Coming Home: Q&A with VanEck's Brett Liddell
Brett Liddell is the newest member of VanEck's Australian team, having relocated from the US to take up the role of manager - investments. Drawn to finance from an early age, Liddell tells us what he likes most about the industry and reveals both his goals in the new role and his most memorable investments to date. We also find out a little about his very first job and why it may take him longer than most to get through airport metal detectors.
Brett Liddell is the newest member of VanEck's Australian team, having relocated from the US to take up the role of manager - investments. Drawn to finance from an early age, Liddell tells us what he likes most about the industry and reveals both his goals in the new role and his most memorable investments to date. We also find out a little about his very first job and why it may take him longer than most to get through airport metal detectors.
What drew you towards the world of investments?
I always enjoyed maths at school and working with numbers but I also enjoyed anything that involved working in a team and collaborating with smart people. Finance seemed like the best way to combine these two elements into a career. As I learned more about markets, I liked the practicality of investments - that you could see the implications of real world events in financial markets instantaneously. It's always changing and its always challenging.
What are your goals within your new role at VanEck over the next 12 months?
I will be working with the team to expand our product capabilities and deliver meaningful investment and macroeconomic research, for both our internal and external stakeholders. VanEck is the leading smart beta provider in Australia and we continue to provide intelligently designed investment strategies that strengthen investors long-term portfolios. I am a big believer in the merits of investing in ETFs and I want to be able to produce research that highlights these benefits for both our existing and prospective clients.
What has been your most memorable investment to date (for either positive or negative reasons)?
I started my professional career in 2008, just before the Financial Crisis. In 2009 I had saved up a little bit of money and wanted to start investing but it seemed like the whole world was falling apart and I could find numerous reasons why it was a bad time to buy stocks. Nevertheless, I wanted to find out what this investing thing was all about and I bit the bullet and bought a little bit of BHP, Rio Tinto, Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Wesfarmers as I figured the chances of these companies going bankrupt was pretty slim. As it worked out, I bought pretty close to the lows and the share price of all of these companies did pretty well over the next few years. It taught me very early on the benefits of contrarian investing.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career thus far?
My father has had the biggest influence on my career. He has always been a very hard worker and carried himself with great integrity. I admired the way he was respected by the people he worked with and he taught me that you are measured by how you treat the people below you, not the people above you.
What has been the best advice that you have received throughout your career?
One of the best pieces of advice I received was early on in my career, I asked someone senior at the company I was working for, if she knew what she wanted to do when she was 22. She said she didn't but she just made sure that every new job she took challenged her and made her more fulfilled than her previous one.
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
I grew up in Melbourne in a suburb called Mentone. It was a pretty typical Melbourne bayside suburb but I was fortunate enough to grow up with a park at my back fence so I spent my childhood outside playing sport; either football, basketball or cricket with mates and my brother and dad.
What was your very first job?
I worked at a pub in Mentone, the Royal Oak Hotel. I remember my first night was an AFL final and the place was extremely busy and I spent the whole night running around like a headless chicken pretending I knew how to make cocktails and pour beers. It taught me very early on how to cut out the noise and focus on the job.
What's something that most people wouldn't know about you?
I have a metal plate and nine screws in my leg. I had a lot of injuries when I was younger from playing football, including both a knee and shoulder reconstruction, but the worst injury was when I broke my leg at a friend's 21st at a roller skating rink.
Do you support a particular cause or charity?
My wife is currently doing her PhD in Animal Welfare at the University of Sydney. We are both very passionate about animal welfare causes and she has worked for a number of animal welfare charities in the UK, US and Australia. We have a rescue dog at home and are big supporters of the RSPCA.
