16th CONKERS' CORNER: 30th June 2016 Conkers’ Corner speaking with Leon Boros

Welcome to the 16th CONKERS’ CORNER. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with Leon Boros @Boros10 an ISA Millionaire and serial entrepreneur. Leon started investing when he was only 18 years of age having been inspired by his grandfather who was an amateur stock picker. However, he admitted that he did very little research and was susceptible to “story stocks”.

Leon is an Economics graduate and winner of the prestigious National Lord Kings Norton award for Economics for his ground breaking research on the financing of employee owned companies. Leon is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales having trained with Ernst and Young in its tax and audit departments.

At the age of 29, Leon co-founded Capital Strategies Ltd, a corporate finance boutique specialising in arranging buyouts, trade sales, originating corporate transactions, share valuations and designing and implementing employee share plans. Leon gained extensive exposure to privatisation, outsourcing, education, recruitment and transport.

During his career, Leon has managed or originated corporate transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $1bn in the mid-market arena. His largest corporate transactions to date have been the £100m purchase by Capita plc of IRG Ltd, the £100m IPO of Benchmark Holdings plc, a leading animal health company, and the recent reverse takeover of INVE Aquaculture by Benchmark for $342m.

In 2000, Leon co-founded Myshares Ltd, raising in excess of £4m from 3i plc and a trade partner. Myshares acquired the market leading software for the administration of executive share plans from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries. Myshares was sold in 2001.

Leon is a well-known private investor and was until recently a non-executive director of ShareSoc, a not-for profit organisation, which promotes the interests of private investors. He recently published an e-book entitled “10 key investing lessons from an ISA Millionaire”.

Leon is currently the MD of Equity Strategies http://equitystrategies.co.uk/ a corporate finance boutique that combines Leon’s interest in equity research and investing, with his corporate finance skills and creative approach to advising and originating corporate deals.

Leon’s investing journey and discipline has enabled him to become an ISA Millionaire, as well as earning him access to pre-IPO Fund raising’s and Placings as a “Sophisticated Investor”. Listen now to gain insights into how he invests, how he manages his portfolio and learn from the lessons in his investing journey.