The Pragmatic Thinker: Q&A with Cbus' Anthony Seabrook

I accepted this role at Cbus to take the portfolio management skills I have been fortunate enough to develop at one of Australia's largest and most successful private family offices and help Cbus and their 740,000+ members maximise their long term financial objectives.

Successful investing requires a certain level of independent and pragmatic thinking. Holding views that challenge the prevailing wisdom to ensure longevity. A level of humility supports continuous questioning of my views thus supporting the decision making process for the portfolio.

An investor should understand that the current economic climate in Australia is as uncertain as it was 5, 10 or 20 years ago. There is nothing certain when it comes to the near term prospects of our, or any other, global economy. Having said that, most countries have significant structural differences that allow investors to capitalise on numerous global opportunities that may not be present domestically. The most effective way to diversify a portfolio to take advantage of these opportunities is via low fee global equity funds.

I have always liked the saying 'the only thing you have to fear is no fear at all'. Nassim Taleb, in his book Black Swan, puts it this way: "Consider a turkey that is fed every day. Every single feeding will firm up the bird's belief that it is the general rule of life to be fed every day by friendly members of the human race looking out for its best interests...On the afternoon of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, something unexpected will happen to the turkey. It will incur a revision of belief."

My parents set a very high standard in regards to work ethic early on in my life and I was lucky enough to marry someone who shares an interest in businesses. There are a handful of people from Portland House who have also shaped me as a person and as an investor, none of them would appreciate being named so I will leave that one there.

Being a portfolio manager is not really a job for me as I have genuine passion for what I do. I read widely on topics from economics, history, investment theories, management styles, industry data and business leaders for enjoyment. That being said, I like to keep things pretty simple away from the office. I spend most of my time with my wife and two fantastic kids. I have always enjoyed long distance running, and work this into my lunchtimes, or walking/riding to work and being active with my kids. A few half marathons, shorter charity runs with friends and there will probably be a full marathon in my near future.

My first job was working for my parents in their ice cream parlour. Though I didn't appreciate it at the time, it is amazing the lessons you can learn by participating in a small business. There was a great life lesson in watching my parents having to focus on every aspect of the operation, be it supplier agreements, staffing, customer service, community relations, product quality, marketing or pricing. This experience also helped me to understand the external forces that cannot be easily controlled, such as: local economic conditions, competitive market forces and changes in consumer preferences.

I grew up in a small town in country Victoria called Sale. My father was a local police officer there for 20 years before leaving the force and opening up one of the towns' first franchise businesses. I spent the vast majority of my time as a kid playing basketball, and would spend most of my school holidays working on my grandparents' farm in Warragul or for my parents' business.

Yes, for the last two years our family have actively supported Finnan's Gift , a charity that provides funding for the Cardiac Care Unit at the Royal Childrens' Hospital in Melbourne.