The Sharestock September 5 speakers have been confirmed, and with only 12 of the 100 seats still available, the annual investor conference on the banks of the River Dee is very close to selling out. The event takes place on Saturday 5 September at the Welsh Hovel, between Chester and Wrexham.
Both of Britain’s Buffetts on the Same Day
Most years, one of the two investors nicknamed ‘Britain’s Buffett’ headlines at Sharestock. This year both Jim Mellon and Nigel Wray are on the bill: Mellon speaks just before lunch, Wray just after. That pairing alone explains much of the demand for what little remains of the Sharestock September 5 speaker day.
Full timings for all speakers will be confirmed in the coming days. Those who have already booked will receive a schedule, accommodation notes and logistics from Ranji Winnifrith shortly.
Mark Slater: A Track Record Worth Hearing
The addition likely to interest growth-stock pickers most is Mark Slater, co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Slater Investments, which he established in 1994. The firm’s core methodology centres on selecting companies producing reliable above-average earnings growth at a low PEG ratio (the price-to-earnings ratio divided by the earnings growth rate, a shorthand for valuation discipline among growth managers). Slater Investments manages segregated portfolios for large corporate pension schemes, charities and high-net-worth investors, as well as unit trusts and a hedge fund, according to Mark Slater’s LinkedIn profile.
The fund’s numbers are the clearest measure of that approach. According to the Slater Growth Fund A Acc fact sheet published by Slater Investments, the fund had delivered cumulative performance of 242.8% since inception to 31 July 2024, against 73.6% for the IA UK All Companies peer group over the same period. Its 10-year cumulative return to 31 July 2024 was 104.9%.
The portfolio’s composition at that date reflected the small-company focus. Micro-cap stocks accounted for 42.5% of market capitalisation exposure, small-cap for a further 36.7%, with Serco Group PLC the largest single holding at 6.8%. For ISA or SIPP investors who hold mainstream funds tracking the FTSE 100, the Sharestock September 5 speaker session with Slater offers a markedly different perspective on where returns have actually come from.
Bitcoin in the Treasury: Bear Versus Bull
A new session will pit Tom Winnifrith (the bear) against Andrew Webley, chief executive of The Smarter Web Company, on whether holding bitcoin on a corporate balance sheet makes strategic sense. The Smarter Web Company is listed in London and Webley has positioned it as Britain’s largest publicly listed bitcoin holder, according to CryptoRank.
Shares in the company rose as much as 23% after Webley published a quarterly update laying out his investment case, according to Yahoo Finance. That same update acknowledged that bitcoin fell approximately 25% in the first quarter, its worst opening quarter in eight years. The tension between those two data points, a share price jumping on a thesis while the underlying asset slumps, makes for a genuinely live debate rather than a set-piece.
AI, Green Energy and Two Company Bosses
Barry Downes and Brian Kinane will run a session on artificial intelligence: whether current valuations constitute a bubble, which listed companies face the sharpest disruption, and how working lives may change as a result.
Peter Brailey will interview two chief executives. One is Cathal Friel, co-founder and Non-Executive Chairman of European Green Transition (EGT), as described in London Stock Exchange filings. European Green Transition raised £7.5 million via a placing and subscription to fund the acquisition of Earthmill, part of a wind energy expansion plan, according to the company’s European Green Transition investor news page. The other interviewee is Chris Gilbert of Eco Buildings.
The Rest of the Day
Returning speakers include Lucian Miers and Evil Banksta. The social programme follows a format familiar to returning attendees: a pizza gathering the evening before, chef Vijay’s lunch, cold salmon supper with home-made ice cream, Joshua’s croquet, Jaya Winnifrith’s plum and ginger cake stand, and Bara Brith at tea.
Camping by the river is available for those travelling from further afield. Contact the organiser directly by email for accommodation details.
With 88 of 100 places now taken, 12 remain. The full Sharestock September 5 speaker schedule will be published shortly. Once those last seats are gone, they are gone.
