BB Publication Magazine 1

PROFILE

DAVID RICHARDS Chairman of ProDrive and Aston Martin

B.B. Your involvement in every aspect of motorsport spans 3 decades. How and why did it all start?

D.R. Where did it all start? Well, I suppose all small boys’ dream is to go motor racing, to play with cars. I was brought up on a farm in Wales - a long way from any racing circuit, but even so car rallies are just as big a thing there as they are in Scandinavia and elsewhere. From the age of sixteen, even before I had my driving licence, I was driving cars around the farm, and then soon after my birthday I was racing cars in car rallies. I was studying to be an accountant, but the racing was far more interesting to me, so before I finished all my accountancy exams I ended up getting a professional contract driving for one of the factory teams, and from there on, as they say, it’s all history.

B.B. Did you finish the accountancy exams?

D.R. I finished the five years of accountancy – and did the five years of 98

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articles - but never took the last exam. My father always said, or thought, I would go back to it but I never did. It was a good experience, nevertheless, and helpful in running a business.

B.B. You won the World Rally Championship in 1981 with co-driver Ari Vatanen. Did you at the time consider this to be the pinnacle of your career or did you have a very clear vision of developing your motorsport business interests?

D.R. At the time, winning a world title was a very significant achievement yet I’d always felt that spending your life in a car going round and round in circles was not challenging enough. It was always my intention to do something else immediately after, so it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when, just after we’d won the title, I decided to stop and set up my own business. I was only thirty years old at the time, so it was a good time to do it.

I wouldn’t say I knew where I was going, I think we just had a very competitive instinct; I surrounded myself with very creative people, very demanding about everything we did, and we started doing consultancy work for the large sponsors.

Rothmans had been my sponsor while I was competing and I acted as a consultant for them in their sports car racing, their Formula One racing and various other interests. That led to setting up my own teams and the business just diversified over a period of years.

B.B. Is it fair to say that some people have a knack for parleying their interests into a successful business, while the majority just enjoy their interests as a hobby?

D.R. Most people keep their work separate from their private life: they get up in the morning, go to work, get a salary and enjoy their weekend and vacations, their social and sports activities. For me work and BBEYOND 2011/1

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leisure merge completely - I can’t imagine trying to drive a distinction between working or having fun. Whether I’m in the office or attending some social function or at a racing meeting, I enjoy it all in the same degree - it’s all seamless for me.

B.B. You sound like the luckiest man alive.

D.R. I am very lucky, I appreciate that.

B.B. You created a new rally series in the Middle East very early on in your career.

Why and how the Middle East? It is not an obvious or easy part of the world to make a breakthrough unless you are indigenous to the area.

D.R. The Middle East has played a very pivotal part throughout my life and career.

After competing in rallies I was invited by Rothmans to organise rallies in the region.

They had been my sponsors originally with my own racing, and they wanted to do promotions in the Middle East in the seventies. They asked me to help organise events so I ended up doing exactly that – I organised the first car rally in the whole region, first in Kuwait, and from there in Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, through Oman, up to Jordan and other 100

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countries in that part of the world. I made an enormous number of friends and have great relationships with a lot of people there to this day, and I think that’s helped me in other areas in later life. I believe things go round in big circles, as has been proven of late with my involvement in Aston Martin.

B.B. Do you speak Arabic?

D.R. No, but I am quite good at picking up on languages, I get the gist of what somebody’s saying… I don’t understand them precisely but you get a feeling of what’s going on. Arabic is quite a challenging language but I do pick up bits and pieces.

B.B. How do you identify a rally driver with great potential? What, apart from driving skills, does it take to be a great rally driver as opposed to a good one? Is it a particular set of mind?

D.R. I think there are three main attributes for a great racing driver or a rally driver (they are the same in certain situations).

Obviously there is a certain amount of natural talent: you can’t do this unless you have natural balance, a natural gift, and that competitive spirit. Secondly, there’s an enormous work ethic required. In any form

of motor sport there is far more practising, and far more training, than actual racing.

So to get the right results you have to put an enormous amount of work in. And the third element is to get the team around you to work with you. People look at a racing driver on the track and think that it is a very lonely, one person existence - whether it’s a F1 driver or a world class rally driver.

But the reality is the only way they can be successful is if they have the entire team supporting them and working in the right direction with them.

You see the way Schumacker built the Ferrari team around him in Formula One and you see the same in Sebastien Loeb who is the current rally world champion. If the team builds around you and supports you wholeheartedly, it gives you another little edge over everyone else.

A good example of the above is the British driver Richard Burns, whom we took out of another team, brought him into our team and suddenly he just excelled and became world champion.

So you can’t always rely on the results as they appear in front of you - you have to look at the bigger picture. I actually think that intellect has got a lot to do with it as well. If you look at most of the top sportsmen, they are quite intelligent people, they know how to apply themselves, and I like to meet these people and talk with them. These days of course, promotional

Ideally drivers would be personable, or be prepared to work on it. But I’ve yet to meet the perfect driver!

B.B. What I find interesting about you as a businessman is that you identified and commercially exploited the concept of co-branding (Rothmans and Porsche, followed by other successful partnerships) before co-branding was the buzzword that it is now. Was this an intuitive or a carefully planned, strategic approach at the time?

D.R. I think it was just an obvious relationship. Motorsports are a good example of an activity that requires very significant investment - there’s no question that the wealthier the team, the more successful it is. Normally when teams [outside of motorsports] become successful they get wealthy; with motorsports you need the finance to get the team going faster - it’s just a fact of life.

A term commonly used in motorsports is ‘speed costs money, and how fast would you like to go?’ In the early days when I set up my teams, it was very clear to me that the

For me work and leisure merge completely - I can’t imagine trying to daive a distinction between working or having fun.

Clearly that is a major part, but sometimes you find under-performing drivers who have not achieved their potential for different reasons: they might have been put in the wrong set of circumstances or perhaps they’re in the shadow of an older driver who’s more experienced and who’s got the team working with him…

Although they are team partners, these drivers are almost outside of the team and don’t get the results they should. If you can take these people out of the existing environment and put them into another where they are really happy, they can blossom and you get great results.

skills and the actual ability to communicate are critical factors for us in marketing and in our relationships with car manufacturers or sponsors.

PROFILE

over the last five or ten years now: looking at their results, how they compare, how reliable they are...

B.B. How do you personally identify great potential? Is it a gut feeling?

D.R. It’s quite difficult. There’s bit of science behind it, because clearly there’s a track record. Each day we look for new drivers to join our next year team: we look and we analyse who these drivers might be and where we might get them from. We’ve looked at the records of dozens of drivers BBEYOND 2011/1

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There are so many people who go into Formula One with their eyes closed, they don’t realise what they’re letting themselves into...

PROFILE

only way we were going to be successful was to persuade partners to join us, to get investment into the team, to find good business relationships, long term relationships with people that would give us stability and are instrumental to success.

We approach those relationships from the sponsor’s point of view. We know sponsors are not necessarily interested in motor racing but in promoting their business, so we measure ourselves by what our partners’ have achieved through joining us rather than just by how many championships we’ve won. .

B.B. It sounds a lot like ‘ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country’ D.R. That’s right, that’s a very good analysis!

B.B. Who are the most active sponsors in motorsport in general and of individual drivers in particular?

D.R. Historically motorsports has had a lotcompanies, of investment from cigarette and telecommunication companies, but thatorstopped about six such as Vodafone in Formula One, their competitors orin seven other years arenas. ago,The when legislation industry itself has regulating gone back tobacco a littleadvertising to its changed.

One where we would expect to arrive roots: the car manufacturers andtobacco their sponsorship at the ismiddle of the group, in my view.

The void left by technical partners increasingly - the oil partners being filled and energy drink Secondly it’s got to be commercially viable.

There are so many people who go into the petroleum partners – thatashad brands such Redbeen Bull, computer previously priced out by the sponsors’ Formula One with their eyes closed, they excesses are now coming back into the don’t realise what they’re letting themselves sport. into, they don’t have the right financial resources or the ability to access them, and B.B. Is Prodrive going to place an they’re inevitably going to remain at the entry again for the 2011 F1 World back of the grid forever. And so if we could Championship? Which rally, F1 or the meet both of those criteria we would still WRC is more demanding in terms of consider it. I don’t believe the environment driving skills? is right for that though, and given all the other things we’ve got going on at the D.R. We’ve had a close association with moment it’s not my number one priority. the world Formula One title now for many years. We’ve also looked at putting our team B.B. Which of the two rallies is more in on a couple of occasions, but I’m firmly challenging: Formula One or the World of the belief that the only way to do that is Rally Championship? if you meet two fundamental criteria. The first one is that you need to be relatively D.R. The difference between a driver in competitive. I’m not a great advocate of Formula One and in the WRC is very going in the back of the woods and sort pronounced - they are completely different of fighting our way up. Now, no-one ever skill sets. It would be like asking ‘who is expects to go in winning the Grand Prix the better runner, the one who can run the but there are ways of going into Formula marathon or the one who can run the one 102

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hundred meters in nine and a half seconds, or whatever the time is these days’ . They are that different skill sets. It was interesting to watch this year Kimi Raikkonen who has moved from the Formula One to the WRC - while he’s very fast for short amounts of time (he’s obviously a very talented driver and a Formula One champion), he’s had lots of accidents and hasn’t had the results everyone expected of him. Conversely Sebastien Loeb, who is by far the best rally champion out there, has had a go at sports car racing and tested in a Formula One car, and while he would be very good at it, he still wouldn’t be able to get in amongst the top drivers. It’s very specialised, just as any athletic programme or anything else. Could the top football players be good rugby players, could the top rugby player be a good footballer?

The basic skills are probably common, just as they might be on a motorcycle. For instance Valentino Rossi has tried the WRC and is competent. But there’s competent

and that last one or two percent that makes you superb, and that takes you many, many years of training. There’s a sort of truism in sport as there is in many of walks of life: that you need ten thousand hours and ten years to be competent at a particular activity, and there aren’t any shortcuts.

that we’re very a methodical organisation behind the scenes, and we wouldn’t have survived for twenty-five years in what is an extraordinarily competitive industry, with its fair share of failures, if we weren’t behaving in a very methodical, business-like way.

B.B. Prodrive has been, in fact, and continues to be associated with some of the most powerful symbols of speed, excellence, wealth – Ferrari, Aston Martin, Le Mans, Formula 1… is there a more sober aspect of the business and what is your typical day – apart from driving some of the most desirable cars in the world?

My day normally starts very early in the morning, about half-past five. I have an office at each of our houses, whether it’s here in London or out in the country, so I just wander into my study and have a quiet few hours on my own catching up on emails. I don’t normally go into the main office until about half-past nine. The first hours of the morning are a good time to catch up, because once I’m in the office, it’s just non-stop telephone calls or meetings.

The day ends, almost inevitably, going out to dinner with people or doing something that’s related to the company.

D.R. I guess when most people look at ProDrive they just think of the fast cars; they think we all spend our lives at the race track enjoying ourselves and spraying champagne. But the reality is

Behind the scenes the company’s diversified: we started off with motor racing, and I always regard that as our core, the roots that have created the culture of the business and a very competitive organisation that BBEYOND 2011/1

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We have joint ventures with Ford in Australia where we do production cars for Ford. We have a range of other, more mundane activities - a merchandising and licensing division which handles a lot of the race merchandising for teams like McLaren, Williams in Formula One, and Aston Martin ourselves.

Business never stands still: most racing teams stick to their core business and only that. I think that creates vulnerability because you inevitably have poor years and difficult times. We have diversified and have a range of different activities - every year, out of a dozen or so business streams that we have there will be two or three that are enormously successful and two or three that are not performing as they should do, and the rest will be about average, so it all balances out.

As a company, we are self-contained in that we try to create new opportunities for people who have outlived their racing potential. We re-locate these people to different projects in the company where they can use their skills sets in a different context. Out of the 14 people who started ProDrive with me, I believe 9 are still with us. Stability of relationships is one of the features of our company and something I believe in.

We do recruit an awful lot of people inside the company. There is a tendency in racing to poach people from other teams but my view of that is that it doesn’t create a strong culture in your own organisation - it just creates a group of nomads. We recruit a lot of apprentices from local schools and universities. The person who is going to lead the Mini world rally team next year is a young guy, who started with us as an apprentice, went away to college to do his HMD course, came back to us and our 104

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PROFILE

lends its hand to anything. We have an engineering department that’s working on future technologies and hybrid development projects - we have some very special technology in that area and are looking to move into the auto motoring industry in the next few years. We work on special edition road cars for people, not necessarily all the types of famous road cars but specialist road cars that we apply our engineering skills to.

rally team originally, married, had three children, went back to university to do a mechanical engineering degree at the age of thirtytwo, returned to the Aston Martin racing team, and now heads the Mini team as well.

B.B. The Mini is another powerful symbol, but vastly different from the Ferraris and Aston Martins in terms of perception.

Quite apart from its technical capabilities, have you selected it for the World Rally Championship because it is a more fitting symbol for the new austerity age?

D.R. Not at all.

There are two fundamental reasons why we chose to work with Mini: the first reason is that technically the product suited the purpose ideally. The car that we are going to use is a completely new product - it’s not the Mini you see today, it’s the Mini Countryman which has just been launched. It is a four-wheel drive and has small turbo-charged engines. It’s a completely new car for Mini and quite a different Mini from the one we’ve grown to love over the last ten years. In addition to that, and equally important, is the fact that Mini, by anyone’s standard, is an iconic brand. In global terms it must be one of the most recognisable car brands anywhere, so finding commercial partners to work with us and developing that whole activity, while not easy, has been made easier because of the brand recognition. I personally feel great affinity with it because you couldn’t think of two more iconic British car brands

than Aston Martin and Mini.

For me it’s like a dream come true.

B.B. Tell us more about the plans to build a small city car under the Aston Martin brand?

D.R. It’s built at Aston Martin’s headquarters in Warwickshire as a result of discussions with our customers who tend to use their sports cars for weekends and holidays, rather than routinely or in Central London. With everyone being very aware of environmental issues these days, the idea was to meet demand from people who live in large capital cities and to create an everyday car with the same luxury attributes as the large sports cars we produce. The

Cignet will be available from the beginning of next year, and in fact there’s been one on display in Harrods this week.

The car has a very efficient, small gasoline engine and will be priced at around the £30000 mark.

B.B. What is Aston Martin’s most active market at the moment?

D.R. The interesting thing about Aston Martin is that historically it’s been a very British-centric brand. If you turn the clock back ten years, obviously the volumes of cars we sold then were a lot lower, but you’d find that maybe fifty percent were sold in the UK. Of late about twenty-five percent

are sold in the UK, twenty-five percent in America, twenty-five percent in Europe and the balance in the rest of the world.

The thing is that we haven’t had dealerships on a global basis until the last few years.

Now we’ve rolled out new dealerships from Chile, Santiago which is open this year, to Buenos Ares, San Paulo, and we’re expanding into China and the Far East, and even nearer home, where we never had a dealer before - Greece.

But remember that we produce a relatively small number of cars, about five thousand or thereabout, so it’s only a matter of a handful or cars in each of these countries.

Aston Martin is still an extraordinarily exclusive product. ■ BBEYOND 2011/1

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art

Go East Young Man There’s been much talk in the press about power shifting to the East. Certainly, with most Western economies hopelessly mired in the recession and held back by neverending austerity measures, the irrepressible vibrancy of mainland China and Hong Kong provides a sharp and welcome contrast.

Not to be left behind in the philanthropy stakes, Chinese billionaires are getting heavily involved with the Bill Gates/Warren Buffett call in arms to give back a proportion of their fortunes to society.

This refocuses the spotlight on Asia’s super wealthy and puts in relief the arbitrary nature of vastly dated and compiled for effect rather than accuracy “ world’s most powerful” lists, regularly published in lifestyle magazines.

B.B.

Contrasts Gallery; (above) Li Tianbing’s Self portrait in front of Bulletin Board, 2010, oil on canvas,

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was again this year a guest of Pearl Lam’s, for her dinner in honour of Dakis Joannou, the Greek art collector. On this occasion we also visited Hong Kong, in order to firm up our presence in the all-powerful financial center in Asia.

Pearl Lam hosted no fewer than 50 guests at her amazing penthouse in Hengshan Rd, in the French concession district of Shanghai.

These included, in addition to Mr and Mrs Joannou, their guests, Mr and Mrs Manessis Dr John C. Taylor (in Shanghai to oversee the design of a Chinese version of his Chronophage time eating clock), Tarek Echeverria, founder of the Magnolia art foundation, Stephen and Yana Peel

(Yana is the co-founder of the Outset Art Foundation), Li TianBing, Demetrio Paparoni, Maria Cannarella, Dai Chi Kong, Sarina Tang, Marina Kurikhina, Dr. Ingo von Morgenstern, Mrs. Isabel von Morgenstern, Hadrien de Montferrand, Snow Lee, Chris Moore, Philip Tinari, Arthur Soloway, Richard Long, Lornez Helbling, Philip Peñaloza, Colin Chinnery, Mars Liu, Mia Kim, Chuck Wear, Eric Wear, Connie Lam, Gerhard hinterhauser, Patrice Butler, Norn Sun, Shaway Yeh, David Chan, Yana Peel, Stephen Peel, and Xiaoli Panand.

The following night, Pearl Lam hosted another dinner for a number of art collectors from France and LA, including Sylvian and

Dominque Levy, Martjin Sanders, Shelley Reid, Barbara Bollenbach, Catherine Cristall and Ford Munoz.

At the same time, Miss Lam’s Contrasts Gallery held a private viewing of Paris-based Chinese artist Li Tianbing. He presented a series of works based on childhood photographs. The works had a haunting beauty about them.

Says Li Tianbing: ‘The Child Series are based on five photographs my father took when I was a child at different ages - 2,3,4,5 and 6. I have used these as the basis for the paintings to create a series about the progression of my childhood.

These photos/paintings are a reflection on my childhood experiences, my social situation and my

attitude/emotions at the time - and how these have shaped the person I am today.

The other children in the paintings serve as a ‘bridge’, connecting me with them on an emotional level to rediscover how I was as a child.’

Each of the paintings (and each of the exhibitions) reveal different aspects of his childhood, Li Tianbing says, in which he has experienced so much that he describes it in the plural - as childhoods in ‘different worlds’.

B.B. was delighted to learn that Sameh el Shahat, founder of communications agency China I (china-i.org) was also in Shanghai at the same time and managed to meet with him before flying off to Hong Kong. ■ BBEYOND 2011/1

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art Left: Souvenir du stand, 2010, oil on canvas, 160x250cm Below: Bataille devant la Propagande, 2010, oil on canvas, 200x300cm

Above: Living in a tree, 2010, oil on canvas, 200x200cm Right: Haut-parleur, 2010, oil on canvas, 200x300cm

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2. Artist Li TianBing 3. John C Taylor with....

4. John C taylor shows his Chronophage clock to collector Dakis Joannou

art

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Rabbit on the moon, 2010, oil on canvas

1. Pearl Lam shows some of the art at her Shanghai home to Mr and Mrs Dakis Joannou

5. Tarek Echeverria and Snow Lee

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SHAO FAN

Bamboo, 2010, oil on canvas

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PROFILE

danful yang

was born on Chongming Island, Shanghai.

She did International Business Studies and more interestingly, work experience in Production for European Designers. The crafts, she says, included embroidery, wood carving, enamel and cloisonne, red carved lacquer, porcelain, reverse painting...

In 2003 she took a job at Pearl Lam’s Contrasts Gallery in Shanghai which marked a turning point in her career. Pearl Lam is no ordinary employer. Quite apart from pushing the boundaries in everything she does, she “pushes everyone to give their best” and encourages them to design, says Danful.

Danful started with drawing jewellery, with Pearl acting as a mentor, and then moved on to creating quirky, single pieces of furniture, such as trunk sofas (quite literally produced from reclaimed trunks).

During a trip to Osaka, she accompanied Pearl on a shopping expedition. Both women were struck by the “sameness” of what was on offer in stores, so Danful decided to make an original bag. She bought two fake Chloe bags from a market, cut and mixed them together and added antique Chinese locks to the newly fashioned item.

This first inspired her “Fake” concept installation and after she created the “FAKE” series sending up brand madness and brazen

imitation, with her best know work, the fake chair, acquired by the Montreal Museum of Fine Art in Canada, and a number of private collectors in America, Canada and Switzerland. The chair was also taken and auctioned off by the Dallas Museum.

Danful thinks of herself as a product designer but has an artist’s approach. Her mentor, Pearl Lam, thinks she “jumps all over the place” in terms of ideas and would like to see her develop a series.

Danful has experimented with porcelain sculptures, bought by different private collectors, and has created a “mushroom sofa” and a LiaoLan bench, both exhibited at Art Basel.

“I had eyes embroidered on the cushions, so that as you sit on the sofa, the eyes are watching you at all times. Do not try to escape or hide the “true” you” The idea may sound disconcerting but the bold and thought-provoking pieces speak for themselves.

Danful is currently on a curatorial scholarship for contemporary design in London. She has created a small series of highly personalised alphabet letters, one of which was drawn for John Caudwell’s partner Claire Johnson’s birthday.

Brands, Fakes and Product Design...

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The first B is based on the word “ Better” and includes different forms of media. B.B. is “better” in this context because it offers its audience uncompromising quality and objectivity.

The second B is based on “ beginning” for Spring and for Chinese New Year (elements of both are featured in the letter). Spring is the start of all four seasons and Chinese New year is the start of the lunar year. In this context, B.B.’s spirit is always fresh, innovative and full of energy.

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isionary

Sir Alec Reed is an entrepreneurial philanthropist, using the skills honed during a lifetime of business success to benefit thousands of charities

Interview

v

A Philanthropic

around the world. He was knighted in this year’s honours list for his services to business and charity. Sir Alec founded the Reed Recruitment Group in 1960 and has subsequently founded many charities, including the Reed Foundation, Ethiopiaid, and Women at Risk. His latest project is The Big Give, an online ‘virtual’ charity which has raised £20 million in just three years.

B.B. Do wealthy people have a sense of noblesse oblige or is philanthropy about feeling better about oneself?

AR : Both. Wealthy people know they are lucky. They are also aware that there is an unfair distribution of wealth across the world, we have a moral responsibility to help those less fortunate. “Financial obesity” is a very ugly quality, it is so much more attractive to give handsomely.

Those who run companies tend to be wealthy and well organised, meaning that they can transfer their entrepreneurial skills to philanthropic activities. I believe in 8

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Interview

We hope to change the concept of giving from being something reactive to proactive. approaching philanthropy as you would a career – it is certainly one of the most rewarding.

B.B. Is philanthropy different from charity and how?

AR. It seems to me that the two are synonymous. There have always been trends in charitable giving and charitable activity and philanthropy appears to drive these trends.

B.B. How did the Reed Foundation begin?

AR. The Reed Foundation was launched in 1985 when I sold a financial interest for £5million.

Nowadays,18% of Reed Recruitment is owned by the Reed Foundation and the rest by the Reed family.

In practice this means that all co-members of Reed Recruitment work one day a week for charity. It’s a fantastic way to tie together the goodwill of the company with the work of the Foundation.

I also founded both Womankind Worldwide and Women at Risk I focused on women as, in the course of my career, I have generally found women to be more charitable than men!

Ethiopiaid was founded after I visited Ethiopia in the 1980s. I was shocked by the poverty and the lack of awareness and was fortunate to be in a position to help.

We set up Ethiopiaid with £1million and have since sent over £20million to Ethiopia.

Then, at a lunch meeting a few years ago, someone happened to mention I 10

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should start a virtual charity. This was the ‘lightbulb moment’ which led to the foundation of theBigGive.org.uk. The website is a place where philanthropists can proactively find charities in their area of interest – I have never liked being hassled by fundraisers!

When The Big Give was founded in 2007, it was designed for potential wealthy philanthropists looking to make donations between £100,000 and £10m. However, starting a charity is rather like starting a company and akin to working with plasticine – it evolves and is never what you originally thought it would be. Now the site accepts all donations over £5 and allows everyone to experience ‘giving like a philanthropist’.

In December 2008, Sir Alec launched his pilot “Challenge Fund” by offering to match all online donations on theBigGive.org.uk, up to a total of £1million. The response was amazing and £1million was donated online in just 45minutes, benefiting 250 different charities. The average donation was £1,400 and £44,000 was raised every minute.

sponsors, including Arts & Business and Candis Magazine who all chose different charitable sectors.

In total, the 2010 Challenge raised over £9.5million and the model has been so succesful that Sir Alec has been approached by US charities wanting to implement it.

B.B. Define the entrepreneurial mindset Since then, this original concept has evolved to give philanthropists the opportunity to leverage their donation several times over, rather than simple matching. A donation of £1m can now raise over £6m using this Challenge Funding model.

To celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary, Sir Alec suggested that instead of presents he and his wife sponsor children’s charities on The Big Give. The Challenge model then helped them quadruple this donation, making it even more valuable to those in need and encouraging thousands of new donors to give..

They were joined by a number of other

AR. I left school at 16 and built up Reed Recruitment from a single shop agency to the the national brand that it is today.

The entrepreneur’s mindset is based on ideas, whereas the academic mindset is based on knowledge. Entrepreneurs don’t make good academics and vice versa.

B.B. Does luck play an important part in success?

AR Success is predicated on a number of factors but at its simplest, it is an equation between good ideas and luck. If you are lucky to have been born with an entrepreneurial gene and have innovative

ideas, success is inevitable.

B.B. What is the most important change in society in your lifetime?

AR Without a doubt, digitalisation. It has completely revolutionised every aspect of our lives, from the way business is run and the way we give to charity, to the way we keep in touch with friends and family.

Everything can be done so quickly, almost in real time, which gives an exciting sense of connection with a cause – particularly beneficial in the world of charity.

Sir Alec regularly speaks about The Big Give Matched Funding concept. It is a fantastic way to leverage donations, allowing those who may be seen as “financially obese” to encourage donors of all levels to give with them, changing the lives of millions around the world. ■

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PROFILE

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PROFILE

I’m

a Paris-based programmer with an obsession for the insolite. Like all geeks, I’m imbued with an urge from within to pop the cover, see the cogs, spy the innards of the most mundane objects. For me, however, it goes one step further: I unravel the machinations of cities, the secrets discarded by ever-moving civilisations. Dissatisfied with riding the metro, face pressed against the glass, scanning the darkness, I forged my first timid steps into the murky tunnels, scrambled towers and monuments under the cover of darkness, in the quest of glimpsing a unique perspective.

I’ve spent the last five years exploring world cities inside out - from tunnel-running in the Paris & NYC metros, wading through abandoned and semi-flooded Soviet-era particle accelerators in Moscow, to scrambling up as many world-renowned monuments as possible - I’ve been seeking rarely-seen nooks of our cities and photographing the adventure.

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My motivation is simple: I feel as a participant of society, it’s a duty, an obligation to discover and see as much as possible - and to peel back the veneer to see upon what it is built. My technique is even more simple: I place my camera, digital or film, and record the spot.

There’s no magic or trickery required; the locations, places seen and used by so many, have an inherent beauty from atypical angles - anyone could plonk down a camera in the same spot and take the same photo.

SIMON YORKSTON Creative Photographer BBEYOND 2011/1

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PROFILE

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PROFILE

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Jon Moulton is a veteran of the private equity industry

Finance Spotlight

and the chairman of

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Better Capital. To his peers in the world of finance he needs no introduction. Through this interview, our subscribers can benefit from his unique insight into economy and industry related topics.

B.B. How is Better Capital different from other private equity firms? How is it better than other companies that you’ve previously been associated with, both in what it does and how it does it?

J.M. It’s clearly better because of its name!

What it does is turnarounds – it only does turnarounds, so in that respect, it’s quite different from most private equity firms. We don’t buy companies typically at auctions and win by paying the most – we win deals by being very flexible, by moving very quickly and by taking aggressive action. The firm is set up in the form of a Quoted Limited Partnership which is a unique structure. It is the highest rated private equity company on earth at the moment in terms of its premium-to-net assets.

B.B. Your stated views about the economic future of this country have not changed since the elections last May and the outlook is still bleak, you say.

J.M. Probably. I fear things are looking a little grimmer today than they were last year. I think there is a great deal of uncertainty – we’ve got an economy awash with debt and we’re still running up a big deficit despite all the cuts that are being talked about but not yet implemented.

That’s the same for the rest of the developed Western world. Interest rates are at ludicrously low levels. If they were to rise we would see an amazing amount of recession-related problems again. It all seems very unstable to me. I think interest rates will break up at some point and when they do, it will hurt.

B.B. Even if the cuts are implemented, you don’t see any way out?

J.M. The cuts are not enough. As the government gets through all the cuts that it is talking about in the UK, we will still not start to see any quality of government income and spending until 2015, so that’s a long period of adding to an already massive deficit. And that’s on the assumption of steady growth, low interest rates and no international financial crises on the way through. That seems very unlikely to me, so I think the debt will continue to rise.

Which is actually something I feel quite strongly about: it’s wrong to be leaving debt for either our kids to pay or default on our creditors or inflate our debt away so that we don’t pay the same value that we took. I would welcome what would probably mean a much tighter and more difficult early period by actually taking through much bigger cuts now. The government might

Jon Moulton Better Capital

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They (books) won’t disappear, but I’m afraid they will be more used as ornaments. It’s a shame, I think...

Finance Spotlight

but we’ll still have women...

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take out £80 billion over the next five years in pieces, in terms of annual savings – to get the budget balance right at once you need to take about £150 billion out.

B.B. What type of turnaround companies do you consider? Is there a general criteria, such as the size of the company, or do you go for specific industries because you feel certain industries perform better in a recession? I am referring to an old saying, ‘publishing is recession-proof ’, in relation to your acquisition of Reader’s Digest.

J.M. Better Capital finds and invests in all kinds of industries. Now some industries are not very interesting, basically they are not turnaround industries -they’re just doomed, declining industries on the way out. But other than that we’d look at anything. So far the portfolio consists of two aeronautical engineers, a media company and Reader’s Digest, and as of a couple of weeks ago a group of IT service businesses, so quite a mixture already. I expect that mixture to continue to build.

Turnarounds that we’re after are ones where we can see a way to move from loss to profit with a few simple actions. Some deals look like that, some don’t. Some turnarounds require new products, new markets, new management, new pricing pages, new distribution -we don’t do this, they’re too complicated. We do things that are simple, where we can cut something out, where we can introduce a simple action within our own control to turn it from loss to profit.

We dedicate our time to seeking out those opportunities.

B.B. We ask all our interviewees what they think of the future of publishing, specifically of print publishing versus digital publishing. What are your views on that, do you think that printed matter will survive, or does publishing needs to redefine itself as an intellectual property product ratherthan just say, a book?

J.M. I think it’s actually quite simple -the only thing nobody knows is how fast things will change. Clearly digital is slowly taking over from print- print will never vanish, at least not in my fairly limited remaining lifetime. Print is so convenient, print is durable, print is cheap - but digital has so much more functionality, it’s easier to store, cheaper to produce, it’s more ecological. So everything moves slowly away from the printed media and towards the digital. The pace I know not accurately, nor does anyone else. But I think that’s just an irresistible steady trend from here on forward.

B.B. So you think that the beautifully bound leather books will disappear from our bookshelves?

J.M. They won’t disappear, but I’m afraid they will be more used as ornaments. It’s a shame, I think- but we’ll still have women!

B.B. Better Capital invests in UK businesses only. Could you nevertheless speculate on the global markets versus

the UK market. If power and money are shifting toward the East, is there one economy you would invest in over another?

J.M. We operate in the UK and Ireland.

Of course Ireland is very troubled so there’s lots and lots for us to look at there. Our last deal was basically Irish. Where would I really like to be investing? Well if it’s turnaround investing, the UK, America - places where change is easy and where employees aren’t dramatically protected, are the most attractive jurisdictions. If you’re asking me the broader question where I’d like to invest, I think I’d like to invest in a market that has growth and long term potential with good demographics, which really describes about half of the so called emerging markets. I wouldn’t necessarily go for just one of them though, because they’re all a bit risky. However, a nice little mixed packet of the emerging market nations, I’d like to invest in that.

are not emerging markets -they are relatively mature, slower growing markets.

The definition can be interpreted however you like, I suppose - emerging markets are pretty much anywhere apart from the UK, as far as the Brits are concerned.

B.B. A Wall Street legend quipped in private conversation with me that the so called emerging markets could be equally defined as SUBmerging markets.

How do you define emerging markets?

Would Eastern Europe be perceived as an emerging market, or a peaked or a distressed one?

J.M. I think Eastern Europe’s quite interesting because it’s got a mixture of distress and a bit of growth, because the new middle class is driving it forward through consumption. But really compared to India or China, East-European countries

B.B. Even if these companies are in trouble because of the recession?

J.M. Even if they are ... Everything is a question of price and cash-flow. Take a really lousy industry in a recession, house building. If you are able to buy the company very cheaply and you are able to stand the current debt load on it, at some stage you will probably harvest an enormous amount of money from watching that company recover. So there are opportunities in a down-turn, they take nerves and estimation. And because they are risky, lots of people can’t do it.

B.B. With everyone predicting a doubledip recession, do you see investors in private equity losing their appetite for risk in terms of lending for distressed companies that might be in trouble because of the recession?

J.M. Of course people will be frightened by a double-dip recession if it happens. Sitting here today it looks like an even shot that it will happen. If it does, then some investors will lose their nerve and quit the field; others will see the opportunity in buying things at historically very low values with the opportunity to finance them through the bottom of the recession.

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... there are opportunities in a downturn, they take nerves and estimation.

And because they are risky, lots of

Finance Spotlight

people can’t do it.

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B.B. Do you believe London will hold its place as global financial centre, or has it already lost that status?

J.M. London IS a global centre and it’s pretty unlikely to lose its status as a global centre. I think it will get proportionately less important as many of the other markets actually get more important.

Singapore, Hong Kong - these places clearly have an enormous scope to grow in the financial markets and they will. The UK is probably as good as it gets in terms of its market share - it’s very strong in lots of financial services, and it’s far more likely to go down than up. I fear that’s just the way of the world.

B.B. Finally, what is the single most significant change in society in your lifetime?

J.M. That’s a very difficult question. In the UK ... I think it’s simply the growth in wealth. I grew up in an industrial northern town, and it was poor. I had TB as a kid.

My dad had a car! That was the only car that was owned by any of the dads in my class. So I was middle class because we had a car, albeit a wreck of an old car. I’d say the growth in wealth is the biggest change -standards of living have risen sharply and people don’t realise how lucky they truly are- they just moan about how bad it is now. ■

TRAdITIOnAl vAlUeS, CUT TIng-edge PRAC TICe

Wealth seems to come in a broader range of forms than it used to. People can become millionaires in a myriad of different ways – building a successful business, realising gains from property investment, transforming a timely idea into a viable commercial venture – and the landed aristocracy are increasingly outnumbered by entrepreneurs, executives and lottery winners. Managing the wealth and interests of such a broad range of clients requires a high level of expertise. For all these different categories of success, the dilemma remains the same: where are assets best placed in a difficult economic climate to provide for the future?

For Coutts, a further value informs the work of the bank. ‘Philanthropy isn’t just an optional extra at Coutts; it sets the context of the work for our clients,’ says Maya Prabhu, Head of Philanthropy for Coutts. ‘The idea of thoughtfully giving something back underpins the bank. It’s integral to the culture of the bank and our role with clients. We act as advisers: clients want to invest, to grow their wealth, to preserve it, to have some fun – and also express their sense of gratitude and privilege through philanthropy. So the philanthropy department has a role across the spectrum: in broad terms, it’s about life enrichment.’ Maya continues; ‘Coutts was the first private bank in the UK to have a dedicated philanthropy team and in late 2009, the team launched the proposition internationally, so that the 36,000 clients of RBS Coutts, from a network of 13 offices around the globe also have access to the advisory service.’

Some clients have a clear idea of how they would like to achieve their philanthropic aims; for others, the process is less defined. ‘Clients come at various stages. Some pay their taxes and give a bit to UK charities, but are interested in addressing poverty in other countries, for example. They may have little knowledge of how to make an impact. Coutts helps them to clarify their objectives and find some focus on specific areas or countries. This is important because, even with an eight-figure sum, it can be hard to achieve real change without strong goals. Another type of client may be interested in something like education – but it can be hard to know where a private philanthropist can make a difference in the UK, when the government has such a hold. Under these circumstances, it is helpful to map the territory and identify points where they could make a difference.’

Serving such a broad range of interests is core to the bank’s ethos. ‘At Coutts we have the great pleasure of meeting people from a diverse and fascinating range of backgrounds and each and every one of them will have their own ideas on what they would like to achieve both personally and financially,’ adds Coutts’ Head of Private Banking, Kate Turner. ‘Many clients have a realisation of the responsibilities of wealth, and want to make an impact to give something back. Many are self-made and want to use their wealth well.’

Recent months have seen a rapidly increasing demand for tailored wealth management solutions, as high net worth individuals seek to ensure they are receiving the best advice possible. ‘The true art of wealth management is the ability to understand the types of emotion being felt by clients at different times, and to provide tangible, effective advice on both obvious issues, and those matters that may not have been considered previously. This is not a process that can be fixed

with the use of a flow chart or a series of questionnaires, as all clients have their own individual beliefs, expectations and aspirations,’ continues Kate.

Interestingly, the point at which philanthropy explicitly intersects with wealth management solutions is tax – not as a primary reason in itself, but as an unexpected benefit and a route into philanthropy, since clients looking for tax breaks typically realise that the philanthropy team have much more to offer. ‘Tax is often the catalyst, if not the driver,’ explains Maya. An informal survey after a philanthropy forum listed possible motivations for clients’ interest – desire to give something back, devotion a particular cause, a personal link to a charity, providing a role model for children, and so on. Tax was one option, but it came out as one of the lowest. ‘In most cases, tax savings are the icing on the cake. Usually it’s about passion for a cause. The real sense of giving something back is a much stronger reason in their experience.’

Coutts – the ‘Queen’s Bank’ – may have a traditional image and practices, but there is plenty that is cutting-edge, too. The bank has responded to changing markets by introducing access to new products – for example, a service that looks at a broad range of capital-protected investments with a variety of time horizons to suit an individual’s liquidity requirements. They also work, for example, with family business owners on succession planning: things which, says Maya, ‘go to the heart of what keeps people up at night’. They were the first private bank to introduce a new kind of account, intended to facilitate philanthropic work, and have pioneered the collective pooling of resources to enable support and learning around charities.

(One particular area is microfinance, about which there is a lot of information but very little guidance.) They also run a course for the younger generation, thinking about how to bring them in and foster their interest in wealth management, as well as looking at growing and developing assets for children.

JIA Hotels BBEYOND 2011/1

and high tech everything, the hotel doesn’t look and feel like a hotel but a private home of impeccable taste.

Indeed, we learn that JIA in Mandarin means “home”.

Strategically positioned on one of the most famous shopping streets of Shanghai, West Nanjing Rd, the hotel is a super cool, super chic oasis in the middle of a bustling city.

The design is a mixture of contemporary and discreetly traditional Asian that should not be labelled because, quite simply, it is unique.

Suddenly, many things make more sense… The lobby arranged as a drawing room, with the complimentary all day coffee, drinks and snacks; the central table with carefully arranged magazines and floor power points for computers, the complimentary WiFi throughout, the fully equipped kitchenette in every suite, the comfortable sitting area and music power point that allows you to listen to your Spotify selection everywhere in the apartment (for these are not mere hotel rooms, but studio pods), the exceptional quality bedding and edgy art on the walls…

From the weathered wooden floors, to the muted lighting and sophisticated guests (who seem to accessorise the hotel perfectly) to the carefully selected music

What really takes JIA to a completely different level in the luxury hotel stakes is attention to detail rarely if ever seen in mere “luxury” hotels.

The entrance of JIA Shanghai is so discreet, you would be forgiven for missing it altogether. In fact, most people do.

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hile in Shanghai and Hong Kong, we had the opportunity to stay at the privately-owned hotels, whose signature is the amazing design and a few other features described below.

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Everything at JIA is “just so” to the extent that if I start writing about it all, this feature would sound like an advertorial, which it is most definitely NOT. The best thing is to experience it. It comes with a warning, though: once you stay there, you would find it very hard indeed to stay in a regular 5 star hotel without finding fault with something or other.

The perception shift is subliminal, you see…

Oh, and lest I forget, JIA has the best Italian restaurant in Shanghai – just in case you’ve stayed long enough to tire of traditional Chinese fare!

It was quite fitting that we should meet Hong Kong’s most connected at the Kee Club, the meeting place for everyone who is anyone in the region.

Christian Rhomberg, Kee’s founder, joined in and later talked about the Budhist festival he is organising, about collecting art, his early days in Asia, how it all began and his newly opened Shanghai outpost.

Our stay in Hong Kong was short.

The amazing energy about the place, the heaving industry of the people, the breathtaking beauty of the “outer territories” and the air of “it is all happening here and now” made me question the accepted wisdom that Europe and its Western capital cities are the centre of the world.

spotlight

I mention to the hospitality manageress that I love the JIA signature bathroom products and she says every guest wants to take a large bottle of each home, as if anticipating my carefully staged request.

The magic of Hong Kong island is hard to beat. ■ Lara Nelson

The JIA hotel in Hong Kong is slick and modern without the opulence of its Shanghai sister. Space, always at a premium in this pulsating, superbusy city, is cleverly maximised and each room is, in fact, a small suite, with a sitting room, kitchen area and a “boudoir” style space near the window.

The JIA Hong Kong restaurant, named simply 308, is not part of the hotel here, but in a completely different part of town – the art gallery district in Hollywood Road.

Interestingly designed, it too offers Italian cuisine to palates that have overdosed on Oriental cuisine and looks hugely well patronised.

While in Hong Kong, we met Joanne Ooi, clear air activist extraordinaire who founded The Clean Air Network, Yana Peel, the glamorous co-founder of the Outset Art Foundation, and Howard Bilton, CEO of the Sovereign Trust and Art Foundation.

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The Devil and the Angel,

Angelina Jolie Brandon Hurst Author of Angelina Jolie (Artnik, 2008)

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ngelina Jolie occupies a rare space in Hollywood’s roll-call of A-listers. The 35-year-old actress has, over the past 15 years, worked her way up the ladder of fame to become one of the most compelling celebrities in the world. But, in an industry which loves to pigeon-hole its stars, she defies easy classification. She is equally at home on the set of a multi-million-dollar action film as she is in the slums of Cambodia; her image has oscillated from the vampyric, tattooed punk to the world’s most beautiful woman; and she is as well-known for being an iconic mother and home-maker as for being a seductress and home-wrecker.

The Hollywood publicity engine has the effect of pushing people into the boxes that the public want ticked, but Angie is not the kind of person who can easily be pushed. ‘There are people who want me to be a clean, simple package, and I don’t understand that,’ she once said.

‘I always thought that actors were supposed to be kind of crazy.’

One celebrity editor came pretty close to hitting the nail on the head when he described the secret of her near-universal appeal: ‘Part Marilyn Monroe, part Marilyn Manson.’ She is a combination of characters, but the whole is more than the sum of its parts – and the enigma of the apparent contradiction is intriguing.

Madonna-Whore

Part of this perennial attraction can be explained by appeal to psychology. It has been around a century since Freud articulated the theory that has become popularly known as the Madonna-Whore complex: the paradox that men want someone who will both be a good mother to their children and to whom they are sexually attracted – just not always in the same woman. On some level, many men find this tension hard to resolve in their partner, hence the high-profile indiscretions of Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods and others too numerous to count.

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Angie fills the roles of Madonna and whore – and several others – convincingly. On and off the big screen, she can be the female warrior, the temptress, the beauty, the dedicated and inspirational mother, the fiercely protective advocate. And somehow she holds these disparate, even diametrically-opposed identities together. What should be a patchwork or contradiction somehow works in practice – indeed, perhaps it’s precisely because of the contradiction that it works. One or other side come out so clearly at different times that it’s impossible to reconcile them. We like to think in terms of black and white, good and bad, angel and devil – it’s how humans are wired. And how can you square the idea of a sexually aggressive woman with that of the mother who adopts a Cambodian baby out of sheer compassion?

Our frames of reference are typically too narrow to combine the two into shades of grey, so they stay split, both black and white – simultaneously.

It’s a combination that’s enormously attractive to women too, though for different reasons. Celebrity culture is responsible for plenty of evils, not least the body image ideals it holds out for girls (slender and curvy – another tough balance to pull off but one Angelina manages seemingly effortlessly). But there’s also a strong and appealing message there. Women see her enjoying the roles of a successful professional, rebel, independent woman, mother, lover: doing everything and doing it well, and are prompted to be the same.

It should be impossible, but somehow she makes it work.

Vested interests

At this point it is worth pointing out the pitfalls of a character study on someone as famous as Angelina Jolie. The celebrity industry is just that – an industry – and their stock in trade is the inside track.

The celebrity press is forever filled with rumour and hearsay; the problem is that, by its very nature, such material is impossible to verify. Correspondingly, suggestion, exaggeration and even downright fabrication are the norm among the less scrupulous elements.

Celebrities are continually expressing surprise at things they have found out about themselves from gossip magazines. The question is, to what extent is Angie’s – or any celebrity’s – image a reflection of reality, and how much has it been manufactured to sell copies of this or that publication?

In Angie’s case, the distinction between reality and press-image is illuminating, if not ultimately surprising. One source interviewed by Artnik in the course of researching a book about the star was ‘J.M.’, a World Rank sled-dog racer who worked with her as an advisor and stunt co-ordinator on the set of Tomb Raider, the blockbuster computer-game-to-film adaptation that saw her launched to international fame.

Now head of a top New Media Agency – and well-aware of the spin-doctoring that can go on between interview and page – J.M.

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has fond memories of the time he spent supervising Angie on her breakthrough movie. His impressions belie some of the myths of the popular press, who frequently portray her as an eccentric personality with borderline mental health issues. Despite the intense physical demands of the work, he remembers a down-to-earth and relaxed person who preferred to do the stunt scenes herself rather than abdicate responsibility to a double. ‘She was a good laugh and she didn’t have that “Prima Donna” attitude that some of the others did.’

Over six months of consulting, working on the set and carrying out the stunt work with her, he found her ‘the easiest person to get on with... Everyone liked her. She got on really well with the dogs, too – and some of them smelt really bad.’

Angie is not a typical A-lister. But it’s equally clear that the celebrity press has exaggerated a kernel of truth about her rather than created an image from scratch. For instance, despite regularly hitting the top of the Most Attractive lists, she is actually not as stunning-looking as most people think – against the received wisdom of carefully madeup and airbrushed model shoots (her numerous tattoos, rather than cellulite, being the major cosmetic issue). Also against the received wisdom, though, is the idea that what is really attractive about her is her personality. The mass-media version of her is not a complete fabrication: it’s a caricature, and like most caricatures, it misses what is most important in favour of what is most obvious.

Women see her enjoying the roles of a successful professional, rebel, independent woman, mother, lover: doing everything and doing it well, and are prompted to be the same. It should be impossible, but somehow she makes it work.

The little angel

Perhaps it’s only to be expected that the makings of such a star should be as complex as the public persona itself. Her start in life was both promising and foreboding; her father is Jon Voight, Oscar-winning veteran of Mission: Impossible, Ali and, of course, Tomb Raider. That sorely conflicted relationship has been played out over her entire life, sometimes very publicly, after he abandoned her mother for another woman when Angie was only six months old. They divorced the next year. Rather than simple distrust or hatred on Angie’s part, however, this led to a more ambivalent relationship over the years. She recalls the acting lessons he gave her as a child, and as a five-year-old she appeared as a bit part in one of her father’s films (the beginnings of her trademark lips were in evidence, even at that age).

Within a few years she had turned to Goth, black leather, dog collars, and aspirations of a career as a funeral director (she still has a copy of the 1987 Funeral Service Institute Handbook in her home to prove it).

And, despite her looks now, she was acutely self-conscious about her appearance, never fitting in with the rich and privileged kids of Beverly Hills High, who teased her for her skinny figure, braces and glasses.

The features that put her at the top of the Most Attractive lists today didn’t quite add up on a teenager’s face, and she found herself getting turned down for acting parts again and again. And therein lies both devil and angel. Angel, because it led to self-acceptance, openness and integrity, rather than pretending to be something she wasn’t. Devil, because the route there was slow and painful: low self-esteem, eating disorders, insomnia, self-harm (knives), alcohol, drug abuse (acid), dropping out of school, and losing her virginity at 14. It’s almost precisely the CV that every parent fears. As a teenager and beyond, Angie was the archetypal and self-confessed Bad Girl.

The media presentation of this side to her is partly due to her disarming frankness about this period of her life, and her continuing openness – particularly in the area of sex. She has spoken honestly about her sexual relationships with men and women, including her well-documented interest in S&M, which dates to the same conflicted period of her life (‘You’re young, you’re drunk, you’re in bed, you have knives; shit happens...’ as she once said). She has been married twice, once to her Hackers co-star Jonny Lee Miller, once to Pushing Tin onscreen husband Billy-Bob Thornton – an off-screen relationship which

attracted much attention for their habit of wearing vials of each other’s blood around their necks, as well as some fairly diabolical poetry on Thornton’s part. Then, of course, there was Brad Pitt.

At the same time, however, the man-eating she-devil image is another caricature. Whilst one magazine rather uncharitably – and with some exaggeration – referred to her as ‘pansexual’ for her catholic approach to sexual attraction, she maintains that she has only ever slept with a handful of men. Angie’s approach to media relations, at least in this area, has the unfortunate effect of robbing the press of the fun of digging out a good story. (This time it has, again paradoxically, turned the devil into an angel, of a sort. She is the poster-girl for the responsible sexually liberated women.)

Lara Croft, Humanitarian

The public beginnings of her angel side – most notably the tireless charity worker and adoptive mother – lie later in life. 2001’s Tomb Raider was a turning point for her, both professionally and personally.

It hurled her to international fame and eight-figure pay-cheques, but filming in Cambodia also opened her eyes to the real poverty and deprivation that existed around the world, and from which many celebrities are naturally isolated, or choose to isolate themselves.

It would be a watershed moment, a time when Angie’s energy became refocused on the things that really matter in life. This was the opening chapter of her passionate and ongoing charity work. Now a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN, Angelina has travelled to war-torn and underprivileged locations all over the world, and is well known for giving a third of her multi-million dollar film earnings to good causes.

Unsurprisingly at the time, though, there was some major fallout to this awakening. When she adopted Maddox, a Cambodian orphan she had met when filming Tomb Raider, it more or less spelled divorce (her second, Thornton’s fifth). It also saw the end, for many years, of civilities with her father, after he broke the news she hoped to keep secret. Voight later poured fuel on the fire of her anger by suggesting – in public – that she was mentally ill. Angie had different priorities, and she wasn’t going to let others’ agendas get in the way. Voight was discarded.

It’s that consuming drive that unites the sides of her that the public alternately find portrayed as angel and devil. If she thinks something matters, she does it wholeheartedly and unashamedly. She has both passion and clarity.

That doesn’t dismiss the paradoxes she holds together, but it does show them in a new light. Angelina Jolie may, like all of us, embody elements of Angel and Devil. Like all of us, there are different sides to her, not all of which are exactly family friendly. Perhaps the difference, and her enduring appeal, lie in the fact that she does it with more honesty – and therefore integrity – than most of us dare. ■

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Portrait of an entrepreneur

B.B. Mr Antonov, could you tell us briefly about yourself?

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V.A. I was born in 1975 in the Soviet Union. I finished school in 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed. My family then moved to Moscow. I was at university between 1992 and 1997 and graduated from the Moscow Banking Institute which is now The Russian Academy of Economics.

I started my career in 1994 at Savings Bank of Russia as a simple banking officer, then in 1996 I moved to Commercial Bank.

In 1997, I was given the position of chief of the treasury dealing department. In 1998, during the economic crisis, I decided to start my own business.

We acquired a very small Russian bank which cost almost nothing because in 1998 the country was on its knees - every single asset on the market was almost zero.

We started trading in 1999 just after we finalised the deal and in 2001 we were already in the top 100 of Russian based banks. This is a brief summary of my life prior to building up the banking group.

B.B. So how did you get your first money to start in business and what were some of the major influence in your life?

V.A. We were very successful during the crisis of 1998 - we had sold all government treasury bonds just 2-3 weeks before it began and realised huge profits within 5 months because we were totally liquid.

Our liquidity was in US dollars so we immediately began speculative operations on the stock market. We were very successful on the foreign exchange markets and I received my first bonus which was close to $5 million. Let’s imagine $5 million in 1998… it was a phenomenal amount! To put this into perspective, the first bank we acquired in 1999 cost us just $200 000. At that time, it was a significant amount of capital with which to start your own business.

If you take for example a chart of the shares of Savings Bank of Russia or Gasprom, you will see a rocket-like rise.

The same was true with land and asset prices – everything, in fact.

In the following few years, under a new government, Russia had a tremendous growth. We used this growth as a vehicle to create and expand a new banking platform in Russia.

B.B. Do you have a defined investment strategy or are you an opportunistic investor?

V.A. When the 2007/2008 recession started, my partners, managers and I spoke a lot about strategy. If we are successful with the liquidity crisis then we would take a chance acquiring a lot of distressed assets.

We knew that distressed assets’ value would change tremendously at the beginning of the recession – they would come down but would start growing again as the economy improved. And that is what we did – we acquired distressed assets or assets postrestructuring or post-chapter 11, usually well financed and with a business plan and growth potential. We are not alone in this – many US based companies are using the same strategy in the real estate sector, for

vladimir antonov ... on fast cars, long investments, sporting winners and being Russian

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example, or the automotive industry. At a time of any economic crisis cash is the king.

If you are cash healthy and have a clear investment strategy, you have an excellent opportunity to be successful.

We do have a clear investment strategy: we look for assets and areas that are undervalued and whose future price will rise substantially.

In a sense, we are going through the same process as in 1998, except at the time, we had just $5m, which is not inconsiderable, but doesn’t have the same financial muscle of $500 m or thereabouts. This economic crisis is a repetition of the 1998 one but on a global scale.

B.B. Do you have a consistent strategy for turning round distressed assets?

V.A. Yes, of course. We typically buy distressed assets with an already existing business plan or assets where we can create a business plan and hire new management.

We look for possibilities of establishing a new strategy with view to increasing profitability and value, and making it a commercial success. We never go into a deal unless we have a clear understanding of the asset and how or why it is undervalued we are bankers, after all, and bankers have a low risk appetite for deals of dubious potential.

An asset could be undervalued for a number of reasons: it could, for example, be part of a bigger group or it could have a past problem with the bank, i.e. it needs to restructure a loan and the bank is not willing to do that. So long as the company or asset is performing well and its future looks promising, we would consider it – we have a special team currently investigating potential deals.

B.B. You are a banker, investor and entrepreneur. The interests of an entrepreneur are not always aligned with those of a banker – how do you reconcile that?

V.A. It’s very simple: banks are regulated which means that banks have a restriction

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on funding their shareholders. You can borrow from the bank as a shareholder but no more than 25% of your shareholder equity, or even less. In Lithuania the limit is just 16% which means you cannot use your bank as a source of funding your investment - or not to any great extent.

In addition, banking regulations and legislation post-crisis have tightened considerably. As a banker, you also need to exercise caution where your core business and core assets are concerned.

We are bankers and our core business is banking - all our non-banking assets will sooner or later be sold or go through an IPO process, which is the same thing.

B.B. What are some of your current and future investment interests? What markets and sectors do you like and how do these assets fit into your profile as a successful entrepreneur?

V.A. Our main business is banking and we will always be looking for opportunities of growing the banking group – this is still under development. We are also interested in the automotive industry and everything connected to it: research, development, design etc.

We are looking at possibilities of investing in the ship building sector because it was tremendously - and negatively affected by this crisis. We are exploring different ideas with regards to this sector.

We are looking at media and various sportrelated activities because again, they are undervalued and negatively affected. The real estate sector is another… We have already realised some transactions in the Baltics where existing real estate is even cheaper than building new.

B.B. How do you go about finding the right partner – companies and institutions - and what in your view is the key to a good partnership?

V.A. First of all, when we acquire businesses in foreign countries we always look for local partners. As a foreigner, you cannot necessarily understand how that market

thinks or how the market would accept you. The only way to make a success of the acquisition is to use an established local businessman or family as a local partner.

We have either a local partner or local management board in every country we invest in – they implement our procedures while we control the business plan and monitor the company’s performance.

B.B. Russian entrepreneurs are not noted for presenting a united face to the world.

Your impassioned letter to the NY Times placed you in the position of something of a spokesman for the new generation of Russian investors and businessmen. Has the Russian community reacted to this and how?

V.A. We’ve had fantastic support in Russia, both regarding our dealings with Saab and with our endeavours to invest abroad.

Even the president of Russia sent a message to the Russian community, encouraging it to invest abroad.

Yes, my letter to the NY Times was impassioned because we, as a group, were quite incandescent about being excluded from the General Motors deal.

The Russian Federation is still a young country, just 20 years old, but within these 20 years many generations of businessmen have changed, yet unfortunately the world’s perception of the country is still based on the early 90s rather than on the 21st century. I do think the world needs to adopt a more flexible approach to Russia and Russian entrepreneurs. Russia can offer more than just mineral resources - Russian people are among the best educated because our educational system is among the most advanced in the world. Additionally, the new generation of Russian entrepreneurs and businessmen are vastly different from their early 90s predecessors. The country has changed tremendously in a very positive way.

I am of the firm opinion that the world needs to change their perception of Russians in general. I find that being a Russian national is an impediment to doing business abroad – more so than, say being

Chinese, and I am not quite sure why this should be.

For us, young Russian entrepreneurs, it has been a difficult transition to suddenly wake up in a country where everything has changed, the state has collapsed and you have to fend for yourself. It’s been a difficult experience.

B.B. You are identified by your interests in automotive assets, with a special attention to high tech manufacturing.

What is it about this industry that attracts you and how does its future look?

V.A. We are building an automotive research and development company in Coventry. You may also be aware that Spyker are moving their assembly activities to Coventry. Why Coventry you may ask?

In the past, the city was the UK equivalent of Detroit with a lot of human resources and people experienced in the automotive industry living there.

Coventry is well connected to Warwick University and the University itself is well connected to automotive research and development.

I believe we will be successful in building a new research and development production firm within the next few years, with support from the local government.

We have a lot of ideas that I will not go into, but we will be able to demonstrate soon what the company will do there and how it will perform.

B.B. Do you have any plans after that to develop an automotive plant in Russia?

V.A. Yes, we are currently negotiating with a few Russian partners the possibility to open a new plant in Russia, but further down the line because the Russian automotive market is recovering at a slower pace than the UK or the US. We are hoping to build a Russian production facility within a few years, perhaps even in partnership with Saab.

B.B. What is your favourite race or rally car?

V.A. A rally car is slightly different from a race car. I took part in some rallies this summer. My favourite car is Saab 99 Turbot. My favourite race car is Spyker, of course.

B.B. Do you collect art?

V.A. No, just cars.

B.B. What is your favourite travel destination?

V.A. I have a lot of favourite destinations.

It’s a difficult question when you live on a plane most of the time. I am mostly and totally happy when I am back home. My favourite leisure destination is probably France because, even though it is not a huge country, it offers a lot of opportunities, with sea and mountains, as well as a lot of history.

B.B. Best advice you’ve ever been given?

V.A. The best advice I’ve had came from my grandfather 25 years ago: “it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond”. We are still implementing it. ■

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M: I hope so H: Katie, do you agree? Well you are different, you represent mainly Chinese and local artists?

Howard Bilton, art collector and founder of the Sovereign Art Foundation enjoys lunch with Mandy D’Abo and Katie de Tilly two of Hong Kong’s leading gallerists kindly hosted

by Yenn Wong, owner of Jia Hotel, at the new Classified restaurant in Exchange Square.

Howard: How do you select which artists to show at your gallery?

Mandy: They have to be very good looking.

H: Anything else...

M: Um... I fall in love with their work – completely random is what I love and I do have a commercial gallery so I have learnt over the years what appeals to certain people. For example I have been championing a lot of Australian artists because there is a huge Australian expat community in Hong Kong and they are very patriotic and believe in investing in Australian artists. Right now it is very exciting for Australian artists as they have not previously had the chance to exhibit overseas.

H: So are you finding that if you approach an Australian artist they are readily agreeing to show with you because they have never been shown outside Australia?

M: Some of them are very, very difficult to approach because they have got huge commitments to their Australian galleries and they have in the past tended to be quite nervous about showing overseas and it has taken them time to build a little bit of confidence.

H: How do you persuade them to show with you? Apart from the fact that you are good looking and they’re good looking so you could be good looking together M: Well I’d hope that the Cat Street Gallery has a good reputation in Oz. The artists develop a trust and that they know now they will get looked after and they will be represented well.

Katie: Actually, I am trying to really look broadly at Pan Asia Pacific but it is a big area to cover so we are exploring different art scenes individually and I like very much the unique history of these emerging art scenes. Basically, I have survey group shows or solo shows. I alternate between those two, diving into subjects, showing a group of artists in an arena for the audience to understand such as Vietnam or Cambodia.

But if it is an artist that I am representing long term it always comes down to “do I love this artist?” – that is the question I always ask myself.

H: ... So it is gut instinct with you both, it is who you like and that’s it?

K: It is a passion. I have to love it.

H: would you be prepared to show an artist who you love but you don’t think is going to sell because the public won’t like them?

M & K: All the time M: On the other hand some artists are very, very difficult to work with. I have to have a good relationship with the artist and if they are going to be very difficult then it doesn’t matter how talented they are and how well their art sells I won’t be able to represent them.

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K: There are big divas in the art world.

It is basically a very close relationship like friendship, marriage. You need to be working together all the time.

H: That’s is a lovely thing to hear but do you think that is because you are not dealing with very expensive artists who probably would have big egos?

M: Not yet.

K: Well it depends on who again. Just because they are expensive doesn’t mean they are difficult

The Cat Street Gallery; (inset) Gallerist Katie de Tilly

art

H: So you have a reputation in Australia?

H: ... They can be bad tempered and cheap...?

M: David Mach – fantastic example H: Yes, he is easy to deal with.

K: He is easy to deal with and of course he is a very important living contemporary artist.

H: Who are the artists at the moment that you find impressing? Not necessarily ones you represent.

K: First of all, very few. I spend my life looking at art.

I go to every art fair and biennial. I just got back from Korea, Sydney, Beijing – very few artists rock my boat. I think that there are fewer great artists than people think. One that is really great is Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian – she is 80 years old, Iranian, she does mosaic glass works in mirror - so beautiful... She has been doing that for years and years and is finally getting recognition around the world.

M: Artists make us see the world differently which is what is so extraordinary about art.

I definitely am so thrilled to be working with some really unbelievably humble artists who expect nothing and are so thankful and so grateful for you looking after them.

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M: Debbie Han, who is the winner of this year’s Sovereign Art Prize.

H: OK, so I have got one from you both I need a second.

M: Sir Peter Blake K: I promise you, I probably saw 10,000 works of art in the last week in Beijing and one that really was interesting was a landscape painter –Pan Jian. Another one I saw in Korea is a Thai artist whose name I will have to tell you later who does these wonderful knitting’s with her hair. Beautiful H: My impression is there are a lot more Hong Kong artists who are starting to produce really good work than there were five years ago. Would you agree with that?

The Cat Street Gallery

M: I would agree with that. But there needs to be a lot of time and energy invested into the art schools here and courses at HKU. Katie, have you tried to go to any of the grad shows? It is impossible because they are not taught how to market themselves and how to get out there. And I fundamentally believe they are not encouraged by their families...

H: ...because it is not seen as a career?

M: ... it’s not a career and that is fundamentally where the root of the problem is in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is at this massive turning point right now where finally, finally with the West Kowloon Culture Project and the first contemporary art museum, Art is going to start seeping into the culture of Hong Kong. Up till now if an artist said to their mom and dad I want to be an artist, they would not be encouraged.

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other galleries. It has come a long way very quickly in a short time but Beijing, for example, has come a lot further.There has been very little support from the community towards the art scene and I think that is now changing. But it shouldn’t come just from the government - it has to come from everyone. People work very hard in this city, they don’t go to art galleries. I was looking up some artists in England, and they all have their own website, however in Hong Kong, even China, they don’t know how to market themselves very well.

H: So which Hong Kong artist do you tip for the top?

M: Angela Siu, Olaf Muller and Kasey Wong... just keep an eye on them even if we don’t represent them.

K: Wilson Shieh. I think he is a great artist. Stanley Wong (another mountain man) and Carol Lee are both great artists as is Tsang Kin-Wah. Y: Tsang Kin-Wah custom made something for the hotel, that was quite interesting but we haven’t used it yet. I have two hotels: one in Hong Kong and one in Shanghai.

We also commissioned Movana Chen.

Hong Kong artists are really interesting and are starting to go international.

H: Yenn, you say you don’t know anything about art but you commission a work for the hotel from a local artist, who by the way is a Sovereign Art Prize winner, how did you select him? And why did you select him?

Yenn: I did have some managers who are really into art so they see a lot of local art and they show me a few things and for me it is just “Oh, yeah this looks very cool let’s get this”.

H: What do you think Katie?

H: So, it is gut instinct?

K: I moved here in 1994 when there were two galleries: HanArt and Alisan Fine Arts at the Mandarin Oriental. There were few

Y: Yes, but I have to see it a few times to really decide whether I like it or not. Like going to the Art Fair - you see it on the first

day but when you see it on the second day, you don’t like it anymore. So I think it takes a lot of time to really appreciate what you really like as well.

Y: What defines a serious collector? Is it volume or is it the price of the pieces they buy? Or something else…

art

H: And you Mandy?

M: Your private collection is what makes you happy.

K: You see different collectors and what their habits are... the worst are the speculative collectors, they eye things that other people will think are good. But the true collectors are people who collect what they like and it’s really beautiful when you see that. When you go into people’s homes and see it is very personal – it’s not “what I should have bought.” I don’t want to have any recognisable art, I like to have work that is just incredible but nobody else necessarily knows it.

H: I have noticed that the Chinese art scene used to be pretty exciting and more recently very few artists that I see are producing anything other than reruns of a successful formula by another artist such as Chairman Mao with a Nike swoop on his cap. Comment?

M: I have to say I agree with you. You should ask Katie about the artist that she is showing at hers. Katie, you are exhibiting Hung Liu - when was she born? 1949?

H: Is it your current show?

K: Yeah M: I really loved it yet I am the same, my boat has stopped being rocked because for me it has just become generic K: It is changing so fast. Five years ago when I was going to the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, there were a few hundred students. Today there are four thousand. In Xian University there are ten thousand students. In Hangzhou

at the Chinese Academy of Art there are also thousands of students, but numbers don’t mean quality. There is more to see and you have to find the quality. I am looking desperately for the young ones who have that spark and quality. I’m happy to say that I just saw some new works from a couple of artists who inspired me five years ago and the work is consistent: great, wonderful… Hu Xiaoyuan, for example…

I have to admit that I keep coming back to the same artists who are from the older generation, in their 40’s and 50’s, because I don’t see that in the younger generations. ■

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TRAVEl

Ciao Ragazzi Photography by

Charles Joulebine-Conway

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M

ost of the big money last summer (and every summer past) would have been on either Monte Carlo or Portofino, as well as Porto Cervo, of course, if one were headed for the Italian islands.

The smart money, however, went to somewhere in between or more specifically, to Ospedaletti and the hills behind the once unprepossessing Ligurian coastal village.

In fact, the smart money discovered Ospedaletti 2 to 4 years ago and drove the real estate prices there to vertiginous heights, not seen since well before the global recession.

The bougainvillea-clad, sun-drenched sleepy little town that time had forgotten has been quietly subjected to something of an investors’ stampede.

A twenty or so minute drive from Monaco, with an enviable climate all year round, great food and charming local population, the entire area between Vintimiglia and San Remo is quite possibly the last “undiscovered” Mediterranean gem.

Old Italian money from Milan and Turin has been buying there for generations, hence the Belle Epoque villas, many of which are now being converted into flats by savvy developers.

A handful of bohemian Brits settled in

the arriere pays – the hills that fringe the coastline – a couple of decades ago and Germans, Dutch and even a few Americans followed, forming the nucleus of an offbeat/ artistic and now quite wealthy community of expatriates.

Real estate agencies seem to have sprung out in a gold rush and the more entrepreneurial of them have teamed up with architects, providing a complete package of buying agricultural land, obtaining planning permission and building hilltop villas that will be the old money estates of tomorrow. Most plots are of sizeable proportions because the Italian government has introduced a building “indice” (ratio of constructible area based on the size of olive tree planted area).

This policy helps preserve the character of the region, the main agricultural activity (and the goldgreen olive oil that the locals take pride in) and gives a spacious feel to all properties – something that the mountainous area behind Monaco is completely lacking.

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TRAVEl The Russians have arrived too – one of them walked into our hotel and offered to buy it outright. Many are building large villas on the ridge of the mountain and investing into palatial seaside apartments.

We arrived at the very height of the season, without reservations and trusting on pot luck and and the availability of expensive hotels.

This proved to be a mistake for once.

The only rooms available between Menton and San Remo appeared to be found in a 2 star hotel undergoing renovation in downtown Ospedaletti.

The reason for this availability was the scaffolding which doubtless led many holiday makers to believe the hotel was closed.

The scaffolding in fact conceals an Italian villa from the turn of the century, privately owned and idiosyncratically ran by a former carabinierri and restaurateur, Maurizio….

In our two weeks there, we discovered that Albergo Italia is something of a hub to which a number of locals repair for an early evening or post-dinner drink – or, indeed, for a delicious supper cooked by the incredibly versatile, hands-on hotel manager.

The softly-spoken Maurizio turns out to be a fiercely opinionated Italian who presides over every manner of debate, ranging from real estate values to relationship values.

The establishment appears to be effortlessly run by him and a handful of chambermaids, with a computer programmer lending a hand as a waiter when there are too many diners.

It is fair to say that those with a taste for the sterile environment of a grand Riviera hotel should stay away from Albergo Italia.

Travellers who enjoy soaking in the local atmosphere, as well as the Mediterranean sun, should at least have a meal there - and a drink on the terrace once the scaffolding is gone.

With a bit of luck, they might find the unusually shaped and coloured rocks we collected from the beach and left there when we were told it is illegal to deplete the rocky coast.

Maurizio arranged for us to have a driver so that we could explore the hilltop villages above Ospedaletti and Bordighera. The driver turned out to be a bodyguard who had a day off.

He introduced us to his father who owns a winery, producing distinctive reds from the local grape variety, Rossesse.

The Russians have arrived too – one of them walked into our hotel and offered to buy it outright.

Right: The Bajardo restaurateur Far Right: Street in Bajardo Other images: Views around Ospedaletti

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TRAVEl We feasted on pizza and sea food and were greeted by Maurizio each day with the ubiquitous “Ciao Ragazzi”.

Our trip took us to Valebonna, Isolabonna, Apricale, Bajardo, Ceriana and San Remo.

The stone-built medieval villages were once the fortresses of the local population protecting it from frequent pirate raids.

Today, they are home to a mix of savvy investors, people who have opted out of busy city lives, motley eccentrics and second home owners.

The views are breathtaking, the sea a few kilometres away, the food fresh and delicious, and the pace of life, stuck somewhere between the 50s and the 60s, when Facebook wasn’t even a glimmer in our imagination.

Revellers of every age dance to the local DJ’s selection in the main square and enthusiastically applaud their grand-

mothers in a dance contest. Exotic dancers lead a “train” of youngsters to the sound of 70s hits. Siesta time is religiously observed and le tout monde is out in force after 6 pm, getting down to the all-consuming business of drinking, eating and greeting friends.

We spent a good proportion of our stay thereafter plot-hunting, in between sampling local specialities, partaking in the village fetes and discovering new beaches.

Our earlier decision to visit friends in Monte Carlo and a superyacht near Portofino wavered and we ended up staying in Ospedaletti and its immediate environs.

We marvelled at the shuttered La Sultana, a magnificent Belle Epoque estate which was once the first casino built on the Italian Riviera and is now privately owned, awaiting redevelopment. We feasted on pizza and sea food and were greeted

by Maurizio each day with the ubiquitous “Ciao Ragazzi”.

We watched the token large middle-aged man with a gold Rolex entertain his young blonde companion to the background of Lady Gaga’s Abba-esque Alejandro, vaguely wondering how the singer got away with parroting Fernando and what the young blonde saw in her ample chinned lover.

We left with considerable regret, taking the slow train that still skirts the seaside all the way to Genova and then continues on to Milan.

But do watch this space. B.B. will yet have its return to the Ligurian Riviera and, Italian building regulators willing, its own hilltop villa. ■

Far Left: San Remo; Rossesse wine producer Enzo Guglielmi (Dolceacqua) Other images: views of Ospedaletti

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Top Lawyer spotlight on...

Nigel Boardman

Slaughter & May

spotlight

“Best-dressed, enigmatic, ruthless, charismatic, forbidding, courteous…”

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There is no shortage of colourful epithets applied to Nigel Boardman, the leading M&A lawyer of leading firm Slaughter and May. So it is with some trepidation that I arrive at One Bunhill Row, with a short list of questions, purposefully drafted to avoid going over the same well-rehearsed and documented topics: the attempted takeover of M&S by Philip Green, the Thomson and Reuters merger, the football club cases…

There must be, I decide, a fair measure of journalistic hyperventilating to the descriptions.

The man seated opposite me in the corporate meeting room at Slaughter & May is surely just the epitome of an impeccably mannered Englishman of a certain generation and background.

The natural reserve must come from being probed by a stranger and one belonging to the journalistic breed to boot.

The sense of humour is quintessentially English too.

Nigel Boardman is diplomatic, eloquent yet measured as befits his profession. The reserve melts a little once the recording device is switched off but only imperceptibly so. Men who say little – strictly the necessary in Boardman’s case – are all the more intriguing.

Hence the journalistic conjecture and poetic licence…

B.B.What is the most interesting case you’ve ever had from a legal perspective and again, from a personal one?

N.B. Some cases might not necessarily be considered major, yet are personal landmarks for me.

For example, shortly after I qualified as a solicitor I was sent to Manchester for three months to work on a bank transfer business, which was a big step up for me from having been mentored, supervised and managed, I was pretty much left to my own devices in a different city.

And then, there are some high publicity cases, some more distinctive than others.

The most recent one would probably be the Liverpool football club sale because of the personalities involved and before that, acting for the government in the recapitalisation of the UK banking system.

B.B.There is a very entertaining overview of the Liverpool Football Club takeover on the Slaughter and May website. Had you acted for the opposite side, could you

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N.B. Yes. The long answer is that they did make some mistakes which I probably wouldn’t have made.

the directors and management team - and it is in these circumstances that people reveal more of their personality than they do in other times. I think stress highlights weaknesses and strengths in an individual.

B.B. So having a good lawyer makes all the difference between winning and losing.

B.B. Have you always been a football fan or have you developed an interest because of your work with football clubs?

N.B. Yes, sometimes it does.

N.B. My father was involved in the Northampton Town football club when I was a child and took me frequently to matches. He then became an MP for Leicester and I was often invited to Leicester City Football Club. I later moved to London and lived close to Arsenal. At that stage I was just a fan, but later I was very lucky to have the opportunity to do some work for them. I enjoyed this even though it’s a slightly mixed feeling when you know more than the average fan because you get to know the troubles that may be facing the club - whether a player is holding out on contract negotiations, whether they are having difficulty with a transfer or whether they want to get rid of the player … and that takes a bit of the true joy away from just watching the football.

B.B. Do you find that the vast amounts of money poured into the game have managed to transform its image of a sport for the lower orders into an elite sport?

have prevented the takeover?

B.B. Did you meet John Henry? What are your impressions of him?

N.B. I thought he was professional, astute, tactically sensible, had a good team and was personally involved with the detail. I think he’ll make a good owner of the club.

B.B. You are often described as a great tactician yourself. Is this a quality that’s hard wired in certain types of people or can it be acquired?

spotlight

N.B. Being a good tactician is part of the job.

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Like virtually every other thing it’s helpful if you have a propensity in that direction, but practice helps.

B.B.What makes a great lawyer as opposed to a good one?

N.B. One that cares more about their clients than he or she does about themselves.

B.B. Who or what are the most interesting clients to work with?

N.B. As a category, the most interesting cases are when a company is going insolvent or is faced with a hostile takeover. In both situations there is enormous stress placed on the individuals within the company -

N.B. The sport has always been for the elite orders as well. If you look back far enough, Oxford University won the FA cup on one occasion. I do think, however, that football has become a far more unifying force in recent years. When I first started working in the City, probably the only sport that was unifying to the same extent was racing. At the time, you had people of different backgrounds talking about horse racing. Now soccer is the universal language of social intercourse and everyone

supports their soccer team. CEOs of major companies have at the very least an interest in and often support a team.

B.B.The merger of Thomson and Reuters was one of your major cases. Do you believe there is room in today’s corporate culture for independent publishing?

What do you think is the future of printed matter?

N.B. Yes, in fact I think that the future looks brighter for independent publishing than it has done for a long time. The cost of e-book production is significantly lower, which is a major factor. Additionally, the internet has allowed greater diversification and innovative methods of communication with existing and potential customers. This is true of all small businesses, although publishers, like everyone else, must adapt and change.

I believe that printed matter will survive and one need only look at what happened in the music industry as a precursor to what’s happening in the book industry.

Artists are touring much more now, because that’s the way they have to earn their money. Similarly, we will likely see more authors doing personal appearances and making more effort to sell their books.

Books will survive, as has the production of black vinyl discs, but they will have to be distinctive – they will have to give you something extra.

Poetry, for example, is much better read in a hardcopy book than as an e-book.

B.B. Who are your favourite poets?

N.B. I like the First World War poets they had such a stark cause to talk about, that they are endlessly fascinating and they

happened to be just after the later flowering of Victorian England B.B.Do you have strongly held opinions on the WikiLeaks disclosures as an individual or as a lawyer, assuming they are different?

N.B. My opinions and beliefs as a lawyer do not differ from my personal ones. I hold tax evaders, for example, in contempt both as an individual and as a lawyer.

Regarding the WikiLeaks, I have concerns about the taking of property as information that belongs to others, and the publication of it. I think that you should only be able to do that when there is a really strong overriding public interest. I haven’t seen such an interest in most of the WikiLeaks disclosures. I personally don’t think it’s the kind of thing that should have been taken and published.

B.B.Will you cycle for charity again and did you find it an effective way to raise awareness for the charity you were supporting?

George Bernard Shaw said “I have no enemies under the age of seven”

N.B. I will but not in the immediate future. We cycled 500 km from Lusaka to the Victoria Falls in 5 days, on very rough terrain, and it was physically one of the most challenging things I’ve done.

Yes, I do find it an effective way to raise awareness and support different initiatives in aid of children charities.

B.B.With so many worthy causes out there, how do you decide which one to support?

N.B. I have been a supporter of Save The Children for a very long time. The primary reason is that it is such a good cause.

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“ Being a good tactician is part of the job.”

spotlight

B.B.Do you have a favourite lawyer joke that is at once funny and self-deprecating?

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George Bernard Shaw said “I have no enemies under the age of seven” You can’t blame children for being poor.

They are the future and the engines for change in the world. The argument for supporting them is incontrovertible.

Reducing child mortality in developing countries is proven to reduce birth rate.

If children have a high level of survival, parents would have fewer children and be more inclined to invest in their education.

Economically, socially and morally, supporting children is absolutely the right thing to do.

B.B.Do you see a distinction between charity and philanthropy? At times of great economic austerity, do you feel that people in general become more or less philanthropically minded?

N.B. Philanthropy is a philosophy of life whereas charity is a single or multiple act of giving.

Economic austerity does not affect the great philanthropists out there, such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, but charity donations have fallen sharply during this recession, so it is fair to say people are less giving. Giving is down 9 % in the last 12 months.

the income from their investments and if there is a downturn in the revenue of the investments, their ability to give is reduced.

In the case of corporate donors, charitable giving is one of the things they can trim when they have to go through cost cutting.

If you are technical about it, charity donations come from a number of so called primary sources: Charity trusts, corporate entities, wealthy individuals and the mass market.

Lastly, the mass market giving depends on things that catch the imagination, i.e. tsunami, floods, etc.

In a recession, these are affected in different ways: Charity trusts depend on

Only the major donors in the super wealthy category are not affected to the same degree in a recession.

N.B. A man in a hot air balloon flies through the clouds and gets lost. There is a break in the clouds and he sees a man in a field, so he shouts down, ‘Can you tell me where I am?’ The man in the field shouts back ‘Yes, you are a hundred feet above the ground in a hot air balloon over a field!’ The balloonist shouts at the man on the ground, ‘You must be a lawyer’ and the man on the ground says ‘Yes, how did you know?’ The balloonist replies ‘Well, because the information you’ve given me is perfectly accurate and completely useless’.

The man on the ground remarks ‘You must be a businessman’. The balloonist says ‘Yes, how did you know that?, to which the lawyer replies ‘Because you don’t know where you are going and yet you are blaming me for it’. ■

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Fly like a star

Profile of a blue-blooded Private Jet company

viesa is one of the oldest established private jet companies in Latin America, with a pretty interesting client base that reads like a global Who’s Who. In addition to ma jor corporate clients, the bread and butter of all private jet companies, or to regal and showbiz royalty, they have seen and handled it all.

From Coldplay to Beyonce, from the Rockefellers to the Greek and UK royals, from Ricky Martin to Pavarotti, Aviesa has looked after many a modern day icon.

The staff recall an anecdote involving the late Pavarotti. The great singer was flown to an airport in Mexico that was celebrating an anniversary on that day. In accordance with the local tradition, fire trucks were brought in to supply water to shower/toast the special occasion. As Pavarotti emerged from the craft, he faced multiple jets of water and retreated. Aviesa weren’t privy to the surprise either.

It all ended in laughter, as these things do, but made for one of the great stories in the history of the company.

Owning a private jet doesn’t necessarily mean one can use it for all of one’s travel needs. If you are holidaying in St Barth’s and need to hop over to Mexico for a private party, it might be just easier in terms of logistics (and costs) to use a local private jet company than summon your own craft.

The time factor, too, looms huge in all our lives with TIME fast becoming the most sought after commodity.

If you can give a person the gift of time – figuratively or quite literally – you have given them a very tangible gift.

Aviesa’s fleet offers an interesting flexibility, including as it does from helicopters all the way to Global Express jets (for those in the know, the super-class of craft both in terms of size and comfort).

In fact, the company often handles referrals from their European counterparts such as

Bluestar Jets, TAG, etc. Aviesa’s fleet consists of long range private jets, which means the company services clients on a global level, not just regionally.

Clients include City Bank, Coca Cola, Dupont, Grupo Carso, Fritolay Sabritas, Televisa, GMD, Banamex, Basf Mexicana, TAG Aviation (Suiza), Hunt & Plamer (England), Air Partner (England, USA, Spain), Chapman Freeborn, World Bank, Bay View Grand, Blue Star Jets USA, Warner Music, Telefónica de España, Banco Santander (España), Carrefour, CHASE, Jet Aviation, Corporate Charters, Group Metro, Oxygen-4, Mr. D. Rockefeller, UK and Greek royalty, Luis Miguel, Robbie Williams, Eros Ramazzoti, Coldplay, Beyonce, the late Pavarotti and the cast of High School Musical, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio, etc.

Fleet includes: • Falcon 7X • Global Express • Gulfstream V • Gulfstream IV • Falcon 900 • Falcon 2000 EX • Sovereign • Citation XL • Lear Jet 45 • Grand Agusta and Daulphine helicopters

Contact: ISAIAS CHAVEZ G. General Manager Aeropuerto Internacional de Toluca, México Tel: +52 (722) 273 2222 Fax: +52 (722) 273 1991 Mobile: +52 (55) 5431 7098 Web: www.aviesa.com Email: isaias@aviesa.com jose@aviesa.com

Creative

Photographer

portfolio

Guy Jean Genevier

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ssentially, reality is like a starting point. My work, though, is subjective.

I have a personal vision : what I imagine before I shoot. Good images do not come easily, they must be pursued, hunted down, and caught before it’s too late. Before taking a photograph I must feel that something is there, that it has been given to me to seize and that I really must have it. That is why I am fascinated with the night, because there is nothing there but essence : dark and light. Then I can take those images and rework them on computers until I am satisfied that my vision has been achieved.

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For ten years I did many night photographs in downtown Paris. At first, it was my artistic choice to use black and white film, sometimes pushed to ISO 1600. That probably was due to the fact that I liked and had studied the cinema and thus tried to use these techniques in photography. One of my selfassigned projects was to try to capture the essence of a train station when it was nearly deserted at night. In fact I am an artist who uses photography to express himself. What interests me about photography is that I can transform reality, that is, I can start with reality but change it or interpret it as I see it in my mind. For many years my work has been represented by both Europeans and United States agencies.

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portfolio

Published in: Digital Camera Magazine Attic Magazine Le Photographe Creation Magazine La Banque de l’Image Photographers of the end of millenium, Fotonoviembre.

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portfolio

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Beauty Spotlight

THE EYES HAVE IT...

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octor Sorensen does not grace the pages of popular culture magazines, nor does his reception room carry stacks of them. Nor, for that matter, does it have the prerequisite albums of before and after patients’ faces...

His is a low key, modern Scandinavian style practice located in a beautiful Victorian building in Kensington, London SW5.

Yet, some of the world’s most glamorous men and women beat a discreet path to this particular medical destination.

Sorensen is a microsurgeon, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and a scientist.

Above all, he insists, he is also a physician and a craftsman. He does not share the artistic pretensions of some of his more notorious peers, nor does he have a signature procedure that he claims as his own.

Rather, he utilises and further develops a wide range of components from the best procedures in the field today and adapts them to the individual patient’s needs offering a truly bespoke treatment. His natural-looking results are his signature.

There is no huge ego to the man and he likes to emphasise that the best results,

Profile of a unique plastic surgeon, Jesper Sorensen

from a patient’s point of view, are the collective results of documented scientific and surgical achievements.

I have contacted him to discuss very specifically the re-volumising of the face through fat grafting.

This is a technically simple and old procedure (first described in 1893), he tells me, although its modern application in plastic surgery is relatively recent.

Extensively documented and popularised

by Dr Sydney Coleman in New York, it consists of re-shaping and rejuvenating the facial contours through grafting small amounts of the patient’s own fat where it has atrophied (lost through ageing or disease).

This three-dimensional approach to face rejuvenation restores the fullness associated with youthful contours, rather than just lift and stretch.

Nowhere is the difference more visible than in the eye area.

If you’ve had blepharoplasty more than 6-7 years ago, the procedure would probably have consisted of removing a portion of the lax muscle that contains the structural fat in the eye socket and crucially, removing

some of that fat, which may result in patients developing a hollow look with further ageing.

Sorensen uses a plication technique which consists of folding the tiny orbital muscle, strengthening and repairing it (rather than excising), which results in re-positioning the sagging fat pockets. By grafting small amounts of fat harvested from the patient, he then smoothes out the area around the eye. The results are nothing short of remarkable.

Sorensen has developed his own range of special high-precision instruments for his surgeries. Cannulas used by him are so thin, they allow the micro-grafting of minute amounts of fat, thereby improving vastly the survival chance of the new cells.

A collateral benefit of fat grafting is the overall improvement of the skin, properties which are attributed to the fat’s high stem cell content and its ability to form new blood vessels.

The full text of the Sorensen interview, with graphics explaining his approach, will be published in the next book in the Beyond Black hard cover series, Defy Age. ■ Sorensen Clinic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 10 Knaresborough Place Kensington London SW5 OTG United Kingdom Main: +44 (0) 20 7600 4444 Mail: info@sorensenclinic.com Web: www@sorensenclinic.com

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Anti-ageing Beauty Spotlight

Dr Daniel Sister on Hormones, Stem cells and the latest in Beauty enhancement

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tem cell treatment will be the big anti-ageing breakthrough in the not too distant future, however, it needs a great deal of further research.

Much controversy surrounds the subject, not least for ethical and religious reasons. On purely medical terms, put simply, it works.

Just as it doesn’t matter if black is considered a bad colour - the fact is, it exists. And so with stem cell research... It’s impossible to stop the research into that area, besides it is an exciting one for researchers and scientists. If it gets banned in say, America, it would surface elsewhere – Russia, Korea, etc.

In the meantime, and until we can really use stem cell treatments, the best available anti-ageing solution is hormone balancing. Hormone deficiency is one of the reasons why we age or rather, don’t age well.

50% of women go through menopause without any problems. The other half go through the menopause with problems. Why? Because of a hormonal imbalance. Menopause in itself is not the cause of the collateral problems, such as dry skin, rashes, poor sleep quality, night sweats, etc. The problem is the decreasing levels of estrogen.

Thyroid deficiency is another pressing problem that affects a large proportion of the population, however patients are often not correctly treated.25%percent of those affected do not have the enzyme to transform one of the two thyroid hormones.

I like to use the following analogy: think of it as crude oil that has to be refined before it can be used. If you don’t transform your oil into petrol, you won’t go anywhere.

A woman after 50 has more male hormones in her body than a man of the same age. Women have male hormones and men also have estrogen. The male hormone, testosterone, decreases with age, while the female hormone does not. If your hormones don’t function well or are not well balanced the whole body metabolism is not functioning well. If this is the case, then you age faster.

Men after a certain age have their testosterone level go down, they get fat and they age. If they are complaining of being tired and gaining weight, they are treated as being depressed. This, however, would not help them. They get caught in a vicious circle of the treatment having to be increased, yet you can increase the treatment as much as you want, if it is not the correct treatment, it would not work.

Women develop a pronounced tummy after the menopause too. The three major naturally occurring estrogens in women are estron, estradiol and estriol and these need to balance each other. Hormone deficiency can be addressed through chemical or naturally occurring hormones that are available on the market.

The human growth hormone was developed to treat the symptoms of ageing, however, it has well documented side effects.

The most important thing is to have your hormone levels regularly checked after a certain age, so as to have a reference point, even if you have no symptoms. Checking your hormones at 35 or 40 would give you such a reference point and hormones can be accurately re-balanced further down the line, based on your personal profile.

We cannot yet offer stem cells treatment solutions, but we CAN address hormonal imbalance. We also have a variety of treatments for people whose hormonal balance is fine, yet they still age at an unacceptable rate.

Dr Sister has a busy practice in Notting Hill, London, and offers a range of age-prevention treatments, including his proprietary ‘D.R.ACULA’ THERAPY, also known as S3 or Stimulated Self Serum Skin Therapy.

The treatment is designed to turn back the clock by injecting your own plasma into your face, body or scalp (if you are losing hair), restoring youthful appearance.

The idea? Using vials of blood taken from your arm, it is separated into red blood cells, clear serum and platelets. After adding vitamins and amino acids, the supercharged serum is injected into your face.

The benefits? It stimulates DNA repair, heals scars and makes dry, wrinkled and lacklustre skin feel and look younger, naturally.

All this without the need for fillers, lasers or peels.

Dr Daniel Sister 8-9 Lambton Place, Notting Hill London W11 2SH T +44(0)207 221 2248

www.drsister.com

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estled next to a quiet courtyard, a stone’s throw away from Selfridges, a chic yet unassuming sign indicates the entrance to jeweller Alexander Davis’ first shop (previously owned by Stephen Webster). Alex is putting his own mark on the boutique in much the same way as he is on the jewellery Industry. Educated at Eton, where his first entrepreneurial venture took the form of cufflinks embossed with the school’s prestigious crest, and Imperial College London where his degree in bio-chemistry sparked the inspiration for his first collection, ‘Dendritic’, Alex has won critical acclaim for his molecular-structured designs and was awarded New Jewellery Designer of the Year 2010. Currently collaborating on an exclusive range with online jewellery boutique www.myflashtrash.com, Alex’s illustrious designs are fast gaining a following with the international elite.

AMBER ATHERTON

interviews...

Right: Dark Romance ring in 18ct white gold set with Purple Tourmaline and Sapphires Below Left: Diadem double-finger ring in platinum set with Tanzanite and Diamonds Below Right: Deadly Nightshade ring in 18ct white gold set with Amethyst and Diamonds

Alexander Davis Jewellery Designer of the Year

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You have a line of haute jewellery.

Is there a distinguishable feature about it?

When did you start designing jewellery?

I started designing jewellery at Eton. We had “Silverwork” classes, and I made a silver wedding ring, and then a pendant, and then took it from there.

What inspires you and your pieces?

I take inspiration from all kinds of things including science, architecture and nature.

I love working with complex 3D shapes and bold forms. Everything I do must be innovative. You may not be able to reinvent the wheel but you can definitely re-invent the ring!

Tell us about the DNA pendant

I wanted to make something totally unique. I had the idea for the DNA pendant whilst studying biochemistry at Imperial College London but waited until I had the technical know-how to do the piece justice.

Below Left: Dendritic molecule ring in 18ct white gold set with Diamonds Below Right: DNA Pendant in platinum set with Diamonds, Sapphires and Amethysts

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The concept is to take a blood sample from the prospective wearer and send it to the lab where their DNA is analysed and a unique stretch of their “junk” DNA is sequenced. This determines the order of the four different colours of gemstones in the pendant. Each pendant is 100% unique to its wearer.

I like to make bold statement pieces that are decadent and visually arresting. They are made without compromise and feature the best quality of gemstones and the finest level of craftsmanship.

Left: Dark Romance ring in 18ct white gold set with Aquamarine and Diamonds Below Left: Dendritic lattice ring in 18ct white gold set with diamonds Below Right: Dark Romance ring in 18ct white gold set with Ceylon Sapphire and Diamonds.

Who would you most like to design a one off piece of jewellery for?

There’s a certain big wedding on the horizon that I would love to bling!! ;) Can you short list the people who, in your opinion, are the most stylish?

AMBER ATHERTON

Alexa Chung Nathalie Massanet Tamara Mellon Alice Temperley

Alexander Davis

interviews...

What does a piece of bespoke jewellery and choice of gem/ colour say about a person, their sense of aesthetics and their personality?

It says they’re prepared to break away from the norm and think unconventionally. My customers often have a range of pieces to suit different looks and colourways. If their dress sense is forward-thinking then why shouldn’t their jewellery be? ■ Alexander Davis Jewellery 1A Duke Street W1U 3EB T: +44 (0) 207487 7788 E: info@ alexanderdavis jewellery.com

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Global Aviation and Marine consultants Aeronautic Consultancy are the exclusive service provider and global distributor of the AC-CESS ROV to the international luxury yacht market.

The AC-CESS ROV is a market leading portable underwater video camera and inspection vehicle perfectly suited to the Luxury Yacht market with both recreational and practical uses, rated to a depth of 70 meters. From the luxury of the salon, the yacht owner is able to follow his children on a dive, explore the ocean beneath him or inspect the hull of his boat - all whilst sipping champagne and watching the excursion on his plasma screen.

What makes this ROV unique is its portability and simple operating system for the user.

The standard system fits into just one hand carried case measuring 490mm X 380mm X 190mm. This is within the size limitation approved by major airlines for hand baggage.

The total weight is 18kg. You can connect any type of video recording device to the system for recording and it can be deployed by a single operator. The system is CE Marked and certified for all “feet wet” applications and can be powered by either 110 / 240 volts.

“This is a fantastic toy for all luxury yacht owners, guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment, and it’s a practical tool for any captain” says Captain Wakeford. “We provide training on using the ROV which is very simple once you get the hang of it. It can be deployed in 3 minutes, the controller is a single handed grip - a bit like a joystick which can be moved in any direction, rotated or tilted. What is great is that in freezing or shark infested waters you are still able to explore the ocean bed and view underwater aquatic life from the comfort of your yacht. 71% of the earth’s surface is water and approximately only 10% of that has been explored. It is very exciting. You can record your expedition and send your video image to a third party or put it live on-line, its a unique selling point for any charter yacht! The AC-ROV is an inexpensive yet robust and durable option offering portability, great image quality and the ease of use you would expect from the most innovative product in its class.”.

With over 20 years of project management experience in new build and retrofit work on luxury yachts, Aeronautic can seamlessly integrate the AC-ROV into your new or existing yacht’s structure and electrical/AV system. The AC-ROV has numerous options and the scale of integration can be tailored to suit your needs. Please visit www.aeronautic.eu.com to watch a demonstration movie and contact us to discuss your individual requirements.

For more information please contact: Aeronautic Consultancy Ltd, Captain James Wakeford Tel: +44 7720 293223 (UK) +33 6277 90520 (Fr) EMAIL :ROV@aeronautic.eu.com www.aeronautic.eu.com

Fattoria La Vialla the ultimate organic estate La Vialla, a family-owned and run estate, is one of the oldest, largest (3316 acres) and most welcoming organic farms in the world. The owners, the Lo Franco family, are passionate about biodynamic farming and the environment.

They have won countless well deserved awards, but our B.B.eyond award goes to them for being, quite simply, some of the nicest, most generously-spirited and genuine people we have ever met. We reckon it must be the amazing food and wine that does it!...

Here are some of culinary delights available from the estate.

Fattoria La Vialla Via di Meliciano 26 - 52029 Castiglion Fibocchi Tuscany Italy tel: 0039-0575-477720

L’ASTEMIO GOURMET The Abstemious Gourmet This gift package contains the following specialties: • • • • • • • • • • •

1 bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (250 ml) 1 bottle of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena I.G.P. (250 ml) 1 jar of Orange olives (190 g) 1 jar of Poverella (fresh raw tomato sauce, 280 g) 1 bag of Tubettini (500 g) 1 bag of Linguine (500 g) 1 jar of Pesto (180 g) 1 jar of La Vialla•style Red Pesto (180 g) 1 jar of Rosmarina (rosemary tomato sauce, 280 g) 1 jar of Wildflower honey (380 g) the “Librone” (the big book as we call it in an “off-hand way” here at La Vialla) Le Ricette di Giuliana: a 400 page book elegantly dressed in a hardback cover

Note: this gift box is dedicated to all our food loving friends who don’t drink: there are many “around” with a good palette who unfortunately (for them!) are abstemious.

The appetizing Orange Olives and the fresh raw tomato Poverella sauce pave the way for two delicious varieties of pasta (Linguine, Tubettini), “supported” by a triplet of highly refined sauces, La Vialla specialties (Pesto, Red Pesto and Rosmarina). Besides their own individual qualities, these sauces are highly adaptable and can be mixed together (for instance: Pesto with Red Pesto; Rosmarina with Red Pesto; Pesto with Poverella. Try various “pairings” to taste and you will surely be satisfied). This delicious grouping is worthily accompanied by the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena I.G.P., the Farm’s award-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil (stone ground in the mill at the La Lignana farmhouse), and to finish off, the sweet flavour of the Wildflower Honey, made from the bees’ fragrant flowering “pastures” at the Farm.

Price £38.05 V.A.T incl.

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LA SCATOLA DEL BUONGUSTAIO The Gourmet Box IL CESTO The Basket

This basket includes the following specialties: • 1 bottle of Casa Conforto Chianti Superiore 2008 D.O.C.G. (750 ml) • 1 bottle of Barriccato 2007 (750 ml) • 1 bottle of Spumante Le Chiassaie 2009 V.S.Q.P.R.D. (750 ml) • 1 bag of Viallini (biscuits with raisins and pine nuts, 500 g) • 1 bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (250 ml) • 1 bag of Spaghetti (500 g) • 1 bag of Linguine (500 g) • 1 bag of Penne lisce (smooth penne, 500 g) • 1 jar of Bombolino Sauce (cherry tomato sauce, 280 g) • 1 jar of Pomarola Sauce (sauce with tomatoes and carrots, 280 g) • 1 jar of Pesto (180 g) • 1 jar of La Vialla•style Red Pesto (180 g) • 1 round hand•made and untreated wicker basket (44cm in diameter, 13cm in height) • t he “Librone” (the big book as we call it in an “off-hand way” here at La Vialla) Le Ricette di Giuliana: a 400 page book elegantly dressed in a hardback cover

• 1 bottle of Casa Conforto Chianti Superiore 2008 D.O.C.G. (750 ml) • 1 bottle of Sangiovese 2009 I.G.T. (750 ml) • 1 bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (250 ml) • 1 bottle of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena I.G.P. (250 ml) • 1 jar of Orange olives (190 g) • 1 jar of Salsa Nera (chicken liver pâté, 190 g) • 1 bag of Spaghetti (500 g) • 1 bag of Fusilli (500 g) • 1 jar of Bombolino sauce (cherry tomato sauce, 280 g) • t he “Librone” (the big book as we call it in an “off-hand way” here at La Vialla) Le Ricette di Giuliana: a 400 page book elegantly dressed in a hardback cover

Tuscan touch, almost impossible to find, associated with many traditional and somewhat "laborious" methods of preparation), two wines, the Chianti Casa Conforto Superiore 2008 (the most classic, the pioneer of the Farm's wines which takes pride in a number of prestigious awards: one of the last ones in September 2009 at the International "Decanter World Wine Awards 2009" in London) and the Sangiovese 2009 (the wine in its pureness from the "Tuscan vine" par excellence, among other awards, 83 points at the "Mundus Vini" Competition in 2008), the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena I.G.P. and La Vialla's Extra Virgin Olive Oil (best organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Italy 2009 at the "Ercole Olivario" Competition in Spoleto, "intensive fruitiness" category).

In addition to these there are two types of pasta, the most traditional and irreplaceable (Spaghetti and Fusilli), the Salsa Nera (a delicious Tuscan recipe recently "jarred" at La Vialla), a tasty sauce for crostini (the "black" ones), which are never missing from a typical Tuscan antipasto (the sauce is also worthy for use as a special type of ragout for a first course pasta dish), and one of the most appetizing and typical of the Farm, the Bombolino sauce.

Note: To get off to a great start, in the cardboard box containing protective wood wool, there are the aromatic Orange Olives (a very

Price £37.00 V.A.T incl.

This gift package contains the following specialties:

Note: another gift basket, another appetizing assortment which begins beautifully with two significant red wines (Chianti Casa Conforto Superiore 2008 and Barriccato 2007) joined by an aristocratic white, La Vialla's Spumante 2009, nicely complemented by the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. There are four aromatic sauces, Pesto, Red Pesto, Bombolino Sauce, and Pomarola which open the kitchen doors and pave the way for the Spaghetti, Linguine and Penne lisce (fantastic and irresistible dressings with three of the most classic and popular shapes of pasta). And for dessert? …La Vialla's biscuits: the Viallini, crunchy and unique, with the lovely flavour of the pine nuts and the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Price £62.00 V.A.T incl.

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leana Makri was born and lives in Greece.

A globetrotter at heart, she travels extensively for inspiration and spends a lot of time in London, Paris and New York, cities she has previously lived in.

Ileana Makri

Originally obtaining a degree in Business Administration Ileana then went on to follow her true passion and studied jewellery design at the G.I.A. (Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica).

In 1987 she ventured into retail with “Mageia” later to become her flagship store and always a reflection of her diverse world of interests, introducing items that capture her imagination, anything from clothing and accessories to artwork and of course jewellery. Greek for enchantment or magic, “Mageia” has since become a staple for those eclectic Athenians eager to find hand crafted and unique goods sourced during her travels.

In 1996 the “Ileana Makri” signature jewelry line was introduced in the store and was instantly being picked up by Barneys in New York. Friends and family quickly spread the word that ensured her first clientele and many more faithful customers followed. There are presently two stores in Athens and one on Mykonos.

In just over a decade Ileana Makri has built a solid international reputation and business as well as capturing the attention of high profile clients such as Uma Thurman, Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum, Lenny Kravitz, Faith Hill, Rita Wilson, Ashley Olsen, Courtney Cox, Debra Messing...

In 2009 an introduction to London based fashion designer Marios Schwab resulted in a jewellery collaboration for his catwalk presentations. An astonishing collaboration that created enormous press excitement both in the UK and internationally.

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Aside from nature and the sea, Ileana is fascinated by multicultural symbols and their meaning. Her jewellery features a range of mystical and figurative symbols in gold and gemstones. “Symbols have a broad, universal appeal that crosses cultures”, says the designer, who draws inspiration from various religious and other beliefs including Greek mythology.

Ileana is particularly intrigued by the “evil eye”, a symbol that in Mediterranean countries serves as protection from negative forces.

The collections have an irresistible feminine appeal, stamped by Ileana’s signature refined aesthetic and use of old world craftsmanship as well as the astounding attention to detail and her boundless creativity. The underlying “rock chic” approach to the design makes her jewellery uncompromisingly contemporary and simultaneously timeless. In her own words Ileana Makri creates “jewellery for no special occasion”.

The collection is available worldwide at: Barneys (N.Y., LA, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, Manhasset, Scottsdale), Maxfield (L.A.), Oxygene (Bal Harbour), Alchemist (Miami), Tomas Maier (Miami ,Palm Beach), A’Maree’s (Newport Beach), Capitol (North Carolina), Savannah (Santa Monica), Veri Peri (Palm Springs), Tender (Michigan), Browns (London), Dover Street Market (London), Matches (Wimbledon), Harrods (London), Colette (Paris), Montaigne Market (Paris), Gago (Aix en Provence), Quartier 206 (Berlin), Jades (Dusseldorf ), Theresa (Munich), Fashion Clinic (Lisbon), No30 (Milano), Bini Silvia Passeggiata Srl (Viareggio), Calypso (St. Barts), Restir (Tokyo), Isetan (Tokyo), Takashimaya (Tokyo), Estnation (Tokyo), Barneys (Tokyo and Yokohama), Hankyu (Osaka), Harvey Nichols (Hong Kong), Lane Crawford (Hong Kong), Club Designer (Taipei), Sauvage (Almati), 10 Corso Como (Seoul), Sylvie Saliba (Beirut), The number 4 (Kuwait), Midnight Express (Istanbul).

Online: Net-a-Porter and MyTheresa.

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Claire Johnson

party party party!!!

Rocks the Grosvenor House Ballroom!...

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“He never does things by half” said his statuesque

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daughter Libby at his birthday bash in Staffordshire just a few months ago.

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t the end of January, John Caudwell threw another Great Gatsby-style party , this time in London, to celebrate the birthday of the girl who clearly rocked his world 10 years ago, Claire Johnson.

Family and those privileged enough to be his friends were entertained to a full cabaret performance before and after dinner, with acts to please every taste, from the operatic to the pop rock in the shape of Mika.

Dancers in sequined and feathered masks greeted the 300 or so revelers as they filtered in from the reception to the dining area of the Grosvenor Hotel ballroom. John gave a speech about Claire, Claire gave a speech about him,

their son read a ditty, and every table produced one of their own – a ditty, that is…

Many took the easy rhyme route and focused on “Claire’s hair” (she does have quite a mane), some humorous, others earnest but mostly, just plain affectionate.

When dinner is over and the live music starts belting out, their kids dance barefoot alongside titled grandees and senior family members in wheelchairs.

The host and hostess make time for every single guest, so for that one night no one feels there is any hierarchy or even formality (other than the black tie attire). Caudwell’s parties are as unusual as they are memorable.

We live in times when networking has supplanted having good, old fashioned fun among friends. To some extent, Caudwell has gone back in time and reinvented the family and friends party on a larger than life scale.

The Caudwells are warm, genuine, generous and unaffected - there is a quality about them that brings to mind that well used “salt of the earth” English cliché, mixed with a hefty dose of glamour. Not that it would define them… anyone who has made that much of a success in their lifetime, has got to be very seriously smart in addition to all of the above.

Birmingham City University acknowledged that – and Caudwell’s philanthropic endeavours – when they bestowed a doctorate on him at a ceremony on the 27th January of this year.

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1. John Caudwell and Alexis Lewis 2. Claire Johnson talks to Tanya Brier 3. Claire-worship 4. Isabelle Purdew 5. Jon Caudwell with Saffron Aldridge and Ian Wac 6. Mika and Claire

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2. Claire Johnson talks Mike and Sonal Jatania 3. Gabriella AnstrutherGough-Calthorpe 4. Dorothy Lang 5. Pritpal & Ruby Singh Nagi 6. Rhiannon Caudwell and Beryl Caudwell 7. Ashley Wild Smith, Alexis Lewis and Karen Tudor Jackson 8 Paul and Hilary Lafferty 9. John Caudwell with guests 10. Entertainers for the evening 11. John and Claire’s son Jacobi 12. John Caudwell makes a speech 13 Claire Johnson rocks

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party party party!!!

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H

elena Hรถtzl was born in Alingsรฅs, Sweden in 1969. As a child she always loved colours. In 2003 she decided to study Graphic Design and to really start selling her art. Through Saatchi gallery she ended up at an exhibit in Budapest, Hungary and from that day she has been exhibiting her work in Hungary, England, Sweden and USA. Helena Hรถtzl harnesses and manipulates perceptual reality in her work, using as a foundation startlingly vivid painterly sequences of events or phenomena such as birth, life, sex, nature and loss. Sensory perception for Hรถtzl is a spiritual activity, one that leads to a heightened awareness of both nature and culture this thought process points to a new kind of realism, one that is engaged

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with the actual processes of life. The result is a combination of psychedelic/decorative vistas with layers of text and form.

Inspired by her encounters with different people, in one body of work, she paints large close-up portraits. Some of the people she paints are real some of them are fantasy.

Expressing her impressions of the people she meets, these works also reflect the varied expressions that can be found in the human face. Her works have a timeless, magical quality. Reminiscent of a dream voyage to the calm beaches of another planet, her pictures are deeply personal, evoking her own subconsciousness while also revealing universal truths about the journey and celebration of life.

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Max Kirsten talks about his new book

REVIEW

T

here is no shortage of self-help books, … as the author of Self Help: Find Yourself To Help Yourself, readily admits at the outset of our conversation.

The book is helpfully endorsed by Ewan McGregor and it is obvious, through summary perusal and brief research, that Kirsten does indeed treat a lot of people in the entertainment industry. His wife in fact is an Oscar nominee (for the set of The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley) but his own reputation as a successful therapist is based almost entirely on word-of-mouth referrals.

The immediately obvious thing, as one goes though the book is that the author does not proselytise. Rather, he has tapped into a sort of common wisdom that we, as a society, seem to have collectively erased from memory – or at least, banished deep down into our subconscious.

You are what you think is a major theme of the book. Kirsten identifies the subconscious as that part of the psyche that veils the unconscious.

We all have the resources to help ourselves – to overcome classic and modern addictions, to deal with life’s knocks and disasters, to quit a destructive relationship, to rise from the proverbial ashes of despair....

Kirsten merely helps his clients to find these resources from within, while shedding the clutter and noise of all but the most important in life.

His approach is intuitive and individual rather than rehearsed and contrived, and he draws on his own life’s experiences, including drug and consumerism addiction.

A self-confessed former addict (he admits that addicts never recover forever, but rather, have to continually address the compulsive aspect of their personality), Kirsten is able to relate to his clients in a unique way. He is, he says, an imperfect man who has harnessed his demons to evolve a well defined set of skills that allow clients to step “out of their particular story” – so that the story does not define them – and adopt a holistic perspective of self and the world around them.

I ask him if sceptics can be hypnotised.

Surprisingly, he advocates a dose of healthy scepticism and above all free thinking. His technique is based on a mixture of methods that include hypnotherapy but is essentially steeped in common sense, a particular kind of wisdom and the ability to apply it in helping others to help themselves.

And lest you think this is some home-spun therapy, the numerous certificates on his wall belie Kirsten’s rather engaging self-deprecation – as do the celebrity clients.

His hypnotherapy apps are equally successful, and this is a testimonial in its own right, all the more so as the programs work remotely.

Self Help, Find yourself to help yourself is published by Hay House.

Max Kirsten’s practice is at 35 Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge London SW3 1NU, Tel. 020 7917 9878 www.maxkirsten.com

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party party party!!!

The Gstaad Palace Polo Tournament takes place from 19th to 21nd August. It is not a hugely publicized event, but infinitely better attended than its more commercial counterparts.

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The 15th edition (2010) of the HUBLOT POLO GOLD CUP GSTAAD was marked by high performance and great summer weather.

The first match was close and provided an exciting finish. Bank Baring Brothers Sturdza won 10 to 9 against Hublot. Both teams played extremely well. The difference was clearly made by Marcos Heguy (hcp 10) who marked 8 goals including the winning goal. The interactive team play between Marcos Heguy and Gaston Lauhle (hcp 7) was excellent.

Team Hublot was led by the always superb coordination and interplay of the Mendendez brothers (hcp 7 and 6). The team was unlucky in that the winning goal was marked in the 30 seconds of the 5th chukka. Â The field, being in better condition for the teams of the first match, hampered Star Design and Palace Gstaad as they could not display as much speed as their predecessors. The result of this match was even tighter than the first one: Palace Gstaad Team won against Star Design by 7.5 to 7. The match was clearly led by Alejandro Agote (hcp 8). Together with Justo Saavedra (hcp 6) they made a perfect team, with Justo opening the game for Alejandro wherever possible. Star Design seized several opportunities. Newcomer Jack Richardson (hcp 3), 19 years old, was particularly impressive. Richardson was declared the best young player 2010 in Great Britain.

Gstaad Palace

Teams Bank Baring Brothers Sturdza SA (18): Juan Pablo Jauretche 1; Gaston Laulhe 7; Marcos Heguy 10; Stefani Marsaglia 0 Hublot (18): Gualtiero Giori; Franckie Menendez 7; Eduardo Menendez 6; Julio Coria 4 Star Design (18): Philipp Maeder 0; Federico Bachman 6l Milo Fernandez Araujo 8; Agustin Martinez 4 Gstaad Palace (17): Bert Poeckes 0; Justo Saavedra 6; Alejandro Agote 8; Jack Richardson 3

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The GreenGo Nightclub (Gstaad Palace Hotel)

party party party!!!

throws a 40th Anniversary Party, sponsored

by Hublot...

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