UK Investor Magazine

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Mike Maddison, CEO of NCC Group, to the podcast to explore the FTSE 250 cyber security specialist.We explore NCC Group’s growth opportunities as the world becomes increasingly digitalised, and new threats to organisations emerge.Mike explains NCC’s growth strategy and how the business is evolving to meet clients’ demands.The company has recently announced improving margins and a return to growth. Mike provides insight into the key drivers behind the numbers.NCC Group recently announced the extension of a contract with TikTok. We explore this partnership and touch on NCC’s wider customer base.

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Wylde Market CEO Nick Jefferson to the podcast to discuss the company’s crowdfunding campaign and its growth opportunities. Find out more about Wylde Market here.Wylde Market operates as an online farmers’ market facilitating direct transactions between consumers and producers.The business was born out of Nick’s frustrations with supermarkets’ dominance of the UK grocery market and their treatment of food producers. Customers can purchase from multiple vendors across the Wylde Market, receiving their selections in a single sustainable package through nationwide delivery.The business model lends itself to rapid scaling in a growing market as it doesn’t maintain inventory or delivery infrastructure. Wylde Market serves as an intermediary platform connecting consumers seeking diverse, sustainable food options with producers looking to expand their customer base.The company generates revenue by charging a 33% commission on each transaction and is led by an experienced management team with backgrounds in brand development and retail.

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Daniel Kos, CFO of PPHE Hotel Group, to discuss the group’s recent results and future growth plans.PPHE Hotel Group is an FTSE 250 constituent with a market cap of £545m and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The company operates hotels under brands including Park Plaza, Art’otel, and Radisson Red.Daniel outlined their diversified portfolio, highlighting revenue streams across 51 European hotels with particular growth in key metropolitan markets. We discuss recent financial performance and the key drivers of growth of the past year.The discussion highlighted their £300 million development pipeline, with Daniel emphasising how new openings feature enhanced guest experiences that distinguish them from the competition.When questioned about future growth beyond current projects, Daniel explained their opportunistic approach and several cities they had on their watchlist.Daniel outlines PPHE’s progressive dividend policy, which saw a 5% increase to 38p in 2024.We finish by discussing the biggest opportunities and risks for the year ahead.

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Rathbones Investment Management’s Co-Chief Investment Officer, Edward Smith, to the podcast.This episode focuses on Rathbones’ 2025 Outlook and explores the AI trade, DeepSeek’s emergence, Trump tariffs, UK equity valuations, European growth, and China.Explore Rathbones’ 2025 Outlook here.Amidst concerns over Trump’s tariffs, Edward identifies potential opportunities for investors prepared to look beyond the gloom. We examine the US AI rally and explore whether DeepSeek’s emergence threatens to derail the entire global equity market. Edward offers a fascinating insight into the key metrics his team uses to assess the value of AI stocks and technology shares and what recent analysis suggests. When discussing US equity concentration, we consider whether the Magnificent Seven’s market dominance will persist and highlight sectors that could broaden the US equity rally. We compare and contrast the sluggish growth in Europe with the UK’s economic landscape, outlining key differences and assessing relative investment attractiveness between the two markets.The conversation examines China’s evolving role in global growth, questioning whether it still serves as the primary growth engine it once was. Edward identifies alternative geographies he believes are positioned to fill any potential gap left by China.To conclude, Edward offers insights into which markets present the best relative value in 2025 and where they anticipate the strongest growth potential.

The UK Investor Magazine was thrilled to welcome Michael Field, Chief Equity Market Strategist EMEA at Morningstar, back to the podcast to explore the German election and the potential impact on equities.We start by looking at the major influences on the German elections, including immigration and cost of living, and the consensus regarding possible results. Michael outlines investor positioning going into the election and what the main policies investors should be aware of.We explore the sectors that could benefit most, and Michael highlights individual stocks his team have picked out as possible beneficiaries of the election.Elections can dramatically impact equities, and we look at possible market reactions and how the base case result impacts German elections in the immediate and longer-term reaction. To finish off, we explore the alternative scenario in the case Merz’s CDU is not the biggest party and what the fallout could be.

The UK Investor Magazine was thrilled to welcome Niall Pearson, Director of Hybridan, to the podcast to lift the lid on two exciting small caps: Physiomics and MediaZest. Physiomics is a leading oncology consultancy that leverages advanced computational modelling and simulation to optimise drug development. The company has supported over 100 commercial projects spanning discovery, pre-clinical and clinical studies. Through their Model Informed Drug Development approach, Physiomics helps biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies make more informed decisions and streamline their development processes.MediaZest specialises in providing cutting-edge audio-visual solutions, with a particular focus on digital signage and audio systems for prominent retailers, brand owners and corporations. The company offers a comprehensive end-to-end service, encompassing everything from initial content creation and system design through to installation, technical support and ongoing maintenance, positioning itself as an integrated solutions provider in the audio-visual sector. The company is increasing recurring revenues and expects to become EBITDA-positive in the near term.

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Dr Clifford Gross, CEO of Tekcapital, back to the podcast to delve into the technology incubator’s 2024 portfolio results and what could be in store in 2025. We start by reviewing the portfolio’s performance in 2024, paying particular attention to the impact of MicroSalt and GenIP’s IPOs.Dr Clifford Gross outlines plans for Guident’s proposed NASDAQ listing and what it means for Tekcapital’s overall strategy.We finish by exploring the roadmap for Tekcapital to return net asset value growth to shareholders via special dividends.

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Bang! Curry Co-Founders Mark Johnson and Shelly Nuruzzaman to the Podcast to discuss Bang! Curry’s current funding round.Find out more about Bang! Curry here.Mark and Shelly outline Bang Curry’s growth plans and their achievements to date. Bang! Curry has developed an Indian curry kit product tailored to the growing trend of ‘scratch cooking’ and people taking a greater interest in the cooking process of Indian foods.The company’s products have been stocked by Waitrose since Q4 2024, representing a significant milestone for the company, which has forged four distinct revenue streams for its innovative curry kits. Food service is a significant part of the business, and the company has begun exporting to the United States with bulk products available in TJX stores.Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.Take 2 mins to learn more

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Rick Guiney, CEO of MicroSalt, back to the podcast to review the low-sodium salt company’s progress in 2024 and outline what investors can expect in 2025.We start with a review of the progress the company made in 2024 following MicroSalt’s IPO in February 2024. Rick provides an overview of recent developments, including the launch of ‘MicroSalt Premium’ and the inroads the company is making with new applications, including French fries, in the fast food industry.We conclude with a rundown of what investors have to look forward to in the year ahead.