University Of Auckland Investment Club Q&A With Mohnish Pabrai

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University Of Auckland Investment Club Lifetime Membership Awards nice profile on Irving Kahn and interview with Mohnish Pabrai

From the Presidents

To our members:

What a bumper start to the year we have had! Over the last two semesters, we have aimed to build on the success of the Club’s previous leadership teams, putting on events seeking to educate members about investing and the broader business environment. This is the penultimate edition of the Bulletin which will be published under our tenure as Co-Presidents, and we are proud to have organized a series of great events during our term. Highlights include Investing 101, presentations from seasoned investors, the Equities Research Challenge which saw 4 delegates selected to go to Hong Kong, and this semester’s Stock Pitch Competition where the grand prize was $2000 cash. Looking ahead, the Club looks set to grow and prosper with a new cohort of leaders coming through, and our network of distinguished professionals we have access to for speaking events is ever growing. None of this would be possible without the huge support we get from our committees and our network of alumni.

There has never been a more interesting time to be interested in the stock market and finance so get involved. We look forward to seeing you at our next event!

Benjamin Wedd and Elizabeth Vincent

Co-Presidents 2014-2015

From the Chairman

The Investment Committee had a busy year in Semester 2 2014 and Semester 1 2015. The highlights of the year were the introduction of Open Investment Committee Meetings, and a number of Club pitches for companies around the world (New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, USA). Nestle, Nike, Greencross Health and Microsoft were voted to be purchased by IC.

I was pleased to see the investing knowledge of both the Investment Committee, and the members who assisted on pitches, progress at a rapid rate. Five people who greatly assisted the Investment Committee over 2014-15 deserve special mention, and they were: the two Co-Presidents, Ben Wedd and Elizabeth Vincent, and the advisers on the Investment Committee, Joel Surges, George Donaldson and James Viggiano.

If you want to get more involved with the Investment Committee, feel free to email us with investment ideas or information, at [email protected].

Jasjit Grewal

Investment Committee Chairman 2014-15

University Of Auckland Investment Club Lifetime Membership Awards

In March 2015, the University Of Auckland Investment Club awarded life memberships to two past Presidents, Chuck Slogrove and Joel Surges, who played an instrumental role in the Club’s early years, and put in place many of the elements which are integral to the Club today. Without Chuck and Joel and the teams they led, the Club would not exist in its current form.

Chuck Slogrove

Chuck joined the Club in his first year at university, and was elected President in his second year. Chuck then served as Chairman in his third year. Despite finishing university, Chuck has continued to be involved with the Club.

While he would be the first to admit that others are more knowledgeable about investing in securities than he is, Chuck brought excellent marketing, entrepreneurial and leadership skills to the role, along with a strong work ethic.

When Chuck became President, he inherited an “under managed” situation. Chuck reorganised the Club structure, forming the Executive and Investment Committees. He also recruited some of the most able students in the Business School into leadership positions, including Nick Mar, Joel Surges, George Wroe and James Viggiano.

During Chuck’s presidency, the number of members more than doubled. Key initiatives included establishing the $125,000 Investment Committee fund, and launching the Bulletin, the Club magazine which contains articles on investing, finance and news about the Club. Chuck was also responsible for stepping up the events schedule, increasing the number of guest speakers and introducing valuation tutorials.

Chuck became involved in the Club because he was keen to learn how the stock market worked, and this didn’t appear to be covered in Finance classes. He helped to develop the Club’s inclusive nature, where any student from any faculty with any knowledge level, who was interested in investing, was welcome in the Club.

Chuck’s ability to build relationships with everyone is one quality which made him such a good leader. Chuck would often speak to every single attendee at events that were held, and continually worked to ensure that the Club delivered increasing value to the members.

Since leaving university, Chuck has continued to attend University Of Auckland Investment Club events, provide advice to the Executive where needed, and help to formulate the Club’s strategic decisions. The Club is very fortunate to have Chuck so involved, and would like to thank him for all he has done.

Joel Surges

2015 marks Joel Surges’s sixth year of involvement with the Club. Joel joined in his first year at university, was elected Vice President in his second year and President in his third year, acted as an Advisor to the Investment Committee in his fourth and fifth years, and has been a guest speaker in his fifth and sixth years.

During his term as President, Joel secured high profile guest speakers, John Key and Owen Glenn, which raised awareness of the Club on campus. Joel and Chuck were responsible for the establishment of the $125,000 investment fund, and created the University Of Auckland Investment Club Scholarships program.

Throughout Joel’s involvement with the Club, one aspect has been consistent – his selflessness. In all of his Executive and Investment Committee roles, Joel worked tirelessly on the Club, and would often put the Club and others ahead of himself. Many people will have met Joel at University Of Auckland Investment Club events, where he would speak to new members and immediately make them feel welcome. Joel has always been more than happy to help members understand investing concepts whenever called upon. The highlight of this aspect of his involvement was undoubtedly the Investing 101 event in 2014, where Joel gave one of the best run-downs on value investing that you’d hear anywhere, to a packed audience. Everyone should read, and periodically re-read, Anthony Wiseman’s summary of Investing 101 in the October 2014 Bulletin.

Joel has honed his investing mind through reading an incredible amount about investing and successful investors. Joel has linked some of the investing resources he thinks will help members on the Club website.

See full PDF below.

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