Tom Gayner - A Discussion with Markel's CEO

Tom Gayner stops by The Business Brew to discuss a number of things. You can see the detailed show notes for specifics, below the stratosphere.io sponsor copy. In summation, Bill has wanted to interview Tom for a long time but didn’t know how to make the interview unique. We think this interview covers some topics Tom has not discussed elsewhere. Please consider attending Markel’s annual meeting. On Wednesday, May 17th, from 9-10:30 the good folks at Robotti and Co. are hosting an investor panel. There will be 8-12 “best ideas” presented. The Markel annual meeting will follow that event. Food, music, and beer will follow the Markel annual meeting. We hope you enjoy this podcast episode. This episode is sponsored by Stratosphere.io.  Stratosphere.io is a web based terminal that has financial data, KPIs, links to filings, hedge fund letters, etc.  A key differentiator is Stratosphere.io’s segment data and KPIs, which are triple checked for accuracy.  Stratosphere saves users time, enables easy comparisons between companies, and offers company specific metrics such as subscriber counts, numbers of locations, etc. Head over to Stratosphere.io for a free trial.  Should you want to sign up for a paid offering please use the promo code BREW for 15% off. Thank you to the team at thepodcastconsultant.com for producing the show. Detailed Show Notes - 5:00 – The goal of the Markel annual event 7:30 – Tom’s background 9:35 – Blue capital and orange capital 17:05 – Creating dealflow and how long that takes 20:10 – Learning how to delegate 24:55 – What happened with the ILS transactions 33:20 – Searching New Highs and New Lows 38:40 – How investing at Markel does or does not impact Tom’s investing style 34:20 – The intertwining of Berkshire, Markel, and The Davis Funds 43:50 – The importance of relationships 48:40 – The Big Lebowski 49:10 – What traveling to India has taught Tom 56:25 – Decisions in March 2020 and how being at Markel impacted Tom 1:02:20 – How was the transition from Co-CEO to CEO 1:05:40 – How to be a deserving spouse Book Mention: The Way We Live Now https://www.amazon.com/Way-Live-Now-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140433929/ref=asc_df_0140433929/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475771750252&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16689022937612321338&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011844&hvtargid=pla-469518675534&psc=1