing business, as well as the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Identifying underappreciated quality businesses, as well as keeping an eagle eye out for diamonds in the rough, underlines the approach of one of the industry’s leading Australian Equities players: Airlie Funds Management, a business that Magellan purchased in 2018. John Sevior has a long track record of managing funds on behalf of individuals, superannuation funds, public institutions and charities. In this episode, John is interviewed by Bryce Leske and Alec Renehan from the Equity Mates podcast (one of Australia's leading financial media brands popular with younger investors) about his overall approach to investment, current market conditions, and some of his favourite examples of underappreciated, high-quality companies.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent geopolitical and economic shockwaves around the globe, creating new risks to the investment outlook. A combination of strong western government and corporate responses has drastic implications for commodities, food security and raises the possibility that NATO nations may be drawn into a wider conflict. But as Russia’s military fails to meet its objectives, what does a settlement look like, and what are the implications for a Russian president whose aspirations of a resurrected Russian empire appear to be collapsing? Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Evelyn Farkas, and former Deputy Director of the CIA Michael Morell dissect and shed light on the situation with Magellan’s Head of Macro and Portfolio Manager Arvid Streimann.

(interview recorded on 25 March 2022)

Markets have softened after the recent rally, with investors apparently factoring in inflation and interest rate hikes during 2022. Will Magellan’s key investments stand to strengthen from such an environment? In this episode, key members of Magellan’s investment team put a spotlight on current macroeconomic issues and the outlook for two key sectors in our portfolio: payments and technology. Magellan Head of Macro and Portfolio Manager Arvid Streimann, Portfolio Manager Elisa Di Marco and Investment Analyst Adrian Lu are hosted by Key Account Manager Jennifer Herbert in this wide-ranging panel discussion.

Looking back at the extraordinary year of 2021, and towards the year ahead, three senior members of the Magellan investment team explain their approach to managing key sectors and stocks in Magellan’s global portfolio. In this special edition, Magellan’s Key Account Manager, Jennifer Herbert, interviews Head of Technology, Communications and Media for Magellan, Ryan Joyce, Co-Head of Franchises Hannah Dickinson and Head of Financials Alan Pullen. Together these experts look at the volatility of the current investment landscape as well as  potential challenges faced with exposure to  China and the inflationary economic outlook.

In this episode, one of the world’s foremost epidemiologists, and a member of President-elect Joe Biden's Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, Dr Michael Osterholm, talks to Hamish Douglass, Magellan’s Chairman and CIO, about what he calls 'the coming viral blizzard’ and the arrival of the Omicron variant. He has some sobering news for anyone who thinks the pandemic is behind us, warning governments around the world will need to either drastically change their public health policies to deal with what will be an overwhelming situation for hospitals, or consider fresh lockdowns.

We live in an extraordinary time for the global economy. Despite supply chain and workforce issues, a commodities boom and rising energy costs, the US Federal Reserve and European Central bank are keeping low interest rates frozen. But with the inflation spectre looming on the horizon, former US Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh says the window of opportunity for central banks to act may already be closing.

How do you turn a humble delicatessen into the world’s largest operator of shopping centres — Westfield Corporation? What sort of personality do you need to become a giant in the Australian and global real estate landscape? Sir Frank Lowy AC started his journey in war-torn Europe, with his father tragically dying at the hands of the Nazis. He fled to Australia and spotted an opportunity to sell good coffee in multicultural, immigrant-rich Western Sydney . From there he made his first commercial real estate investment, and the rest is history...

In this interview Sir Frank candidly shares his story, including mistakes he made along the way, the key character traits he thinks are necessary to become a business success, and the importance of remaining paranoid yet optimistic.

In early 2020, David Gibbs took the helm of Yum! Brands, the American fast-food giant that operates well-known brands including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, to name a few.  After rising through Yum!’s ranks over the decades, becoming President and COO before being promoted to CEO in 2020, he was soon face to face with a worldwide pandemic.  In this episode, we hear how Yum! and its 51,000 restaurants in 150 countries successfully navigated the global shutdown. David also unpacks Yum!’s rise , the enduring focus on people, culture and growth, and how it continues to identify opportunities and build a world with a ‘little more Yum!’