The Astute Investor

Investing for impact: Matching returns with positive change

In our latest episode of The Astute Investor, Martin Randall, Head of Private Markets at LGT Crestone, interviews Laurence Marshbaum OAM, Co-Founder of Community Capital and 10x10 Philanthropy. In their discussion, Laurence explains the importance of investing in a way that can generate both financial return and social impact, and outlines how investors can achieve this through innovative investment strategies.
Community Capital is a portfolio management firm co-founded by Barrenjoey Capital Partners and Laurence Marshbaum with approximately AUD 670 million under management. The firm seeks to generate strong investment returns for investors, alongside meaningful community-based social impact. The platform provides access to global, market-leading private capital managers through fund-of-fund structures of which all fee revenue (ex-operating costs) is pledged to social impact grants in Australia. Central to the model is Community Capital’s ‘theory of change’, which focuses on solving some of the most pressing social issues in local communities.
10x10 Philanthropy is a global venture philanthropy organisation founded in 2013. To date, it has raised and distributed over AUD 6 million in support of almost 400 early-stage social purpose organisations worldwide.

The Human-AI partnership: Enhancing investment decisions through tech.

In the latest episode of The Astute Investor, Todd Hoare, Head of Public Markets at LGT Crestone, sits down with John Stecher, Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone - the world’s largest alternative asset manager, which oversees more than $1 trillion in assets. John provides valuable insights into how Blackstone leverages its size and scale to access proprietary private markets data, which gives it a competitive edge in identifying unique investment opportunities. He also discusses the firm’s growing focus on real estate, particularly data centres and industrial warehouses, a theme which has proven newsworthy in recent weeks following Blackstone’s $23.5 billion acquisition of Australian company AirTrunk.
A key theme of the discussion is Blackstone's use of artificial intelligence to enhance its investment strategies, allowing it to uncover more opportunities across markets. John also emphasises the critical importance of cybersecurity and how Blackstone supports its portfolio companies in managing tech-related risks in an increasingly data-driven world. This episode offers a deep dive into Blackstone's cutting-edge approach to investing, technology, and the future of alternative assets, providing valuable insights for high-net-worth investors who are seeking to navigate these evolving trends.

Navigating the US presidential election with Libby Cantrill

From a disastrous debate performance from President Joe Biden, to an assassination attempt on his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, the events leading up to the 2024 US presidential election have been like no other.  In this podcast, Scott Haslem interviews Libby Cantrill, Head of US Public Policy and a managing director in PIMCO’s Portfolio Management Group. Libby provides her view on the US presidential election, what investors should be keeping an eye on, and what the implication of the election result mean for the US economy and the world more broadly.

Where does the shortage in housing and boom in private credit collide? A podcast with Andrew Schwartz from Qualitas

In the latest episode of the Astute Investor Podcast, Where does the shortage in housing and boom in private credit collide?, LGT Crestone’s Chief Investment Officer, Scott Haslem, and Jessica Lin from LGT Crestone’s Capital Markets team interview Andrew Schwartz, Group Managing Director, Co-Founder, and Chief Investment Officer at Qualitas.
Andrew discusses some of the key issues around Australia’s current housing shortage. He also talks about the boom in private credit and how this is moving into commercial real estate debt.

Investing through geo-political turmoil

In this episode, Investing through geo-political turmoil, LGT Crestone’s Chief Investment Officer, Scott Haslem, interviews General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret), a partner at KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute.
Prior to joining KKR, General Petraeus served in the US military for over 30 years and following his retirement from the military, served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Over the past 20 years, he has been named one of America’s 25 Best Leaders by US News and World Report, has been a runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, has earned numerous awards, and has been decorated by 14 foreign countries.
We hear General Petraeus’ views on some of the geo-political issues that are shaping the world today from the situation in the Middle East, to East Asian geo-politics and the US elections, and what this means for investors.

What's driving the boom in private debt with Michael Small from KKR

In this episode, What’s driving the boom in private debt?, LGT Crestone’s Head of Private Markets, Martin Randall, interviews Michael Small, a partner in KKR’s Credit and Markets business.
We hear Michael’s perspective on the evolution of the private credit industry, as well as the opportunities investors can take advantage of in this part of the market. Michael also explains why asset-based finance has increased in popularity and the various exposures this can provide for investors. 

Improving Australia's productivity with Stephen Walters from BCA

In this episode, Improving Australia’s productivity, LGT Crestone’s Chief Investment Officer, Scott Haslem, interviews Stephen Walters, Chief Economist at the Business Council of Australia (BCA).
We hear Stephen’s perspective on some of the key challenges facing Australia’s economic outlook, particularly from the perspective of the business sector. We also hear his views on how Australia can improve its recent poor productivity performance.

Is private equity the new traditional asset class?

In this podcast, Urs Wietlisbach, Co-Founder of Partners Group, explains how the private equity industry has matured over the past few decades and why he believes private equity is the ‘new traditional asset class’. He also discusses what is required to create value in a higher rate environment, how his family office is investing in a range of uncorrelated asset classes, and the evolution of Blue Earth Capital, a global impact investing firm, initiated by Urs in 2015.

Will Australia avoid a recession? An interview with Jo Masters from Barrenjoey Capital Partners

In the latest episode of The Astute Investor Podcast, Will Australia avoid a recession?, LGT Crestone’s Chief Investment Officer, Scott Haslem, interviews Jo Masters, Chief Economist and Partner at Barrenjoey Capital Partners.
In this podcast, Jo provides Barrenjoey’s outlook for Australia and the global economy, and what this means for inflation and interest rates. She also digs into some of the longer-term issues facing Australia, such as the housing sector, and the changes in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s monetary policy operations that are getting underway in 2024.  

Leaving a legacy in Australia: Insights from the Princely Family

In this episode, Leaving a legacy in Australia: Insights from the Princely Family, LGT Crestone’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Chisholm, interviews LGT Group’s H.S.H. Prince Hubertus von und zu Liechtenstein.
Prince Hubertus explains how the Princely family has managed to successfully pass its wealth down over 26 generations and 900 years of history. He provides his advice and learnings along the way and explains how these insights apply to Australian families wrestling with the idea of intergenerational wealth and family legacy planning.