Investing Is a Long Game: JB Wautier on Patience, Compounding, and AI

Sean Mooney, Founder and CEO of BluWave, speaks with JB Wautier, Founder of the Wautier Family Office, board member at Pershing Square Holdings and Howard Hughes Holdings, and former Chairman of the Investment Committee and CIO of BC Partners, about the long game in investing. JB describes a career that looks planned in hindsight but was serendipitous, from Sciences Po and audit to Morgan Stanley and 20 years at BC Partners. He tells the story of Allflex, a contrarian animal health bet that stayed flat for years before it paid off, and what it took to hold the vision and rebuild the sales organization along the way. He shares three lessons on time: embrace it, stop trying to time the market, and respect compounding. He also explains why he thinks AI may be the biggest industrial revolution yet, why he is optimistic about it, and why trust, accountability, and human connection will keep people in the loop. He closes with the advice he would give his 22-year-old self. Episode Highlights 1:00 – From Sciences Po and audit to Morgan Stanley, IK Investment Partners, and BC Partners: a serendipitous career 6:00 – Sailing as meditation, and a lesson in humility 11:00 – Allflex: the contrarian animal health bet that stayed flat for years before a sale to Merck 19:00 – The pivot that was not in the base case: rebuilding the sales organization 22:00 – Three lessons on time: embrace it, stop trying to time the market, and respect compounding 27:00 – Why AI may be the biggest industrial revolution yet, and why every opportunity and risk now runs through it 29:00 – What stays human: emotional intelligence, life experience, and social capital 33:00 – Human touch from hotels to radiology, and why people still want a person for bad news 36:00 – Trust and accountability: why humans stay in the loop 39:00 – Advice for a 22-year-old self: trust the system, know your edge, and remember it is a long game 45:00 – Why JB credits the Fed for his investing success, and what sits outside your control For more on the Wautier Family Office, visit: https://wautier.co.uk/ For more on JB Wautier, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-baptiste-wautier/ For more on BluWave, visit: https://www.bluwave.net/