Good morning,

Another Sohn conference in the bag – a hive of some of the country’s most powerful fund managers, corporate bigwigs and investment bankers coming together to raise money for medical research and put fundies on the spot.

Festivities included a VIP cocktail party to toast the eighth annual conference at the NSW Art Gallery’s new modern art wing, stock picks under the Opera House sails and drinks with a view of the Harbour Bridge.

Sharif el Khazen of Metronome Capital revved up the nerds with his hidden gem – Warhammer producer Games Workshop, which he described as the “Hermes of plastic” – while Terra Capital’s Jeremy Bond brought back some old-school Sohn magic, setting the market alight with his uranium pick NexGen, and conference favourite Jun Bei Liu brought the style, again, dressed head-to-toe in Dolce & Gabbana.

But ResMed-bull Chris Kourtis stole the show, opening his presentation with – “what do Darth Vader, Hannibal Lector and Lord Humungus all have in common? They were all suffering from sleep apnea” – to great applause.

Who would have thought an Italian bank would get everyone excited but Toscafund’s Martin Hughes pulled it off, tipping UniCredit. Meanwhile, Steven Marks, founder of fast food chain Guzman Y Gomez, served up some tasty figures ahead of its potential IPO.

Cognisant of the timing, Barrenjoey’s co-executive chairman, Guy Fowler, took the opportunity to remind attendees to “please vote yes for the Origin demerger” on Thursday night.

The old guard was back, mingling with some new faces. Among the 600-strong crowd were conference co-founders Matthew Grounds and Gary Weiss, retail billionaire Solomon Lew and Wilson Asset Management founder Geoff Wilson.

UBS bigwig and Sohn stalwart Michael Walsh, Regal‘s Phil King, Skip Capital‘s Kim Jackson and Caledonia’s Mark Nelson also mingled with the crowd alongside former federal cabinet minister Kelly O’Dwyer and veteran stockpicker John Sevior.

Next year in Radelaide,

• Transurban has taken a peek at Denver’s Northwest Parkway toll road.
• UniSuper has mandated Barrenjoey to help it exit its Victorian desalination plant.
• Advisers overseeing some $3 billion a year for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management have departed en masse.
• Heavyweight funds are set to anchor Fuse Minerals′ IPO.

• Andrew and Nicola Forrest have bought Akubra, the 147-year-old Australian-owned hat company, writes Lauren Sams.
• A junior analyst’s lawsuit against a top bank had put Wall Street working hours on trial, Financial Times reports.
• Bain Capital has raised $1.7 billion for a fifth Asia-Pacific buyout fund, Bloombergreports.

Victoria’s desalination plant in Wonthaggi can pump up to a third of Melbourne’s water needs to its dams during droughts by purifying seawater.

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