Tom King is the Chief Investment Officer of Nanuk Asset Management. In this Australian Investors Podcast with Owen Rask, Tom King shares his journey, insights taken from professional sports and dives deep into ESG integration in investing.
List of talking points with Tom King from Nanuk
Ice-breakers (30-60s answers):
- If you could pick one skill to achieve expertise what would it be?
- What is the best investing book you’ve ever read? What’s the worst?
Can you take us through the routine of a professional athlete? What would a typical day look like, were there any pivotal moments you can recall or lessons learned? What are the pros and cons of professional athletes becoming investors?
Does an engineering background provide an edge in investing?
Investment process
How does Nanuk distill the investment universe into a more manageable list of companies for analysts to follow? Do you use quantitative factors? How often are your ideas from qualitative filters/reading/networks?
Sustainability is key at Nanuk. How do you ensure the sustainability focus is ingrained in the investment process and not just something that hangs off the side?
When it comes to portfolio construction, where do you believe most people go wrong?
Is investment a competitive pursuit?
Philosophical
“Valuation is an opinion, not a fact” – Tom King
What’s the best way to measure carbon impact at the corporate level? As in, what measures can an investor track?
If I waved a wand and gave you a 10% ownership stake in BHP or a 10% holding in a large solar panel provider, what would lead you to better sustainability outcomes?
What’s one thing you believe about investing, business or life that few people would agree with you on?
