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It was microphones at sunset when financial services communication entered the trenches in the inaugural BlueChip Asset Wars
The combatants were tense, bouncing in their ergonomic chairs and shuffling their palm cards restlessly as they eyed each other along the board table. Pre-match sledging, while not encouraged, was strongly in evidence. The pointed slights and asides flew thicker and faster than blame at a DJ’s shareholders meeting. Sensing blood, the crowd grew restless. They were hungry for action.
And action aplenty there was as five BlueChip ‘asset warriors’ took up the cudgels on behalf of ‘their’ asset class.
Each of the troops was charged with addressing an audience of industry peers and media and persuading them of the virtues of their asset class and its vital role in the portfolio during these volatile times.
And who’d have thought an-hour-and-a-half of pure finance talk could be so entertaining? It all came down to the sheer gladiatorial skill of our talent, who put on a great show for the assembled masses.
Tim Samway, CEO of Hyperion Asset Management, launched the hostilities on behalf of Australian equities. In an engaging and instructive presentation that included the shameless but hilarious bagging of the asset classes of his foes Tim moved on to make a highly articulate and considered case for quality Australian equities, actively managed with the long term horizon in mind and selected based on a rigorous assessment of fundamentals.
Not to be outdone, Grant Forster, Australian CEO of Principal Global Investors, entered the arena as the champion of international equities, parrying the Samway thrusts with a literal ‘stand-up’ strategy. To prove his point, Grant opted for some audience participation, asking those who’d used Google that day to stand. He then requested anyone who didn’t own some form of Apple device to sit … fortunately, we did get to sit eventually, but not before his point was well and truly made.
Next into the fray was Greg McAweeney, Executive Manager of RaboDirect, who put a vigorous case for cash – such a vigorous case, in fact, that he had more than a few of us scrabbling around under our chairs for the promised envelope. While the envelope did not appear (for this audience member, at least) what did was a strong and reasoned argument for the stability of cash as a cornerstone of the portfolio.
Susan Buckley, Managing Director of QIC Global Fixed Interest, then swung into the ring with authority, brandishing the deadly weapon of QIC’s fixed income performance figures. Her challenge to the other contenders? A good old-fashioned ‘beat that’. Why look elsewhere when you have a track record of 8% p.a. returns when the market elsewhere is static or falling?
That’s when Jason Huljich, CEO of Centuria Property Funds, took up the cudgels for unlisted commercial property. In a canny move, he quashed the assaults from the other sides, citing the counter-cyclical nature of direct property and its ability to provide both capital growth and solid returns in the portfolio.
After some curly questions with notice and a vigorous and pointed Q&A from the floor – which included that hoary old chestnut: ‘How would you invest your mother’s money’, the crowd was more than ready to cast its vote.
Out came the venerable audience-fired clapometer and, hands burning, voices hoarse, the crowd finally had its say.
The popular winner on the night?
International equities and the stand-up performance from Grant ‘The Dark Horse’ Forster from Principal. For his trouble, Grant took home a bottle of French bubbles, a lavish dinner voucher, personalised certificate and of course, the real prize: BlueChip Communication Asset Wars perpetual trophy.
Weary and bowed – but far from beaten – the other BlueChip warriors also received Champagne and a slew of special mentions in recognition of their virtuosity on the battlefield.
For Tim Samway, that included an award for the most flamboyant neckwear. Because it was.
For Greg McAweeney, there was an award for the best soundbite – one that included the dead cat, bounce and various other colourful metaphors, many of them mixed.
Susan Buckley received the coveted prize for the most creative use of the words ‘sexy’ and ‘bums’ in a financial context. And regarding fixed income, no less.
And Jason Huljich surged ahead with the sentimental favourite: the award for the contender with the youngest mum.
This was indeed quality warfare with winners all round, of the kind that could only lead us to conclude that the real winner on the night was a judicious mix of all the asset classes – also known as good old-fashioned ‘diversification’.
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