Keith Hiscock, Chief Executive of Hardman & Co, "I think one of the big problems that investors have is admitting you're wrong", Investing Matters Podcast, Episode 51

Investing Matters

Hear a wonderful opportunity to learn how a childhood school incident led to a near four decades successful career in the Investment industry, Investment Banking, being head-hunted to be a CEO and running companies.

With that in mind, welcome to the 51st episode of the Investing Matters series with me Peter Higgins @conkers3 on Twitter. As a global Investing Matters audience, you are all in for an absolute treat because this interview is with one of the UK’s most highly respected and sought after professionals and leader, Keith Hiscock the CEO of Hardman & Co. A London based multi-disciplinary financial consultancy and investment research firm, which employs highly experienced analysts and professionals with a broad range of capital markets expertise.

Keith Hiscock could quite easily have had a career in Politics having attained a Master's Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. As everyone knows Oxford has a huge reputation via its PPE graduates of producing UK Prime Ministers, Chancellors of the Exchequer, Government Cabinet Ministers and Politicians.

He had however fixed his career ambitions firmly to working in the Investment industry. Commencing his career journey in 1979 as a graduate trainee at James Capel stockbrokers followed by Equity sales and corporate roles at Wood McKenzie, Hoare Govett, Laing & Cruickshank and Schroder Salomon (CitiBank) to 2001. Laying the foundations in the City as a shrewd client first focused professional.

This led to in 2001 Keith being head-hunted for the role of CEO of Metzler Bank, Germany’s oldest bank with an unbroken tradition of family ownership. Followed by in 2002 to 2009 when he firstly took the role as Head of Equity Sales at Panmure Gordon and then the same role at Evolution Securities. After which in 2009 he became a founding partner for the independent research firm Agency Partners. In late 2012 Keith was part of a group of investors that acquired Hardman & Co which he and his colleagues have since nurtured into the longest established commissioned research provider in the UK. Working with the world’s biggest investment institutions, Stock Exchanges and private companies and retail investors.

Please listen now to learn how Keith Hiscock CEO of Hardman & Co, successful navigated nearly four decades of the volatile investment markets. Keith shares lessons learnt from his roles within Stockbroking, Equity Sales, Corporate roles, leader and CEO to enable others to identify quality companies, he explains why it is important to work out what type of business a company is involved in, its dividend cover, free cashflow, stage of growth & more. He stresses why it is important to fully read releases/statements via the Regulatory New Service (RNS) of the companies you own, plus why the careful use of language and tone within a RNS are vital to identify.

Keith shares an overview of Hardman & Co, where as CEO he leads a multi-disciplinary financial consultancy and investment research firm, which employs highly experienced analysts and professionals with a broad range of capital markets expertise. He explains how his highly skilled team, complete commissioned differentiated research on quoted and private companies, assess and gauge the appropriate price for an IPO, consultancy, confidential work, Woodford valuations, the ESG mini-industry, EIS solutions and its hugely respected and globally recognised research role.

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