At the 2025 Pinnacle Insights Series, Dougal Maple-Brown posed the question, “Do you have enough Value in your portfolio?” Heightened market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty has many advisers considering whether they should be more defensive with the Australian equities part of their client portfolios.
BEc, LLB (Hons), FFIN, CFA
Dougal joined Maple-Brown Abbott in 2001 as an equity analyst. He is currently a portfolio manager and equities analyst. Dougal was an Executive Director from July 2009 to October 2018. Dougal’s responsibilities include equity analysis and portfolio management, including managing a large number of institutional and retail accounts. He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2014. Prior to joining Maple-Brown Abbott Dougal worked in a national law firm and at an international investment bank.
Dougal joined Maple-Brown Abbott in 2001 as an equity analyst. He is currently a portfolio manager and equities analyst. Dougal was an Executive Director from July 2009 to October 2018. Dougal’s responsibilities include equity analysis and portfolio management, including managing a large number of institutional and retail accounts. He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2014. Prior to joining Maple-Brown Abbott Dougal worked in a national law firm and at an international investment bank.
Board and committee membership:
Asset Allocation Committee
Dougal
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Investment Insights
8 min
Australian small caps: a coiled spring so far this AGM season
Australian small caps performance is trailing large caps on an annualised basis by one of the widest margins, a gap seen only three times since 2002, and each time small caps recovered sharply once pressure eased. Phillip Hudak, Co-Portfolio Manager, Australian Small Companies, shares 10 key investment insights from the Annual General Meeting (AGM) season so far. He also unpacks four investment themes shaping the Maple-Brown Abbott Australian Small Companies Fund and the five key catalysts he believes could release the coiled spring for Australian small caps.
1 hour min
Dougal Maple-Brown’s shocking prediction
At Livewire Live, Dougal Maple-Brown, Head of Australian Value Equities, made a two-part "shocking prediction": CSL would double from its lows and Commonwealth Bank (CBA) would halve from its highs. Before he even took the stage, CSL had all but doubled from its May low of ~$90. Find out why Dougal believes valuation is behind both calls, why CBA could fall to $100 a share, and why we are overweight healthcare for the first time in decades.
8 min
Data center growth in Iberia
In the current environment of strong and growing electricity demand, the nature of investment opportunities continue to evolve. On our September research trip to Portugal, Spain, the UK and the US, we found two opportunities we believe the market is under-appreciating. Europe’s data center growth is happening in Iberia; while battery storage investments are generating attractive returns for developers and addressing customer affordability for US regulated utilities. Read the full insights to see what we learned on the ground.
18 min
2026 Australian Small Companies ESG Report
The environment for responsible investment continues to evolve, and in certain markets the debate surrounding ESG has become increasingly polarised. Our position remains unchanged. We focus on the environmental, social and governance factors that are financially material to the companies held in the Fund, and on the management of those factors in the long-term interests of our investors. Where third-party coverage of the smaller end of the domestic market is thin, proprietary research and direct engagement with boards and management become the means by which that view is formed. Our ESG report for the Maple-Brown Abbott Australian Small Companies Fund records both over the 2026 financial year.
