"More front than Myer": Wealth adviser reveals the real skills behind raising billions

When Charlie Viola left the Commonwealth Bank at 23 to join Moore Stevens, he was, by his own admission, a prominent adviser on the way up. But when he walked through the door to his new position, not a single client was attached to his name. The only tools left in his possession were a desk, a phone and, a somewhat helpful, phonebook.

What followed was a scattergun campaign of cold calls to accountants and lawyers, until one Melbourne-based consultant, Dale Simpson, gave him an hour to make his case. Viola’s pitch was blunt: if Simpson’s own clients were still working themselves into the ground at 55, then something had clearly gone wrong with their wealth management.

Simpson laughed, and by the time Viola got back to his desk, had emailed to say he would start sending referrals Viola’s way, telling him he had more front than Myer.

That single referral, an executive director at Macquarie untangling a complicated employee share scheme, became the foundation of a client base.

Decades on, that base still counts a large share of Macquarie EDs and investment bankers among its ranks. It is also the kind of formative, slightly chaotic story that makes for essential listening. That is exactly why Charlie Viola is a great opener to season two of the Capital Conversations podcast.

What is Capital Conversations?

Hosted by investment consultant Steve Robertson, Capital Conversations is a financial podcast that steers well clear of market predictions and interest rate hot takes.

Instead, Robertson sits down with the people who have built Australia’s leading wealth and asset management businesses. Together, they unpack the sales strategies, leadership philosophies and, often, the sheer hard yards behind their success.

Season one introduced listeners to figures including Scarcity Partners’ Adrian Whittingham, Magellan’s Mark Burgess, Franklin Templeton’s Felicity Walsh, Spire Capital’s Dale Holmes and Shed Enterprises’ Sheridan Lee.

Now, with season two, Robertson turns his focus more deliberately towards the people behind the numbers: their skills and their instincts. He also explores how they have developed what Viola himself calls “the art” of capital raising.

From a desk and a phone book to $3 billion

It took Viola six or seven years of what he describes as hand-to-hand combat to build his first million dollars of revenue. That grind meant over-servicing clients, absorbing constant rejection, and refining his pitch down to something shorter and sharper every time someone hung up on him.

Today, that business is Viola Private Wealth. Viola formed it 18 months ago via a management buyout from Pitcher Partners, alongside co-founding partners Sean Warne and Andrew Levi. It now manages more than $3 billion in funds under management and generates upward of $10 million a year in revenue.

For Robertson, that trajectory is exactly why Viola belongs at the top of season two.

“Charlie genuinely wants to grow this industry and bring other people up with him, which is why he’s always so generous about sharing his story. Going from a 23-year-old adviser with zero clients and a zero base, to running a business generating more than ten million a year today, that journey is genuinely inspirational, and it’s rare to hear someone talk about the difficult years as candidly as he does.”

Robertson is also quick to point out that Viola’s technical skill is only half the story.

“Charlie is technically excellent, but what really sets him apart is his grasp of what he calls the art of advice, the human side of engaging clients. He doesn’t just talk about it, he lives it and walks it, in every part of how he runs his business,” he says.

“He’s personable, he’s commercially switched on, and above all, he’s just a normal human being,” Robertson says. “He has this incredible ability to make the complex simple, something he’ll tell you himself is one of his only real skills in life. And he’s completely upfront about being scared of cold calling, about the fear and the rejection that came with building a business from nothing. What you see with Charlie is what you get.”

A great capital raiser and a normal human being

So what should listeners take away?

For Robertson, it comes down to two things. The first is Viola’s own account of turning a zero base into billions in funds under advice. The second is the way he built that business by surrounding himself with the right people.

“He talks openly about the moment he realised he wasn’t the person to run the operational side of the business, and how bringing in Sean and Andrew, people whose skills complemented his own, was what made Viola Private Wealth what it is today,” Robertson says. “It’s a great lesson in knowing your own strengths, and having the humility to build a team around the gaps.”

What’s next for season two

If Viola’s episode is any indication, season two is shaping up to dig even deeper into the people behind Australia’s capital raising success stories.

“In season two, we’re really drilling down into the people themselves, their skills, and how they’ve developed the art of capital raising over time,” Robertson says. “If Charlie’s episode is the opening chapter, listeners are in for a season that gets right under the skin of what makes a truly great adviser and capital raiser.”

More of the country’s leading capital raisers will join Robertson throughout the season, including Akambo’s executive chairman Anthony Kapetanovic, GSFM’s CEO Damien McIntyre, Orbis’ managing director Jason Ciccolallo, and Escala Partners’ founding partner Scott Carmichael. There has never been a better time to tune in.

Season two, episode one, featuring Charlie Viola, is available now on the Capital Outcomes website, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.