Financial Mail

Muneer Ahmed

- Analyst and deputy head of research, Prescient Securities

If someone came to you tomorrow with R100m to invest in just one company, which would it be?

A small cap IT company called Alviva — my preferred pick of the stocks I currently cover. Alviva has a lot going for it: a strong management team and good capital allocation, and it’s looking really cheap. It is out of favour because a large part of its business is in distributi­on, but distributi­on can be a money-spinner when it’s done well. Services also make up a large part of the group.

Which talent would you most like to have?

The ability to hit a par round on the golf course. am nowhere close to that.

What was your first job?

During my vacations, I worked at a small accounting firm close to home. The little money earned went a long way for a student.

If you could fix one thing in SA today, what would it be? How much was your first pay cheque and what did you do with it?

I think it was something like R150 a day for vacation work. My younger self (not that I’m old now) probably spent it on things I didn’t need.

What was your most recent purchase?

A tall Seattle cappuccino at an exorbitant R29.50. It’s a crucial ingredient for a productive day at work.

What’s the best investment you’ve made?

The best is yet to come — my “ten bagger”. I am

Do you own bitcoin or any other cryptocurr­ency, and why?

No. Itjust doesn’t make sense to me.

What’s the worst investment you’ve ever made?

Investing in Brait at R150 a share has been a shocker.

Name a place you’ve been to that lives up to the hype. What is your greatest extravagan­ce?

There is no such thing as extravagan­ce, only preference. Mine would be golf and travelling.

On what occasion do you lie?

My justificat­ions for not going to the gym are often just lies I tell myself.

I I Education. An inclusive education system — from primary to tertiary level — has the ability to truly set SA free from the shackles of the past. #Feesmustfa­ll. still searching for Zanzibar. It’s the best honeymoon destinatio­n you could ask for. San Francisco is right up there too.

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