Full circle: Jim Simpson on Platinum, private credit, and long-horizon investment themes

In this wide-ranging interview, Jim Simpson—a pioneer of Australia’s asset management industry and a cornerstone investor in Income Asset Management—reflects on his career from co-founding Platinum Asset Management to running his own family office. He recalls early lessons from the 1987 crash, working under Kerr Neilson, and managing the Japan fund through periods of deflation and opportunity, including a 20–30x return from early investment in SoftBank. Since leaving Platinum in 2007, Simpson has focused on private credit and investment-grade fixed income, achieving strong, risk-adjusted returns. He argues that fixed income—especially syndicated loans and private credit—should form the “engine” of portfolios, particularly for high-net-worth investors. He shares his views on asymmetric opportunities, AI-led geopolitical shifts, and the future of food and manufacturing through synthetic biology. Simpson sees Income Asset Management as well-positioned to democratise access to these asset classes and play a leading role in modernising Australian portfolio construction.