The highs and lows of smaller company fund management
Judith MacKenzie
An interview with leading fund manager, Judith MacKenzie
Partner and Head at Downing Fund Managers
Judith joined Downing in October 2009. Previously she was a partner at Acuity Capital managing AIM-quoted VCT and IHT investments and a small-cap activist fund. Prior to Acuity, Judith spent nine years as a senior investment manager with Aberdeen Asset Management Growth Capital as co Fund Manager of the 5 Aberdeen VCTs, focusing on technology and media investments in both the public and private arenas. Judith is a Non Executive Director of the Quoted Companies Alliance and is an active member on Boards both in the private and public arenas.
Introducing a new IPO…..
David Evans, Founder of Intuitive Investments Group plc, is going to share his plans to raise over £7.5m and list on AIM at the end of next month as an “Investing Company”.
The company will invest in fast growing and / or high potential lifesciences business predominantly in the UK (but also EU and US). 50% in unquoted businesses, up to 30% in seed. Up to 50% in public traded companies, at least 70% in the UK or Europe – targeting 20% return per annum.
David has been involved in both private and public companies, through investments as well as serving as a senior director of many, including facilitating twelve companies’ transition to being publicly traded, leading many M&A transactions as well as overseeing four successful exits.
He was a key member of the team that floated Shield Diagnostics in 1993, later becoming CEO and was responsible for the merger with Axis Biochemicals to create Axis-Shield plc, which was sold in 2011 for £235m. David has served on the board of a number of other quoted Life Sciences companies, including Collagen Solutions plc, Omega Diagnostics Group plc, Genedrive plc (was Epistem Holdings plc), Premaitha Health plc (now Yourgene Health plc), OptiBiotix Health plc, Venn Life Sciences plc (now Open Orphan plc), EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, Scancell Holdings plc, Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings plc and BBI Holdings plc (now BBI Diagnostics Group Limited).
The Board brings together seasoned Non-Execs with experience with successful LifeScience companies.
Company Presentation – Newmark Security PLC
Marie-Claire Dwek
Newmark Security PLC (AIM:NWT) delivers long-term shareholder value through the provision of products and services that protect both personnel and their data while ensuring security for an organisation’s physical assets. Listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange since 1997, we design and manufacture a range of specialist products and services that ensure safe, secure and productive workplaces. From its locations in the UK and the US, the organisation operates through subsidiary businesses positioned in specialist, high-growth markets.
Safetell provides physical security installations to numerous end-user sectors. Products and services range from Asset Protection Solutions to Counter Terror Deployments. Grosvenor Technology serves the Access Control and Human Capital Management markets globally providing both hardware and software to collect and secure data while maintaining privacy, ensuring compliance and reducing operating costs for its clients. This is typically provisioned through a recurring software as a service model.
Generating a great proportion of its revenues from recurring services through Software as a Service (SaaS) and Clock as a Service (ClaaS) provisioning is part of Newmark’s overarching strategy which is dedicated to building a business that has long-term stability and sustainability at its core.
What’s new? Mello’s take on investment education and enlightenment
Investing in the US – An Introduction
Philip Hanson – Professional Investor
Philip has been a full time investor since late 2019, following a successful 20-year career in the City, mostly spent in senior finance roles in the insurance broking industry. Philip started his career with Arthur Andersen (later Deloitte) where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
Philip has been investing since 1999 when he graduated from Durham University and the dot.com boom grabbed his attention. Now he focusses particularly on growth and quality investing in the UK and US markets.
Twitter: @PLHTrader
Phil Hanson
Specialist Insights
Using technical analysis to find trades
Michael relies on technical analysis to find stocks to trade and in this session he’ll look at several charts to find key levels of support and resistance and search for potential trading opportunities.
Michael Taylor has traded his own capital in the market on a full-time basis since 2016. He is a long and short trader of UK stocks and has a trading column at Investors Chronicle. He has written extensively on trading on his website www.shiftingshares.com
Twitter: @shiftingshares
ShareSoc
Paul de Gruchy, ShareSoc Director (UK Individual Shareholder’s Society) will talk about Private Equity investing via listed companies, the key points from the investing Masterclass on remuneration and what to watch from the FRC individual investor update. Last month, the MelloMonday poll indicated a great deal of interest in a Shorting Masterclass from the Mello community, which ShareSoc will be hosting on 26th November .
Click here to find out more about ShareSoc.
ShareSoc is dedicated to the support of individual investors. Our aim is to make and keep you better informed so as to improve your investment skills, and protect the value of your investments. We won’t shirk from tackling companies, the Government or other institutions if we think you are not being treated fairly.
Mello Annual Pass holders receive a 50% discount to ShareSoc Masterclass
Paul has a background in law, latterly as Head of Legal for BNP Paribas Offshore, where he helped establish a large number of listed investment funds. Before that he spent time developing financial services policy and legislation for the regulator and government in Jersey. Since moving to the UK in 2016, he has focused on investing, running a high conviction portfolio of small cap, cash generative stocks that are overlooked by the market but have potential for significant growth. Paul is also a non-executive director of GCP Infrastructure Investments, a FTSE 250 listed investment company, which gives him a direct understanding of the responsibilities of the modern board.
MelloBASH (Buy, Avoid, Sell, Hold)
In the MelloBASH Kevin Taylor, Alan Charlton, Jack Brumby and Judith MacKenzie will be giving their verdicts together with the audience on listed companies selected by you…our Mello delegates. Companies to be covered on Monday include Peloton, Reach, Tremor, Tristel, Versarian. Donations will be made to their chosen charities to show our appreciation of their excellent research and diligent coverage of the selected companies.
Do let us know which companies you’d like analysed in future MelloMonday BASH panels.
Kevin began his City career 27 years ago, training as an actuary with a focus on defined benefit pension schemes. In 1997 he moved over to Investment Banking and joined a structured finance team working on complex projects and debt finance for large corporates. During those 27 years of financial markets experience Kevin has been a keen small cap investor looking after his family’s portfolios and trading on both the long and the short side of markets. Kevin is one of the more sceptical member of our panel and likes to see proof that demonstrate management’s claims before investing in a management team.
I am a Full Time Professional Investor, having enjoyed a 30 year career working the Retail Industry, and been a Director of many well know High Street names. I have been fortunate to work directly for some of the greatest Retailers of the last generation, including Lord Kirkham, Sir Philip Green (interesting experience!!) and Sir Stuart Rose. Fortunate to have learned from some of the very best. I post occasionally on message boards as “Simso”…going right back to PaulyPiliots Pub and the old Motley Fool days! Current investment strategy is specifically focussed on stocks which benefit from the current environment.”
Judith joined Downing in October 2009. Previously she was a partner at Acuity Capital managing AIM-quoted VCT and IHT investments and a small-cap activist fund. Prior to Acuity, Judith spent nine years as a senior investment manager with Aberdeen Asset Management Growth Capital as co Fund Manager of the 5 Aberdeen VCTs, focusing on technology and media investments in both the public and private arenas. Judith is a Non Executive Director of the Quoted Companies Alliance and is an active member on Boards both in the private and public arenas.
I’m looking for compounding investments
I started off in Leisure – a part of the market I still love, but an area where stocks can appear “cheap” for years without going anywhere. It made me realise that valuation is only one part of the puzzle.
Now I sift through a much broader universe of stocks in search of small, high quality operators with large addressable markets, strong and maintainable margins, and clear share price catalysts.
Buy Your Ticket Now!
You can purchase a single ticket to a MelloMonday for £19.50 but the best, most cost effective options is to purchase an Annual Pass.
Book all the MelloMonday events through to October 2021 with one advance payment. There are at least 15 virtual events planned and maybe 18 if the Mello Team cannot restart physical events.
The Pass guarantees a huge 69% discount if you attend all of them & you will automatically receive the recording even if you miss one.