Brummell May 2011

MAY 2011

the little blAck book for the citY

Piece of the action off-roAd biking in AfricA & seven More inspirAtionAl AdrenAlin trips / rising stArs of hedge funds / festivAl of speed / suMMer stYle / Adventure wAtches

Breguet, the innovator.

Invention of the shock-protection device, 1790

Inspired by “subscription watches,” the Tradition 7027BR model daringly symbolizes the Breguet art of watchmaking through a subtle play on transparency effects and an eminent contemporary architectural design. It highlights one of Breguet’s most important inventions, the pare-chute, designed to protect the balance pivots in case of impact, it was the forerunner of all modern shock-absorbing devices. History is still being written ... www.breguet.com/inventions

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Black sand-blasted high-tech ceramic watch. Matte rubber strap.

Self-winding mechanical movement. 42-hour power reserve. Water-resistant to 300 metres.

CONTENTS | BRUMMELL

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Cover illustration

by Mark Weaver Show Media Brummell editorial 020 3222 0101 Editor Joanne Glasbey Art Director Dominic Bell Associate Editor Henry Farrar-Hockley Chief Sub Editor Chris Madigan Picture Editor Juliette Hedoin Designer Hillary Jayne Contributing Editor Maria Yacoob Sub Editors Sarah Evans, Tom Calverley Fashion Director Tamara Fulton Styling Assistant Pop Kampol Creative Director Ian Pendleton Managing Director Peter Howarth Advertising & Events Director Duncan McRae duncan@flyingcoloursmarketing.com 07816 218059

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Contents 14

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Philip Sinden; Neil Gavin; Tif Hunter

showmedia.net brummell@showmedia.net Visit Brummell’s new website for more tailor-made content: brummellmagazine.net

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Colour reproduction by Fresh Media Group, wearefmg.com Printed by The Manson Group, manson-grp.co.uk Brummell is designed and produced by Show Media Ltd and distributed with Financial News. All material © Show Media Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. The information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. £5 (where sold).

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Foreword If you’re thinking that you can concentrate on family and outside interests later, take it from David Charters, you can’t. Do it now…

Money no object Leica’s sleek and high-spec binoculars

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Beaumonde

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News The beautiful new Riva speedboat; Ralph Lauren’s cars; a rugged camera and luxurious hideouts in Morocco and LA Art collecting Christie’s forthcoming sale of some of the 20th century’s best-known British artists Watches Timepieces for and inspired by air aces, motor racers and extreme sportsmen Motorcycle adventure Join Charley Boorman on a bikers’ off-road trip across Africa

After the City Former banker Nick Bettany gave up his membership of holiday property investment club Hideaways… and became its CEO

Features

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Adventure travel Hang-glide over Rio, fish for marlin or train to be a cosmonaut – in a weekend Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill-climbing F1 racers, covetable classic cars and even automotive sculpture Style This summer you don’t have to be neutral – pick a colour and make a splash Rising stars Six of the best from an exciting new generation of hedge fund heroes

By George A new CEO is breathing life into Gieves & Hawkes and transforming 1 Savile Row

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A QU EST FOR D EPTH.

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE DIVER Designed and developed for deep-sea exploration, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver is equipped with a dedicated divingscale on an inner rotating dial ring and meets the demanding criteria of the Swiss watch industry diver’s watch norms. Water-resistant to 300 metres. Stainless steel case.

Proprietary selfwinding calibre 3120, all parts finely decorated; oscillating weight engraved with the AP monogram as well as the Audemars and Piguet family crests.

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FOREWORD | BRUMMELL

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Balance of traders On the City tightrope to riches, the risks and demands of work can threaten to outweigh the other things that matter – family and fun Words David Charters Illustration Marcus Butt How do you judge a life well lived? The classic investment banker’s answer would start with professional success, which in turn delivers big time in a financial and material sense. Seniority, reputation and authority are accompanied by the house, cars, holiday home, art, clothes and jewellery. He who dies with the most toys wins. Except does he really? I have a nagging doubt that the mental trophy cabinet we fill with life’s successes needs a few extras that you just can’t buy with cash.

What are the things in life we really remember? Okay, apart from that. My 19-yearold son returned recently from six months at the Kasanka National Park in Zambia. In the UK, he says, he feels he is living life in monochrome. The sights, sounds, smells of Africa live on in his mind in a way that he has not really experienced elsewhere.

We pass this way but once. Yes, even god-like investment bankers who pull the levers that move the world still only have one unrepeatable life, and when it’s over, that’s it. The fact that we choose to spend the lion’s share of it chained to our desks in the corporate finance team room, or attached to our workstations on the trading floor, or asleep on planes jetting around the world on business, simply raises the stakes for the way we choose to spend the little that’s left over.

Certain memorable events are self-selecting – and most centre on the family. Marriage is one. Every time I get married I feel it’s special.

Children are similar. Pregnancy and childbirth, the first day at school, prizegiving, sports day and the pantomime. We’re suckers for all of these occasions.

But most of the time, most of our effort goes into our careers. Do we really live when we beat Morgan Stanley to a mandate? Well, yes, up to a point. But of course the reason we won is that we have a more highly ranked research analyst, and lend the company more money, and have more history, and did their last deal, and so on. And when we lose, the opposite logic applies. So after the first few wins and losses our professional ups are a bit

up, and our downs are a bit down. No ecstatic triumphs and no major disasters.

Which is not to say we don’t take risks. Try organising a team move to a new firm. Or playing high-stakes poker at bonus time without a job offer in your back pocket. Or sticking your neck out to win the mandate for a high-risk transaction when the firm hasn’t yet lined up behind you. And of course deals go wrong, and we all get tested. When Plan A doesn’t work, and Plan B is to make sure Plan A does work, and you look around and suddenly you’re on your own, with not a colleague in sight, you’re tested.

But our professional lives, once they gain a certain trajectory, aren’t usually enough to satisfy us. We need some extra ingredient to give life an edge without which it seems just a little bland, predictable, safe and frankly dull.

I envy colleagues who fulfil this need in harmless ways, say at the opera or the ballet, experiencing something sublime that no amount of education will ever give me. Then there are those who blow up, go off with a younger woman or man and consign themselves to the exhilarating chaos and destruction of an emotional roller-coaster. What we need is a pressure valve, an escape mechanism that connects us to reality, yet at the same time shakes us out of our routine. And I don’t mean living dangerously by riding a Boris bike.

When I first started in the Square Mile, at S G Warburg, a senior banker warned me that he had seen many in the City get the balance of life wrong. He saw three elements to life.

First, work: we should enjoy it and it should matter to us beyond the simple financial outcome. Yeah, right, I thought – just give me

What we need is an escape mechanism that connects us to reality, yet at the same time shakes us out of our routine

the bonus. Second, our families: he had seen too many marriages sacrificed by people who sleepwalked into disaster. Won’t happen to me, I thought as I began sleepwalking. Finally, our unique interests and enthusiasms, however anorak-like they appear to others. Sure, I thought – time enough for golf when I retire.

20:20 hindsight is a wonderful thing, but he was right. I got everything wrong, more than once – don’t ever believe what they say about learning from mistakes.

The easiest bit to fix is the bit most of us neglect – those personal interests that set us apart. In a career as demanding as ours, it is easy to forget the things we did at university; the diverse passions that made us interesting and worth hiring in the first place. We live off intellectual reserves that aren’t replenished by taking clients to Glyndebourne.

But it goes further. As well as intellectually refreshing and reinventing ourselves, we need to do so emotionally and even – am I really writing this? – spiritually. The moments I remember most vividly are ones where I’ve been totally outside my comfort zone: leaping out of an aircraft at 15,000 feet, observing the ocean floor from a submersible 1,000ft below the surface, face to face with lions on a walking safari in the African bush… the list goes on. We need to get away. We need adrenalin and the unexpected, which destroys our comfortable routines, and we need to rediscover the man or woman beneath the suit.

Physical adventures are particularly compelling, but there are other types too – the creative challenge of covering a canvas with paint, or a blank page with words. What they all have in common is an escape from the mundane, a re-energising process that fixes us for a while at least and gets us back on track.

And when we look back on our lives, those are the things that we’ll remember most – even more than the bonus round and certainly more than beating Morgan Stanley.

The fifth novel in the Dave Hart series, The Ego’s Nest by David Charters, will be published

by Elliott and Thompson in July, price £6.99

ALAIN THÉBAULT, RECORDED AT A SPEED OF 104.27 KM/H Recorded at a speed of 104.27 km/h (56.3 knots), with an average speed of 50.17 knots over one nautical mile, Alain Thébault now holds two world records thanks to his extraordinary performance on board the Hydroptère, the craft that flies using its carbon hydrofoils. A pioneer in high frequency with its El Primero caliber, ZENITH is the inventor of the most accurate automatic movement in the world. This high-precision watch will henceforth be gracing the wrist of Alain Thébault during all his future exploits.

EL PRIMERO STRIKING 10th

ZENITH, THE PIONEER SPIRIT SINCE 1865 www.zenith-watches.com

bRUMMELL

MONEY NO OBJECT Leica Silverline: powerful, elegant binoculars from the German masters of optical engineering Words Maria Yacoob Photography Tif Hunter

Trekking to the top of Kilimanjaro, sailing off the Gold Coast, tracking cheetah on safari in Kenya. Adventures like these may serve up the most awe-inspiring views known to man. Using your eyes alone gives half the story. To appreciate the scenery fully, a high-spec visual instrument is absolutely essential.

The German masters of optical engineering have introduced Leica Silverline – a collection of powerful binoculars encased in Leica’s elegant black and silver styling. The Silverline’s

exceptional image brightness means you can see even when visibility or light is poor. And the binoculars’ large focus wheel lets you sharpen your view in seconds.

Leica’s mission has always been to make the most of the big outdoors, building its first prototype compact camera in 1913, for landscape shots. Now, you’d be advised to make Leica an essential travel companion.

Leica Silverline 10x42 binoculars, £1,489; leica-camera.com

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news | beAumonde

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Adventure leisurewear, an indestructible camera and an iconic Riva reincarnation

swim style, peak practicality Chucs Dive and Mountain shop is a new Mayfair-based brand for adventurers who like old-school luxury in their leisurewear. Behind the brand is Charles ‘Chucs’ Finch, the celebrated film producer, talent agent and founder of Finch and Partners, with a pedigree of adventure. His father, the actor Peter Finch, helped carve out Jamaica as a playground for the rich and famous; his grandfather George invented the puffa jacket before ascending Everest in 1922 with Mallory. Chucs’ summer collection features a range of retro-inspired swimwear for men and women, as well as Bermuda and hiking shorts, shirts and T-shirts, safari jackets and boots. chucsdiveshop.com

Fast art Ralph Lauren is passionate about classic cars. ‘My first speed car that had some real technology to it was a 1979 Porsche Turbo,’ Lauren recalls.

‘It was really fast.’ Then he bought a Daytona Spyder, which was the beginning of his ‘Ferrari fever’. ‘I’ve always seen cars as art,’ he explains. ‘Moving art.

I felt that the real beauty of owning a rare and magnificently designed car was the fact that you can use it.’ Masterpieces from his collection, such as the 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, above, are on show in Paris this summer at Les Arts Décoratifs, until 28 August. lesartsdecoratifs.fr

Take action If your ideal holiday involves skydiving, snowboarding, or other extreme sporting activity, you’ll need a camera as tough as you are. That’s where the Pentax Optio WG1 GPS comes in. The rugged aluminium-alloy body covering this hardy little compact camera means you can drop it from 1.5 metres, stamp on it with up to 100kg of weight, take it in temperatures as low as -10 degrees centigrade, or submerge it underwater at depths of up to 10 metres, and it will still click.

Built-in GPS automatically calculates and stores your latitude and longitude, so you can locate your photos. And it all comes with top picture quality.

A 14-megapixel CCD sensor produces fantastically realistic images, and a 5X optical zoom enables a full range of photos. £299.99; pentax.co.uk

suite smell of success The historic Beverly Hills Hotel, part of The Dorchester Collection, is launching two brand new presidential bungalows this month, and with 5,500 square feet of luxury living space, they will become the largest and most prestigious suites in Los Angeles. A Hollywood landmark, the hotel is known locally as ‘the pink palace’ due to its powder pink stucco façade and it has been a celebrity haunt (and hideout) since it was built in 1912. Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes would reserve 25 of the hotel’s rooms at a time, and stayed for a number of years.

Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and JFK have all reserved the famous bungalows. Rates from £5,500 per night; beverlyhillshotel.com; thedorchestercollection.com

20 beaumonde | news

bella figura It's all about la dolce vita at the newly renovated Angelo Galasso store in Knightsbridge, exemplified by the in-store bar. Galasso used to be a banker – one with a passion for designing and making menswear, which he has turned into a successful international business. The brand’s distinctive style – featuring its signature watch-cuff shirts – boasts special finishes and unique detailing on formal wear. Bespoke service applies not just to clothes, but every accessory. No wonder the label has proved a hit with celebrities from David Beckham, via Jay-Z, to the King of Jordan. angelogalasso.com

Viva Riva The Riva Aquarama wasn’t just a speedboat – it was a post-war nautical legend. A cruising speed of 45 knots, a cockpit like a luxury Sixties Cadillac, and that unmistakable eight-metre hull carved from mahogany. Riva has just announced the arrival of its modern-day reincarnation – the Iseo. Named after the Italian lake beside which Riva has been building boats since 1842, it shares many iconic features of its predecessor; the wooden 27ft hull has been replaced by lighter glass-reinforced plastic, which means it can be towed by a Range Rover. As a dayboat for coastal cruising and watersports, the Iseo is setting the new standard for luxury motor boats. venturaeurope.com

now and then This year’s bi-centenary of Perrier-Jouët has been a hectic time for Hervé Deschamps, the champagne house’s cellar master. The Perrier Jouet Living Legacy Champagne allows those who purchase it to enjoy its prestige cuvée, and hand it down to future generations. It consists of two magnums of Belle Époque 1998, especially selected by Deschamps for its exceptional ageing capacity (which means it can be enjoyed 100 years from now). The magnums are uniquely presented in an interesting diptych sculpture by artist Daniel Arsham. One magnum is to be enjoyed now; the other is stored in a specially built cellar at the Perrier-Jouët estate in Épernay. An exciting long-term investment for around £9,000. perrier-jouet.com moor flights Keep an eye on bmi: British Midland International is extending its reach on the world with new direct routes recently launched to Marrakech three times a week and Casablanca fourt times a week, flying out of Heathrow.

A full-service business class with competitive pricing is offered, with use of the stylish bmi lounge in Terminal 1, and a stress-free flight with surprisingly palatable food. While in Marrakech, check in to La Villa des Orangers – a Relais and Châteaux property – an elegant small palace which is a tranquil retreat in the heart of the city. Boasting the best of Moroccan craftsmanship and materials, its French owners ensure its style and elegance, both in design and cuisine. flybmi.com; relaischateaux.com

www.canali.it

126-127 New Bond Street, Tel. 0207 2903 500 london.bondst.shop@canali.it

22 beaumonde | art collecting

Hammer time Clockwise from left: Lowry’s ‘The Football Match’; gold figures commissioned by Morris Singer; and Spencer’s ‘The Crucifixion’

In the frame Now’s the time to get back in the art market with Christie’s sale of 20th-century British work Words Maria Yacoob

Rachel Hidderley is excited. As an international specialist of 20th-century British art and a director at Christie’s in London, she is looking forward to the auction house’s biggest sale of 20th-century British and Irish art in years.

‘The 20th-century British art market considerably retracted in late 2008,’ says Hidderley. ‘In 2009, the market was depressed and slow. People resisted putting paintings and sculptures into sales because prices were low.

At the end of 2010 the market started to show the first signs of recovery, and this is the biggest sale we’ve had for some time. Prices are rising, so it’s a good time to get back into the market.’

With 177 works on sale, the auction on 26 May is highly appealing to private collectors.

‘This market is accessible, because people can always find something they like,’ says Hidderley.

The sale, with prices starting at less than £10,000,

will feature works by just about every significant British and Irish artist from the last century, including Ben Nicholson, Sir Stanley Spencer, Dame Barbara Hepworth and LS Lowry.

The painting set to generate the most excitement is ‘The Football Match’ by Lowry.

‘Christie’s dominates the market for Lowrys,’ says Hidderley. ‘We bring 30 or 40 works to auction each year. He’s one of the most collectable and valuable British artists of the last century, and this is the finest work of his that has ever come to auction.’ It is one of Lowry’s bigger canvases and brings together his two signature themes – the industrial panorama, and people at work and play. The work is expected to fetch £3.5 to £4.5 million.

Another highlight of the auction is a series of still-life paintings by the Scottish Colourists, from the early part of the century. ‘The work of

these four artists is aesthetically beautiful and instantly recognisable, which makes it very popular with collectors,’ explains Hidderley. The leading piece among these paintings is ‘Still Life with Coffee Pot’, 1905, by Samuel John Peploe, expected to fetch from £800,000 to £1.2 million.

A more unusual inclusion, it could be argued, is Sir Winston Churchill. ‘Churchill didn’t sell paintings in his lifetime, he painted to relax,’ says Hidderley. ‘But he’s an important historical figure, and his paintings were often executed at key moments in history, so there is international interest in his works.’

One painting Hidderley is personally excited about is Sir Stanley Spencer’s ‘The Crucifixion’. ‘He produced only three crucifixion paintings. When the last one was sold in 1990, it became the most expensive work of his ever sold, a record broken only in the past couple of years. This picture was commissioned in the Thirties by an American collector and came to light in 1980, so it’s exciting to have it here.’

Hidderley says the British art market is subject to trends. ‘Major sales of a particular movement will generate additional interest in that era. But client demand is an important factor, too. In this regard, the most sought-after British works are from Forties and Fifties artists including Dame Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore and their peers. The work needs to come to auction to see trends.’

Hidderley is intrigued to see what happens with the sale of four 18-carat gold sculptures, commissioned by Morris Singer in the early Seventies. ‘The pieces have artistic value, of course, but also there’s the value of the gold itself, which has risen significantly in recent years.’ Whatever happens, it’s clear that the auction on 26 May is not to be missed. christies.com

The best of the best from around the world Welcoming the visitor to an enhanced and expanded arena in which to explore a myriad of delights, from fine and decorative art to classic cars, contemporary design and fine dining. More to find, more to enjoy. Reinvent with us the art and entertainment of collecting at Masterpiece London.

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Information maStErpiECEfair.Com | +44 (0)20 7499 7470

Bremont Mustang P-51 Following the success of its 2008 EP120 chronograph, which included parts saved during the restoration of a Spitfire fighter, aviation watch specialist Bremont has introduced a new limited edition that incorporates metal from the fuselage of a 1944 Mustang P-51 warbird. The dial is based on the Mustang’s cockpit instruments and a sapphire crystal case back reveals a propellor-shaped winding rotor bearing the plane’s nickname ‘Fragile but Agile’. Just 251 examples will be made. £7,450; bremont.com Breitling for Bentley Ice Speed Record Back in February, four times world rally champion Juha Kankkunen drove a Bentley Continental Supersports to a recordbreaking 205.48 mph – on ice! The four-wheel-drive, six-litre car was running on biofuel and conventional, studless snow tyres for the attempt, which took place in sudden blizzards, powerful crosswinds and -30°F temperatures. To mark the achievement, Bentley’s watchmaking partner Breitling offers this Ice Speed Record chronograph with a white dial and white rubber strap. £5,440; breitling.com Oris Carlos Costa Cenote Series In 2010, Venezuelan freediver Carlos Costa set a new Guinness World Record by completing a 150m underwater swim through the Mexican Dos Ojos sea cave network (or cenote) armed with just a torch and a monofin. In recognition of the feat, Oris has created the rugged Carlos Coste Cenote Series, which features a highvisibility minute-counter and a scratchproof ceramic bezel. Each titanium chronograph is supplied with both a bracelet and a rubber strap together with a certificate verifying it is from a limited edition of 2,000. £2,650; oris.ch Hamilton Khaki Pioneer Automatic Hollywood action hero Harrison Ford originally teamed up with watch brand Hamilton back in 2008 to produce a line of watches for an organisation called Team Earth that ‘catalyses personal and collective action for the planet via the connective power of the web’. The third and latest watch that Ford and Hamilton have collaborated on is the Team Earth Khaki Pioneer chronograph, proceeds from sales of which will go to the charity. £1,320; hamiltonwatch.com Linde Werdelin SpidoSpeed The ‘USP’ of adventure watch brand Linde Werdelin centres around the fact that each model in the all-mechanical range is built to accept a clip-on electronic computer, called an ‘Instrument’, designed either for skiing (‘The Rock’) or SCUBA diving (‘The Reef’). Until now, Linde Werdelin has generally made time-only watches, but at the Baselworld show in March it unveiled this chronograph with a lightweight, skeletonised case and design cues taken from the motor racing world – notably sub-dials that look like brake discs and a winding rotor that resembles part of an alloy wheel. €11,760; lindewerdelin.com (Watches listed clockwise from top left)

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WAtCHeS | BRUMMeLL 25

26 beAumonde | motorcycle Adventure

African routes Charley Boorman is leading a group of bikers back to the continent he and Ewan McGregor explored in Long Way Down – and you could join them Words Charlie Norton

A warm wind bathes your face as you make your way up a steep incline; eland antelope dart in front of your motorbike as you reach the top of a mountainous ravine. You switch the engine off, and there is nothing but quiet. You peer around at the panoramic views of the savannah and, for a moment, the African continent is yours.

It’s an experience actor and adventurer Charley Boorman knows very well. ‘Everybody has a road trip somewhere inside them,’ he says, and none is more sought after than one of his personalised African bike tours. The famed raconteur explains how they started: ‘I’d been doing so many speeches and talks after the success of Long Way Down with Ewan McGregor [the African edition of Boorman and McGregor’s award-winning travel documentary about their boy’s-own motorbike adventures] that people saw the fun we had and kept on coming up and asking if they could come on our next trip. So I did one last year and it was hilarious – the laughs never stopped.’

Boorman invites motorbike enthusiasts to experience adventures with him as guide through the tried and tested 5,000km route that starts at Cape Town and travels through an array of stunning landmarks, winelands, canyons, nature reserves, hot springs and desert, through three countries, all the way to the Victoria Falls and back again. It’s a 16-day trip on off-road tracks for biking with stunning wildlife all around. ‘You see animals everywhere,’ Charley describes. ‘Last year we saw 40 elephants crossing the road just in front of us and we had ostriches running alongside us for miles.’

‘The route is 80 per cent off-road and there are a couple of great gnarly days if you fancy it,’ adds Boorman, ‘but there are also guides, a support crew, and trucks alongside [to support the BMW R1200 GS bikes provided – or the lighter BMW F650 GS Dakar if preferred].

Daily routes and GPS equipment mean there’s no pressure to ride in a pack and there are only a couple of long-distance days, at around 430km.’

He says that everyone settles in quickly once they relax about the wilds of the continent. ‘Ewan and I went through all this before; we love the experience of Africa; there is nothing quite like it and the trip gave us so much confidence. And we stay at some great places on the way.’

There’s plenty of time for sundowners and luxury accommodation through the journey, and a chance for spa relaxation, golf, riding, canoeing, a game drive to Etosha National Park and a sunset cruise to see the hippos of the Kvango river.

The tour even includes a two-day BMW Off-Road Skills school in Wales with Dakar legend Simon Pavey to put your mind and throttle at ease. There are 25 places on the trip and a few more for non-biking partners and family. And the tireless Boorman is already planning another trip with a different route for 2012.

The next trips will be from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, 24 August to 8 September, and the return journey, 11 to 26 September. Price: €7,450 for bikers, €2,950 for pillions, €4,250 for 4x4 passengers. charleyboorman.com

CHRONOMAT The benchmark in the field of mechanical chronographs, equipped with an ultrasturdy case that is water-resistant to 500 meters (1,650 ft), and with Manufacture Breitling Caliber 01, the most reliable and high-performance selfwinding chronograph movement, chronometer-certified by the COSC. £ 10160*

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28 beAumonde | AFTeR THe CITY

vACATIon voCATIon With a wealth of experience in the finance and leisure sectors, Nick Bettany is perfectly placed as CEO of The Hideaways Club

Break points The luxury holiday-property investment club that’s now run by one of its former members Words James Medd Photography Sam Christmas

Nick Bettany arrives late for our appointment, but since he has been attending a prenatal scan it’s hard to hold against him. It’s twin boys: ‘Jumping in at the deep end,’ he says with the smile of one who has a good idea of what he's in for. You feel he’ll manage, considering the ridiculous amount he's already packed into his 34 years.

Since September Bettany has been CEO of The Hideaways Club, a property firm with one of those glaringly obvious clever ideas. He has the elevator pitch off pat: ‘Hideaways combines a real-estate investment with a lifestyle choice. We see it as an alternative to second-home ownership, without the restrictions of being stuck in one place and all the hassle of maintenance.’

Hideaways has two funds, the Classic Collection, which comprises four- or fivebedroom villas from piste-side Alps to beachside Mauritius, and the City Collection,

which launches this month with 10 properties in major world cities. The Classic has been running for four years, with members investing up to £250,000; when they sell, they receive 80 per cent of the capital appreciation, which has been a steady six per cent since launch, according to Bettany.

In the meantime they have eight weeks a year in luxury holiday homes, the current 34 set to rise to 100. They also pay a levy of £14,000 but the level of accommodation might cost closer to £80,000 on the open market, and that’s before you factor in the concierge service that looks after everything from cleaning to shopping.

The City Collection has apartments in New York and Miami, some European capitals and also Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The system is the same but, since use will be less seasonal, there can be more members per property and so membership and annual cost contribution (for 23 nights a year) are lower, £120,000 and £5,300 respectively. ‘The Classic is more for families,’ says Bettany, ‘this is for people who are a bit more constrained with their time, who can’t afford to spend up to eight weeks a year on villa holidays.’

Bettany speaks very quickly, but coherently and persuasively. He’s the kind of man you’d trust with both your money and your holidays, particularly if you knew the breadth of his experience in both. Having followed his father into fund management in Jersey, he moved from administration to regulation. Then, after an MBA at INSEAD in 2006, he came to London and boutique investment bank Avington, buying and selling hotel chains, before turning entrepreneur in 2008 and setting up IT and care-home businesses.

His initial interest in Hideaways was as a member, and one who well knows the suffering of second-home ownership. As well as a family-owned wine estate in the Loire that he describes as a ‘labour of love’, he has a place in the Algarve which is a typical Hideaways story: ‘We’ve had it for 20, 24 years, probably been there 15 times, and it just sits there mouldering.’

He’s always had a toe in the hospitality industry, too. Since the mid-Nineties he’s had a stake in the Banyan Tree resort in the Seychelles, and he helps his brother, an award-winning hotelier who runs ‘eco-boutique resort’ Azura in Mozambique. He bought into the Hideaways management company, then came onboard in 2010, becoming CEO last September.

It’s a perfect fit. ‘I’m an accountant at heart,’ he says with pride, ‘but I’m involved in every aspect from sales and marketing to operations to speaking to members and making sure they’re happy.’ thehideawaysclub.com

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ADVENTURE TRAVEL | BRUMMELL

31

HIGH TIME Thrill-filled short action breaks bring exciting new meaning to the phrase, something for the weekend

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Words Ian Belcher

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Hang-gliding over Rio

Marlin fishing in Seychelles

Dive in the Turks and Caicos

Terror – or utter exhilaration – doesn’t get more spectacular than soaring above Rio de Janeiro’s lush favela-clad mountain slopes and ludicrously photogenic beaches. After driving up 1,700 feet of switchbacks to the Pedra Bonita launch point, you step into thick tropical air attached to a hang-glider alongside a tandem pilot and, hopefully, do the birdman thing over Sugar Loaf Mountain, Copacabana and Corcovado.

You’ll want to go again. No question.

But it’s only one element of an adventurepacked weekend including foot volley – an intense local version of keepy-uppy – and a professional surf clinic.

With only four hours’ time difference, jet lag isn’t too brutal, but you’ll still want to relax, so stay at the seriously hip Fasano on Ipanema Beach with one of the world’s great roof-top bars – the perfect spot to toast your hanggliding survival with a chilled caipirinha.

Abercrombie & Kent (0845 618 2211; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers four nights at the Fasano including all activities, transfers and direct BA business-class flights from £5,795pp

Adrenalin is rarely such a sun-soaked foot-to-the-floor blast, luxury rarely so remote.

To pursue the marlin, the electric-hued alpha of the sea, head to the edge of the Seychelles archipelago, where the waters morph from emerald to Prussian blue. It’s here, where the reef plummets into the Indian Ocean, that you find the marlin chasing smaller prey, along with vast tuna and bonito.

Once you’ve accessed your inner Hemingway, return to North Island where Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, the architects behind Botswana’s Jao and Mombo safari camps, have created an exclusive shabby-chic retreat. With butler-serviced villas and buildings forged from Dalíesque trees containing sunken sofas, reflection pools and screens of roped coral, it’s true barefoot luxury.

The three-hour time difference doesn’t detract from a high-octane short break.

Ultimate Safaris & Islands (020 7589 8800; ultimatesafarisandislands.com) has four nights’ full board from £11,195pp, including first-class flights with Emirates, helicopter transfers, activities and half-day game fishing (extra full day from £2,275)

If you’re travelling a fair way for immersion in the big blue, it’s a pleasure to find world-class dives lying directly in front of your luxury tropical pad. That’s the deal at Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos, where some of the loveliest of the islands’ 1,000 square miles of reef lie 500 metres off Malcom’s Beach, home to Amanyara’s dreamy pavilions and magnificent villas.

The Boulder Star and Elkhorn coral of the reef system’s five-mile long Northwest Marine Point National Park are frescoed with vibrant schooling fish, turtles and spotted eagle rays. If you want to explore further afield, there are the acclaimed walls of the West Caicos, remote reefs of French Cay and elaborate coral of Sandbore Channel. Further excitement lies with whale watching during the winter migration of Atlantic humpbacks, often accompanied by bottlenose dolphins.

Dive in Style (0207 978 0505; diveinstyle. com) offers four nights at Amanyara from £9, 250pp including first-class flights via Miami, transfers and activities including one complimentary dive

32 BRUMMELL | ADVENTURE TRAVEL

ON TOp Of ThE wORLD Utah’s Buckskin Gulch is the longest slot canyon on Earth, left. Learn to cope with weightlessness and indulge your inner space cadet at Star City’s cosmonaut training centre in Russia, below

Kite-surfing in Tarifa You don’t need Hawaii’s North Shore for the best kite-surfing on the planet. The simple hop to Spain’s Tarifa – mainland Europe’s most southerly town – delivers the ultimate conditions with a regular wind kissing the Straits of Gibraltar. It’s the natural theatre to learn or perfect control of your kite before transferring to the ocean and jumping like a pro.

Much of the area, of course, has the back-to-basic, drying wetsuit air of any surfy spot, so head to seriously stylish Almuña, a whitewashed Andalusían farmhouse worthy of interiors magazines, whose estate contains olive groves, almond trees and a stunning pool. There are top-notch meals exploiting the farm’s organic garden and sundowners on the honeysuckle-clad terrace with views to the Pillars of Hercules, Rock of Gibraltar and lights of North Africa. If you or your arms tire of kite-surfing try the caving, mountain biking or shooting.

Arbuthnott Holidays (020 7738 2032; arbuthnottholidays.com) has three nights’ full board, transfers and kite-surfing tuition and equipment from €200pp per night. Businessclass BA (ba.com) to Gibraltar from £392

hike the Utah desert

Climbing St Lucia’s pitons As geographical icons go, the fecund twin peaks of St Lucia’s pitons are up there with Table Mountain. Spiking almost 3,000 feet towards the heavens, the West Indies’ most photogenic features can each be climbed in three to six hours, starting in the cool of the

Cosmonaut training

morning. Ironically, Gros Piton is the easier with its smaller, 2,461-foot neighbour Petit Piton a steeper, more demanding challenge, but both offer panoramic ocean views.

You’ll get stunning views of the route from your private infinity pool at Jade Mountain hotel, which also offers a day’s sailing on its private yacht and mountain biking at its Jungle Centre on a cove across the bay.

ITC Classics (01244 355527; itcclassics.co.uk) offers four nights’ B&B in the Galaxy Sanctury suite at Jade Mountain from £7,115pp, including BA flights (outbound first class, return business).

Guided hikes £45, sailing £230

In Russia big bucks, or rather big rubles, open up extraordinary possibilities for a long weekend. From Moscow’s Ararat Park Hotel – five stars of Hyatt luxury close to the Bolshoi – it’s just 15 miles to Star City’s soviet era cosmonaut training centre.

Along with a replica of the MKS orbital space station its giant pool accommodates a 20-tonne module for weightless space walk training. You can don cosmonauts’ suits, eat their food and meet a living, breathing specimen, but it’s a mere aperitif for your private zero-gravity flight in an IL-76. The ‘Flying Laboratory’ performs a series of parabolic curves leaving you floating like a feather for up to a minute at a time.

Alternatively, you can downgrade to a day’s dynamic training in an L-39 jet with flying instruction, ejector seat training and a flight involving loop rolls, dives and a stint at the controls. May the force be with you.

Black Tomato (020 7426 9888; blacktomato. co.uk) offers four nights in Moscow including accommodation, flights, transfers, jet training and Star City with Flying Laboratory for £21,500pp

Corbis

Probably the maximum number of time zones you’ll want to cross for a long weekend, Utah’s incredible landscape and Aman’s exquisite bolthole easily cushion the blow of any jet lag.

Excitement comes courtesy of mesmerising hikes along the likes of Buckskin Gulch (the longest slot canyon on earth), the dazzling white spires of the Wahweap Hoodoos and the South Coyote buttes.

Up the adrenalin level on the giddying cables and rungs of Aman’s Via Ferratas, particularly the steep Cave Peak with its airy traverse and spectacular summit. Or try a private hot-air balloon flight over the Grand Canyon, bass fishing on Lake Powell or a recklessly large wager in the casinos of Vegas.

Whatever your heart-pumping poison it’s juxtaposed with the pared-back elegance of Amangiri, whose modernist style and tones are an almost organic part of the wilderness.

Original Travel (020 7978 7333; originaltravel. co.uk) has a Utah break from £5,690pp including four nights at Amangiri, club-class BA flights to Vegas, private plane transfers to Page. Guided day hikes from £360, Grand Canyon Balloon £590, Via Ferrata £360

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Goodwood | BRUMMELL 35

Speed date The heady mix of of vintage vehicles and super-fast cars makes the Goodwood Festival of Speed the largest motoring garden party in the world words Simon de Burton

While the idea of living in a vast stately home surrounded by thousands of acres of land seems idyllic, the reality is often somewhat different – constant maintenance and huge running costs being the most commonly cited drawbacks. But things look spick and span at Goodwood House in West Sussex, partly because its incumbent, the Earl of March and Kinrara, has successfully combined business with pleasure by using the grounds to stage one of the world’s best-loved motoring events, the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS).

Lord March inaugurated the Festival of Speed in 1993 by turning a 1.16-mile stretch of estate road that runs in front of the house into a hill-climb course. The thrilling spectacle of

dozens of great old cars and motorcycles racing up the hill against the clock attracted 25,000 visitors the first time round, and the FoS became an annual event that is now so popular that attendance is capped at 150,000.

Somewhat ironically, Lord March only devised the Festival of Speed because, at the time, he was unable to get a permit to return classic racing to the old Goodwood circuit that was set up in 1948 by his late grandfather – Freddie March, 9th Duke of Richmond – on the site of a World War II airfield on the 12,000-acre estate. Freddie March was an accomplished racing driver and engineer, but his contribution to motorsport organisation was even more significant.

For 15 years, the Goodwood circuit rivalled Silverstone and Brands Hatch for prestige, and it was where Stirling Moss had his first proper race (and simultaneously took his first chequered flag). Other greats such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Graham Hill and Jim Clark also competed at Goodwood, but soon the cars became too fast for the track and, in 1962, Moss had a crash there that was to end his international career. Four years later, Freddie March mothballed the place, buildings and all.

So when the current Lord March first tried to revive the circuit shortly after taking over the estate during the early Nineties and failed, the permit situation led him to decide to stage the hill climb directly within the

grounds of Goodwood House instead. Its instant success made him a force to be reckoned with in the motorsport world and, in 1998, he achieved his dream of returning racing to his grandfather’s circuit with the launch of the Goodwood Revival, which now takes place every September.

The Festival of Speed, however, has earned a special place in the hearts of old-car enthusiasts the world over, and is now regarded as one of the main fixtures on the summer motorsport calendar – ‘the largest motoring garden party in the world’, they call it. It has, of course, grown hugely since its inauguration and become a must for many leading manufacturers of cars, motorcycles and luxury goods.

For the duration of the weekend, the grounds become host to a mind-boggling exotic vehicle show that includes the remarkable motoring artworks of sculptor Gerry Judah and the glittering Cartier concours d’élégance, which attracts some of the world’s rarest collector’s cars. There’s a forest rally stage too, as well as an impressive air display – this year the Red Arrows will be performing overhead.

But it is the hill-climb action that still forms the heart of the event, giving spectators the chance to see cars and motorcycles from all eras being driven hard and fast at an unusually close distance.

Although the course measures little more than a mile in length, every inch is action packed and the main straight, which runs directly in front of Goodwood House, is often the sight of some impressive showboating, be it in the form of wheelies from motorcycle riders or burn-outs from F1 drivers.

Like many enthusiasts, I have always wanted to tackle the course, and earlier this year I was given the opportunity to ride up the hill on the 250 horsepower Icon Sheene,

The grounds become host to a mind-boggling exotic vehicle show that includes remarkable motoring artworks and the Cartier concours d’élégance

fast acting Previous page: A historic Porsche Grand Prix F1 car at the 2010 Festival of Speed.

This page, clockwise from top right: Freddie March, 9th Duke of Richmond; an Alfa Romeo sculpture at the 2010 event; the Red Bull Racing RB5 on the hill climb last year

a 1400cc, turbocharged ‘ultrabike’ with a top speed in excess of 200mph. Only by experiencing the course first-hand do you realise just how tricky and demanding it really is to put in a fast time (a feat which I distinctly failed to achieve) – and there is very little room for error.

Perhaps surprisingly, the FoS has seen remarkably few incidents in its 18-year history, with only two fatal accidents. In 1993 Chas Guy died when his Vincent motorcycle went out of control on a tree-lined section of the hill, and in 2000 John Dawson-Damer, then Australia’s representative in the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), crashed a Lotus 63 into the finish gantry killing himself and a marshal.

The official record for climbing the hill was set in 1999 when Nick Heidfeld went from start to finish in a positively heroic 41.6 seconds at an average speed of 100.3mph driving a McLaren MP4/13 F1 car. It is a record that is unlikely to be broken any time soon, as F1 cars (and motorcycles) no longer do timed runs for safety reasons.

Timing, however, will take on a new significance at this year’s event as luxury watch brand TAG Heuer was recently announced as the main sponsor and official timing partner of the festival. Among innovations it will introduce are a 100-metre timed dash from the start line.

TAG will also enter 15 cars and motorcycles for the hill climb, each from a different era of the past century of motoring and ranging from a 1911 ‘Edwardian’ to a 2011, all-electric Tesla Roadster.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place from 30 June to 3 July. Tickets can be booked in advance and cost from £10 - £116; goodwood.com The Goodwood Revival takes place from 16 to 18 September. See website for details

Alamy; Getty Images; Wenn

36 BRUMMELL | goodwood

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The long game A new generation of hedge fund talent has ridden out the recent storm, and is now creating a stronger, more dynamic industry for the future. We meet six of its stars Words Harriet Agnew & Yasmine Chinwala Photography Philip Sinden

Hedge fund stars | BruMMeLL 45

In case you haven’t noticed, hedge funds are hot again. After variable performance in the financial crisis, hedge fund assets are now approaching record levels. Smart cookies are taking advantage of this renewed appetite by launching new funds and start-ups.

But this generation has learnt lessons from the turmoil. They are exploring new markets, cutting better deals and meeting the demands of regulators and increasingly vigilant investors.

The six individuals profiled here are from the first ‘FN 40 Under 40 Rising Stars of Hedge Funds’, Financial News’ editorial pick of the industry’s brightest up-and-comers. Their roles vary, but they all have in common fierce determination, dedication, youth and dynamism. And if you want to comfort yourself that they are one-dimensional workaholics, read on and think again.

The 40 were selected from a longlist of more than 100 potential rising stars, assessed by an editorial panel based on their career so far and potential to reach a position of major influence. To read profiles of all the ‘FN 40 Under 40’, visit efinancialnews.com

Jeff Blumberg, 35 Chief executive, Egerton Capital Blumberg says the greatest achievement of his career so far is joining Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 2000 and leaving 10 years later as a managing director – one of four MDs responsible for running Goldman’s $20bn fund of hedge funds business. He was also co-chief operating officer of the bank’s hedge fund strategies group and a member of its global manager strategies investment committee.

Last summer he joined European equities specialist Egerton, where founder John Armitage’s flagship fund has returned 16 per cent annually since inception in 1994.

Although Blumberg doesn’t manage money himself, under his leadership assets under management have grown from $3.9bn when he joined last June to $5.3bn.

Growing up in South Africa, Blumberg was fascinated by nature and enjoys wildlife photography. He also represented Canada and the US at international squash in his teens.

Henrik Molin, 35 Head of development, Frey Quantitative Strategies

New funds of funds firms have become a rare sight since the financial crisis, but a notable exception is Frey Quantitative Strategies. It was spun out of the family office of Robert Frey, a former managing director at Renaissance Technologies, in the summer of 2009.

Molin is leading the firm's global sales and marketing effort at a difficult time for capital raising, particularly for funds of funds.

An exercise fanatic and a driven

salesman, Molin credits his first mentor Nicholas de Chaps, head of sales at Reuters in Stockholm, who taught him not to be afraid to ask a client to close a deal.

He abandoned his pipe dream of becoming an actor or a spy and set his heart on finance after watching the movie Wall Street in 1987. Molin has written four financial thrillers, including a top-10 bestseller in Sweden, and recently finished a screenplay based on his first novel.

Emily Porter, 32 Portfolio manager, absolute return strategies, Universities Superannuation Scheme Porter always dreamt of becoming a sailing instructor somewhere exotic, but instead went into hedge fund investing. She joined the £32.25bn UK pension scheme USS to set up its hedge fund allocation process in 2009, just as hedge funds reeling from the financial crisis became eager for institutional money as never before, putting her in a powerful and influential position.

Her team has now allocated $1.75bn to 18 hedge fund managers, many of whom were previously closed to new investment. She worked closely with Man Group to set up a dedicated managed account platform and is looking at opportunities to seed new funds as well as revenue sharing deals. Porter believes strongly that the simplest insights are the most important. She says the best piece of advice she has been given is to learn from her mistakes: ‘Making them a second time is unforgivable.’

Leonard Charlton, 34 Portfolio manager, Dalton Strategic Partnership

Jamie Allsopp, 33 Portfolio manager, Insparo Asset Management

While his mother was the biggest influence on his personal life, Charlton says his mentor Gary Williams, former head of European equity trading at Goldman Sachs and renowned short-seller, made the most significant impact on his professional life. When Williams retired, Charlton left Goldman for GLG Partners before joining Dalton in 2006 to launch its long/short equity Melchior European Fund. The fund has gained 35.57 per cent since its launch in October 2006, substantially outperforming the MSCI Pan Euro index, which has lost 9.16 per cent over the same period. Almost half of the returns that Charlton has generated have come from the short book.

The regulated Ucits version of the fund has recently hit €250m, and last September Charlton launched a leveraged version of the strategy in response to investor demand.

Allsopp’s name and face may well be familiar: he was a poster boy for New Star Asset Management and one of founder John Duffield’s protégés. He was handed an Africa portfolio to run in 2003, a mere two years after joining the company straight from university, but was forced to close the fund in 2008 due to liquidity problems.

Now his star is back on the ascent. He left New Star for frontier markets specialist Insparo and in February launched a new Africa equity fund. Ever conscious of the importance of maintaining liquidity, Allsopp keeps in mind the words of the late Mercury Asset Management portfolio manager Julian Baring: ‘Avoid the lobster pots, they’re easy to get into but impossible to get out of.’

Growing up in South Africa instilled in Allsopp a love for the region, and he dreams of moving to Laikipia in Kenya when he retires.

48 BrUmmeLL | hedGe fUnd stars

PhotoGraPher’s assistant Yi Chen GroominG Marco Antonio, using MAC cosmetics and Bumble and Bumble hair products LoCation Photographed at the Town Hall Hotel, London E2; townhallhotel.com

Geoff Bamber, 29 Chief investment officer, Skyline Capital

Bamber cut his teeth as an investment analyst at emerging markets boutique Nevsky Capital, whose flagship hedge fund has made an annualised return of 25 per cent since launching in September 2000. But when Nevsky’s founders closed the fund last year, Bamber decided to strike out on his own

and set up Skyline Capital. Last November he launched a global long/ short equities hedge fund focusing on emerging markets, and is close to securing a strategic investor.

Although he had to abandon his childhood ambition to be a professional skier due to ‘lack of talent’, Bamber is a keen triathlete.

Last October he competed in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii – a gruelling 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and a 26.2 mile marathon. Bamber considers this the best advice he has ever been given: ‘Under no circumstances should you ever wear white Lycra.’

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50 BRUMMELL | BY GEORGE

Uniform response An illustrious record of dressing the great and good informs the reworking of Gieves & Hawkes

If a long and distinguished history can be a burden for a brand then Gieves & Hawkes wears its traditions lightly. Since 1771, it has dressed British kings, princes and aristos as well as luminaries including Evelyn Waugh, Laurence Olivier and even Robbie Williams.

It is this remarkable heritage that Gieves’ new boss, who is just one year into the job, is determined to use as part of his plans to refocus and develop the great name in British tailoring. ‘We’ve got this great address, 1 Savile Row, and this great name – we have a jewel in the crown but I discovered the crown itself needed rebuilding,’ says John Durnin.

Durnin arrived at Gieves & Hawkes as CEO after 20 years’ experience of luxury

retailing in Asia, principally with the Richemont group, where he oversaw the Dunhill name. When first approached by Gieves’ Hong Kong-based owner, he started researching the company.

‘I knew of it all already, of course, but what I discovered was this rich, deep history – and yet the brand was underdeveloped,’ he says.

He is aware of the need to balance the core competence of the business – tailoring and luxury menswear – with new products and services.

He wants to create what he describes as ‘an artisan’s emporium’, and a tour of 1 Savile Row, the flagship store, shows what he means.

There are brand collaborations – shoes are handmade in the store by James Ducker, of artisan shoemakers Carréducker, while Bill Amberg is the leather goods brand partner.

The grooming suite is provided by Gentleman’s Tonic. There is a collection of antique luggage and leather goods provided by Tim Bent of Bentley’s, long considered to be the expert in this field. As well as satisfying collectors and those looking for something quirky and different, customers are, for instance, buying the vintage leather cigar holders to use as iPhone holders.

This nifty little adaptation tells you a lot about the new Gieves approach to tradition.

Instead of attempting to re-create a heritage tailoring theme park complete with ancient cracked leather Chesterfields, Durnin wants to celebrate tradition but make it slightly funky and add some wit and eccentricity. Alongside the Bentley’s collection, for instance, are neo-industrial style business card and iPad holders produced from aircraft aluminium by Japanese accessories maker Aero Concept.

The shop’s elegant, cantilevered staircase is lined with limited-edition prints by Banksy and Damien Hirst and Durnin has commissioned reprints of David Hicks’ Sixties wallpaper for the new bespoke tailoring suite.

Military attire is still a thriving part of the business, as the ranks of braided jackets and caps bear witness. Alongside them in the main showroom of the store are antique uniforms dating back centuries. ‘Today’s suits and casual wear come from military uniforms and so we’ve got this great archive to inspire us,’ Durnin points out. By the front door is a severe black dress uniform jacket draped with cords or aiguillettes. As we pass it, he says: ‘Great with jeans, for instance.’ You can almost hear some of Gieves’ more traditional customers turning in their graves. But then again, why not? gievesandhawkes.com Words Simon Brooke

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