In this episode, we speak with Comgest portfolio manager Alistair Wittet We discuss his approach for building a focused portfolio of high-quality European growth companies and the most important criteria he looks at. We also dig into the characteristics that define great long-term brands, the current economic situation in Europe, how the European growth universe differs from the US one and a lot more.
- 3:55 – How Alistair went from a Geography major to a portfolio manager
- 07:25 – The current European inflation situation
- 09:00 – How Alistair views macro variables in his investment process
- 11:03 – Three trends that will shape Europe in the next decade: Energy Transition, Digitization, Aging Population
- 18:53 – How the European growth universe varies from the US
- 20:41 – The great long-term brands of Europe
- 22:31 – How Alistair defines growth
- 24:27 – How Alistari defines quality
- 28:14 – The role of valuation in Alistair’s process
- 31:04 – Have intangible assets changed growth investing
- 32:20 – How Alistair views tracking error
- 34:05 – Analyzing when to sell growth companies
- 38:41 – The quantitative aspects of Alistair’s process
- 39:52 – The pros and cons of speaking with management
