CSI Chat

We are joined on CSI Chat by pricing expert and AI investor, Madhavan Ramanujam.  Madhavan is currently a GP at 49 Palms Ventures and previously he was a Managing Partner at Simon-Kucher & Partners, a global pricing strategy firm.  Madhavan is also the author of two terrific books on pricing, Monetizing Innovation and Scaling Innovation.   During our "Chat" with Madhavan, we touch on a number of areas: - The current "lay of the land" of Artificial Intelligence and what it means for technology companies.  What are the key characteristics of tech companies who will thrive in this new e...

We are joined by Scott Anthony who is a professor of strategy at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth where his research and teaching focus on the adaptive challenges of disruptive change.  Scott is also the author of the terrific book, "Epic Disruptions:  11 Innovations that Shaped our Modern World".  We have a terrific "CSI Chat" with Scott whereby we discuss the concept of "Disruption" and touch on: - A few specific case studies from his book, including Bethlehem Steel (a company that was disrupted) and Apple (a company that was the disruptor).  What can we l...

We are joined by Anthony Scilipoti, the President and CEO of Veritas Investment Research.  Veritas Investment Research is Canada's leading independent equity research firm and is staffed entirely by CPAs.  We spend some time talking to Anthony about a variety of topics, including: The state of the markets today and where Anthony is seeing the "Red Flags".  Are there particular industries which Anthony feels are over valued?   How does the "Veritas Valuation Framework" identify companies that might be over valued?   What can we learn from past case studies of Nortel Networks and Valeant Pharmaceuticals.  Does history always repeat itself? ...

We are joined by Mike Abrashoff, a NY Times Best Selling Author, Leadership and Teamwork Expert and the former captain of USS Benfold.  Mike is the author of the best-selling book, "It's Your Ship:  Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy".  At 36, he was selected to be Commander of USS Benfold and was the most junior commanding officer in the Pacific fleet.   The challenges of this underachieving destroyer were staggering, with low morale and the highest turnover rate in the Navy.  Few thought the ship could improve. Yet 12 months later it was ranked #1 in perfo...

We are joined by Kjetil Nyland, who along with Oddbjørn Dybvad and Adnan Hadžiefendić, wrote the terrific book "The Compounders: From Small Acquisitions to Giant Shareholder Returns".  Their book analyzes a group of high-performing companies, led by capital allocators, who operate using decentralized structures in fragmented markets, and redefine acquisitive growth.   During our "Chat" with Kjetil, we talk about: - What makes these "Compounders" so unique and why are so many of these companies based in Sweden?  Is there something in the water in Sweden? - The stories in the book of the...

We are joined by Peter Doherty who worked for the London Metropolitan Police Service for over 25 years and is currently the head of Crisis Response for S-RM, a global intelligence and cyber security consultancy.  Peter is an expert when it comes to keeping yourself safe when travelling to other countries, especially those countries which have been categorized as "high risk". During our "CSI Chat", we talk to Peter about: - The "State of Global Affairs" and why it is riskier than ever to travel to other countries.  - What are some of the wa...

We are joined by Kyle Buckett, a retired US Navy SEAL and a leadership expert.  Kyle spent over 20 years in the US Navy and led the advanced training for both junior and seasoned Navy SEALs.  Kyle is the Cofounder of "Culture Force" and is the co-author of the incredible book, "Leadership is Overrated:  How the Navy SEALs Create Self-Leading Teams that win"?   During our "CSI Chat" with Kyle, we talk about: Kyle talks about the process of going through "Hell Week", one of the most difficult elements of the famous US Navy SEAL’s training program, during...

We are joined by author and prominent Canadian business writer David Thomas.  David has been writing about businesses for decades for various publications, including the Financial Post, the Globe and Mail, MoneySense and Macleans.  David recently released his first book, "The Fairfax Way: Inside Prem Watsa's Secret to Lasting Success" which documents the history of one of Canada's most successful companies.  During our "Chat" with David, we discuss: - How was David able to build a relationship with Prem Watsa which ultimately resulted in the terrific book on the entire history of Fairfax.  - Da...

We are joined by Peter Cappelli who is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at The Wharton School and Director of Wharton’s Center for Human Resources.  We talk to Peter about his latest book which he co-authored, entitled "In Praise of the Office:  The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work".   During our "CSI Chat", we talk to Peter about: - The evolution of "Work from Home" and current state of the work force in 2026.  What do most employers expect in 2026 as it relates to working from home vs. from the office? - What...

We are joined on CSI Chat by Nathan Mueller.  Nathan, a CPA, worked for an insurance company in a finance role and he began embezzling money to pay off personal debt and fund a passion for gambling. What started as a $1,100 check to a credit card, spiraled into an $8.5 million fraud over the next four years.  After being caught, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison. He was released in September of 2014 and now is a sought-after public speaker preaching the value of ethics and strong internal controls to finance teams around the globe.   Du...

We are joined on CSI Chat by Jeffrey Pfeffer who is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University where he has taught since 1979 and has authored or co-authored over 16 books on various business topics, including Power, leadership and career development.  We talk to Jeffrey about his latest book, "7 Rules of Power:  Surprising – But True – Advice on how to get things done and advance your career".  We touch on a number of topics with Jeffrey, including: -   What is the definition of "Power" and why is it imp...

We are very lucky to be joined on CSI Chat by the reigning 2024 Microsoft Excel World Champion, Michael Jarman.  We talk to Michael about a number of topics, including:  What do the "Microsoft Excel World Championships" entail?  How does one prepare themselves for the World Championships?  If somebody was interested in competing, how do they go about qualifying? What is more important at the Excel World Championships, Speed or Skill?   What is Michael's favorite Excel function for moderate and advanced users of Excel? How is the process going for 2025?  Is Michael going "back-to-back"? I hope everyon...

We are joined by "Mr. Excel" himself, Bill Jelen.  There are very few on the planet who know more about Microsoft Excel then Bill Jelen.  Bill started the "Mr. Excel" website in 1998 and since then, has authored over 70 books and runs seminars all over the world on the use of Excel.  He also has several other "special talents", including winning the Grand Prize in a local "Stupid Human Tricks" competition by stopping an electric fan with his tongue!   We talk to Bill about: - How did he get started in becoming an "Excel Expert"?   - Wha...

We are joined on CSI Chat by Guido Palazzo.  Guido is a professor of business ethics at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and a business advisor.  During our "Chat", we talk about Guido's latest book, "The Dark Pattern:  The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals" whereby Guido reviews several corporate scandals and identifies certain trends and commonalties across each of these.   During our "Chat" with Guido, we discuss: The balance between "Human Morality" and "Shareholder Returns/Capitalism".  Trending of corporate scandals over time and whether the issue has declined.  Guido also discusses a number of case studies...

We are joined by business Professors Feng Gu and Baruch Lev to discuss their latest book, "The M&A Failure Trap:  Why Most Mergers and Acquisitions Fail and How the Few Succeed".   We talk to Professor Gu and Professor Lev about: The process of analyzing historical acquisitions and how they reached the conclusion that most M&A ends in failure.  Over time, has the M&A failure rate improved or gotten worse?  The statistics are surprising.    What are some of the main reasons why M&A ends in failure?  The Professors have also put together a "M&A Chec...

We are joined by Pav Gill, formerly of Wirecard and perhaps the most famous whistle-blower on the planet.  Despite serious risk to Pav's physical well-being and his professional reputation, he made the courageous decision to blow the whistle on the issues he was seeing within Wirecard.   During our "CSI Chat" with Pav, we talk to him about: - His decision-making process to originally join Wirecard as legal counsel and how long it took him to realize that there may be serious issues within the Company.   - What were some of the issues he was s...

We are joined by Dan McCrum, an investigative reporter from the Financial Times who wrote extensively about Wirecard and was the author of the terrific book, "Money Men:  A Hot Start-up, A Billion Dollar Fraud, A Fight for the Truth" which chronicles the story of Wirecard, the large German payment processing company which collapsed.  During our "CSI Chat" with Dan, we discuss: -  The role of an investigative reporter and the extensive research which goes into articles produced by the Financial Times.  There is an incredible amount of work involved prior to hitting "Print".  How does...

We are joined on “CSI Chat” by retired United States Navy SEAL Drago Dzieran. Drago wrote an terrific book entitled “The Pledge to America: One Man’s Journey from Political Prisoner to U.S. Navy SEAL”. During our "Chat", Drago and I talk about: The challenges of growing up in Poland under the Communist rule and how we was able to immigrate to the United States. Drago’s time in Poland included being locked up as a political prisoner under extremely difficult circumstances. Drago became a US Navy Seal at the age of 31 (which is very old when it...

We are joined on CSI Chat by Crypto Currency expert Jake Ryan to talk about Crypto and his book “Crypto Asset Investing in the Age of Autonomy”. If you were looking for a “Crypto 101 Seminar”, you will find the “Chat” very interesting. During our "CSI Chat" with Jake, we talk about: The current state of the “United States Dollar” and how Crypto Currency may play a significant role in the future. The history of Crypto Currency/Bitcoin and how it was developed by a yet to be identified founder, “Satoshi Nakamoto”. Crypto 101 basics including the the role of a blockchain...

We are joined by investment expert Chris Mayer to talk about "100 Baggers".  Chris wrote a terrific book entitled "100 Baggers:  Stocks that return 100-to-1 and how to find them".  In the book, Chris analyzes these high performing stocks and tries to find similarities between them.   During our "Chat" with Chris, we talk about: - Chris' background and how he transitioned from a corporate lender to a professional investor.  We also talk about Chris' core investment values and how he goes about trying to find the next "100-Bagger".   - We talk about some of the key char...