Nic Badings
Jordan Kuhnemann – Investment Manager
Jordan is an Investment Manager in Pemba’s Transact team, focusing on the Business Services sector.
Jordan has been involved in Pemba’s platform investments in Open Office (exited 2020), ONCALL, RxMx, Bepoz, and the take-private of MSL Solutions (and resulting merger with Bepoz). He also led the bolt-ons of Idealpos and Deliverit for Bepoz, and Pemba’s partnership with Canadian based Curatio (and resulting merger with RxMx to create RxPx).
Jordan holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from Bond University.
If you could have dinner with any three people in the world (past or present), who would they be and why?
- Jesus Christ – My faith continues to make a profound difference to my life, and to how I approach the world, so Jesus would have to be number one on the list!
- My Dad – Unfortunately, he passed away in a sudden accident just over four years ago. He was a great man, so it would be nice to have a final goodbye and to show him what I have been up to.
- Elon Musk – Admittedly, I am a bit of a fan of Elon. I think he has a fascinating mindset, and his business achievements speak for themselves. Also, I think he’d be a handy friend to have!
If you could pick up a new skill in an instant, what would it be and why?
To be really good at surfing. I grew up on the Gold Coast by the beach and love the ocean but never graduated past the bodyboard as a kid. I’d like to be good without putting in the effort to learn if I could! Would be great to be able to add surfing trips into the holiday rolodex.
If you could only travel back to the same holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would you pick and why?
I’d like to say Hawaii, I went there as a kid and absolutely loved it. It’s also one of the few places in the world where you can both ski and surf in the same day. I recently caught the ski bug, so with my newly learnt surfing skills this would be a perfect spot. There’s also a lot of beautiful terrain and different islands to explore to recharge before returning to the real world.
What 2-3 skills or attributes do you believe are crucial for success in Private Equity?
- Discernment – private equity involves constantly making smart judgement calls, and often when faced with significant levels of information asymmetry. Being able to read between the lines often and correctly is important for success.
- Resilience – a key skill required in any career. To be a successful investor you must have the strength to consistently lean in when things get tough (which they do often) and keep a cool head along the way.
- Integrity – the measure of your ability to be successful, particularly over the long term, is your reputation and being someone that founders & management teams trust, so keeping your word and acting ethically is paramount.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The measure of a person is their ability to accept and shoulder suffering with grace and still be of service to others. The value in life is derived from taking responsibility; it’s the journey that makes life meaningful, not any one particular outcome or achievement.
Book recommendation:
Sorry I’ll go for two!
- If you want to feel at least 50% better when exercising: Breath – James Nestor
- This book perfectly encapsulates the lesson in question #5: The Happiest Man on Earth – Eddie Jaku
