Money Maze Podcast

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236

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The world of finance has a huge impact on all of us. This show aims to explore and unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the investing business, via interviews with masters of the real life money maze. Expect tips for mastering capital allocation, making better business decisions, strategies for taking your career to the next level, and revelatory profiles of leading industry figures. Whether you're a current or aspiring investment professional, a regular investor, or a student exploring career options, we hope you gain some helpful insights and enjoy the shows. Thank you for listening! Visit our website to learn more & access further content: moneymazepodcast.com

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June 11, 202653 min

What Does It Take to Run One of the World’s Most Powerful Law Firms? With Alan Mason, Global Managing Partner, Freshfields

For the first time in our 6-year existence, the MMP wanted to dive into this somewhat opaque world, in line with our mission to de-mystify areas of business and finance vital to us all.Alan discusses the evolution of the top law firms, why US competition is ferocious, why he relocated to the US to help drive their business, and how they can advise global tech clients simultaneously.He answers the questions of “what do clients want”, “how do you stay at the top”, acquiring and retaining talent, culture, expansion, using data, reward, and the work/life balance.He also offers a series of compelling insights, laced with laughter, and with a particularly well thought out set of perspectives on how AI is, and may, re-sculpture the legal landscape.The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by J.P. Morgan Asset Management*, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.*During the episode we cite J.P. Morgan Asset Management as Europe’s leading active ETF provider by assets under management. This is sourced from J.P. Morgan Asset management and Bloomberg, data as of 30 March 2026.

May 28, 202657 min

“The Craft of Active Equity Ownership.” The Cevian Approach to Activism, with Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Lars Förberg.

“Activism” might be one of the less helpful terms in modern investing, a label that conjures everything from boardroom bust-ups, to terse exchanges between disgruntled shareholders and incumbent managements. However, in this conversation, Lars explains the early insights gained from collaborations with the great Carl Icahn, to building Cevian, and creating a long-term, extremely successful fund, investing in a small number of listed European and UK companies to help bring about significant, value-creating change. He explains the voyage from identification to ownership; from constructive engagement to taking a place on the board; to working to bring about change and improving the business’ execution to driving improved shareholder returns through operational improvements. He contrasts their approach to that of private equity, discusses investing as they did to bring about change at ABB, to pondering on the question of “why more people don’t do this?” The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by J.P. Morgan Asset Management*, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.*During the episode we cite J.P. Morgan Asset Management as Europe’s leading active ETF provider by assets under management. This is sourced from J.P. Morgan Asset management and Bloomberg, data as of 30 March 2026.

May 14, 2026Episode 20039 min

Is the 60/40 Portfolio Still Fit for Purpose? State Street Investment Management’s CEO, Yie Hsin Hung, Discusses Flows, Valuations, EM, Private Equity Returns and Tokenisation, the Next Investment Frontier

We were surprised, when researching for this interview, to learn that State Street Investment Management are the fourth largest asset manager globally, with circa $6 Trillion of assets. Size confers both opportunity and challenges, however, and in this conversation Yie-Hsin talks about the global savings gap and the evolution of Asset Management. She addresses the place of the historic 60/40 allocations in a world where bonds may not deliver, and inflation is stubborn. She reflects on the turbulence in private markets, the emerging market debt and equity opportunities and why tokenisation is becoming an increasingly potent force.In January 2026, State Street launched its own Digital Asset Platform, which includes wallet management, custodial, and cash capabilities to support tokenized asset development. The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by J.P. Morgan Asset Management*, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.*During the episode we cite J.P. Morgan Asset Management as Europe’s leading active ETF provider by assets under management. This is sourced from J.P. Morgan Asset management and Bloomberg, data as of 30 March 2026.‍

April 30, 2026Episode 19938 min

Can A.I. Improve Investment Results? With Rob Arnott, Founder & Chair of Research Affiliates.

Rob Arnott, Founder & Chair of Research Affiliates, discusses where AI works well & can assist across the money management ecosystem, the risk of ‘AI hallucination’ & over-reliance, quant vs human judgement, and the future of work. Amidst the volumes written about AI’s impact on the business and investing worlds, we wanted to ask some specific questions about adoption, learning, implementation and limitations within the investing universe. We asked these questions of Rob Arnott, founder of Research Affiliates and a previous guest, whose firm is steeped in data, systematic disciplines and empirical evidence. In a compelling and engaging conversation, Rob discusses why common sense can beat data, how AI can hallucinate, its creative limitations, but its unequivocal potency in improving multiple areas of the investing business. Finally, when asked for his convictions across markets, he discusses the exceptional value in US small vs large cap equity!The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by J.P. Morgan Asset Management*, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.*During the episode we cite J.P. Morgan Asset Management as Europe’s leading active ETF provider by assets under management. This is sourced from J.P. Morgan Asset management and Bloomberg, data as of 30 March 2026.

April 16, 2026Episode 19855 min

Inside Saudi Arabia’s Sports and Investment Strategy: The Why, Where and How, with Danny Townsend, CEO.

Sport is one the world’s most powerful convening forces, but the way fans connect and engage is evolving, technology is offering new experiences and the investing world increasingly wants a piece of the action. One of the powerful new players, is SURJ, Saudi Arabia’s sports investment arm, and leading their team is Danny Townsend, CEO, whose career has moved from professional football, to leading sports and entertainment businesses. We also welcome a co-interviewer, a titan of the sports commentary world, John Inverdale. In today’s discussion, Danny explains how they weigh the state of play. Priorities, opportunities, risks, trends, & forces in sport. He discusses the influence of technology, how the fan experience is changing and why much of it is AI proof. He discusses which sports might be ripe for change, where barriers to evolution lie, and how Saudi’s long term vision blends investment and societal ambitions. ‍The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.During the episode we cite J.P. Morgan Asset Management as Europe’s leading active ETF provider by assets under management. This is sourced from J.P. Morgan Asset management and Bloomberg, data as of 30 March 2026.

April 2, 2026Episode 1971 hr 5 min

From the Shadow of the Death Camps to Leading Sequoia: A Family’s Journey Through Peril & Possibility (With Sir Michael Moritz)

Some lives trace the currents of history; a childhood in Wales, growing up in the shadow of parents who had escaped Nazi Germany, academic distinction at Oxford and Wharton, followed by a career that moved from journalism to the apex of Silicon Valley venture capital and a philanthropic record that speaks quietly, but profoundly. In this episode, we also welcome co-interviewer, Sandra Robertson, former guest and previous CIO at Oxford University Endowment Management. In this fascinating conversation Michael starts by discussing what “makes a brilliant entrepreneur”, before reflecting on investing in Stripe, why the US has such an edge in VC, and on weighing, vision valuation and imagination. He discusses allocating his own personal capital and his priorities, and then on his philanthropy and the process around identifying beneficiaries and assessing the impact of gifts made. Then we turn to Ausländer, where he fuses pathos and humour, and has created a brilliant story of his family’s destruction and part survival, and raised vital questions around antisemitism and where the storm clouds are gathering.Ausländer by Michael Moritz is published in the UK by Profile BooksYou can also find the book here. ‍The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by Schroders, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.

March 19, 2026Episode 19657 min

Scale, Strategy, and Stewardship: Rachel Elwell, CEO, on Border to Coast’s Growing Power in UK Pensions

Moreover, if executed well, it offers the potential to act with a long-term horizon as true asset owners, and to unlock investment opportunities that individual funds might struggle to access alone. Today in the UK, one of the most consequential organisations in UK pensions, is Border to Coast. They sit at the centre of one of the most significant shifts in UK institutional investing in a generation, and as of April 2026, will oversee nearly £120bn of local authority assets. Rachel Elwell explains their investment approach, the motivation behind the merged pools and the advantages scale offers. Specifically, she discusses insourcing versus outsourcing, passive v active, where and why, UK v global, and the role of private assets, fees, as well as why Leeds is such a great place to live and work. The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by Schroders, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.

March 5, 2026Episode 1951 hr 4 min

From Battlefield to Boardroom: Assessing the Cyber War Frontlines - Jen Easterly on the New Era of Cyber Risk

We have had some extremely distinguished guests over the last 6 years, but we haven’t secured one who combines, a Rhodes Scholar, US Army Colonel, Counter terrorism expert, leading the US’s cyber intelligence defence agency, and a lecturer at Oxford and beyond, whilst also having worked at Morgan Stanley, and now CEO at RSAC. Jen plots a journey from Oxford to Westpoint, from Colonel of the US’s first Cyber Battalion to the Whitehouse, working under Condoleezza Rice and then chosen by President Biden to create CISA, The US’s first cyber defense agency.In a whirlwind, world-wide tour, Jen plots the risks, defines the adversaries, reflects on intelligence, cooperation, and the real and present cyber risks to industries.She offers advice to boards, the existential risks for businesses who think this is just a “technology issue” and leaves us with a stark observation. If the cost of annual cybercrimes were aggregated into one number, it would be equivalent in GDP terms to being the third largest economy in the world! The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by Schroders, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.Sign up to our Newsletter | Follow us on LinkedIn | Watch on YouTube

February 19, 2026Episode 1941 hr 6 min

General David Petraeus: Inside a World Glowing Red

A first! For the first time since our inception 6 years ago, we welcome back a guest for their third visit. General David Petraeus, once described by Simon Sebag Montefiore as the ultimate soldier-scholar, is Chairman of the KKR Global Institute. Prior to this, David had a distinguished US military career and was the CIA Director during the Obama administration. He assesses the heat map of geopolitical and military tensions which is glowing red. Starting with the Indo-Pacific he assesses President Xi’s removal of his top Generals, what this might mean, and why peace must prevail despite the undercurrent of tensions.Having returned recently from Ukraine, he then gives some fresh perspectives which challenge stale narratives and describes the immense scale of loss of Russian lives and the technological prowess of Ukraine manufacturing and know-how.He then weights Iran’s options; the US’s potential moves and the perspective of other Middle Eastern nations. Finally he offers advice for leaders in an environment where “just in time” has morphed into “just in case”.The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by Schroders, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.Sign up to our Newsletter | Follow us on LinkedIn | Watch on YouTube

February 5, 2026Episode 19350 min

From Hedge Fund Roots to Alternative Credit Leadership: Soraya Chabarek, President & CEO, MCQS

While women leaders in finance are gradually becoming more common, that cannot be said the alternatives industry. But as traditional investment firms increasingly acquire alternatives and private markets firms, their leaders, styles and backgrounds are experiencing a changing topography. One of those to have been instrumental in helping build some well-known alts firms, from GLG to Moore Capital and now MCQS, is their President and CEO, Soraya Chabarek.Soraya discusses the characteristics of some of the top hedge fund performers, the egos and enigmas, females in finance, the art of selling, and how she helped reposition CQS from a hedge fund manager into an alternative credit platform. She gives her view on where the risks and opportunities lie in today’s credit market, how founder-led firms scale beyond star culture, and on resilience, grit, and what she looks for in a hire. The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by Schroders, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.Sign up to our Newsletter | Follow us on LinkedIn | Watch on YouTube