Money Maze Podcast

In this Christmas special, we reshare our conversation with Nicky Gumbel!  Very occasionally one individual can have a disproportionately powerful impact on a collection of people, but very rarely does that person’s impact grow in time and reach, and expand beyond anyone’s expectations and for millions, be responsible for enhancing their lives. In this episode we explore a slightly different realm: religion. Our guest, the Reverend Nicky Gumbel, talks of his own odyssey from barrister to clergyman, before widening both awareness and access to Christianity to those outside the church via the Alpha Course.  Alpha - a term which we usually employ in a very different context on the podcast - effectively rebranded and modernised Christianity for a new generation in the 1990s, with tens of thousands of courses being run by the end of the decade. The programme has now been translated into 112 different languages, and 30 million people have taken part.  In this interview he explains his own pivot to faith, how he was asked to take charge of the Alpha Course development, and in the subsequent years how its reach was extended globally. He explains how he built it into a global brand, how charismatic leadership can be relevant to all fields, the changing relationship between faith and secularism, the role of religion for prisoner rehabilitation, as well as thoughts on morality, money and giving! 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 

When we interviewed Howard Marks in March of 2025, he observed, “It's the pioneers who get the arrows”. Many consider a 21st century investment pioneer to be Cathie Wood. She embraces disruptive innovation themes early, has faced intense criticism during large drawdowns, has reshaped ETF thinking and is characterised as bold, influential, and controversial.  Cathie explains why studying under Arthur Laffer inspired her to think about private sector disruptive innovation driving growth.  She explains how multiple S curves can operate simultaneously, and how Ark fuses the macro and thematic with bottom-up conviction, along with the volatility.  She continues by discussing idea generation and Ark’s big themes including multiomic sequencing, energy storage and robotics. She discusses risk, benchmarks, setbacks, and where to go to find work in an AI disrupted 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 

Ares is recognised as one of the leading global alternative investment managers, investing across credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure. Listed on the NYSE, it has over 4,000 employees, $595billion in assets* and a substantial geographical footprint. Blair explains the high yielding Ares-managed listed vehicle, ARCC, which as a business development company (BDC) structure must distribute 90% of taxable income and averages 9% of yields*. He discusses how being a public entity gives them a “currency” which is highly valued by employees, and also how it has helped with brand recognition as its growth accelerated. We discuss European capital markets and the structural reliance on bank debt versus private credit (the inverse of arrangements in the US). He explains how it is changing, as well as the current headwinds and opportunities ahead. He discusses why over 1,400 conversations take place in Europe each year, but Ares makes less than 50 loan investments in direct lending, how they are deploying over $100 billion of dry powder firmwide, and the criteria that matter for them. He explains their focus on the middle market, their ownership of sports assets – including a $500 million preferred equity stake in Chelsea FC – and their other media and entertainment investments. Finally, Blair responds to the question around the growth of credit secondaries and continuation vehicles, assessing the motivation behind the growth, and risks associated with the wealth management sector’s increasing allocation to this space.   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  (*AUM as of 30/09/25, BDC distribution stats as at 04/11/25)

In September we held our inaugural Money Maze Allocator Summit and over the two days there was fantastic discussion, debate, insights, disagreement and a lot of learning. It proved incredibly popular & much of that was a result of the quality of panels, moderators & topics. Of all the conversations, one that particularly resonated with us was the chance to interview Sir Chris Hohn about two topics with which he is fantastically acquainted: investing and philanthropy. As you will discover in this episode, he perhaps stands above most mortals with the clarity of his thinking and the extraordinary generosity and effectiveness in both disciplines. 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 

On 30th September and 1st October 2025 we held our inaugural Money Maze Allocator Summit (MMAS). We gathered 120+ global investors & allocators - many of whom have been previous guests - for 2 days of fascinating investment discussions. It proved incredibly popular & much of that was a result of the quality of panels, moderators & topics! The moderator was the brilliant Annachiara Marcandalli, Global Head of Sustainability at Cambridge Associates.  The panel was Brian Menell (Chairman and CEO, TechMet), Per Lekander (CEO, Clean Energy Transition), Bill Orum (Partner, Capricorn Investment Group) & Kristin Eshak Weldon (Senior Managing Director, CCI).  The climatic changes challenging our world should not be in doubt. The responses, the consequences and the investment opportunities and risks are profound. The panel encompasses rare earths, electrification, power sources, uses and solutions, the EV charge, the continued role of hydrocarbons & much more… -- MMAS  - More Info & 2026 Event Registration - Please note that the 6th/7th October date indicated on the webpage remains provisional (as of 30/10/25). The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by Schroders, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.