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A Summertime

Welcome

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o our newest and re-vamped edition of the former H Edition Global.

Outside of our window the colours are changing into vibrant shades of all nuances as nature reaches its most magnificent stage. There is a feeling of lightness in the air and we adjust accordingly, so that we may enjoy the warmth of the sun, prolonged days, and evenings that allow us to linger just a few moments longer.

There is so much turmoil around the world that holds our attention. Would it not be wonderful to stand still for just an instance, so that we could fully enjoy those split seconds that can make life into the amazing journey it is? Let us “not dwell in the past, nor dream of the future, but concentrate the mind on the present moment”. (Buddha) Our current juncture comes with a focus on savouring every single instance, bearing in mind that we only have this one planet. It is about values and traditions and we would like to thank those individuals that have helped us put it all together in this new H Edition Summer 2019; through sharing their knowledge and experiences; for opening our eyes to issues that are in dire need of attention; and for being frontrunners, embracing their beliefs with open arms.

Lastly, there remains only to add the words of F Scott Fitzgerald: “And so, with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer”.

Wishing you all wonderful and memorable moments, Florentyna

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CONTRIBUTORS

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Champagne, Chocolate, Cigars & Whisky Lights, Camera, Action

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Aston Martin Very British

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David Yarrow Fine Art Photographer An Interview

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Marchesi Antinori An Italian Story

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Hélène Darroze France’s Shining Cuisine Star

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Giacomo Missoni An Interview

A big thank you for your time, your effort, your knowledge, and your imagination.

Silvia Bastante, Philanthropy Alexia Blackburne, Travel Giorgia Chiampan, Fashion Clementine Fitzgerald, Writer at large Lucia Galli, Sport Mauro Gervasini, Entertainment Iwana Krause, Art Alexa Lewis, Fashion & Design Dr. Morris M. Mottale, International Relations Nina Miller, Proofreader Jan Unverhau, Finance Paolo Marchetti, Art Director Karina Valeron, H-Edition Director You are all invaluable!

Florentyna von Schöneberg, Editor in Chief Roberto Pucciano, CEO H Fusion Media Group H Edition is published eleven times per year and offers advertisers an exclusive audience of affluent readers. Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure that content in the magazine is accurate, we cannot accept and hereby disclaim any liability to loss or damage caused by errors resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause.

All rights are reserved. No duplication of this magazine can be used without prior permission of H Edition.

All information is correct at time of press.

Views expressed are not necessarily those of H Edition Magazine.

For editorial and advertising enquiries please email info@hfusionmediagroup.com www.heditionmagazine.com

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TENTS

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Alex Bellini The Third Millenium’s Ulysses

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Global News Saudia Arabia, China, Russia & India

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Delicious... It’s a Cookie

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Do Not Disturb The Changing Face of Luxury

Gallery Petra Gut Zürich From Banking to Art

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Victor & Rolf Fashion Statements

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Berenford Let the Sun Shine

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Rubirosa A Unique Gentlemen’s Club

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Time to Let Go The Challenges of Founder Transitions

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International Relations National Images & Mass Media

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Terminology of the New World

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Philanthropy A Journey to the Heart of Liberia

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eleganCE educaTIoN savoir faire

savoir vivre bLaCK&WHITe... lights off legends come alive

champagne cHOCoLATE, CigarS

whisky... beAuTIFUL WOMeN Strong-willed men

DREaMs reality

memories of the past things that no longer are 8

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cigar, which was almost a surgical extension of Hannibal Smith’s grinning face in the TV series The A Team.

And then of course, there is Arnold Schwarzenegger; a cigar man

by Mauro Gervasini even during his time as Governor of California and a true tobacco lover despite his devotion to fitness - he never stopped smoking his Cuban cigar in Predator (1989), even though he found himself “If I don’t remember a part I put a cigar in my mouth, light battling deadly alien invaders in a it up, and wait for my memory to return”.

Latin American jungle.

Quote by Julius Henry Marx, alias Groucho, the extraorAmongst the greatest filmdinary star of American Film Comedies. It is very difficult to makers of our time, Orson Welles, find a photograph of him without his beloved Dunhill 410, was often caught smoking cigars as during those less than health-conscious years, the actor even in front of the camera, as in made smoking a cigar very much a part of his character.

Touch of Evil (1958).

Or on the other hand, Stanley Kubrick; although a strict non-smoker himself, it is difficult There is a distinct change between Sean Connery as 007 to forget his reactionary general and Roger Moore, when for example, in Live and Let Die Jack D. Ripper (otherwise known (1973), James Bond became a passionate cigar smoker albeit as Jack the Ripper), played by the fact, that Ian Fleming’s original character was inventSterling Hayden in Dr. Strangeed preferring Chesterfield King Size cigarettes (Connery love (1964) who always, had a cismoked one at a gaming table in ‘Dr. No’ in 1962, his first gar in his mouth. appearance ever as 007).

Alfred Hitchcock even adverIn Live and Let Die, Bond even managed to smoke a cigar tised a cigar brand on television. as he flew a hang glider in the direction of the island, propAnd then there is his most faerty of his biggest enemy, Kananga (Yaphet Kotto). mous photograph, taken prior to For the record, the last Bond to smoke was Timothy Dalthe release of his movie The Birds ton in Licence to Kill (1989). The evil Famke Janssen, howev(1963), which shows him smoking er, was still caught smoking a cigar at the Monte Carlo Casiwith a bird perched on his Cuban no in Golden Eye (1995). cigar. And in Machete (2010), the Let’s not forget George Peppard and his famous Cuban parish priest offered Danny Trejo a box of cigars marked ‘Handmade in Mexico’ in light of the fact that he had crossed the church threshold smoking…

There is also a very interesting scene in Ridley Scott’s underrated Black Hawk Down (2001), in which Major Garrison, played by Sam Shepard, met his Somalian contact only to be offered a “Take it, it’s Cuban” cigar. Garrison hence pulled one of his own from his pocket, confirming its Miami providence (as if its quality were implicit), to which the African replied: “Miami is not Cuba”.

Today, with the reopening of diplomatic and, more importantly, commercial relations between the United States and Castro’s Island, a similar scene might make us smile.

Let us however remember that for about half a century, Cuban cigars were smuggled into the United States more than Right: Roger Moore any other goods, and it was often only members of the politand Leila Shenna in Moonraker, 1979. ical or military establishments who could obtain them.

Page 9: Humphrey Another Cuban, like its smoker, was the cigar waved by Bogart and Ingrid Tony Montana (the emerging Miami Mafia boss played by Al Bergman in Casablanca, 1942 Pacino) in the famous scene from Brian De Palma’s Scarface

Lights, Camera, action Hold tight to that cigar of yours

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(1983). It is said that the success of this movie is what made cigar smoking popular again, after it went out of fashion during the sixties and seventies.

Throughout the ‘Dollars Trilogy’, cigarillos were Clint Eastwood’s character trademark, so much so, that director Sergio Leone, somewhat ungenerously, proclaimed that Clint had only two expressions: “With or without cigar”.

(For the record, there is another version of the same line: “With or without hat”). The Eastwood cigarillo’s in Leone’s films were Toscanos, chosen because of their similarity to the Virginias, very popular in a United States of the mid-nineteenth century. Recently Carlo Verdone, a wellknown friend of the Roman filmmaker, revealed that Clint Eastwood was actually a firm anti-smoker and as such, was at first opposed to this particular aspect of his character in the first of the trilogies Per un pugno di dollari (A fistful of Dollars) (1964). Contractually however, he could not contradict the director’s specific wishes. In Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) (1966) there is a very

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touching scene in which Blondie (Eastwood) helped a Confederate soldier; when he realised that there was no more he could do for him, he placed the cigarillo between the man’s lips - for one last puff.

Luciano Vincenzoni, screenwriter of Mario Monicelli’s La Grande Guerra (The Great as much.

War) ( 1959), was inspired by a hisJean-Paul Belmondo is a habitual smoker, and his chartorical fact: During the First World acters in fact smoked cigars in Philippe de Broca’s films - in War, particularly along the Marne particular in L’homme de Rio (That man from Rio) (1964), Les Line, soldiers from opposing sides Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine (Up to His Ears) (1965), would arrange tobacco truces. and also as a gangster from Marseille in Borsalino (1970).

And in the Italian cinema, there Returning to the American cinema however, cigars were is a classic scene in Don Camillo status symbols for gangsters such as Al Capone or Robert de (1952), when a priest (played by Niro in Brian de Palma’s The Untouchables (1987). In Billy Fernandel) removed a Toscano from his pocket in front of a talking crucifix, almost without realising it, and was thus, rebuked by Jesus. To this he responded with: “Sorry Lord, I must have taken one from Peppone without asking him”. Christ told him to get rid th of it all, including any remaining flakes, so that there was no possibility of his smoking them in his pipe instead.

Remaining on the subject of Toscanos, one of the curiosities of Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder (1959), is that a friend of James Stewart criticised his cigar smoking habit as “Italian”. Toscanos, although famous throughout the world since the 1800’s, were considered less valuable than others. This was also confirmed by Arthus Conan Doyle’s short story collection His Last Bow (1917), in which Sherlock Holmes at the end of a dinner at Goldini’s, an Italian restaurant, proclaimed to Watson that he should try one of the proprietor’s cigars: “They are less poisonous than one would expect”.

But let us move on to French cinema.

The last year was accompanied by much excitement due to the fact that a former minister and some parliamentary deputies expressed the explicit wish to pass a law that would completely ban smoking scenes from films. The law did not end up passing, but it is a sign of our times. In France, Europe’s biggest tobacco-producing country and the last to ban smoking in public areas, the debate is still ongoing.

In French films we are most likely to still see cigarettes; filter-less Gitanes were boldly smoked by both male and female stars in a host of films, from Pépé le Moko (1936) to Jean Dujardin in OSS 117 : Le Caire, nid d’espions (OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies) (2010). Cigars however, do not feature

Eastwood smoking his Toscano in leone’s movie - chosen for its similarity to the virginia - the ‘in’ cigar of 19 century united states.

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Wilder’s Double Indemnity (1947), a wonderful film noir, the obviously injured insurance salesman Fred MacMurray, arrived at this office confessing to the claim’s manager Barton Keyes (played by the great Edward G. Robinson): “Hold tight to that cheap cigar of yours, Keyes”. A statement that came before his revelation, to a now astonished friend, that he had killed Mr. Dietrichson at the behest of his girlfriend, Barbara Stanwyck, in order for her to claim restitution under the ‘double indemnity’ clause.

When a man says no to champagne, he says no to life

“I go to bed every night with just a drop of Chanel No. 5 behind my ears, and I wake up every morning with a glass of Piper Heidsieck, because it warms by body”.

The words of Marilyn Monroe in her autobiography written shortly before her premature death. Sadly, only the first part relating to the perfume is remembered, who knows for what reason, then her reference to champagne. In films as in life during the fifties and sixties, champagne was considered, especially in the echelons of high society, as the perfect drink for both ladies as gentlemen. Of course it was sexy, but it also made good cinema.

Champagne enters films of all eras. In Goldfinger (1964), James Bond testified to his champagne affection with his rightly famous phrase: “My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done, such as drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs”! Sean Connery’s Bond favoured Dom Perignon, with the arrival of Roger Moore however, the label changed.

Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, producer of the series, became friends with Above: Jean-Paul Belmondo. the head of Maison Bollinger, Christian Bizot, in the 70’s. He subsequently Left page: Clint decided to sign a commercial agreement and beginning with Live and Let Eastwood in Per un Die (1973), James Bond became the leading advocate of this French label. pugno di dollari (A Scriptwriters often adapt plots and dialogues in favour of product fistful of Dollars), 1964

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5, of course... “why, Chanel noPiper-Heidsieck ” what do i wear in bed?

i wake up with a glass of champagne.

Marilyn

Monroe

wine is often used as a part of some complicated drink.

Think Humphrey Bogart; it is not by chance that in Casablanca (1942), Bogart offered Ingrid Bergman a classic mix that later, was to become standardised (in the sense that it commonly appears on even provincial cocktail menus) – the Casablanca champagne cocktail. Its ingredients are as follows: two cl of brandy, eight cl of champagne, an orange slice, a sugar cube, two drops of bitters. Sadly, no bar can offer the final ingredient: “Here’s looking at you kid” from a whispering Bogart, but maybe we can give our imagination free reign.

The same can be said for The Great Gatsby. In both versions of the film, be it with Robert Redford in 1974 or with Leonardo Di Caprio in 2013, rivers of champagne flowed freely. The advertising poster of placements, such as in one of Moonraker (1979) more than the most recent one, even showed saucy scenes: 007 entered, although not really properly inGatsby holding a glass filled with vited, the bedroom at the Hotel Danieli in Venice of undersaid unmistakable content. Jay cover CIA agent played by Lois Chiles. Upon seeing a botGatsby however, mainly drank it tle of Bollinger RD on ice, he clearly stated that “If it’s a ’69, in the form of a cocktail, the Gin you were expecting me”. Bollinger 007 was born in 2006; the Rickey, of which champagne is 1999 Bollinger Grande Année in a steel box, shaped to reonly one ingredient, the main one semble a bullet. This collaboration between the films and being gin. champagne was maintained, and with the release of the One of Alfred Hitchcock’s first spy’s latest adventure, Spectre (2015), came the limited edifilms, during the age of the silent tion of the Bollinger Spectre Crystal Set. versions, is even called ChamQuentin Tarantino, for once in front and not behind the pagne (1928). It is the story of an camera, appeared with a bottle of Crystal in his hand in a American billionaire’s spoiled scene of the anthology Four Rooms (1998). Set in a hotel, the daughter, who lived a more than bellboy Tim Roth acted as intermediary between the variwasteful and capricious life and ous rooms. who, after having been repudiatEvery so often, a director will include champagne as a ed by her father, went on to becocktail ingredient. This has become a significant detail as come a nightclub waitress. in American cinema, the world’s most famous sparkling The master of the thriller has often used French sparkling wine in his films, even as a MacGuffin. In Notorious (1946), Claude Rains went down to his cellar for more champagne pursuant to which, he discovered Ingrid Bergman with Cary Grant. In his cellar, the hidden bottles that were filled with uranium to be used in a pro-Nazi plot.

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In Rope (1948), undoubtedly one of Hitchcock’s most perfect films, the protagonist Farley Granger, accompanied by his accomplice, toasted with champagne to ease the tension of committing a murder and hiding the corpse in a chest within their living room. Ingrid Bergman in Anatole Litvak’s Anastasia (1956), sat at the table of a night club, all-thewhile maintaining her dislike of champagne and yet, giving in to the allure of the bubbles by having a second glass.

Billy Wilder’s master, Ernst Lubitsch, is responsible for another memorable scene in Wilder’s screenplay Ninotchka (1939). The eponymous heroine played by the divine Greta Garbo, a more than severe commissar to Stalin’s men, sent to Paris in order to arrange an auction of the Romanov’s gold and jewellery. The City of Lights however gets the better of her and she succumbs to the charming aristocratic manners of Leon, young man about town; he naturally invited her to dinner and offered her a glass of champagne.

Easy Whisky

ings during the second World War, there was a sudden lack of raw materials needed for distillation, especially barley and other cereals. In the English-speaking world, the success and popularity of Whisky Galore! is never ending.

It is considered one of the hundred, best British films of the twentieth century. In the United States however, due to the constraint of including alcoholic beverages in names, it was called Tight little Island and the French title, Whisky à Go Go gave the inspiration for the naming of a famous Parisian nightclub.

Contested above all by the Irish who claim that they were the first to make it, the fact that whisky is a Scottish invention is now clear, as the first malt distillate was actually produced in the Highlands. The name comes from the anglicisation of a term commonly used in Schottish and Irish Gaelic; ‘uisce’ or ‘uisge’, meaning ‘water’ (the term ‘uisge beatha’ has the same meaning as ‘aqua vitae’ or ‘water of life’).

Recently perhaps, the most famous film about whisky (or ‘whiskey’ as spelled in Ireland) is Ken Loach’s The Angels’ Share, which won the 2012 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize. It is about a young Scottish boy who discovered his natural talent as a taster of malt and blended whiskeys whilst doing community service after a violence conviction.

Enlisting the help of his friends, he tried to mount a raid on one of Scotland’s most famous distilleries in order to steal two bottles worth £100,00 each. The title of the film refers to the percentage of distillate that evaporates while maturing in the oak barrels.

The country remaining but going back in time, another British film with a Scottish theme: Whisky Galore! (1949). It was legendary Alexander Mackendrick’s directorial debut.

He later went on to make The Ladykillers (1955) with Peter Sellers and Alec Guiness - recently re-filmed by the Coen brothers in Hollywood (2004).

Whisky Galore! is an Ealing comedy recounting the adventures of a Scottish island community known for their very valuable whisky production when, due to food ration-

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Alfred Hitchcock

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ised crime, thriving on clandestine whisky sales (but also on champagne sales in nightclubs). These were years of bloody confrontation between the United States two main criminal organisations, the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia (often allied with Jewish criminal gangs). By the end of the thirties, we saw a predominance of the second over the first; Bugs Moran’s (a crime boss of Irish origin) men were killed by Al Capone in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Al Capone and St. Valentine’s Day were an inspiration for many films during this period, beginning with Little Caesar (1931), Throughout the English-speaking world, whisky has bein which Edward G. Robinson come the most widely spread alcoholic drink, with cultural played Cesare Rico Bandello, Chireferences made in theatre, literature and, of course, cinema. cago’s rising underworld gangster Beginning with the eighteenth century, indigenous boss. forms of distillate were developed and consumed throughMussolini banned the Italout Canada and the United States, such as ‘Canadian Rye’ or ian distribution of the film due ‘American Bourbon’. to the unfavourable portrayal of In 1874, Martin Wilkes Heron, a bartender of Irish origin, Italians, even though they were invented a liqueur blend of whisky, orange, cinnamon and in actual fact ‘American’. Many of vanilla in Louisiana. Later called ‘Southern Comfort’ it has the film’s gangsters were however remained one of America’s most popular drinks. clearly of other ethnic origin, preOne of Walter Hill’s most phenomenal movies, Southern dominantly Irish.

Comfort (1981), is about a group of National Guardsmen that The Public Enemy (1931) equivwere hunted by warlike Cajuns (Louisiana’s French-speakalently set in Chicago, is of course, ing minority) through the swamps. Even though there was another important film of this peno precise reference made to whisky as such, other than in riod. This film, however, instead the title (an ironic reference to typical Southern hospitalifeatures the Irish Mob under the ty), at the end of the film, the Cajuns were seen to be drinkleadership of Paddy. ing secretly produced spirits at their camp.

Ryan, who recruited the young Staying on the subject of secrecy, between 1919 and James Cagney for bootlegging 1933 the United States imposed the ‘Prohibition’, i.e. a ban (gangster slang for the clandeson the production and sale of alcoholic beverages, with an tine transport of whisky and other exception for medical and therapeutic purposes. It should alcoholic beverages). be noted that this ban, enshrined in the Constitution’s 18th In The Godfather Part II (1974), Amendment, applied to the entire country; some states had Jewish boss Hyman Roth (played already banned alcohol consumption as early as the previby the great Lee Strasberg, chief ous century. apostle of the Stanislavski MethProhibition generated an exponential increase in organod), reminds Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) about the fact that he and his father, Don Vito, became rich through bootlegging when they were young: “I got the raw material and your father got the trucks”.

And let us not forget that there were rivers of whisky in Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone (1984): Max (James Woods) and Noodles (Robert de Niro) invented ingenious ways to conceal tremendous amounts of whisky from the police.

Amongst recent films set during the Prohibition, we need to consider Lawless (2012) by John Hillcoat. It is the true story of the Bondurant brothers who made Below: Al Pacino in Scarface, 1983.

Right page: A famous scene from the movie Whisky Galore!, 1949

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Franklin County in Virgina, the wettest in the world due to their illegal production of bourbon.

Scripted by Australian musician Nick Cave, it was inspired and based upon the family memoir of Matt Bondurant, great grandson of one of the Bondurant brothers.

Lawless becomes interesting as it is one of the few movies, that acterised by the number of glasses they drank daily. Just think tually tells the inside story of the about the legendary Dude (Dean Martin) in Howard Hawk’s extensive system of illegal whisky Rio Bravo (1959), who was known by the local Mexicans as El distilleries in rural areas, particuBorrachón (Drunkard). larly Virginia, Missouri and KenA character category was even developed solely devoted tucky, albeit with the usual ciné almost by definition, and paradoxically, to the consumption noir tones. One must note howof whisky in the Wild West: The town doctor. ever, that these illegal stills, esDespite the good-natured appearance of some of its inpecially those of family-run busiterpreters, who were all quite tall (take Doc played by the nesses such as the Bondurant’s, great character actor Thomas Mitchell in Stagecoach as an did not produce any kind of real example), it is worth highlighting the struggle of those – whisky, but so-called moonshine; doctors, scientists – who had the intellectual tools to raise the American equivalent of Italthe cultural levels of an environment that was by definiian grappa, produced with maize tion wild, but who were instead, forced to succumb to other as its predominant raw material men’s irrational and bestial violence. instead of grapes. In some areI recall one memorable example when after yet another as of the United States Midwest, hangover, the magnificent Doc Hollyday played by Victor moonshine is still quite wideMature in My Darling Clementine (1948), throws a glass of spread. Certainly, gangster movwhisky at his glass framed medical degree on the wall. ies and ciné noir during and after the Prohibition offered particular stories of the proliferation of alcoholic beverages, but the genre that actually made whisky the centrepiece of imagination, was the western.

Whisky was served like water in saloons and men were charac-

illegal stills, especially those of family-run businesses, did not produce any kind of real whisky, but so-called moonshine.

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An exhaustive analysis of the runs through post-war American history from birth to his presence of whisky in films, and meeting with Elvis in Vietnam, perpetually faithful to this more generally in the cinematic ‘philosophy of chocolate’, a sort of edifying fatalism. Forrest history, is practically impossiGump could be the ideal vigil for our short journey through ble given its frequent and enorthe relationship between cinema and chocolate. Both may mous recurring use. Especially be considered dispensers of pleasure and desire, especially in American cinema, the figure of established to be loved - and this from the very beginning, the whisky consumer is common starting with the prehistory of the seventh art (southern Euto both genders in addition to all ropean expression for cinematic art forms). periods and genres of film.

Matilde Tortora has carefully studied the history of ItalFollowing the restrictions of ian cinema and how the main Italian cocoa companies have the past, some of the TV shows used film and its stars for advertising purposes in the 1900’s. today (especially those intended Her findings more than interesting: Stills from period films for cable TV channels that are aswere printed on special postcards, often coloured with the sumed to be accessible only to a stencilling technique ‘pochoir’ which was much in vogue very selected segment of the pubat the time. The reverse of these cards featured text about lic – which online downloading chocolate, testimonials from the stars of the times such as has rendered a pious illusion), are Francesca Bertini, Lydia Borelli and Pina Menichelli, often now seeing experimental product Above: Lawless, 2012. placements of famous alcohol brands.

Left page: Once Upon a Recent cases include screenwriter Nick Pizzolatto’s and Time in America, 1984 director Cary Fukunaga’s first season of the acclaimed HBO series True Detective (2014).

Two cops, played by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, are both heavy drinkers. Both have a history of alcohol addiction and both drink the Irish whisky Jameson, a sponsor of the production.

Cinema through Chocolate

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”.

Forrest Gump’s, or rather Tom Hank’s declaration in Robert Zemeckis’s 1994 film of the same name.

A simpleton with an indestructible tenacity. Gump, who

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immortalised in provocative poses suggestive of the idea that the consumption of chocolate was in fact erotic. The results of Tortora’s studies were collected in a wonderful book published by Mongolfiera, with the suggestive title: Cinema Fondente (Dark Cinema) (2001). Matilde Tortora explains it simply in her book: “There was a time during the 1900’s and therefore the glorious era of silent cinema, in which the chocolate companies in order to advertise their products, printed small paper cards with a series of stills from the same film, so as to give a strong enduring souvenir of the films and that summarised all the images in the film”.

This very successful Italian marketing technique was of course, greatly copied throughout the world.

The Belgian chocolate brand, COOP S.G.C. Micheroux, reached an agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to print postcards, or rather real figurines, of Tarzan - played in the 1930’s and 1940’s

by Johnny Weissmuller. Albums of these cards were published up until the fifties and today, these have become highly valued by collectors.

Contemplating our Cicero Forthe 1950’s, Johnny Depp plays a charming gypsy who falls rest Gump, the one who views life in love with chocolate maker Juliette Binoche, disliked by as a box of chocolates will bring the bigots of the village as her chocolate shop is open during us to another, who most probably Lent. Chocolat is perhaps the film which made chocolates has similar views - the magical ‘erotic’ metaphor most obvious; through the glamour of the Willy Wonka: A character inspired cinema and its stars. When a woman gives a great and obby mad hatter Lewis Carroll, inviously dark party, even the most rigid of moralists will fall vented however, by children’s before the voluptuousness of cocoa in the end. literature author Roald Dahl. He Regarding the obvious conjunction between chocolate features in two films: Willy Wonka and Eros, of equal importance is Alfonso Arau’s Como Agua and the Chocolate Factory (1971) Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) (1992). It is the stowith Gene Wilde, and in Tim ry of a contrasting love between two young people, hindered Burton’s Charlie and the Chocoin their relationship by family and social conventions, and late Factory (2005), with Johnny thus destined to end in tragedy.

Depp.

The title alludes to the Spanish expression “como agua Wonka is a master chocolatpara chocolate”, referring to persons overwhelmed by pasier who, in a fairy-tale England sion: boiling “like water to make hot chocolate”. of Dickensian flavour, hides five If food were a language, then it would equally be a langolden tickets in five chocolate guage through which to convey revolutionary messages. bars, allowing their holders to Take for example the sensational film Fresa y chocolate visit his great factory and to win (Strawberry and Chocolate) (1993) by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea a special prize. Amongst the five winners we find Charlie, a poor Above, Matthew little child, who then enters the kingdom of Wonka and the McConaugh in True Oompa Loompas, the factory’s chocolate workers.

Detecive, 2014.

Although in both films it is the child who is the actual Right page: Gene Wilde hero, it is nevertheless Willy Wonka, who attracts all of our in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, attention; a bizarre man who never really grew up, who rec1971, and Johnny Depp reated a factory for a world of chocolate seemingly straight with Juliette Binoche in out of his own imagination. Without trying to take anything Chocolat, 2000 away from the vintage Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp is an excellent Wonka.

The actor is a chocolate regular and we must at this point, not fail to mention Lasse Hallström’s Chocolat (2000), which had an enormous success: In an imaginary French village of

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and Juan Carlos Tabi, which won the 1994 Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival: A love story between two boys, David and Diego, who communicate their affection through food, particularly chocolate. The movie is set in Cuba, where homosexuality is a crime punishable by imprisonment.

Apart from the fact that love may be conveyed via chocolate bars, the miraculous power of cocoa has also been scientifically proven, and of course, thus turned into a narrative by the cinema.

The natural attraction that chocolate may exert between people in the cinema has also however, been exploited for less noble causes, even going so far as being able to state openly evil purposes.

In Claude Chabrol’s acclaimed Merci pour le Chocolat (2000) with Isabelle Huppert this is the case: A provincial bourgeois and excellent cook decides to resolve family problems through giving the victims irresistible, poisoned chocolate…

An even more diabolical chocolate story with which I would like to end, is the minor British film (little known and even less remembered), Consuming Passions (1988).

Written by the wild comic ensemble of Monty Python, it is a comedy about a clever chocoing customers enthusiasm for these delicious new sweets, late maker who adds a batch of the man decides to start a production of said unusual filling stuffed chocolates to dough into whose basic ingredient is no longer, or not solely, purely cowhich three of his workers have coa, but... fallen. Faced with the unsuspect-

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A S T O N

M A R T I N

Very

British Ever since the first Aston Martin was crafted more than one hundred years ago, the company has manifested a talent for creating luxury and high-performance cars.

Founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in a small London workshop in 1913, Aston Martin has since grown into an internationally admired luxury brand.

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The love for all things beautiful has always been a guiding principle, Martin and Bamford’s coming together – the origins of this company – was the earliest expression of this. Both men had a passion and a talent for machines,

Black truffle Melanosporum – Périgord Jerusalem artichoke, Noir de Bigorre ham

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propulsion, engines and racing. They had a shared love for cars because it Aston Martin Lagonda is exhilarating the world’s provided them the most onlymemorable independent luxury car group and experiences. with more than 100 years of design and automotive excellence across two brands. We strive to be the great British car company that creates the most beautiful and accomplished automotive art in the world.

Moments

of beauty.

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Moments that they craved

to create, repeat, celebrate and share.

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PH. BENJAMIN MCMAHON

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That passion drove them to hand build cars that were ever faster, more powerful, thrilling, comfortable – more beautiful – than the previous.

It was little wonder then that they named Aston Martin after one singular motoring event in Buckinghamshire, England.

A moment of pure driving emotion, when Lionel Martin took on the Aston Clinton Hill Climb race in their latest creation...

and won.

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That passion drove them to hand build cars that were ever faster, more powerful, thrilling, comfortable – more beautiful – than the previous.

It was little wonder then that they named Aston Martin after one singular motoring event in Buckinghamshire, England. A moment of pure driving emotion, when Lionel Martin took on the Aston Clinton Hill Climb race in their latest creation - and won.

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david yarrow cover story

by Florentyna von Schรถneberg

Adventurous, charismatic, demanding, driven, fun, kind, passionate and filled with only good energy

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D

avid landed in Dallas at 8am on a Tuesday, 24 hours earlier he had been in India and he is due to fly to Chicago that day, followed by the north pole later in the week. This is the life of a man who takes 220 flights a year.

“My life is always like this, I guess. I just crack on with it… I enjoy it and there is no point in taking a break as so much is going on and there are so many opportunities, so many people to collaborate with. It is very exciting!”

David Yarrow was born on February 8th, 1966, and always knew that photography was his vocation.

At the age of twenty, in 1986, he was named Young Scottish Photographer of the Year whilst studying at Edinburgh University. That same year he covered the World Cup in Mexico for The Times, UK, and his photo of Diego Maradona holding up the argentine trophy was published internationally.

picture of the Shark and I asked for USD 6,000. It seemed so little to him that he ended up ordering three. That was my first epiphany; if I could sell a picture for USD 18,000 then maybe this was the way forward”. When in 2013 his picture of Mankind (taken in South Sudan, on his way to which he was interrogated at gun point) became a collectible, he decided to take the plunge.

David sold his London-based finance business and made photography his full-time occupation.

David’s path to becoming one of the worlds most renowned fine art photographers was however, not a direct one. He has a simple explanation for this.

He faced parental and peer pressure: “In the 80’s, banking was a profession whereas photography wasn’t. Today it’s the other way around (a little chuckle), it’s gone full circle. Of course, when you are young and you have just finished university, going into a profession in which you don’t see how you could make money would be a more than brave thing to do”.

It was therefore only as he matured that he became aware of how the world had changed, realising that photography was in actual fact very much a part of art and as such, also a way to earn a living. The instant his famous Shark photograph was published globally constitutes the key moment by which everything metamorphosed. Disillusioned at first, as taking the picture had cost him far more that its sale revenues, a phone call in 2009 changed his life: “A lawyer called me asking for a fine art

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david yarrow cover story

his eyes not a virtue, important when coupled with something else. In David’s case, this something else is emotion: “Photography without emotion is nothing! All my heroes were emotionally invested, and this made them creative. When working there is an awful lot of introspection”, David continues, “to produce works that astound people”.

This makes thinking about the how, what and why, to achieve that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’, unavoidable in his opinion.

He had done his homework, worked out a business-model ensuring that it would not only be artistically satisfying but also commercially viable, and thrust himself into his new venture (and many adventures), anything but naïve. Today Mankind sells for over USD 100,000 and David Yarrow has become one of the highest selling, living, fine art photographers in the world.

Conformist is not a word that describes the great David Yarrow. Authenticity however, although in

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Arctic Asia Europe which will include a foreword by Tom Brady”.

There is a reason why David has become so successful, even though at times he does ask himself how he attained this position: “It has been a lot of hard work in addition to pushing myself to breach boundaries, to have creative courage, and to accept that something that is nearly right is not good enough. It has to be absolutely right. And I don’t think that one can take many pictures a year that are absolutely right. My goal is to try and take four pictures yearly that achieve this status”.

The book is published by Rizzoli International Publications and will be available at European bookstores from September 2019, and in the US from October 2019. It will feature 150 of his most iconic photographs, presented with a contextual narrative, offering a balanced retrospective between his magnificent work with wild animals and his incredible storytelling. All royalties from this book will be donated to conservation.

Which pictures do you consider to be ‘absolutely right’?

“I guess Mankind is still a very big image. If you look at Africa, which I believe sold at Sotheby’s recently for USD 106,000, then Africa is an enormous picture. I only took it 8 months ago and it has sold out. I also think that the Tag Heuer shot with Cara Delevingne (the one you see at airports etc.) is a big shot”.

What do you still dream of achieving in the future?

“I have a responsibility in my position as an artist and giving back is an enormous part of what I do, either by raising money for conservation or charity.

Last year we raised USD 2,1 million and we wish to improve on that considerably this year. In my opinion, although everyone is very much aware of the ticking time clock of our planet, one person can’t change it, but if a lot of people do as much as they can, then things at the margin can change. I am extremely committed to this”.

What are your plans for the immediate future?

“Shooting an Al Capone series in Chicago, then the North Pole. Afterward, and this is very important, finally finding the time to finish the new book David Yarrow Photography: Americas Africa Antarctica

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david yarrow cover story

If you have a vocation, a passion, pursue it. You should be your own biggest critic – never let anybody be a bigger critic of your work than yourself, in this way you can only be pleasantly surprised. —David Yarrow

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Are there any individuals that have had a profound impact on you?

“There are a tremendous amount of people that have helped me on the road.

In Switzerland, Jean-Claude Biver from Tag Heuer, is a legend in the Swiss watch industry. In America, some sports individuals notably Tom Brady, who is an inspiration and I have huge respect for him. And then of course some of the girls that I have been lucky enough to work with. Take Cindy Crawford, she is an absolute superstar and also a very nice person, on top of being intelligent and a true professional”.

“I think that as you grow older, the things that you look for in people change”. He believes that hard work is of upmost importance and in reference to his previous life in the city, he believes that here, luck plays an important role and is not always coupled with hard work. David is different: “I respect individuals that have talent and need to couple that talent with really hard work”.

possibly becoming the best: “If you follow your passion, things seem to fall into place. If you don’t follow your passion, things can still be ok, but I think that it is a tougher journey. I am as happy as I have ever been in my life because I’m doing what I enjoy. It does not feel like doing work”.

David’s passion produces exceptional pieces of artwork. He goes that extra mile, creating art that attracts attention through its ‘wow’ effect. He offers fresh content by actually capturing the essence of the animals, looking deep into their souls with perceivable intimacy. Unlike other wildlife photographers, he does not use telescopic lenses, taking the pictures from inside hidden locations. He separates himself from the main-stream through thorough research, logistical preparation, and incredible courage. Coupled with an intense appreciation for his surroundings, these traits and his work ethic make David’s art unique.

Even though he shoots his images in colour, he usually only publishes them in black and white (with the occasional exception). This is a personal decision of his, believing that monochrome prints are timeless, intrinsic and suggestive. And of course, being the business man he is, they fit with any décor.

For him it is not about accumulated individual assets, but instead, about the actual person and their passion. Passion impresses him, as this is the trait that allows humans to improve, the path toward

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david yarrow cover story

What words of wisdom would you like to share with the world?

“If you have a vocation, a passion, pursue it. You should be your own biggest critic – never let anybody be a bigger critic of your work than yourself, in this way you can only be pleasantly surprised. Do your re-

search, it’s for free, and always be a salesman to a certain extent. It forces you to be charming and thoughtful, to think about others so that people want to invest in you.

Always be an approachable, smiling, happy and positive, high energy individual”.

David Yarrow was born in 1966. He lives in London and is the father of two children. David spends over 300 days per year on the road, seeking his perfect photographs.

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Wine is the answer‌ what was the question?

An Italian Story: Marchesi Antinori Wines

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T

The name Antinori first appeared in a historic deed of sale when in 1179, Accarisio di Antinoro, sold some of his land in Combiate, an area in the Florentine countryside in the direction of Mugello and on the way to the magnificent Monastery of San Michele a Passignano. Residing at the castle in Combiate, the Antinori family lived from diverse agricultural activities. When the castle was destroyed during a siege in 1202, they moved to Florence. This marked the beginning of the family’s rapid rise up the echelons of Florentine society; a position they maintain to date.

Francesco Redi (poet, royal doctor and official wine reviewer for the reigning Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici): In his comic-lyric poem ‘Bacchus in Tuscany’ Redi wrote: “On Antinoro’s lofty-rising hill... from the black stones of the Canajoul crush’ed: How it spins from a long neck out, leaps, and foams, and flashes about”.

The connection to the Medici’s was maintained throughout time, and on September 24th, 1716, the Grand Duchy issued ‘the declaration of the Borders of the four regions of Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and Val d’Arno di Sopra’. This notification resulted in the borders of the four wine producing regions being established for the first time in history: The largest area would give birth to the eponymous Chianti wines, a territory between the cities of Florence and Siena, today referred to as Chianti Classico. Antonio Antinori presided over this commission as ‘General Depository of the Grand Duke’.

1850 represented a time of expansion for the Antinori’ family, purchasing many smaller farms that had vineyards in the Chianti Classico region; Paterno, Santa Maria, Poggio Niccolini as well as the 47-hectare large Tiganello Estate. This expansion led to in 1873, bringing the family their first international recognition: The Court of Lorraine endorsed

The beginning of Antinori’s commitment to the art of winemaking dates back to 1385; Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the Florentine Winemakers’ Guild - “Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri” – an institution that was founded in 1293, recognized for its significant contribution to the city’s extraordinary economic development. This institution helped make Florence one of medieval Europe’s richest and most powerful cities.

The Antinori family history runs parallel to that of the Medici’s, and it was due to this connection, that their wines were first officially praised and favourably acknowledged as a ‘brand’ in 1685 by

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the excellent wine quality due to their resistance to ‘the harshness of all climates; both winter’s frost as summer’s excessive heat’. It was subsequently that same year, at the World Fair in Vienna, that the Antinori wines won the jury’s award of merit.

Now successfully entrenched and territorially expanded, the family company brand was established in name in 1898; Marchesi L&P Antinori (later changed to the current; Marchesi Antinori). Exports significantly increased, and Antinori wines were shipped to faraway places such as New York, Buenos Aires and San Paolo. Antinori became a household brand, which encouraged its descendants to not only modernize, but also to expand even further, including ventures into new territory. In 1905 the Antinori Classic Method was developed after a visit to the Champagne region in France, and in 1908, under the guidance of Monsieur Charlemagne, the Gran Spumante Antinori was born. This persuaded the family to invest in the Montenisa Estate in Franciacorte, where the production of the famous Franciacorte sparkling wine remains today.

The twentieth Century saw further growth; from the creation of its first Villa Antinori Rosso (red wine) to one family member receiving the Guado al Tasso estate on the Tyrrhenian coast as a dowry from the della Gherardesca’s. They also purchased the Castello della Sala in Umbria and in 1957, the family

opened the doors of their Palazzo in Florence, inaugurating their new restaurant and wine bar where customers could and still can, enjoy Antinori wines

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coupled with a selection of typical Tuscan dishes.

Today, the family also owns Cantinettas in Vienna, Zurich, Moscow and Monte Carlo.

In 1961 the Castello della Sala received an official recognition from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture for achieving excellent levels of production and in 1966, research was conducted using the Governo all’Uso Toscano method, which led to the appellation Chianti DOC to be introduced in Tuscany in 1967.

When in 1971 the Vigneto Tiganello was introduced with a 20,000 bottles production, this marked a milestone in Chianti Classico’s winemaking history. True to form, the Antinori’s however did not stop here. To celebrate 600 years of winemaking, Marchese Piero Antinori expanded the lands further, purchasing the Pèppoli Estate in 1985. The following year, the magazine Decanter, named him ‘Man of the year’.

Life at times, may go full circle. This was the case here as in 1987, the family acquired another 325 hectares around the Badia a Passignano, the Abbey at the heart of the Chianti Classico where everything began. Here they produce the Badia di Passignano Chianti Classico. Followed by the purchase of Pian delle Vigne in 1995, their first Brunello di Montalcino ‘Pian delle Vigne’ was released in the year 2000, and later that year their Solaia 1997 vintage, was judged Wine of the Year by one of wine’s biggest authorities: Wine Spectator magazine.

Today this family business is run by its president, Albiera Antinori, with the close support of her two

sisters, Allegra and Alessia. Their father, Marchese Piero, remains as Honorary President. Tradition, passion, and intuition are the three driving forces that have led Marchesi Antinori to establish itself as one of the most important Italian wine families, with a name that is today known, globally. For over six centuries this family has been committed to the art of winemaking, managing the business directly, making innovative and sometimes bold decisions whilst always, upholding the utmost respect for traditions and the environment.

Each new idea is an advancement toward a new beginning, each pursuit followed by an achievement of higher quality standards in mind. Marchese Piero Antinori explains it candidly: “Ancient family roots play an important part in our philosophy, but they have never hindered our innovative spirit”.

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Grouse Burnside Farm Ras el hanout, foie gras, chickpea, date

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The Story of

Hélène

Darroze France’s Shining PH. BENJAMIN MCMAHON

Cuisine Star

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”.

Virginia Wolf

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The Story of

Hélène

Darroze

C

hef Hélène Darroze was born in Mont de Marsan, the capital of Les Landes in new Aquitaine, Southwestern France.

Growing up in a family of Chefs (she is a part of the fourth generation), she was taught about deep respect for her regional culture and cuisine from an early age; her heritage has immersed her in the disciplines and values of fine dining, a fact that has accompanied her ever since.

It was however the operational side of the restaurant industry that in a first instance appealed to the young Hélène, and she left school to complete a business degree at L’École Supérieure de Commerce in Bordeaux. Upon graduating she relocated to Monaco, to work behind the scenes with her mentor Alain Ducasse, at his 3 Michelin starred Le Louis XV, located in the famous Hotel de Paris. It did not take Ducasse long to realise that Hélène had an innate Strawberry Gariguette potential, and he enticed her France Olive oil, basil – initially on a part-time basis – to turn her path toward the kitchen. Learning, creating, excelling, Hélène returned to her home region of Les Landes in 1995, where she received the keys to the kitchen of her family’s business from her father; a Relais & Châteaux affiliated restaurant in Villeneuve-de-Marsan. With the support of her family in combination with her great zest and appreciation of opportunity, she used this time to refine her own culinary style, remaining in Villeneuve for four years.

Aged 32, Hélène decided to break with family tradition, eager to build a career in her own right. She headed to Paris to open her own venture: Restaurant Hélène Darroze in the heart of Saint-Germain des Prés on the Left Bank. International critical acclaim accompanied the opening and she was awarded her first Michelin star in 2000, followed by a second in 2003.

Building on the success of her établissement in Paris, Hélène opened her first restaurant outside of France in 2010 at the historic Connaught Hotel in London’s prestigious Mayfair district. It took a mere six months for ‘Hélène Darroze at the Connaught’ to be awarded a Michelin star – the second followed soon after in 2011.

Today she divides her life between Paris and London, spending her valuable time directing her teams either side of the English Channel.

For Hélène, gastronomy remains the greatest opportunity to deliver the ultimate in hospitality. She lives by her personal Motto that “to cook is to live and to live is to cook”. Her earliest inspirations came from using the very best of seasonal ingredients, a fact that remains integral to her kitchens, and she continuous to be meticulous in sourcing the finest produce from her native Les Landes, the French Pays Basque and the British Isles as well as further afield. The very origins of her creativity stem from a respect for the ingredients she uses, and she has built up long-term relationships with her, now more than loyal, suppliers.

For Hélène, gastronomy remains the greatest opportunity to deliver the ultimate in hospitality. She lives by her personal Motto that “to cook is to live and to live is to cook”.

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PH. BENJAMIN MCMAHON

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The Story of

Hélène

Darroze

Black truffle Melanosporum – Périgord Jerusalem artichoke, Noir de Bigorre ham

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The Story of

Hélène

Darroze

Red Mullet The Duchess – Cornwall Taggiasca olive, piquillo pepper, fennel, lemon.

Above, Colette from the movie "Ratatouille"

ettes de mes Grand-Mères” (published in November 2014); “Mes Recettes en Fête” (published in November 2015); and “Joia par Hélène Darroze” (to be published in March 2020). In September 2018, she opened a new venture under the name ‘Jòiaby Hélène Doarroze’, located in Le Sentier in the 2nd ‘arrondissement’ of Paris.

In just seven months and after extensive 11-month renovations, May 2019 also saw the relaunch of her flagship restaurant on the Rue D’Assas in the 6 th ‘arondissement’.

Named after the capital town of her home region of Les Landes, ‘Marsan

by Hélène Darroze’ heralded a return to her roots with an exciting new menu and a stunningly redesigned interior.

In addition, Hélène was the inspiration for the character Colette in Pixar Animation Studios’ 2007 movie ‘Ratatouille’, as well as Mattel (the American toy manufacturing company) using her as inspiration for their chef doll in a new concept consisting of 14 different female role models in the Barbie range. Released in March 2018, the dolls were created to celebrate International Women’s Day in order to honour “women who have broken boundaries in their fields and have become an inspiration to the next generation of girls”.

Hélène regards her cuisine as an opportunity to share her greatest pleasure with others; the creation of dishes that become as dear to her guests as they are to her. Her creative flair brings with it a self-expression that uses emotion as its starting point, and one that is bound by the common thread of authenticity. The result is simple: Dishes and menus full of instinct and emotion, yet always remaining faithful and sensitive to the absolute quality of their core ingredients.

The Guide Michelin and its stars are not the only recognition that Hélène has received throughout the years. She was awarded the Veuve Clicquot Prize for Best Female Chef in 2015 in a selection of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

In addition to her more than busy schedule, Hélène is a mother to two girls and has also co-created a charity association named ‘La Bonne Etoile’, which helps disadvantaged children and received the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2012. She has been a judge on the hit French television series ‘Top Chef ’ since 2015, and is also the author of four books: “Personne ne me volera ce que j’ai dansé” (first published in October 2005 with a second edition in November 2013); “Les Rec-

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PH. BENJAMIN MCMAHON

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Once Upon a Time An Interview with

Giacomo Missoni

by Giorgia Chiampan

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To meet the Missoni family is a real privilege; not only because of their relevance and importance within the fashion world (colouring our lives since 1953), but also because it involves the opportunity to obtain an insight into this family’s DNA: A lexicon consisting mainly of sharing and mutual affection. Missoni is not a simple fashion house, it is a ‘clan’, where value comes before corporate goals, and where their emotional ties shape the company organisation chart.

I had the enormous pleasure to interview Giacomo Missoni, a member of the third generation. In doing so I realised that I had plunged into the history of 20th Century Italy; into the uses and customs of its people, its artistry, sporting and industrial memories; the Second World War, the 1948 Olympic Games, the Italy of the economic boom years; the Italy of Italian fashion writer and style icon Anna Maria Piaggi, as well as the birth of the Milanese fashion shows. These are just some of the great events that are components of this story. A story at first written by Ottavio Missoni and his wife, Rosita Jelmini. Then by their children, Angela, Vittorio and Luca. A story that continues, now in the firm hands of their grandchildren.

The Missoni Family reminds us of the ‘once upon a time’; so numerous, close-knit, united in their common goal with a profound sense of sharing. Their home is one of the most photographed in the world – its spirit immortalised many times, even entering our own homes in the most captivating of ways.

‘gave life’ to Ottavio’s works of art, making them wearable.

In 1978 the journalist Maria Pezzi stated that Missoni garments “are museum pieces but you have to wear them as well”.

Ottavio without Rosita would have probably simply remained a ‘good painter’.

Today three generations work in the company. If we weren’t united and if we didn’t share the work, it would be difficult to live with. We are all engaged on several fronts – especially now that we have a new partner and a very ambitious development plan - and it has become increasingly difficult for all of us to get together. We thus take advantage of the good times and moments that we do have, in order to share our projects as a family. This is the reason why my grandmother’s door is always open.

Grandpa Tai’s creativity and enthusiasm are a part of each family member’s DNA. How much of his style and personality are still a part of your lives, and then transferred onto the current Missoni collections? What was the greatest enlightenment you received from your artistic grandfather?

Grandfather Tai was a true example of life, not just for us but for the whole of Missoni.

Even today you are still able to breathe his presence throughout all of the departments. Unfortunately, I was never given the opportunity to work or collaborate with my grandfather, but every day I deal with individuals who have had the chance to grow under his genius and his creativity. It’s wonderful to see that his tutelage is still being transferred to today’s, current collections; in every single one of them there is always a part of his soul.

I have so many beautiful memories of my grandfather, like when he made me draw next to him in his office. Of course, like all artists, he was very protective of his instruments and for us grandchildren, he had stocks of markers on purpose. Let us say that from an artistic point of view, in the end, I haven’t achieved the desired success. There is a wonderful little anecdote, which more than adequately describes grandfather Tai’s personality: One day in the midst of Missoni’s success, he told my grandmother that they were receiving too many orders and that they would have to refuse them because otherwise they would become prosperous without the time to enjoy life, as they would have to work harder. This was his way of putting the quality

Do your personal relationships - between grandparents, uncles, cousins, grandchildren – help you to face company commitments, to hypothesize about new strategies, and to review your action plans? Is there a family round table to openly discuss work in parallel to that of the Board of Directors, or were you taught to leave work outside of the front door?

Missoni’s success was built mainly upon two fundamental family values; unity and sharing. My grandparents have always supported each other, dividing the work, each for their own skills and abilities. Grandpa Ottavio, also known as Tai, was a great artist. He created the zig-zag and colourful patterns that still today remain the DNA of the Missoni brand. He painted colourful landscapes which were then reproduced in enchanting knitted fabrics. He was the inventor of patchwork, a process we still use today in all of our collections and that is seen as our flagship. This stemmed from the need to never throw anything away, to give everything a second life, and to recycle the pieces of leftover fabric that remained on the cutting table. Nonna (granny) Rosita, on the other hand, grew up in a family that owned a textile company where she had the opportunity to cultivate her passion for fashion. She is the one that

Giacomo Missoni was born in 1988 in Varese, Italy. He joined the family company six years ago, first as a merchandiser in the menswear department and then as Retail Director.

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PH. OLIVIERO TOSCANI

Missoni’s success was built mainly upon two fundamental family values; unity and sharing.

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For example, the one with Adidas, a sports brand that has much in common with the work but above all with your grandfather’s passion – his sportive career. In addition, collaborating has become very trendy. Missoni boasts a wide range of lines that touch all merchandise sectors. Are there any further collaborations in the works that will amaze us?

The launch of the collaboration with Adidas allowed us to communicate the story of Ottavio Missoni the athlete, as well as adding a new value to the different collaborations that Missoni has had in the past, such as the one with Converse. These collaborations generate hype especially amongst the younger generations and allow us to identify the brand with a different perception. Today’s consumer is increasingly looking for something unique and exclusive that cannot be found anywhere else. Missoni, for its characteristics and its recognisability, is a brand that lends itself to these initiatives. Our strength lies in the fact that we don’t need a logo to be identified.

At the moment we do not have any other cooperation in the development phase, but I can foretell that there will be a second winter collaboration with Adidas.

of life in front of everything else. Unfortunately, today it is no longer possible to plead in this way and so, in my role as Retail Director, I proceed with utmost professionalism and determination.

Primarily Nonna Rosita supported the creative genius of her husband, closely flanked by Aunt Angela and cousin Margherita. A company under a female direction, because Ottavio Missoni believed: “If you want a job well done, let the women do it”. Do you, Giacomo, live by the same philosophy?

Grandfather, during the award ceremony for the Knights of Labour at Quirinale, said that the recognition should have gone to my grandmother Rosita, because she was the person who merited it, putting him to work.

Margherita and I are the third creative generation of Missoni, and all three generations are still present in the company. Nonna Rosita remains the creative director of the Missoni Home line, Aunt Angela of the Missoni line and Margherita of M Missoni, our most contemporary line. Our company is predominantly female, 70% of our employees are women. There are females in all departments and in my commercial role I collaborate with some of them every day. I believe that this is one of the great secrets of our business success.

There is one last question, a very personal one: For you, Giacomo, what exactly is the world of Missoni?

I grew up with coloured sweaters as if they were my second skin. For me Missoni is not simply a high fashion brand, but rather a lifestyle that breaks every pattern and makes you feel free. It’s nice to see how each of us interprets the family brand in their own way, both in our homes as well as with our own, personal style.

For me, a house without colour is a house without a soul.

From the sea to the mountains, from the city to the countryside, the bond they all have in common is always colour.

Each house blends into the environment in which it is located. Fish, shells and stripes at the sea-side; mushrooms in the mountains; tapestries in the city; flowers and butterflies in the countryside.

Concerning styling on the other hand, I have my own personal style. I love to wear Missoni in a casual way, perhaps with a nice pair of sneakers, but for special occasions, the formal is a ‘must’… and so from this year going forward, we will also have a tuxedo collection.

In 2020 the first of Margherita’s collections for M Missoni will be released – the relaunch of the second line after the capital infusion of the FSI fund in Missoni. Can you give us some foretaste, both strategic and stylistic?

The ‘new’ M Missoni will be a more contemporary collection than the M Missoni of the past. It stems from the need for diversification between the M Line and the Missoni line, taking a slice of the younger market, managing to communicate the heritage of a brand with 65 years of history in an unexpected and fresh way. There will be archive pieces that were revisited in a modern way, using recycled materials. Communication will be based primarily on fun digital projects.

Collaborations are becoming more and more frequent.

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ALEX The Third

Millennium’s

Ulysses

by Lucia Galli

Two ocean crossings and countless adventures traversing the worlds glaciers and deserts. Recently he launched a new project; to inform the world on the appalling plastic pollution of our rivers. For the next three years he will be navigating the Earth’s ten most polluted waterways and in addition, will also head toward discovering the Great Pacific Garbage Patch this summer. Of course, continuously rowing…

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risks that we are taking”. Alex paddles around the world on his boat, circumventing our globe that seems to have drifted. Very soon, he will be leaving on his next adventure; a project which will take him approximately three years – rowing down the Earth’s plastic polluted rivers.

“Ten rivers, one ocean”. It is an agenda filled purely with water, coupled to one firm objective: “I will be following the path that an abandoned plastic bottle would travel”. In his world, an ‘oversight’ is his constant (and only) companion in the middle of the seas.

Analysis by the Leibzig Centre for Environmental Research has identified the world’s least ‘plastic free’ waterways; in first place the yellow river, the Yangtze.

It delivers 1.5 million tons of plastic into the sea each year. An insane amount! The Thames on the other hand, ‘only’ transports 18 tons. Then there are others, of course: More Chinese rivers - the Azzuro, Hai and Pearl River; the Indus of Pakistan, the Amur

PH. MAURO TALAMONTI

Alex Bellini, an explorer of Italian heritage, has a profound demeanour, as deep and blue as the seas he traverses. He is a modern-day Ulysses on a mission. Rowing, paddling, moving – even if sometimes adrift – means finding his way back, anything else wouldn’t be good enough. It is his attempt at telling the story - before it’s too late: For us and for our planet.

Bellini was born forty years ago in Aprica, an alpine village less than three hours from Milan.

He describes himself as an adventurer, often referring to the Latin ‘ad ventura’: “Similar to the one who goes toward the expected”. Our future worries him; in fact, unlike most, he tends to think today about what may arrive tomorrow. Bellini long ago decided to link all of his adventures (whether at sea, on the ice, mountains, or deserts), to a clear message - putting his ambition, results and indeed personal success - in second or even third place behind his goal: “Informing everyone about the

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in Siberia and the Mekong in Asia; the Nile and Niger in Africa. All of them are considered exceptional locations. This year the Ganges has been added to the list. And now, Alex will head toward the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. What is this? The answer is simple – it is the island which is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It should in actual fact not be there, and is thus, not found on any map; a mass of waste solidified by the ocean’s currents. There are several of these islands of solidified waste on our planet; they move, they change, unfortunately however, they do not disperse.

Bellini has chosen to visit the largest and most infamous of these ‘non-places’. Located between Hawaii and California, it is three times the size of France and “I

will be going straight into its middle”, Alex explains. Another boat will pull him until he locates the patch. There he will remain alone, a solitary figure on board an orange fibreglass boat prodigy.

The dense and polluted waters of this waste continent will drag and cleave around him, reaching, at the centre of the vortex, a concentration of 100 kg per square kilometre – a presence of plastic micro particles extending profoundly. He will be our eyes, our heart, and our conscience.

As long as we remain in our offices, we believe that we are safe; as long as we differentiate and pay attention to our daily gestures, we think that we have done enough. And yet, we are ‘drowning’. “Because we do not understand that we are interconnected to nature”, Bellini states, “Those seas live by the

waters that came from yesterday’s rivers”. And that plastic particle, thrown so carelessly into the mountain stream, might return in the form of the healthiest fish purchased especially for our children, thinking only of their growth, in the most prudent of ways.

Bellini’s life began on the mountains behind his house, with their immense peaks covered in snow. Growing up and moving away, he began to see things more clearly; there were the deserts and their lack of water; the oceans, and of course the eternal glaciers, where the water seems to be imprisoned, stored for the future. Almost as if they were shelters. But he does not see safety in these anymore.

During his two ocean crossings – the Atlantic between 2005

80'000 tons of plastic float in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The weight of the plastic is equivalent to 500 Jumbo Jets.

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to clean, but it cannot wash itself.

It has been like this for centuries.

Superstition, religion, or poor education? “It is an immoderate, often unjustifiable optimism that has led man to consciously pollute the waters of this Earth, believing that somebody, at some point, will come collect it, will think about cleaning it”. And then, if rituals and cultural customs also fail us, the cries will resound more sharply: “Thinking about climate change, I do not believe a man’s life to be an adequate measure of appreciation. The technology, although sophisticated, originated from too ‘little’ time.

Commensurate the geological ages and human kind, then despite all of these tools, we have not yet developed a true ecological conscience. The problem is a lack

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and 2006 and then the Pacific in 2008 – he became afraid, but he also began to understand.

“That I didn’t live through these adventures just for myself and that the environment even during its moments of hostility, is in fact, very fragile”. And man himself, with it.

In February, Bellini travelled to Varanasi in India - 14 hours on a raft, built from waste material.

“Moving along the sacred river, facing the eternity that comes from ancient cultures, I felt that our time was about to end”.

Drinking the water that our brothers polluted upstream, or using it to wash, we immerse ourselves in the deceased. 500 million individuals orbit this great river; the water may be used

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that has contributed so greatly to the exploration of the world.

He has not lost hope that real change may still occur: “If we were to solely look at the evidence and strictly adhere to data or pollution policies, then I would feel pessimistic. Instead, it is my presumption that people are now ready for change and above all, are going back to believing in the value of personal action”. Let us not raise our arms in surrender thinking that somebody else will clean up behind us. “The real engine of change is our awareness, firstly as individuals, and then, as a community”.

These are Bellini’s teachings as a mental coach and motivational speaker: “We should not spend our lives, even a single day, losing courage by not aligning ourselves with a bigger goal”. He has always tried to live by this, sometimes with fear, but always with an allowance for mistakes.

And why not? “We never train to fail, but to make mistakes helps, often much more than a victory will”. For this reason, Alex Bellini will always calculate each step he takes: “I always leave to return.

My mission will always end on the way back, especially now that I have a family”.

To be both particular and normal, joined together, therein lies the secret. “For a good part of my life I believed that I was different, that

I have extraordinary gifts and unwavering motivation. In my worst moments, however, I would not consider myself so ‘special’ and I became accepting of the fact that I too, was normal. I allowed myself to be afraid, like everybody else. But I not only managed to leave on my adventures, returning from them alive. I also returned, above all, transformed”.

His next dream may not become a reality; he would like to live on an iceberg to see what happens when it melts. But perhaps this is not a journey to actually make, instead rather to be considered a metaphor of life itself. Today, with his few wispy beard hairs slowly turning grey, Bellini smiles and remembers: “And to think that I would have gladly become a bookseller, perhaps in one of those literary cafés where our minds begin to wander as we start on wonderful travels that lead us to beyond the unknown”. Beautiful journeys travelled through books.

For him on the other hand, this is his real life.

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of global vision that does not allow us to understand the complex consequences of even the smallest and most involuntary of our actions”.

The young, especially his daughters Sofia and Margherita, are ‘eye openers’ for him. Like on that particular day when they stopped at a highway restaurant, Alex purchasing a plastic-wrapped snack for his lunch: “But how so Dad? Even you?”. It was only due to hunger. In reality, Alex’s standards are very high, and he expects the same of his wife and daughters, who have always been his primary supporters.

Their holidays? These are spent building rafts to travel along currents, everyone being given their own, precise task. “Children understand and we should live by their example”. Last winter Alex and his family met Greta Thunberg in Oxford, and they listened to her. “It is paradoxical that the youngest should remind us of how we should behave and what our mistakes are. When you have children aged 7 and 8, their first lesson is consistency with every gesture”. Today Bellini lives in England, seeking new roots even if Italy will always remain at the core of his heart. He is fascinated by the natural context and the traditions of a country,

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Alex Bellini was born in 1978 in Aprica, a mountain village just north of Milan.

In 2000 he put the word ‘turbo’ into his life by finishing the New York City Marathon in 3h52’; the year after he ran the Marathon des Sables, 250 km in the Sahara Desert. In 2002 and 2003 he walked through Alaska, pushing a sled for 2,000 km. His first attempt at a transoceanic was in 2004, stopped however, by the rocks of the Balearic Islands. He succeeded between 2005 and 2006: Bellini rowed solo for 11,000 km in 227 days, crossing the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, from Quarto, Genoa in Italy to Fortaleza, in Brazil. In 2008 he repeated this in the Pacific: 18,000 km and 294 rowing days; from Lima, Peru to Sydney, Australia.

He surrendered to the dangers - a shipwreck 65 miles off the coast - nevertheless winning as his challenges are certifiable. In 2011 he ran 5,300 km from Los Angeles to New York in 70 days. In 2017, for 13 days, he crossed the Icelandic Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in Europe, on skis and by sled. Today, as well as being a writer, he is an expert in the psychology of high performance.

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cookie noun cook·ie | \ ˈku̇-kē \ variants: or cooky

plural cookies

Definition of cookie 1: a small flat or slightly raised cake 2 a: an attractive woman a buxom French cookie...

2 b: person, a tough cookie 3: a small file or part of a file stored on a World Wide Web user’s computer, created and subsequently read by a website server, and containing personal information (such as a user identification code, customized preferences, or a record of pages visited).

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When getting an impression of luxury, many features are important: privacy, service, individual taste, location.

But privacy may emerge as the most important luxury good of all as the world changes

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he classic face of luxury is undergoing a facelift. New technology, the growing affluent female market, a rising middle class in China, a different outlook from digital first Millennials have created a few ripples and wrinkles in this world that was exclusive to the very wealthy. The ageless icons of luxury have not been forgotten but who would have thought that Louis Vuitton, an emblem of extravagance, would partner with a skate brand like Supreme or that Gucci would sell sweatpants and sneakers?

Luxury can be a matter of personal taste. Let’s take the classic world of superyachts, traditionally considered to be a sumptuous luxury in the Western World. Yet some, in the position to choose an array of luxury toys

from private jets to superyachts, see a superyacht as ‘glorified camping’ and with the rise of the climate conscious generation, others may come to judge private flying as a socially unacceptable luxury. As China comes to the fore of wealth, more and more shoppers will be coming from this part of the world with different tastes to shape the new face of luxury. Though Sunseeker was bought by the Chinese company Wanda, Superyachts are an extravagance that has not yet taken hold in China. Colin Dawson, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Superyacht explains: “The Chinese are not used to the idea of time away from it all, especially not European style. They tend to take a very different approach to yacht ownership – it’s a business tool, not a leisure item.”

At the same time - luxury travel - previously an exclusive market, has become ‘mass’ – flights are more affordable, and hotel as well as credit card loyalty schemes provide inexpensive access to upgrades and luxury rooms. Hotel rating systems only go up to five-star, but some hotels are shooting for seven in an effort to retain that exclusive luxury feel that can only be accessed by the privileged few. In 2004, the talk was of sixstar hotel ratings but now it has moved to seven as the luxury landscape shifts.

The question is whether this is just a marketing

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claim, but the same hotel names in reference to seven stars come up in different articles and hotel travel guides, usually including the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the Pangu or Morgan Plaza in Beijing, the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dabhi or Laucale private island in Fiji. Where ever they are across the globe, these extra exclusive hotels all focus on service and privacy to treat their guests to a new height of comfort.

The Burj Al Arab, the luxurious sail shaped hotel in Dubai is often cited as a seven-star hotel. The Forbes Travel Guide, one of the world’s top rating guides for luxury hotels, lists it as a five-star hotel and the hotel itself claims not to have initiated the seven stars rating. Somehow, the myth stuck, and the theory goes that when it opened in 1999, a British travel writer was so impressed that she described it in her article as a ‘seven-star hotel’. On the hotel website, the marketing claim is ‘the world’s only hotel which offers seven-star service”. It is a hotel which has its own private Heli-pad on the roof, private beach, a service fleet of Rolls Royce’s, and suites rather than rooms.

This is all crowned with an impressive array of travel awards, citing it as the ‘best hotel in the world’.

Also included in the lists of ‘seven-stars’ is the Laucala resort set on its own private island of 3,200 acres in the Fijian pacific archipelago. The Laucala resort describes itself as follows: “Laucala island, a place where paradise meets privacy, invites its guests into a world of luxury living and sustainability. Privacy is one of the most valued goods on the island”.

As luxury changes with time, privacy and sustainability are becoming as important to guests as service. This tropical hideaway offers 25 Fijian-styled villas set beside blissful beaches, each with its own pool and private beach. Neighbours do not have to be seen and the aim is to provide a limitless connection between living space and nature. As privacy becomes the ultimate in luxury, the Laucala resort offers it’s Hilltop Estate, only accessible by private road. Renting it is subject to approval, not a place that only money can buy but a place that can provide the select few with the ultimate seclusion.

Seclusion does not mean exclusion, and entertainment is on offer with access to golf, riding, five restaurants and spa treatments on demand. The spa is in full trend with the new face of luxury and only natural products are used, made from ingredients taken from the local garden. This utopia of sustainability also stretches to the food in the restaurants, where vegetables are grown by the locals and fish comes from the surrounding sea.

These ‘seven star’ hotels are striving to provide the same privacy a guest would find at home. And at home, privacy is also the ultimate luxury. Stars and tech billionaires from Bel Air to St Tropez are buying up their neighbours’ houses, a trend, first initiated by Larry Ellison and the ultimate ‘Do not Dis-

turb’ sign. Mark Zuckerberg more recently bought up four neighbouring properties surrounding his Palo Alto residence. Hearing of a possible neighbour wanting to profit from the Facebook name, his decision to spend $30 million was about privacy and security. In an increasingly unstable geo-political environment, an extreme and controversial privacy and security conscious luxury move was made by Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist and founder of Paypal. He has bought a 477-acre former sheep farm in New Zealand as a retreat from any possible system collapse or climate overload. Normally, foreigners can’t buy large amounts of land without strict government vetting but a leak to the New York Times revealed that he had, in 2016, also obtained New Zealand citizenship despite only spending 12 days in the country. The sheer novelty of New Zealand as an indulgent and exclusive retreat creates a unique luxury of privacy unlike traditional retreats such as the Cayman Islands or Switzerland, whose fame attracts all types of emerging wealth in high season and not necessarily absolute exclusivity or a choice of neighbours that meet the individual tastes of those who have enjoyed luxury for many generations. Since then, New Zealand has recently instigated a tourist tax.

A world is emerging where it will not only be geographic location in which privacy is a luxury. We all use smartphones and often think of them as private, yet our moves are being tracked all the time. The psychologist and data scientist from Cambridge and Stanford, Michal Kosinski has said: “Our smartphone is a vast psychological questionnaire that we are constantly filling out, both consciously and unconsciously.”

Impatient to access all the digital services at our fingertips, we almost always click ‘yes’ to any data collection agreement that pops up on our screen. With all that knowledge about how Facebook tracks our data, is Mark Zuckerberg telling us something about privacy with his real estate decisions? Already in 2017, in a poll at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Nancy Gibbs, Editor-In-Chief of Time Magazine began her session by asking the audience to vote on the question: “By the year 2025, will we see a gap between the privacy rich and the privacy poor?” 79% thought we would see a gap and later on the poll on Time.com, 91% believed this will happen. Already, those dipping their toes in new technologies such as Bitcoin face a threat to their

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privacy as hackers try to access their personal data, through phone companies or even wives and girlfriends. With a phone number and ID, the hacker is one step further towards access to a computer. Stealing Bitcoins from a computer is the modern-day version of having the safe at home robbed of the cash, unless Bitcoin is protected by the fibre security protocols, which the average person is not aware of.

As with all wealthy people over generations, privacy is precious and to be protected, just as physical assets have been, or personal data registered with companies has to be protected from fraud. On a more mundane daily level, every website we visit, whoever we are, tracks our movements. Websites can legally use the data to identify you and your activities. Even without privacy settings, the IP address can be identified, what operating system you are using, which browser you are using, e.g. Firefox, or Explorer, what device you are using, even how much battery level you have. All this without your consent or knowledge. This unique digital fingerprint can give internet providers a good indication of who you are and where you are. Our personal data, previously private, is being monetized, the data usually legally sold for personalized advertising. On websites that ‘cookie’ button which, since

the new GDPR law came to force last year, legally has to pop up on your screen, is a pesky little text file and not a fine chocolate chip version to munch.

It is placed on your system to track your movements when you visit a website and more often than not, the website surfer consents to all without checking.

Some cookies are in good taste for the consumer, like the website remembering your shopping cart.

Other third-party cookies, mainly used by marketers to track who you are talking to, where you have been, what you are interested in across many sites, may leave a bad after taste. In the political world, we have been made aware of the dangers of how Cambridge Analytica can use data to manipulate voter opinion. It is possible to use private browsers such as Duckduckgo or Surf Anonymously with httpseverywhere (see eff.org) to remain untracked but keeping your data private is becoming more of a luxury than a basic right. Cookie cleaning services such as CC cleaner offer a service through which private Virtual Networks can be installed for a fee. With all freemium models, the service is offered free in exchange for data up to a certain level and sometimes the cost is exclusion. For example, it is not possible to organize Google Hangouts, a communication service, without a google account and it can’t be used if the

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cookies are disabled. We are living in a data driven era, which will require caution as we move forward.

In the New York Times Privacy Project, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai clarifies Google’s position: “Privacy should not be a luxury good. Yes, we use data to make products more helpful for everyone. But we also protect your information.”

He argues that even if an advertising free YouTube Premium is a paid for service, there are privacy

controls on the regular free version.

This is only the beginning of data mining and it is very much looking like the future face of luxury will surely involve services around digital privacy. An additional touch to add to the list of super toys, hotel stars and services only available for the very few.

In compiling this article, the author would like to thank credible media sources including the New York Times, WEF Forum, Forbes and the Economist.

A world is emerging where it will not only be geographic location in which privacy is a luxury. We all use smartphones and often think of them as private, yet our moves are being tracked all the time.

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Time to let go...?

The challenges of Founder Transitions

by Jan Unverhau

by Dr. Morris M. Mottale

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his is terrible – he’s doing the exact opposite of what I would have done!” exclaimed the company’s founder who had just learned of the recently hired CEO’s new strategy, adding “this is going to kill the Company!”

The mood was tense on that rainy February morning in the meeting room overlooking Zurich’s Paradeplatz. Just six weeks earlier, we had formally transitioned the leadership of the company into the hands of a high calibre CEO brought in from a much larger private equity-owned company. The founder was the prototype of an entrepreneur – a street smart technology genius with a grand vision and the know-how to translate a complex technology into a working business. But he had none of the skills needed to grow that business into a global player. The management change was the biggest transition in the short history of the company that I had invested in three years earlier – and it was not looking good right now.

The founder was livid – and also worried about the survival of the company. I was anxious, too –

Travis Kalanick, founder of Uber

but for different reasons. It had taken me over a year of hard work and patient diplomacy to get to this point. The company would probably not survive an about-turn at this stage. Which meant that over $40 million of invested capital were at risk – and everything the team had worked for since the company’s inception. I was acutely aware of what was at stake when the founder told me that he now felt he needed to step in and take back control. It would most likely turn a critical situation into a disaster.

On a personal level, I understood him. He had set up the company four years ago, based on an idea of how to make healthcare delivery much safer – and significantly cheaper – through the clever use of sensors and software. His combination of technology skills and business sense had allowed him to turn that idea into a reality. He led the company from a rudimentary technology prototype to a fledgling business with impressive international growth, where increasingly larger healthcare management organizations were rolling out

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founders to hired management is one of the most difficult – and dangerous – steps in the evolution of a fast-growing business. Founders like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg that achieve the entrepreneurial ideal of building a business, running it and becoming very wealthy from it are the exception. They make headlines not because that is how the world works but rather because these situations are so uncommon that they are worth mentioning. For a significant majority of high growth companies, there will be the crucial point where leadership needs to transition from the founder so that the business can develop to its full potential. The timing of the transition is often controversial. Investors tend to want it earlier, founder-CEOs want it later, and these two timeframes rarely overlap. Most transitions happen later than investors want, but earlier than founder CEOs expect.

For each one company that gets it right, there are half a dozen that fail, and you rarely hear of again. So, what does it take to get this right? It’s a question that has come up in various guises during my 20 years in private equity and venture capital.

And it’s a very relevant question, as by the time a fast-growing young company has passed its third funding round, or Series C, less than half still have their founder as the CEO; the majority are by then led by professionals brought in from the outside.

While there is no one answer that applies to

the company’s solution, and the opening up of the crucial North American healthcare market was just around the corner. Yet with commercial success came many challenges in the form of a growing organization that needed the right leadership and structure, and a lot more money from investors.

When we had first spoken about a founder transition – handing the company’s reins from the one who had imagined and built the company to a hired professional with the single task of turning it into a successful global company – his reaction was “Why would we even think about it – don’t you see how far we’ve gotten in only four years?” And he was right.

The Company was by all accepted standards a tremendous success – so why change now?

The answer, as counter-intuitive as it seemed at that moment, was clear. Precisely because he had been so successful, it was time for him to let go. Without realizing it, he had crossed the invisible threshold, by being extraordinarily successful both with his product development and with raising large amounts of venture capital. Now the company required a different skill set, and both he and the company’s Board no longer felt he was the right person to lead this business.

Transitioning the leadership of a company from

I co-founded LinkedIn in 2003, and by 2005, after asking myself the key questions about my passion, focus, and commitment, I knew I wanted to bring in a CEO.

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every single situation, there are a handful of useful pointers. And I had the opportunity to put them into practice when the founder and my fellow Board members decided just over a year earlier on a vaguely worded initiative to ‘professionalise the management of the company’ and I was asked to lead it.

The first one, which holds the foundation not only of a successful transition but of most strategic decisions leading to that point, is that the founder needs to be very clear on his main motivation for creating a business in the first place. Is it to exert control of his company for as long as possible, or is he more interested in maximizing financial gains?

The answer to this cash-or-king question influences most business decisions – how fast you grow, how much capital you raise, which type of investors you take in, what kind of people you bring on board to help run the business, and ultimately, how you feel as a founder when it is time to let go. Luckily, the founder here was crystal clear on where he stood – becoming wealthy by creating a successful company was far more important to him than the prospect of remaining in charge as long as possible.

Secondly, once you decide to bring in professional management, make it a dedicated high priority project under Board responsibility with a clearly defined lead. This should not be the founder himself, nor a committee, nor delegated to human resources. Pick an individual on the Board that has the maturity to interact with high calibre candidates and has a deep understanding not only of the business itself, but also of the interpersonal and psychological aspects, and the upcoming challenges in the transition. If you don’t have such a person on the Board, bring in someone who can help you with it.

Third, once you have hired, think of the transition period as a project in its own right. Create clarity within the organization. A company can only have one CEO at any given time – even if as a Board you want to shy away from making radical decisions, forget about co-CEO’ ship or sliding transitions with a gradual handover – this is almost impossible to do well, and is far more likely to create confusion and disruption. If you need a handover period, make it swift – maybe two weeks? – and be clear in your internal communication that leadership is transitioning. Get the new CEO to do most of his own announcements, and make sure he is seen as being in charge.

Fourth, have a plan ready for the ongoing founder involvement. Up to this moment, a founder CEO has been dealing with the unrelenting stress of developing a product, building an organization and raising money, often in permanent firefighting mode. You cannot switch that individual from

From above: Mark Zuckemberg, founder of Facebook, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and Reid Hoffman, founder of Linkedin

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The founder needs to be very clear on his main motivation for creating a business in the first place. Is it to exert control of his company for as long as possible, or is he more interested in maximizing financial gains?

150% to zero percent without creating some sort of disruption that may fall back on the business. It is in everyone’s interest to maintain a great relationship with the person that has got the company to the stage where it can attract talented people, investment, and a high calibre management. This should be recognized by finding a role and an economic package that works for everyone. Remember, some of the best entrepreneurs are inherently unemployable, so when you expect them to let go, don’t expect that they will find another job and get an income somewhere else.

Lastly, find your way to work with the new management. It is human nature that they want to leave a mark on the business early on. Typically they will spend the first three to four months unearthing problems, some of which you may have been aware of, some of which are new, but in most cases more problems than you would like to see. That is a normal part of the process, even though it can feel quite unsettling at times. After this initial period, you should begin to see more light than shadow.

As investor or Board member, you may be going from a situation where you were more involved in the company than you planned to be to a situation where you need to find the right balance between letting people do their work and making sure you understand how they work. You are still ultimately responsible for the company, and just because a person has done great things pre-

viously does not guarantee that they will do great things now.

The most difficult role is quite likely that of the founder and former CEO himself if he remains on the Board – supervising the work of the individual brought in to replace him, without interfering in everything they do, given they are supposed to do things differently. And it was no different for our founder. Yet he had gotten it right, stayed on the sidelines even when he disagreed, and let it run. Quite recently, when I reminded him of the dreary February crisis meeting when everything seemed about to fall apart, he smiled. Four months later, the new organization was in full swing – most of the old problems solved, important new customers won, and the team thriving, with investors happier than they had been in a long time. Most importantly, he was much happier in his new role of overseeing the workings of the business he created. Being an entrepreneur and creating your own company can be a truly fulfilling experience. And if as a founder you spot the right moment to step out and manage the transition well, you might find yourself in the most comfortable position of all. For us as investors, helping to get that transition right can be hugely beneficial – not only in terms of financial returns, but also on a personal level finding the solution that works for everyone is tremendously rewarding.

Jan Unverhau is an investor and board advisor with 20 years’ experience investing in and advising on private companies in growth-related transitions. He lives with his wife and two children in Zurich.

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

NATIONAL IMAGING

& MASS MEDIA

by Dr. Morris M. Mottale

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n the past two decades, political scientists and international specialists have come around to define the many aspects of power that in the past were overlooked or simply not focused upon.

This is certainly true of the relationship between mass media and national imaging at an international level, increasing over time since the end of the Cold War with the growth of global mass communication, which is best exemplified by intercontinental TV networks such as CNN, BBC International, Al Jazeera, Al Arabya, and Euronews. Countries such as Russia, France, Spain, Portugal, and Japan are also in the playing field, with international cable and satellite broadcasts that include news, culture, sports, and public debates. Additionally, China has joined in on a massive scale, going far beyond the conventional English language broadcasts of China Central

Television (CCTV): Today, its mass media presence goes hand in hand with the ascent of the Chinese economic power within the universal economic system. Theories of international relations, whether from an idealistic or realistic viewpoint, have to be complemented by new perspectives. Countries will continue to augment a staged management of their image in the cosmopolitan system, using sophisticated technology and visual communication.

one cannot fail to notice that in these same networks,

there is a massive display of advertising focused on the appearance of many small and large countries, promoting them as either tourist destinations, or seeking to project positive and alluring images about their development, in areas ranging from sport to music. This may be seen clearly in the oil-rich sheik-

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doms of the Persian Gulf, Southern Africa, Balkan and Caucasian countries, South and Southeast Asia to name a few. These advertising campaigns are highlighted by particular events of global interest; ranging from football, winter and summer Olympics to musical competitions. All inevitably have political implications.

due to the civil war taking its toll.

in the caucasus, armenia began an advertising campaign for the ‘route of Noah’ in 2012, and Azerbaijan began developing its image as a frontier between Europe and Asia. Georgia tried to attract investments through a campaign aimed at mending its reputation, claiming that it was not only open to international investments, but that contrarily to its neighbours, it was in actual fact not corrupt. These campaigns followed that of Malaysia, which claimed to be ‘truly Asian’, by playing on its multiracial and religious composition. Even Mexico tried to appeal to European tourists before the abounding explosion of its drug wars over the last few years. In better-known countries such as Italy, the UK, Canada, and the United States, image building has instead been predominantly focused on their regional components, such as Scotland, Sicily, or Quebec.

an interesting departure point concerns the Balkan countries. Pursuant to the breakdown of Yugoslavia in 1992, several new nations were created that all tried to gain a spotlight in the international system, endeavouring to develop a positive image in order to lure investments and tourism. For example, the frontrunner Croatia albeit closely followed by Macedonia, began developing (aided by advertising and public relations agencies), international television advertisements with the goal to attract tourists to their areas of particular and spectacular beauty, such as the Adriatic coast with all its millennial cultural heritage dating back to Roman and Italian epochs. By enhancing their national image, an additional boost to their attempt at wanting to join the European Union and NATO was achieved. Soon, Greece and Turkey followed, closely trailed by Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. During the same time period, Tunisia and Morocco attempted to do likewise. Algeria however, lagged behind in this regard

sporting and entertainment events have been used by governments to bring an international focus and a positive image of modernity to their countries, including the addition of a social and economic dynamism. When Azerbaijan won the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest (where over three dozen European countries competed for best song and singer), Baku immediately built a new site advertising the fact

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that they would host the competition the following year, in 2012, thus attempting to turn the event into an international ‘happening’. Armenia, due to the territorial conflict with Azerbaijan regarding the bloodily disputed enclave Nagorno-Karabakh, decided not to send a singer to the competition, showing its political displeasure. Political squabbles soon plagued the competition as Turkey also decided to pull out toward the end of 2011, citing its displeasure at the new competition regulations which would have forced them to broadcast the Israeli entry as well. This controversy surrounding Israel once again emerged in May 2019, as they were themselves hosting the event in Tel Aviv; an event which prompted virulent objections from anti-Israeli, anti-Zionist,

Moscow aimed at staging a spectacular event which would elevate its prestige on an international level - in preparation, they attempted to build suspense and awe by extensive television coverage of the construction programs preceding the games.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics allowed China to demonstrate its status as a new economic power, just as much as the games in Tokyo in 1965 and in South Korea in 1986 had demonstrated the new political and economic status of countries that had been devastated by war. It was in this vein that India hosted the Commonwealth Games of 2010, in a bid to boost its international image vis-Ă -vis the spectacular success of the Chinese staged Olympic Games.

and anti-Jewish groups, once again giving a greater international salience to this song contest. On a more positive note, Brazil, Qatar, and South Africa, successfully lobbied for the right to host world football cup games. In 2012, the African football cup was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, providing these relatively marginal African countries with the opportunity to leave their mark on the international stage.

the competition to host spectacular sports events ranging from tennis to football, golf to car-racing and aquatic sports on a constant cyclical yearly, biennial, or quadrennial basis, in addition to fairs, film festivals, and singing competitions, are all indicators of an international system that is being shaped and influenced by mass communication-driven images.

National and local governments will try to connect with Anglo-American cinematographic productions, that are universally recognized, in order to popularize locations and cities. This was certainly the case in Spectre, the most recent James Bond

a russia under putin gained the right to host the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi on the Black Sea in 2014;

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history of the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, left a lasting imprint on the security concerns of any international mass-event organizer. The Palestinian drive for national independence, affirmation, and recognition received an incredible global boost, with time even adding to the public relations issues which surround the legitimacy of the Israeli state on an international level. It set a precedence for decades to come, to such an extent that today, any international event can be disrupted by groups that seek recognition and may be opposing of particular nations. Chechens, Armenians, Kurds, Kashmiri Muslim Separatists, Al Qaeda sympathizers, secessionists in African and Europe, as well as criminal gangs in Latin America can easily use events to enhance their own influence, power, image and self-esteem. Nowadays, this quest for international recognition from any one individual state at this level of international communication can thus be turned, manipulated, and exploited by the oppositional power groups, whether they be internally or externally driven.

An illustrative example is Bahrain.

movie. Filmed in 2015, the government of Morocco lobbied for the movie makers to provide a positive image of the country.

illusions may be manipulated and staged, with definite political meanings and messages targeted to national or international audiences, depending on the goals and objectives that policy makers have set for their own nation states. Alongside the political dimension, it goes without saying that the economic implications may have crucial consequences on the wellbeing of countries – especially the smaller ones – that host such events, and not always necessarily in a positive manner. The 2004 Olympic Games in Greece are a case in point. The Greek government in charge at the time, lobbied intensely to host the games given their 100th anniversary that year.

Going unnoticed however, was the fact that Greece had to borrow heavily in order to pay for construction programs and infrastructure.

This would later on add even further to the indebtedness of the Greek state, playing an instrumental role in the 2012 Euro crisis. it is evident that governments will pursue such endeavors to enhance not only the international perception of the nations they represent, but also the self-image - if not self-esteem - of their citizenry. The populations of the non-Western world are increasingly exposed to an international mass-culture shaped

by Anglo-American and Western European values, which set political, cultural, social, and economic trends that inevitably trigger the demands of smaller as well as larger countries, affirming that they too, are worthy of international recognition, esteem, and respect. It is thus that international competition acquires another new set of dynamics, denoting new forms of national and international power and influence.

the government of bahrain planned to host a Formula

in the age of asymmetric war and cyber warfare, poli-

similarly, the eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv became the object of Palestinian threats, attempting disruption, driving away foreign tourist, and tormenting the state of Israel even further. The sheer number of viewers (reaching far beyond 200 million), increased

One car race in 2011 which, due to internal political violence during the Arab Spring, had to be postponed. Internal Shiite opposition regarding the configuration of power in that small Persian Gulf kingdom had led to massive demonstrations and violence, shaping security concerns - as a result, Bahrain became the object of negative media coverage.

In 2012, Bahrain policy makers once again staged the race in an attempt to show that their country was in actual fact stable, and could not be threatened by any opposition, no matter how hard they tried to involve the mass media with regard to internal religious conflicts in an attempt to gain international legitimacy.

cy-makers, critics, and pundits, should however remember that this kind of soft power display can easily be disrupted by spectacular mass media driven actions. The terrorism which shaped the modern

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the political salience to this event even further: It forced the Israeli government to make concessions to Hamas in the Gaza strip as rocket salvos against Israeli territory received substantive international coverage with systematic references to the song contest.

itably, political messages can be added within these dimensions. It is no accident that today, in 2019, we have international cyber security platforms which censor social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as visual messages may entail political communications and values which may be contrary to particular interest groups and states in the international system.

these developments within the projection of soft power are crucial indicators of the tactical and strategic issues that states will face in the future, as they are simply another dimension of national survival, identity, status, and legitimacy, both internally as well as externally. It is highly likely that the new generation of leaders and policy-makers will need to increasingly focus on such international events which have come to shape the visions that nations have of themselves as well as of others. The public relations of countries, especially of the developing ones, will find other avenues for the organization of international events; paths that will receive greater academic and political attention. It is also relevant to point out that cinematography and politics in Europe and North America (as in the Communist environment), in the past as well as today, have gone hand in hand as technologies and techniques develop, promoting visual communication ranging from conventional movies to online entertainment. Inev-

Dr. Morris Mottale is a Professor of International Relations and Comparative Politics. He holds the Chair of the Department of International Relations and Political Science at Franklin University in Switzerland. He lives with his family in Lugano.

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BY

refrigue.com

NEW WORLD TERMINOLOGY Over the last 30 years the Online World we first learned about has grown and changed immensely, and unless individuals are tech savvy, it has become exceedingly difficult to keep up; we are obliged to learn a whole new language. Every time we finally begin to understand and use some of the possibilities, we are faced with the next round of developments. We seem to spend our time running after information; information that frequently we do not actually understand, but are in most situations, too embarrassed to admit. The following a list of must know terms for 2019...

by Florentyna von Schรถneberg

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NEW WORLD TERMINOLOGY

A

C

Artificial Intelligence (AI): a technology which allows machines the capacity to learn from their experiences in order to perform human-like tasks

Cloud Computing: delivery of computing services (software, storage, databases, etc.) over the internet Contactless: technology that has been incorporated into a range of devices, from debit or credit cards to smartphones. In most cases available only for purchases of up to £ 30.-

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN): A computing system that is inspired by the biological neural networks that constitute animal brains. These systems learn to perform tasks such as image recognition

D

DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service): when a group of compromised and externally controlled computers’ send messages to another computer or server simultaneously

E

Ether: the token (money) whose blockchain is generated by the Ethereum platform Ethereum: an open-source, public blockchain-based and distributed computing platform with an operating system that features smart contract functionality

F

Fintech: a combination of the words ‘financial’ and ‘technology’

H

Hydroponics: the science of growing plants without using soil, by feeding them on mineral nutrient salts dissolved in water Augmented Reality (AR): a type of interactive, reality-based display environment which uses computer generated capabilities such as display, sound, text and effects, to enhance the user’s real-world experience Autonomous Vehicle: vehicles that are able to drive without the need of human assistance by using sensors and technology

B

Bitcoin: is a currency system that does not rely on banks, countries or outside institutions Biometrics: the use of a person’s unique physical characteristics (fingerprints, iris scans etc.) for an automated recognition system

I

Blockchain: is the technology that allows Bitcoin users to exchange currency without the fear of being ‘ripped off’ as Blockchain keeps records of each transaction making it completely transparent to everyone. It is the online answer to individual bank statements when used in conjunction with cryptocurrency. Blockchain may be used in all fields

M

Internet of Things (IoT): merging the physical world with the virtual world, thus creating ‘smart environments’, by connecting two or more devices to talk to one another Microservice Architecture: a software development technique that improves modularity – thus making an application easier to understand

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Mixed Reality: the combination of real and virtual worlds in order to produce new environments and visualisations in which physical and digital objects may co-exist and interact in real time

Smart Devices: anything from mobile phones to pacemakers or contact lenses Smart Environment: a world in which various ‘smart devices’ are continuously working in order to make human life more comfortable i.e. replacing repetitive tasks or physical labour etc.

T

The Space: the location at which all computer data moves around in

V

Virtual Reality: an experience that takes place within a simulated and immersive environment which may be similar or also completely different from the real world

W

Wallets: location at which cryptocurrency is stored Wearables: technology that is physically worn by the user i.e. smartwatches

Mobile First: a business strategy that uses smartphones, tablets and task-apps as employees’ primary tools for getting work done

Q

Quantum Computing: an area of study which is focused on developing computer technology based on the principles of the quantum theory

R

Real-time Dashboards: a dashboard with contains visualizations that are automatically updated with the most current data available, usually containing data that is time-sensitive Robotic Process Automation (RPA): an emerging form of business process automation technology which is based on the metaphorical software robots or artificial intelligence workers

Z

Zettabyte: One billion terabytes. It is so large that the entire data globally only amounts to a few zettabytes

S

Semantic Web (W3C): an extension of the World Wide Web

Zettabyte Era: a period of computer science and human history that started in one of two ways; when the amount of digital data globally exceeded a zettabyte in 2012; or when the world’s IP traffic first exceeded a zettabyte in 2016

Smart Contract: a computer protocol digitally facilitating and verifying/enforcing negotiations or performances of a contract, without third parties, trackable and irreversible

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Reaching

the Last Mile A Journey to the

Heart of Liberia

by Silvia Bastante

The Republic of Liberia is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered

by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast and the Atlantic Ocean. While its name should evoke mental images of tropical rainforests and coastal plains, it is unfortunately better known for its longrunning civil war which ended only 15 years ago, andthe devastating Ebola epidemic that hit the country in 2014 99

A Journey to the

Heart of Liberia

W

hen I recently met a group of friends for drinks in Zurich, I told them that I was going to Liberia the following week.

One of them almost spilled her drink exclaiming “But why would you go there?” While the West African country should evoke mental images of tropical rainforests and coastal plains, it is unfortunately better known for its long-running civil war which ended only 15 years ago, and gruesome stories from the Ebola epidemic that hit the country in 2014. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world with a staggering mortality rate for both mothers – one death per hundred births – and children, of which one in seven die before reaching their first birthday. “Aren’t you scared?” she asked me. No, on the contrary, I was excited to visit a country where we were supporting some direly needed work in healthcare.

What I discovered there was a country of incredibly resilient women and men, of welcoming and warm people and magnificent nature. I also re-discovered the simplicity of bucket showers, having no internet and choosing between being too hot under a mosquito net or risking a bite. I had the privilege of being part of a group of philanthropists, visiting work led by Liberia’s Ministry of Health and a non-profit organization, Last Mile Health, which

All people deserve access to lifesaving healthcare.

Last Mile Health aims to provide effective primary healthcare in rural areas of Liberia. For many of the 1.2 million living in remote areas, it may be the first time they experience professional healthcare.

While in some parts of the country, if you are lucky, the next health clinic may only be a few kilometres away, this still translates into a torturous journey, involving walking for hours, hoping that the footpath has not yet been overtaken by the tropical rainforest, nor the precarious bridge washed away by the rains.

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And doing so while carrying a sick 3-year old child in your arms and possibly one or two more infants you can’t leave at home alone, is not just a simple trip to the doctor. And just imagine if the walk is instead a day or more.

Together with our local partners we visited Rivercess County. From the capital Monrovia it is reachable after a 10-hour car ride on a very bumpy road. Once there, you need to take a canoe for about an hour up a river, followed by a motorbike ride and an hour’s walk in the dense rainforest. While this seemed almost endless to me, the journey was considered “small small” by our Liberian colleagues.

Once we reached our destination Sandtown, with a population of 70, we meet Cynthia, the health worker.

She is waiting for us together with members of her community. While Cynthia looks very young herself, I soon discover that she has three kids of her own, the eldest being 11 years old. After the warm welcome greetings, we hear from the Town Chief, from an elder, and finally from Cyn-

thia herself who says, “I am happy because our children are not suffering. I feel happy when I see them playing and growing up in front of me”.

Despite great progress in many other areas of the world, millions of children in Sub-Saharan Africa still die each year. About 75% of these deaths occur due to limited access to timely treatment for pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria. Health workers like Cynthia and her colleagues across Liberia check children for signs of illnesses such as those and malnutrition, provide diagnosis and treatment, and promote vaccines, healthy pregnancies, and family planning.

They teach elementary health practices from basic hygiene to avoiding mosquitoes. They can also refer serious cases early to the nearest health facility. To give us a better insight into her daily work, Cynthia brings us her medicine box and demonstrates how a simple malaria test is done, under the observant eye of her whole community. Most of her neighbours are subsistence farmers and have not gone to work their fields that morning to be present during our visit. The cultural aspects of healthcare are crucially important

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A Journey to the

Heart of Liberia

ing health system and crucially help in the case of epidemics. The communities which had a Last Mile Health supported health worker like Cynthia did not see a single death from Ebola during the epidemic. And it was evidence of impact like this that encouraged us to support their work.

Only a decade ago Liberia had 47 different community health worker programs, all of which operated independently and most on a volunteer basis. Now, a government-led unified national program, where community health workers are supervised, equipped with supplies, and get paid for their work, is making primary healthcare available across the entire country. The country is pioneering an approach that, if successful, could be a model for other countries.

Back in Sandtown, the Town Chief tells us how since Cynthia started her work, the kids are much healthier. “If our children grow up healthy, they will have good things to provide to this community and to the country,” he says. However, one of the issues is that this community does not yet have access to enough safe and clean water. They take water from the river and purify it with a filter donated by a non-profit some time ago. Looking at one of the bucket filters, I am doubtful it still works. So the children get better thanks to the health worker, and then some get sick again from the polluted water.

On many trips I have taken, there is that one child that captures your heart, such as the little girl that has held my hand since the moment I arrived.

She makes me wonder, what if I could offer her the same that I am offering my own children? … And of course, among the philanthropists who came with me on this visit we could have easily pitched in and provide the funding for some clean water solution for this town. But there are thousands of towns like it and helping just one is not a sustainable approach and does little to address the underlying systemic problems. We need to identify and fund efforts that can achieve the scale of an entire country or region.

This is what we are doing at Co-Impact. We support systemic efforts where there is already evidence of impact and a coalition of credible actors who are poised to impact millions of people’s lives. In the case of Liberia, the Ministry of Health is already committed to deploying and paying 4,000 community health workers to serve 1.2 million people, and over the next five years, will take full ownership of the implemen-

for acceptance by the population, and I soon learn how engaging traditional midwives and involving the whole community allows pregnant women to get closer to a health facility shortly before their due date to have a safer delivery.

Last Mile Health had to overcome a number of practical challenges when training community health workers. One of them is the level of general education; Cynthia, like many of her colleagues, has only functional literacy and numeracy. So our partners developed visual guides for the most common health issues and procedures. Cynthia proudly shows us her handdrawn map of the community with the number of people in each household, as well as the forms she fills out to track her work and the app in the mobile phone where she uploads her results. Her supervisor, Sawa, has a degree in nursing and he visits Sandtown twice a month to check on her work, provide coaching, and crucially, deliver supplies of medicines.

The idea of community health workers is not new.

It was developed by non-profit organizations decades ago. At the core, the concept is relatively simple – recruit a member of a local community and give them basic training in healthcare provision. These community health workers are at the frontline of a function-

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tation of the entire program.

In Liberia, it is often down to cruel chance that if you are born in a place like Sandtown you will live to see your 5th birthday due to treatment for malaria from Cynthia, whereas if you are born in a similar town just a few kilometres away you will not get access to malaria treatment because there was no health worker in your community. As I heard from the Ministry official in charge of the program “Within the same county, some have access to healthcare and others don’t. That is unjust. We want to serve every single Liberian.”

Having worked for many years for international organizations, non-profits, in strategy consulting and as a philanthropy advisor, I am convinced that philanthropy needs more combined efforts to reach millions in a sustainable way. I’ve known Last Mile Health for many years, and I knew that despite having won many awards for doing excellent work, their leadership spent an inordinate amount of time fundraising to ensure they could operate the following year. Most philanthropic giving in the world remains relatively small and fragmented, generally

less than 1 million dollars and mostly given on a one-year funding horizon.

How can one attempt to support a national health program with small amounts of restricted yearly funding?

At Co-Impact I work with a growing group of philanthropists and foundations to actively promote more collaboration in this space and more focus on truly significant and sustainable improvements in the areas of health, education and economic opportunity in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The final question I received over drinks that night with my friends: “Why do you do it?”

Because I would love to tell my children that my work has contributed in some small part to a world that is slightly more just.

Silvia Bastante is a global philanthropy expert and senior advisor, with 20 years of experience working across the business, non-profit, international development, and government sectors. She is the Chief Philanthropy Officer of Co-Impact. www.co-impact.org.

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Global news SAUDI ARABIA ̦ CHINA RUSSIA ̦ INDIA

by Roberto Pucciano CEO of Anchorage Group

Saudi Arabia

Saudi King Salman appeared to have scored a coup in organising a large anti-Iranian summit in Mecca last month - one that has further influenced Western capitals. Bringing together more than 20 disparate Arab nations under the auspices of the Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, and Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, was no small feat: Not least because the meeting also included Qatar, which finds itself in the second year of an economic and travel embargo, enacted at Riyadh’s behest. It is no coincidence that this took place at the same time in which Trump all but finalised a large arms sale to the Gulf, along with sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East to counter Iran.

The talks’ final communiques very strongly condemned Tehran’s interference in Arab affairs, including the recent attacks on Saudi and Emirati oil tankers that some observers link to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Regardless, the meeting’s largest breakthrough may actually have been the progress in creating joint-defence mechanisms, which some liken to a future Saudi-led “Arab NATO”. While intra-Arab rivalries are yet to be overcome, it seems that Riyadh has successfully cemented its military ties to the UAE and Egypt, and reaffirmed regional distrust of the populist Muslim Brotherhood movement, which they have long seen as an existential threat - further egged on by Qatari support. Coupled with the domestic front, where the economy is finally rebounding (in spite of a large

expatriate, worker emigration) as well as their picking up oil contracts that were previously supplied by Iran, Riyadh’s influence is on the rise.

China

Recent weeks have seen a number of victories and defeats in China’s ongoing (albeit almost moribund negotiations) with the US over a host of economic issues - featuring highly on US President Trump’s 2019 agenda. That which started on the campaign trail as a narrative of US workers losses due to unfair Chinese trade rules, re-emerged last year as both countries have since levied more than $350 billion tariffs, and threatened hundreds of billions more on each other’s products. This continued recently, as Washington attempted to link its nascent blacklist of Huawei and potential additional tariffs on Chinese auto imports to the outcome of the trade talks, which may or may not culminate in a USChina free trade agreement.

Amidst the increasing evidence that global economic growth is slowing due to these trade tensions, Beijing has not been shy about being strategic, in order to gain leverage during the talks. Firstly, it may be letting the value of the Yuan slide (a development that has often irked Washington) in addition to restricting American access to its stockpile of rare earth minerals and homegrown technology. Furthermore, this can also be connected to the continued impasse regarding trade, following the Chinese announcement last week

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advising its citizens not to visit - nor study - in the US. Both sides will be looking to restart discussions during the up-coming G20 summit in Japan.

China, for its part, is also busy dealing with the largest demonstrations ever seen in Hong Kong – over a controversial extradition bill - since it took back control of the city in 1997.

While it is fighting the US on economic issues, it is far from smooth sailing at home.

Russia

While America’s economic spat with China has stolen the headlines, its enduring military rivalry with Russia has once again born its ugly head: In June, a Russian destroyer nearly collided with a US missile cruiser in the East China Sea near the Philippines (in a region seldom visited by the Russian navy); two days earlier, a US P-8A Poseidon aircraft was intercepted by a Russian fighter jet three times whilst flying over the Mediterranean Sea. These potential catastrophes come just before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who has presided over an increase in security and economic coordination between the two countries.

Russia is indeed flexing its military muscles, taking advantage of Washington’s global retrenchment, and President Trump’s personal positive rapport with Putin. Take Turkey for example: Ankara’s refusal to end its contract for Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (at the

same time as purchasing American F-35 jets) is causing a rift in NATO. Then, 3,000 km to the northwest, a potential permanent US presence in Poland is close to materializing, which may also result in Moscow building up its own bases in Belarus, or other eastern European allies.

Additionally, Russia is also renewing its push on the diplomatic front, recently hosting intra-Palestinian talks aimed at securing agreements between the PLO and Hamas; not to mention assertive actions in oil output negotiations with OPEC nations, as well as their playing an outsize role in the political crisis in Moldova (including Transdniestria). Although it no longer commands the financial resources of Washington or Beijing, Moscow has been ably holding its weight within security and geopolitical spheres.

India

In a poll that has been watched around the world, not only for its size but also for its exorbitant amount of electoral spending, popular Indian prime minister Narendra Modi shocked even the most optimistic observers with his rousing victory for the Hindunationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in last month’s election. He won nearly two-thirds of the lower chamber of Parliament, dooming the main opposition Congress Party (slated for a political comeback by many prior to the vote), to another five years of federal opposition. A renewed focus on a pro-poor, industrialisationheavy agenda is to be expected. The million-Rupee question, however, is if Modi will lead the BJP into a further dalliance with the Hindu extreme right – this might lead to policies as diverse as removing special family law courts

for the country’s Muslim minority, or a more aggressive approach in dealing with unrest in Kashmir?

In spite of Delhi’s sluggish handling of the economy – in fact, unemployment is at its highest level in three decades - his constituents would certainly agree that he has the mandate to do so. Indeed, the BJP won almost six times as many seats as the Congress Party. Nevertheless, Modi has made no secret of his desire to boost India’s stature on the global stage, which will open his government up to oftendeserved criticism regarding how closely it allows nativist and nationalist ideologies to circulate among its top politicos. The key may very well be India’s upper house of Parliament – the Rajya Sabha - which the BJP does not currently control. If Modi can recreate his magic during the next electoral cycle in a few more states legislatures, which appoint the body, then Congress and the rest of the battered motley of BJP opponents might kiss goodbye to their last chance of stopping Modi’s agenda.

British actor Charlie Chaplin in the political satire comedy film "The Great Dictator" (1940).

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FROM BANKING TO

ART GALLERY PETRA GUT CONTEMPORARY

by Iwana Krause

Epitaph Ii Soup Magazine, 2013 © Rankin

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I

T WAS A NEW BEGINNING WITH PASSIONATE COURAGE as once upon a time, she was a successful investment banker; travelling the world, living out of suitcases - constantly battling jet lag. Country after country, meeting after meeting, deal after deal. Until the day she decided that enough was more than enough. Her life is a portrait: About the courage it takes to quit and the courage it takes to accept one’s passion in an increasingly digitalized world.

Today Petra Gut lives with her family in Switzerland and has established a gallery of contemporary art; it is her gallery and her vision that is nestled away in Nüschlerstrasse 31 in Zurich. Does this make her life quieter? Not really, but “definitely more fulfilled”.

Petra was always attracted to everything divergent, particular and distinctive. Anything new or foreign was at the top of her list, and it was this search of adventure and multifariousness that led her to leave Germany, accepting an internship in far-away Toronto. One thing led to another and even though all roads are meant to lead to Rome, hers instead, led to Merrill Lynch in Geneva. The job: to advise institutional clients on their investment decisions.

A few years later she was hired by the private bank Pictet & Cie, resulting in her arrival in Zurich. Soon followed by an offer from Julius Bär

"I'm very definitely a women and I enjoy it.” Missing Marilyn 1990, © Hannes Schmid

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Bank and subsequently a partnership at a little boutique investment organization, her life was marvellous to say the least. Until that turning point in 2012 when Petra began to question her entire existence - for no particular reason other than her personal interpretation of the ‘meaning of life’.

Her élan vital was meant to have greater sense than simply being coupled to a successful career.

Even though she lived a job which she believed she loved, and as a consequence was given the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and interesting individuals in the banking world, the lack of continuous motivation, a distressing factor that would not

Petra Gut Š Maurice Haas

Petra was always attracted to everything divergent, particular and distinctive. Anything new or foreign was at the top of her list, and it was this search of adventure and multifariousness that led her to leave Germany, accepting an internship in far-away Toronto.

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The Beauty of Slime Hunger TV, 2018 © Rankin

let her go. Because from her point of view, banking was no longer what banking used to be, and in the end, the question as to what positive impact her life could and would have on the world, one that remained crucial. This question superseded all others, finally convincing Petra that she needed a new challenge; plunging into the cold waters of the unknown, she forever left the business she had grown up with.

Not an easy decision to make at age 39, and one that was most certainly accompanied by many fears. What if she lost everything that she had so painstakingly built up over 20 years? What if her new venture would not result in the impact she anticipated. What if…?

To make a decision with which we leave behind the known and countless times proven, to throw ourselves into the void of something unknown and the new adventures this may bring with it, may leave even the most hardened individuals amongst us with feelings of paralysis. Undeterred however, and with utmost perseverance, Petra did just that. Looking back, she believes it to be one of the best judgements she has ever made, proving that this personality comes with a big portion of courage, and this courage comes with predominantly one passion: Art. For Petra, art is an important source of inspiration, allowing for the enhancement of one’s horizons. Even as a child she was fascinated by the

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incredibly diverse portrayals which each individual artist manages to bring into this world, interpreting everything and all in not only individual, but also variant ways.

This passion was further nurtured by a very unconventional art teacher in high school, and reached its summit a few years later, when Petra had the opportunity to visit Jeff Koons scandalous retrospective at the ‘Staatsgalerie’ in Stuttgart in 1993 - she would never forget the agglomeration of impressions; from fascination to irritability and then shock; it became unavoidable - art and all it encompasses had become a part of her.

Originally Petra was convinced that the way forward would be with an online art gallery – was the entire

world not focusing on digitalization? She did her research, quickly however concluding that although this avant-garde movement was definitely one to watch (even in the art world), artists distinguish themselves greatly from the present-day ever so cool techies filling the newspapers, and as such, were not quite ready for the futuristic visions of a globally digitalized world in which information is readily available just by typing a few letters on a keyboard. It was thus necessary for her to find a physical location to showcase her artists, which she soon found in the heart of metropole Zurich’s shopping district. Finally opening her doors in 2016, Petra today is more than thrilled with the opportunity to represent reputable Swiss and International artists at her beautiful gallery space.

The artists she represents are chosen carefully, as it is her belief that giving back should be an integral part of people’s lives. Take for example the Swiss photographer Hannes Schmid, who has not only left Petra with a lasting impression through his portrayals of famous rock stars (or his Marlboro Man representation in the 80’s), but also the fact that today, Hannes (now well over 70) dedicates his life to a gigantic development project in Cambodia: Its goal; to aid 100,000 people to live independently by 2025. And then there is David Yarrow (our cover story), the world’s most successful wildlife photographer, who donates 10% of all sales proceeds to conservation. Or of course Rankin, who has produced and presented documentaries such as “No Body’s Perfect” and “Alive: In the face of death”. His affiliation with various charities from Oxfam to Comic Relief, amongst others, has seen him travel the world, creating more than powerful campaigns. In 2017 his campaign with Macmillan Cancer Support went viral with ‘Brave the Shave’. Her

list continuous endlessly...

Petra has grown with her challenges. She sees herself as an individual that wishes to bridge the gap between collectors and artists, and does not regret for even a moment, her decision to jump off her former scaffolding in order to rebuild a new one. Not once over the last few years did she lean back, believing that she could simply enjoy the ride; contrarily, she is more than aware that each day will bring new challenges, new problems, and that these need to be surmounted and solved in a positive manner. The one concession she has however made is that she no longer analysis each decision down to the most minute detail. She has learned to rely on her instincts and has even started to delegate to a certain extent, realising the importance of letting go, as mistakes can and will always occur. And at the end of the day, it is these mistakes that will teach an individual to become even better, to excel at whatever it is that they do. She credits her husband and three children with teaching her this and when she returns home in the evenings, it is they that allow her to forget everything, to just simply enjoy the moment so that the next dawn can be greeted ready for her to continue making her difference.

The idea of creating her own online gallery has not been shelved. She sees that digitalization in the art world is becoming a force to be reckoned with, even if the great revolution as such, has not yet arrived. Today only a miniscule amount of art actually sells online, but she believes that this is something that can be, and should be, built upon. Whether or not Blockchain, online galleries or virtual exhibitions will one day become factual and commonplace remains to be seen, the possibilities within the art market, however, are immense. Petra is convinced that this is just the beginning and if there is anybody willing to jump onto this fast-moving train, then Petra will surely be waiting at the station.

Pure American Myth - Machismo 2002, © Hannes Schmid

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Fashion

If fashion is a statement, then a statement can be made with fashion.

This year’s Viktor & Rolf Spring/ Summer 2019 collection was an investigation into the expressive power of clothing, made to enjoy the moment.

Made from 8 kilometers of tulle, the silhouettes are sculptural and extreme, ranging from various A-lines to hourglass, each astutely expressive; each dress provides the backdrop for a bold text which is executed in layers of laser cut tulle.

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The texts are mainly one-liners; slogans with the kind of simplification typical of social media captions or souvenir t-shirts. The juxtaposition of these seemingly unrelated elements results in a typical Viktor & Rolf expression of surreal beauty.

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Make up: Peter Philips Hair: Damien Boissinot Casting: Adam Hindle Casting

Styling: Jos van Heel Music: Mode-F Production: Bureau Betak

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Choreography: Nathalie Haerlemans PR: Karla Otto Sunglasses: Viktor&Rolf Vision

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B E R E N F O R D

Let the

sun

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Elton John wears them. Audrey Hepburn would have worn them.

And we have them on our current wish list!

Completely Hand made in Italy, Berenford revolves around the characters of Luchino Berenford and his wife Caroline. The company builds stories, adventures, and journeys of an Italian James Bond, creating campaigns that look like the movies but are in actual fact, a part of real life and not just a common photo shoot.

Their mission is to make people dream, to expand eyewear through a total look brand, whilst always respecting the tradition of classic European style, quality, and cut; ensuring their longevity within modern fashion. Made in northern Italy, Berenford respects the Italian fashion of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, creating products that make the wearer feel good and special, allowing them to dream.

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A very unique Gentlemen’s club

RUBIROSA

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A decade ago, a group of four friends bonded over their mutual love of beautiful, high-quality products. They decided to produce limited editions of their creations, solely for themselves.

But things turned out differently, as requests for their creations poured in from far away and beyond. The Rubirosa brand was thus born, and the friends started their sneaker business.

Rubirosa, the gentlemen’s label, was named after legendary Latin American cavalier Porfirio Rubirosa (1909–1965) - a style icon and the last great playboy of the twentieth century. Amongst the jet set of the forties and fifties, Rubirosa was considered the “ultimate man’s man”.

He played polo, loved women, piloted aeroplanes, drove race cars and searched for sunken treasures in the Caribbean. It’s no wonder that this man-about-town inspired Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Just like the style icon Porfirio Rubirosa, the brand RUBIROSA today represents a certain outlook on life: an embracement of beautiful things, of fashion, of style, of pleasure, personality, authenticity and of creativity. In short, Rubirosa is purely and solely a ‘joie de vivre’ – and that, from head to toe.

The vision of Rubirosa was to make the man’s world of sneakers stylish for any occasion. Their desire: To offer men with a sense for the beautiful and exclusive, a simple and everyday alternative to the conventional sneaker, combined with an emphasis on the unique and original. Their smart yet casual shoes fill the large gap between loafers and sneakers in any

wardrobe. The naturally tanned, and therefore breathable interior, provides the wearer with a pleasant climate, whether worn in the office or on the street.

With its handmade leather sneakers, the company has successfully filled this void for those men, who have the highest demands for both quality as well as style. All products are produced individually, by hand, in Italy. Small, yet experienced ateliers, conscientiously uphold the traditional standards of craftmanship - a philosophy which the company follows without compromise. The sneakers collection, with an emphasis on sporty, elegant shapes and natural materials

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(including the interior of the shoes), is made exclusively from purely vegetable-tanned leather for the wearer's comfort. The timelessness of the designs and the muted colours are subject to fashion trends only to a limited extent, and therefore will never go out of fashion, offering not only added value for the environment and the wearer, but also for the retail partners. High-quality products in timeless designs contribute to sustainability, a very important fact which Rubirosa will continuously strive to optimize.

All Rubirosa products can be found on the online-shop www.rubirosa.com and in speciality stores.

EDUCATION is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned IN SCHOOL. Albert Einstein

The Gentlemen‘s Brand www.rubirosa.com

www.hfusionmediagroup.com

Synchronise the right team at a moment’s notice anywhere in the world.

Pantone 485c

Pantone Cool Gray 9c

UNITED KINGDOM • SWITZERLAND • CANADA • CYPRUS • MALTA • DUBAI Contact +44 203 695 0020 - hq@anchoragegroup.org - www.anchoragegroup.org

anchoragegroup.org

Summer 2019