Today managing Partner Tim Whybourne spoke with John George from Standard Edge accounting covering topics from selling your family business through to establishing and running a family office and the challenges that come with that. We discussed the impact that technology is having on the governance framework for families and how families have to be more dynamic than ever to remain relevant in todays fast moving world.

John has extensive experience in accounting, corporate strategy, governance, capital raising, and investor relations. He is currently the Director of private consulting firms Standard Edge and SGD Partners. He previously held senior roles at ASIC and KPMG, and served as CEO of an international insurance recovery firm with offices in North America, New Zealand, and Australia. He has also been a Non-Executive Director at Shine Lawyers and Gladstone Airport Corporation Limited. Additionally, he holds advisory roles with several leading Australian Family Offices. John became the youngest CFO of an ASX 200 company at 32 and has worked as a financial regulator with ASIC. He offers valuable insights into the marketplace and corporate governance. John is also a trustee for Bravehearts Endowment Fund and chairman of the sub-committee for the Royal Brisbane Women's Foundation Endowment Fund.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

In this episode, Craig, Tim & Ryan discuss what they are seeing in markets at the moment. They touch on where they are seeing pockets of opportunity and the impact of Trumpenomics on the global economy.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

In this episode of the Exchange, our Partner and Private Wealth Advisor Ryan Loehr speaks with Marc Herman, serial entrepreneur and founder of Everlab. Marc has built and exited several large technology businesses, and co-founded Foodspring, one of Europe’s largest nutrition and supplement e-commerce businesses. He ultimately exited this business to the Mars Family. Motivated by an early family tragedy, Marc and his co-founders are now pioneering preventative healthcare and the medicine 3.0 movement in Australia.

This is a great episode to understand the unique journey of building, scaling and exiting significant businesses; solving inefficiencies, focusing on improving customer experience; and surrounding yourself with the right advisors.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Markus Thielen. We discuss everything from the history of Bitcoin, its meteoric rise to 100k and the future for Bitcoin and Ethereum, have you missed the boat or is it just the beginning?

Markus Thielen is the founder of 10x Research, a leading digital asset research firm serving traders and institutions. Previously, Markus served as Head of Research at Matrixport, a $ billion digital investment firm, Chief Investment Officer at IDEG and founded Jomon Investment Management. His extensive experience includes portfolio management roles at Millennium Capital Partners and JP Morgan’s Investment Group. Markus began his career at Morgan Stanley, where he led the Quantitative & Derivatives Strategies Group in Asia. Markus holds a degree from ESCP Business School in Paris and a Certificate in Sustainable Finance from the University of Cambridge. Renowned for his expertise in digital assets and investment strategy, he is the author of Crypto Titans: How Trillions Were Made and Billions Lost in the Cryptocurrency Markets, further cements his status as a thought leader in the field.

Bitcoin stands at the crossroads of two distinct narratives: a compelling investment case driving institutional adoption and a speculative fervor fueling retail mania. Under a pro-growth Trump administration, both dynamics could flourish, creating sharply divergent opportunities for long-term investors and short-term traders alike. Unlike past Bitcoin cycles that culminated in definitive peaks, 2025 may not follow the traditional script. Instead, we could witness the broadening of crypto as a mainstream asset class, with Bitcoin potentially surpassing gold in prominence.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

In this episode, our Brisbane-based Partner, Ryan Loehr, speaks with Phil Cummins, Managing Director of Stepstone Group. They discuss the challenges that most private investors have in venture and growth equity, particularly around diversification of fund underlying, vintage, and manager. Access to top-quartile managers is generally reserved to the largest institutions, are often significantly oversubscribed. Phil provides an overview of the Stepstone Group Platform; key business and industry advisors that help it evaluate opportunities; the importance of longstanding relationships and exploring a genuine information advantage to drive performance outcomes. Also, the benefits of new structures, such as open-ended or ‘evergreen’ vehicles vs. more traditional capital-called closed-end structures.

Before joining Stepstone, Phil was a venture partner at Greenspring Associates, a venture capital and growth equity investment firm that merged with StepStone in 2021. Prior to that, Phil spent 13 years with QIC Global Private Equity, where he played a pivotal role in leading their private equity program. His career also includes significant roles at BT Alex. Brown, Deutsche Bank, and Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco. Phil holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Chartered Financial Analyst, as well as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. Stepstone manages over $176B on behalf of a diverse range of clientele that includes institutional investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

In this episode of the Exchange, Craig Emanuel, Tim Whybourne and Ryan Loehr reflect on the 2024 year that’s been and discuss possibilities for 2025.

Trump 2.0; ballooning global deficits; interest rate policy; protectionist policy, geopolitical tension and global equity valuations that look expensive.

There’s a lot to take in. So how should investors be positioning? Tune in to this partners episode to learn more.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

In this episode, Managing Partner Tim Whybourne catches up with serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist and TV personality Steve Baxter. They discuss everything from Steves's background, his early wins in business through to his latest venture investing in anything defence-related where many other funds are not able to.

Steve grew up in north QLD before joining the Military at the age of 15 taking on a military apprenticeship in engineering, electronics, and telecoms. His career in the Army spanned 9 years before he left to launch his first start-up called SE Net from his bedroom. This business was eventually acquired by OZemail under the stewardship of ex-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. In 2001 Baxter teamed up with his schoolmate and serial tech entrepreneur, Bevan Slattery to launch his second start-up in Pipe Networks before selling that to TPG in 2010. Steve founded River City Labs, Brisbane’s well-known co-working hub in 2012 and has been championing Australian startups and entrepreneurs ever since. He has appeared as a ‘Shark’ on Channel 10’s Shark Tank Australia since 2014.

In this episode, we discuss Steves's latest venture in his new fund called Beaten Zone Ventures which aims to invest in early-stage defence businesses that are developing weapons and systems to assist with holding, aiming and controlling weapons in addition to training soldiers to protect them from opposition lethality.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

In this episode, Partner and Private Wealth Advisor Ryan Loehr speaks with Armen Panossian, the co-CEO of Oaktree Capital. Oaktree is one of the most renowned investment businesses in the world, most famous for its capability in distressed debt and heavily influenced by Howard Marks who co-founded the business nearly 30 years ago. Beyond distressed debt, Oaktree oversees more than $193B for investors, which include most of the largest US pension funds; many sovereign wealth funds; endowments, large institutions and family offices. The business invests across credit, private equity, real estate and listed equities.

Armen joined the firm in 2007, immediately before it navigated the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 very successfully; and prior to this, worked in distressed debt with Pequot Capital Management, at the time one of the largest hedge funds globally. He holds a B.A. degree in economics with honors and distinction from Stanford University; an M.S. degree in health services research from Stanford Medical School; a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School; and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Mr. Panossian serves on the Advisory Board of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. He is a member of the State Bar of California.

We explore a broad range of topics, including the conditions and settings that can make distressed debt investing attractive; example transactions that it has been successful with; and the timing of Oaktree's $15B+ raise for its largest distressed debt fund. We explore the dramatic shift in monetary policy and credit conditions over recent years and its implications; and observe segments of corporate America that are under increasing pressure, especially small-business. We then turn our conversation to private credit, including increased competition in this segment, key risks, relative appeal vs. other asset classes: risks and opportunities that eventuate from illiquidity, structuring, speed and scale; and the anticipated 'funding gap' that companies may face over 2026 and 2027. I hope you enjoy this episode.

Disclaimer:
The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.