Solomon Mines Luxury Jewish Magazine November 2016

International Edition

Solomon Mines LUXURY Jewish Magazine

November 2016-february 2017

Corinne EvEns Philanthropist & Entrepreneur

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THE SHOPS AT CRYSTALS 702 262 0001 VIA BELLAGIO 702 479 2479 HARRYWINSTON.COM

Haute Joaillerie, place VendĂ´me since 1906

Captivating Vintage Alhambra Watch, yellow gold, white mother-of-pearl.

Team

Tomer Ben CEO & Founder

Noam Esteban Delarosa Editor

Silja Litvin Columnist

Nathan Nathan Advisor

Viktoria Valerie Rader Columnist

Daisy Knatchbull PR Consultant

Jonathan Betesh Business Columnist

Rafael Rosenfeld Arts Columnist

Anna Golus Property Columnist

Tali zeloof Arts Columnist

Ondine Cowley Lifestyle Columnist

Ricardo Gay Luger Photographer

Mike Raven Graphic Designer

Welcome to SolomoN miNeS NoV 2016 - FeB 2017 EDITION Solomon Mines is an international, luxury Jewish magazine distributed in 15 countries on a quarterly basis. A complimentary publication, it is the only media outlet worldwide to specifically target a high-net-worth Jewish readership.

Main Coverage Includes: Philanthropy, business news, real estate, arts and culture, fashion and beauty, travel, lifestyle, technology and exclusive interviews with some of the world’s leading figures (non-political).

CONTACT US: Solomon Mines Ltd. Berkeley Square House, Mayfair, London W1J 6BD United Kingdom T: + 44 (0) 207 11 28 28 6 E: info@solomonmines.com www.SolomonMines.com

Š2016 All Rights Reserved to Solomon Mines Ltd. Company No 9512141 Registered in England & Wales

Printed in the UK by

Contents

12. Exclusive Interview A conversation with award-winning

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documentary producer Nancy Spielberg

24. Cover Story

Corinne Evens: philanthropist,

entrepreneur and jewellery designer

30. Feature: Sunseeker Yachts

An exclusive interview with David Lewis,

Managing Director of Sunseeker London

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38. Art Section

Omer Tiroche art review and columns

by Tali Zeloof and Rafael Rosenfeld

44. Fashion & Beauty

The latest trends in fashion, beauty, jewellery, children’s apparel and wellbeing

68. Wine Review: Rothschild

A tour of world-renowned Rothschild vineyard and specialist wine tasting

72. Luxury Lifestyle

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Travel, speciality coffee, private clubs, tailoring, entrepeneurship and motoring

88. Business News

Global economic news, finance, investment, companies and markets

100. Philanthropy

Jewish philanthropy news from around the world: US, Australia, Europe, Israel

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102. Book Review: Sapiens

Professor Yuval Noah Harari’s bestseller ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’

104. Property Section

Fine selection of international properties for leisure, residential and investment

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nanCY sPieLBeRg an exclusive conversation with award-winning documentary producer nancy spielberg, sister of hollywood supremo steven spielberg. nancy, the President of Playmount Productions, describes her passionate mission to preserve history through ďŹ lms, educate future generations and support charities worldwide. we also speak with her daughter Jessica katz, a singer-songwriter living in tel aviv. eXCLuSIve INTervIeW

by Tomer ben Photography: ricardo Gay Luger

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“ We have to make more audio visuals to preserve Jewish history as children read less �

Nancy Spielberg President, Playmount Productions

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Nancy Spielberg has been producing documentaries for decades

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O

ur team meets Nancy Spielberg at a private screening for her documentary ‘Above And Beyond’. The event was organised by the inspiring Rabbi of Chabad Belgravia London, Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson, for an audience of fifty people at the Notting Hill cinema.

The film tells the untold true story of American pilots who risked their lives volunteering to fight during Israel’s 1948 Independence War. The pilots played a major role in winning the war against all odds and paved the way towards the establishment of the Israeli Air Force. Until today the story has never been told and Nancy Spielberg is the first person to document it and provide the pilots with a voice.

Sadly, since completion of the documentary, four of the pilots have passed away from old age, but at least they got to tell their remarkable stories and receive the recognition they rightly deserve, hopefully passing at peace knowing that their stories will live on forever, thanks to Nancy’s work.

All of Spielberg’s documentaries are not-for-profit, as the passionate producer uses them for historical purposes and as educational tools. To achieve this mission she is currently raising £250,000 to complete two projects.

How do you recall your childhood and when was your first experience in films?

My childhood was a lot of fun. We grew up in Arizona surrounded by nature. My family and I would go camping and fishing and at night watch the night skies. From around the age of six I started acting in my brother’s films, as he managed to get all the family involved. I have two sisters, Anne (script writer) and Sue (business marketeer) and together we were the cast and special effects team. One time I remember sitting in a dentist chair and by using a power drill we created a lot of suspense and fear. Steven shot the shadow of the drill projected on the wall rather than showing the action, my sisters held the lights and my role was to scream in fear. From a young age I loved writing and would spend hours penning short stories and illustrating them.

When did you realise your brother was a cinematic genius?

To be honest, it took us some time to realise, because when you live with a genius so closely and watch their evolution, you are not even aware that it’s happening until you are hit with it with full force. Growing up, we had absolutely no idea that Steven would achieve such international success. When he was young he had a lot of troubles at school and he did not get good grades; in fact, the first time Steven applied to film school he was rejected. I think that the first time my family recognised that Steven was a genius was in 1969 when he directed Joan Crawford in an episode for a television series called ‘Night Gallery’. It was a stunning piece and I think that this was the moment we all sensed that he was going to be in this area. We’re all very proud of his achievements.

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Nancy with husband Shimon Y. Katz and daughter Jessica

Which documentaries are you currently making?

I am the executive producer of a film that started its festival screenings this summer called ‘On The Map’ directed by the talented Israeli producer Dani Menkin. The title is a very famous phrase told by American basketball player Tal Brody after leading Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv to an epic victory in 1977 against the much superior Russian team of CSKA Moscow. It represented a time when Israel would not be beaten, and in a classic David and Goliath story, there was a miracle on hardwood. Another film I am producing is called ‘Who Will Write Our History’. It is the story of a secret group in the Warsaw ghetto, a group of Jews who knew that they probably would not survive the war, so they decided to write diaries and amass documents in the hope that these would scream the truth to the world about what the Germans were doing to the Jews. They buried these documents in milk cans and tin boxes and after the war, only three people from this secret group survived and went back to search for these documents in the destruction and rubble.

Melissa Katz, Equestrian

Jessica Katz, Singer-songwriter

SUPPORT NANCY SPIELBERG DOCUMENTARIES - RAISE £250,000

The first time Steven Spielberg applied to film school he was rejected How do you choose which films to make?

All the documentaries I produce are not-for-profit as they are made for historical and educational purposes. Therefore, I seek donations from Foundations and private individuals who understand the importance of providing visual tools to teach our children history, mostly since our children don’t want to read any more books in black and white. Seeing and hearing from the people who lived and breathed these experiences is an incredibly powerful tool. The stories that resonate with me are mostly ones that preserve our Jewish heritage. These are stories that if not preserved will be lost forever and our children will never know of these incredible heroes and our rich heritage.

Jessica Katz (daughter of Nancy Spielberg) You recently left NYC and moved to Israel. Why? From a young age I always felt a strong connection with Israel and when I turned 18, I realised that I wanted to live there.

I went to a Zionist camp and spent a year volunteering with young Jews from all over the world. Now I live permanently in Tel Aviv and I truly enjoy the city. Will I be here forever? I don’t know, but it’s now my home for the foreseeable future.

You appeared on ‘The Voice’. How has this experience been for you and what are your career goals?

My experience on ‘The Voice’ was really special. I got to do two things that I love: music and television. Since then I have been performing with a band in Tel Aviv where we do a lot of cover songs; however, we do manage to sneak in a few originals too. I write my own lyrics that are mostly about love and all of its many facets, but I do write a lot about other topics such as war, joy, hope, dreams, relationships and religion. I currently host a radio show and my latest single has reached no. 4 of the Beatport Israel chart (EDM), so I am really happy to be doing the things I love whilst living here.

See Nancy Spielberg’s latest films at: Playmountproductions.com

Which charities do you support?

My philanthropy work mainly surrounds helping sick children; for example, the ‘Children of Chernobyl’ and ‘Project Sunshine’ charities. I enjoy supporting the arts; for instance the ‘Jerusalem Academy of Music And Dance’ and I also work with a group that aims to build an artists residence in Israel for international artists. We also support soup kitchens - a great way to give back to the community.

Tomer Ben CEO & Founder of Solomon Mines and Nancy Spielberg

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Picture Copyright: AFP/NASA

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houSToN

We have SuCCeSS INTervIeW WITh amerICaN JeWISh

aSTroNauT

dr davId WoLf Some of us feel overwhelmingly satisfied with our jobs and consider them to be ‘out of this world’, but for a select few, this literally means travelling to the farthest corners of the universe. Out of a total global population of 7 billion, only 536 people have been to space and out of them, only 14 are Jewish Dr David Wolf is one of them.

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Picture Copyright: NASA

The American Astronaut David Wolf (60) is a doctor, engineer, inventor and speaker. Dr Wolf has been to space on four missions, performing seven spacewalks and spending an overall 168 days, 8 hours and 57 minutes in space.

Dr Wolf is the beneficiary of numerous awards and honours; he is also the inventor of 15 US Patents and has published over 40 technical papers throughout his astonishing career.

Have you always wanted to be an Astronaut?

We all have visions from a young age. Often, as a kid, while cutting grass on a Wheel Horse riding mower, in my mind it was a racecar, or an airplane, or even – a rocket. At the same time our country was literally ignited and unified by the ‘Moon-Shot’ program, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. We would gather around black & white televisions and watch as Walter Cronkite would interview ‘The Astronauts’ with models and blackboards explaining each mission in detail. I hung onto every word and knew this was my ultimate goal (it turned out I was wrong – there was an awful lot of life after being an Astronaut). My first memory turns out to be in my uncle’s lap in an aerobatic open cockpit biplane. My father had airplanes and aviation was a long family tradition. When I watched Ed White do the first US Spacewalk from a Gemini Capsule when I was 9 years old, the deal was sealed. I knew the odds where low but I was going to work at NASA and try to be an Astronaut. All the Astronauts became something else first. In my case, these were engineering and medicine, which were somewhat combined as medical engineer, flight surgeon and researcher at NASA. After four rejections in the Astronaut selection process, I was finally accepted and had an amazingly rich career in the space program, like leading the spacewalk team that built the International Space Station and even the team that brought 3-dimensional tissue engineering technology to our laboratories on Earth. Forty years after that young boy was dreaming on his lawn mower, at my desk in the Astronaut office, the phone rang. It was our NASA public affairs office asking if I would sit with Walter Cronkite and do television commentary for the launch of John Glenn (as an older senator) on the Space Shuttle. It became clear that if one has enough dreams, at least some of them will come true.

From the tender age of three you were already visiting cockpits of F16 fighter jets. Hypothetically, if we randomly selected a three-year-old child from an impoverished and remote part of Africa and put him in the same environment, could he become an Astronaut?

Does this scenario raise questions within you about the individual potential locked away in every human?

One has to wonder how a person from, say, an impoverished country might dream of their future. Would they have the passion to go to space? Of course, they have all the same potential ready to be unlocked as a person from any other place. But do they have the role models, the mentors, the ‘dream-makers’ in their lives to ignite their passions in a way in which they see them as real possibilities? It is true that ‘The Astronauts’ are plenty good at what they do, and they have a penchant for getting things right under pressure, but it is much less that they are such extraordinary people but rather that they are placed in truly extraordinary situations – even when things are all going right – which is rare. I look back at being trapped outside of a Russian spacecraft in a Russian spacesuit, with really very little remaining to do to get back in. We did an off-the-books ditch in the last moments and survived it. I look back and shudder, but at the time it was work as usual. Most people would buck up in the moment given the training and preparation, and so would that young person from an impoverished country.

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To participate in MIR24 Expedition, Dr Wolf taught himself Russian

What surprised you the most about working and living in outer space?

Living and working in space is a true ‘Alice in Wonderland’ experience. All the rules, even gravity, appear suspended. One feels like a superman; we can fly, lift a refrigerator with a single finger, and all the while our bones, muscles, balance and other bodily systems are rapidly degrading. That first view of Earth was no doubt the most shocking and surprising thing in all my spaceflight. It looked like another spacecraft flying in formation with us. It was so finite, hanging like a bright jewel in the blackness and the atmosphere looks so thin it could just blow right off the planet (a lot like what happened to Mars). No image can convey the depth and saturation of the colours of our home spacecraft, Earth. I call it ‘the Astronaut’s Dilemma,’ in that it can never be described. One can only think that all our human history occurred on this ball and that we better take really good care of it – even better than our artificial spacecraft. We are all really ‘Astronauts’ on the spacecraft ‘Earth.’

In which ways has space travel changed you? Some astronauts report that after spending time in space their outlook on Planet Earth has changed. Is this the case?

Personally, I did not have a profound spiritual experience in space but the whole endeavour, from training through execution and debriefs, absolutely did impact on me. It was more like being a key part of something much larger than any of us. And that ‘us’ represents a spectacularly wide range of people and skills. It would be hard to imagine a more powerful ‘headwork’ team than we put together at NASA except in the new pharmaceutical molecular design company, Spektron Systems, which I have co-founded. At NASA, we seek the answers to humans’ deepest questions. How far can we go? Are we alone? What is out there? How did it all begin? Can we utilise this amazing place we call Space? All of us at NASA, Astronauts included, individually pull a rather small part of the rope but together, we are able to synergise and multiply each other’s capacities. And we do this under a microscope, in conditions which are absolutely unforgiving, at the limits of technology and where ‘failures’ are quite catastrophic and visible. There is no hiding from the laws of nature and the books are always paid back when less than excellence is conducted. So, working with teams like this on such amazing programs as ‘building the Space Station,’ and with such consequences, it just can’t help but be technically and emotionally consuming. This often has a cost in one’s personal life. It can even be in the way of one’s spiritual life as one simply must get all the details right. The rest of your life literally depends upon it.

Picture Copyright: Dr David Wolf

Astronaut Dr David Wolf has spent over 168 days in space during 4 missions and today he is a speaker and entrepeneur

“ The first view of Earth was shocking.

Nothing can convey the deep colour and saturation of our home �

Picture Copyright: Dr David Wolf

Dr Wolf was the Chief Engineer responsible for overall design of the International Space Station (ISS) medical facility and holds 15 US patents

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Mission Specialist, Dr Wolf, flew with the STS-112 Crew from the Kennedy Space Centre onboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to the ISS

You have performed a variety of experiments during your four space missions. Can their results be applied back here on Earth?

We study humans and biology, as we do other science fields, so that our machines and people can accomplish longer and deeper exploratory missions, as well as exploit the unique space laboratory in which ‘Gravity’ is a variable. We want to learn and produce things, such as new engineered living tissue structures for regenerative medicine and cancer research, which cannot be accomplished under Earth’s gravitation. In fact, it was my privilege to lead exactly that team which invented the Space Bioreactor and laid the foundations of that work at NASA, and led to state-of-the-art technology now in use across our planet. The effects of microgravity and space on the human body are severe and impair most physiological systems. They also tend to resemble the symptoms of ‘ageing.’ For example, I lost 40% of my muscle mass and 15% of the bone mineral from key bones on a 128-day space mission. There are severe effects on the eye, the balance system and a high (and unusual) radiation exposure. The medical research NASA conducts inevitably contributes to these fields.

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It is pretty tough to follow a career in laboratories and space with NASA but I pulled it off. After leaving, I must admit to a bit of a downer feeling.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to move on. I never considered that I was ‘retiring,’ I just thought if I didn’t move on now I might never do it, and there surely must be more to life than being an Astronaut. A respected colleague and I are in the process of commercialising a profoundly important technology we use to efficiently design new medicinal molecules, which will have the desired activity in humans.

We are striking at resolving the bottleneck in pharmaceutical drug design with a disruptively effective and unique method. I am happy to report that there is, in fact, life after ‘NASA’.

In fact, I am a bit ashamed to admit that I just might like what I am doing now even better.

We are doing quite well, thank you, in our preseed funding round and well ahead of schedule technically. One just cannot really compare space flight to anything else, but there is a real excitement in being an ‘entrepreneur’ which is not unlike space flight.

How do you pass on your remarkable knowledge and experience to the benefit of future generations?

It is definitely time to give back and there sure

Picture Copyright : NASA

I would like to point out that our quality of life on Earth today is much the result of space technology of the past, and that our future will similarly benefit from the work currently ongoing. Heck, we may even figure out just where “life on Earth” came from.

What have you been working on since leaving NASA?

Picture Copyright: Wikipedia/NASA

are enough ways to do that. In Indianapolis, we built an amazingly real feeling ‘Space Station’ exhibit that people of all ages can experience and learn about space. It was this same museum, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, that inspired me as a child. As a faculty member at Purdue University, I carry the experiences of NASA and space flight into the classroom and design courses. In fact, I don’t really feel like I ever moved on from NASA completely as it remains a big part of my life, from amazing friends and colleagues through to consulting.

I do point out to the young people that, ‘All the Astronauts became something else first; they were good at it, and they followed their passions. If becoming an Astronaut fits in with that, then they should go for it.” Nothing ignites a young person’s passion for technology more than ‘Space.’ It is fun to have this tool available and often we see that spark light up in their eyes.

Do you think that one of life’s biggest questions - Are we alone in the universe? could one day be answered by science?

Regarding as to if we are alone in the universe, I would consider it arrogant to believe we are that special. Really? The ONLY living beings in existence we would believe are here on Earth – right where we just happen to live? To me, this is ‘pre-Copernican’ thinking in which the Earth would be the centre of the universe, which happens to be true, but so is it true for every other point also, but that isn’t what Copernicus had in mind, anyway. Now, I do not

believe that we ‘Earthlings’ have ever encountered sophisticated beings from ‘somewhere else’ nor do I believe we ever will. Perhaps one day we will discover microbial-level life even within our own solar system. A good bit of evidence is pointing in this direction, as well as recent understanding that the conditions are reasonable to support simple life forms at many places and times in our solar system. It would truly be fundamental to learn if life eventually ‘pops up’ wherever the conditions are compatible or if it is ‘extremely’ rare. In fact, we just may be ‘Martians’, carried to Earth as early simple organisms on meteorites, kicked off Mars and landing by chance on Earth. We find these ‘Martian’ meteorites in Antarctica all the time. As humans, we really do want to know, for sure, if we have company in this universe. I do believe we will eventually find irrefutable evidence for very simple life elsewhere, but I have pretty serious doubts beyond that. But even though I was afraid of aliens as a kid, and eventually watched the movie ‘Aliens’ in a space station, I sincerely doubt we will have the pleasure of making their acquaintance, but if I need to, I can always use the ray guns on my lawn mower.

For more information about Dr Wolf or to book him for a speaking engagement, visit Earthtomorrow.net To purchase his Limited Edition ‘Astronaut Signature Pen’ in benefit of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis or for a free collectible Astronaut download card, visit NationalAstronautDay.com #WeBelieveInAstronauts

Dr Wolf performed 7 spacewalks totalling 41hrs 17min in both Russian and America spacesuits

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Solomon Mines | Cover story

Corinne Evens Co-Founder and Honorary President, Evens Group

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A PASSION FOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CORINNE EVENS is an international businesswoman, philanthropist and jewellery designer who started out in real estate at the age of 28 with only one property - a studio. Today she leads the EVENS GROUP, which runs a global real estate portfolio with over 1,350,000m2 under management.

Interview: Charlotte Phillips Photography: E Studio Paris

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“ I believe anybody can achieve anything if they put their mind to it�

Corinne Evens Co-Founder and Honorary President, Evens Group

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Corinne Evens international hotel chain and residences offer a unique warm ‘home-cozy’ feel, combined with first class amenities

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S

HE says her fervour and drive lie with achieving results; or to put it in her own words “turning a vision into reality”. And that is exactly what she has been relentlessly doing for the past thirty five years in numerous fields, ranging from real estate to boutique serviced apartments, philanthropy and most recently; jewellery. The Evens Group also has a vast experience in managing liquidities, private equity and mining investments.

GORALSKA RESIDENCES We met at her latest hotel project: Goralska Residences. In 2014 she set up a new concept of serviced apartments directed towards the ‘Cosy Homy Nomade’ breed. The residence includes both a tearoom and a concept store that display fair-trade products from local and international communities providing a firstclass and creative welcome. Currently the first Goralska Residence has been launched in Paris and with some of the apartments modular therefore the final number of apartments can vary according to the number of residents.

Evens carefully chooses the locations and manages them directly through her subsidiary Goralska Services. In Paris, two other Goralska Residences are underway, no.2 near Place Vendome, no.3 near the Champs Elysées, and there is a no.4 in Brussels near the EU administrative centre. She is also planning to expand this concept to other major cities.

Corinne Evens said: “When I started, I was not really good at selling myself and to be honest, I wasn’t making a good living. My father introduced me to a property developer and suggested ‘why don’t you do the same?’ I didn’t have any formal education in the field so I learnt the trade as I went along. My strongest motivation was and still is, the belief that you can achieve anything your mind can conceptualize when you have a positive mental attitude.”

Her management company handles real estate projects such as residential developments, offices, service apartments and warehouses in Paris, Brussels, Warsaw, India, Israel and NY.

SM: How did you manage to expand internationally?

CE: From a very young age I have been eager to build things as it fulfills me to see a concept materialise from idea to reality. A large portion of our profits are dedicated to providing educational, cultural and socially responsible projects across Europe (via the Evens Foundation). It is highly important for me to give back to society. I think that these two key factors have enabled us to expand internationally on a continual basis.

GORALSKA JEWELLERY The Goralska nomadic jewellery brand collections have been created by Evens for women involved in ‘world affairs’, i.e. ‘world’s citizens’ who love to travel and are not to be attached to one country or one nation. They adapt to the nomadic lifestyle of the 21st century. They are multicultural whilst preserving their identity; in other words, the brand gives meaning to travelling, virtually or really, to the mining region where the stones and raw materials are found, and does take into consideration these original far away cultures. In ancient Semitic languages ‘goral’ means destiny and the suffix ‘ska’ evokes womanhood in Slavic languages. The inspiration of Maison Goralska aims at women turned towards the future, taking responsibility for their choices and their lives with talent. In line with its commitments, the Goralska brand donates a portion of its profits to organisations that are working towards progress and the wellbeing of mankind.

There are two main collections: the Exceptional Jewels Collection, which consists of unique pieces fine jewellery for special occasions, using metals and precious gemstones. Our favorite is the Allegresse ring made from 18 k pink gold and set with quartz and Paraiba tourmaline. There is a Street Collection, a more everyday wearable range: fine gold necklace and bracelet chains with pave diamonds, often with matching earrings and rings, using minimalist geometric lines and emblems of flames and duality.

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SM: What is the inspiration behind your jewellery brand?

CE: The jewellery is a direct manifestation of my characteristics, emotions, thoughts and feelings. They are a direct translation of how I feel. I personally design each piece and I get great satisfaction and happiness when I see them being adorn worldwide.

Philanthropy The Evens Foundation (a Public Benefit Foundation based in Antwerp, Belgium with offices in Paris and Warsaw), chaired by Corinne initiates and supports sustainable projects and awards biennial prizes that contribute to the progress and strengthening of Europe based on cultural and social diversity. Its programme includes European Citizenship, Peace Education, Media, Arts and Sciences and organises European Symposia. Corinne is also a Council Member of POLIN, the Jewish Polish Museum in Warsaw for which she founded, and chairs the European Association of the Museum.

SM: Why have you decided to support POLIN and invest in the Bethlehem Multidisciplinary Industrial Park (BMIP)?

CE: POLIN is an essential project that preserves and transmits our Jewish history and roots. I believe that we, as human beings, need roots. The POLIN museum showcases the rich history of Jewish People in Poland and because I am 100% of polish descent, this project is very close to my heart. I am delighted to see the Museum’s permanent and rotating exhibitions. I care a lot about the BMIP, which is private-public partnership between French and Palestinian investments (5050) that has been designed for local development. We are an active investor in this venture in co-operation with Palestinian private enterprises. It aims to become one among the main industrial technological and training centers in Palestinian territories. It is a long-term project based on three axes: create sustainable business opportunities and culture, raise social responsibility awareness and become an educational centre; on the basis that positive context and solid selfimage rooted in self-confidence are desperately needed in the region.

“ My mission is to support various international causes whilst working passionately to create residences and jewellery ” Corinne Evens Co-Founder and Honorary President, Evens Group

For more information about Goralska Jewellery, Goralska Residences and Evens Foundation, visit: Goralska.com, Goralskaresidences.com, Evensboundation.be

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Solomon Mines | feature

David Lewis MD Sunseeker Yachts

LEADER OF THE SEAS We speak with David Lewis, Director & Co-Founder of Sunseeker Yachts, responsible for managing twenty-five global offices. When Lewis started forty years ago he sold his first yacht for thirty pounds, whilst his latest yacht, a 155ft masterpiece, sold for ÂŁ32,000,000. Ultimately, Sunseeker does not sell boats; it provides access to an exclusive lifestyle fuelled by dreams.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Photography: Ricardo Gay Luger

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D

AVID LEWIS is a very well known character in ultra high-net-worth circles. Surely if you make millions and love yachts, the charming and charismatic Lewis will be your first port of call.

A close friend of Carphone Warehouse founder John Caudwell and former wife Claire Caudwell, Lewis recently attended their Butterfly Ball Charity Gala in support of Caudwell Children which raised £1.66m in a matter of hours.

In total, Lewis has helped raise over £5m for some of the most worthwhile UK charities and dedicates much of his personal time and resources to sitting on fundraising boards for four UK charities.

Lewis co-founded Sunseeker in 1993 and today, the extensive dealer network spans the globe, bringing world-class service from this British brand. Based at Mayfair’s Davies Street

and spread across a two-story office building, his team sells more yachts than any other dealership in the world (within the group); last year Lewis’s team made a turnover of £130,000,000. This is a clear indicator that the 2008 economic crisis is well behind us and it reflects that highnet-worth individuals are back to top spending again, which includes art, property, wine and jewellery. However nothing quite matches the Holy Grail of luxury lifestyle-yachts.

Sunseeker boats range in size from 57ft up to 155ft, and includes sports yachts, performance cruisers and marine toys. The team also provides chartering and a pre-owned yacht brokerage, and have an extensive contact list in Europe and the rest of the world, giving clients the maximum visibility in both home and international markets - a big advantage whether you are buying or selling.

“ In 2015, our London office made a turnover of £130,000,000, a sum larger than any other Sunseeker dealership worldwide ” David Lewis Managing Director, Sunseeker London Picture Copyright: Sunseeker

The 155Y is the largest and most advanced Sunseeker. It can accommodate up to 12 guests and 10 crew members in sublime surroundings

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Picture Copyright: Sunseeker

“ A journey provides a unique sense of intimacy with friends and family �

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The experience of navigating a Sunseeker yacht is truly exceptional (Picture Copyright: Andy Cahill)

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Solomon Mines: How has the yachting industry changed in recent years?

DAVID LEWIS: The industry has changed massively. I clearly remember the pivotal moment when Monaco, St Tropez and the South of France became popular. The French Riviera used to only have a few small boats in anchorage. However, when you compare it to today, Monaco’s Grand Prix, it is a completely different story. We usually have a dozen boats during the F1 season and the sight of superyachts above 100m in length at sea is no longer a rarity.

The only thing in yachting that hasn’t changed and will never change are the great moments of pleasure and memories that sharing a boat with your friends and family creates.

SM: You have a very unique character: sharp, ambitious and very knowledgeable.

How do you pass on this philosophy to sales teams spread across 25 offices?

DL: We regularly organise seminars and training days because as you know - for example, how can you sell a Ferrari if you don’t know how it feels to drive one at high speed? We make sure our team knows what discerning clients require, down to the smallest details, such as interior design materials to satellite navigation systems.

SM: Where do you enjoy cruising?

DL: It has to be St Tropez on board our Sunseeker 86.

SM: The BBC documentary ‘Britain’s Biggest Superyachts: Chasing Perfection’ featured Sunseeker. What do you make of it?

DL: It is an honour that the BBC has chosen to feature Sunseeker and we have been delighted to welcome camera crews into our world over the past year. We hope that the film will not only showcase this wonderful product but will enlighten viewers about a truly successful British brand that everyone should be proud of.

The film showcases various areas of the brand, from the apprentices’ first days in the iconic Sunseeker shipyards in Poole to interviews with legendary founder Robert Braithwaite.

Viewers come away with a real insight into what it takes to sell a magnificent Sunseeker yacht and of course, both the Cannes and Southampton Boat Show feature heavily as they are the most lucrative sales events during the boating season. Directed by Christian Trumble, this fascinating programme provides viewers with a rare glimpse into this leading British luxury brand and shows how hard work and diplomacy, mixed with passion and enthusiasm, have combined to create a recipe for ultimate success.

For Sunseeker Yacht sales, charter and pre-owned, visit: Sunseekerlondon.com

Solomon Mines is delighted to become an ‘Official Media Partner’ of Sunseeker London. We are pleased to announce that at our ‘Charity Gala & Business Awards Ceremony 2017’ in Monaco, the drinks reception will take place on board a beautiful Sunseeker yacht.

Tomer Ben, CEO & Founder, Solomon Mines

David Lewis and Tomer Ben have announced a new media partneship between both organisations

Solomon Mines 35

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Robert Adam by

The intricacy of the gilded 18th century scrollwork is shown to great advantage in this classic formal pattern that is perfectly complimented by the cobalt blue colour in this masterpiece of classical design. www.delamerie.com 36

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There’s also the luxurious and indulgent Spa, the May Fair Theatre, a 201-seat private screening room and May Fair Terrace, hidden in an intimate enclave, recreating the outdoors in.

In May Fair Bar the electric blue-lit bar curves through the stylish crowd, carving contours which nestle the finest curation of spirits, malts, wines and champagnes.

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Solomon Mines 37

Solomon Mines | Art section

Omer Tiroche at his art gallery in Conduit Street, Mayfair

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Omer Tiroche third generation

art dealer Jean-Michel Basquiat, Red Joy, 1984

Omer Tiroche derives from an art family pedigree. His grandfather started the business decades ago, and his father, Micky Tiroche, is a world-renowned private art dealer and founder of Tiroche Auction House in Israel. Today, Omer is officially Mayfair’s youngest art gallery owner and an avid collector of some of the world’s rarest pieces of art, including works by Pablo Picasso, Bansky, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Anish Kapoor and Andy Warhol, amongst others.

Photography: Ricardo Gay Luger

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Fernand Leger, Les Quatres Acrobates, 1952

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Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1970

Pablo Picasso, Le Peintre et Modele, 1963

B

orn in Israel, Omer grew up in London and attended Highgate School. At the age of eighteen he joined the IDF forces and subsequently returned to London to attend Goldsmith University and study History of Art. In January 2015 Omer opened his gallery on Mayfair’s Conduit Street and has held historical exhibitions ever since, including a group shows of German and Austrian artists such as Kiefer, Richter, Franz West, Hermann Nitsch, Alexander Calder, Victor Vasarely, Niki de Saint Phalle and Pablo Picasso.

Art has been part of the Tiroche family for many years.

Have you always wanted to become an art dealer?

I must say it was more of an accident than destiny. Growing up in an environment constantly surrounded by art, I naturally took an interest in it. After studying Art History at school, I continued with the subject at university and it was during my first year there that I started working part-time in my father’s office, just a few days a week to help out. Very soon I was managing the office and, within a few months, I became more involved in the business than with my studies.

What is your business model?

start collecting prints, but the desire for unique pieces often comes soon after. This is a clever way of entering the world of collecting and I can personally advise further if required.

Some say that art is subjective. How can it be explained that one piece is worth £300 and another £20m?

Certainly, I can appreciate art beyond what it is worth. Sadly, often what differentiates a £300 work from a £20m is pure luck. Luck that the artist was discovered and picked up by serious galleries who supported his/her career and grew the collector base internationally. The other, less successful artist may not have had the same opportunities in life but may have been technically or conceptually superior to the first artist. Of course there are many other factors that come into pricing an artwork and why some pieces are worth more than others, but that can’t be answered in just a few sentences.

“ Picasso is a timeless genius buying his work on paper or painting is the safest investment ”

Before I opened my Mayfair space, the business plan had its end goal set on exhibiting at the world’s top art fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, FIAC and more. However, this takes time and patience as application processes are tough and the competition among galleries is even tougher. It is not a secret that art fairs are growing massively in popularity among collectors because it allows them to visit hundreds of galleries all under one roof - just like a Harrods for art galleries. I believe this demand will continue to grow and I have taken extremely positive steps towards achieving this goal in the near future.

Despite the figures that Christie’s have released from their online sales and Sotheby’s recent venture with eBay, I am still not convinced that big sales are fully achievable online. There is no substitute for seeing a work of art in the flesh, no matter how high the resolution of an image may be. Art is something to be experienced and ultimately lived with.

You own a very impressive collection. How do you choose which pieces to purchase?

First and foremost, research is imperative. Find artists you like and before committing any money to them, find out about their current market, how the work on offer relates back to the rest of the artist’s oeuvre; what is most sought after within that artist’s work and what is less-so; and seek advice from dealers and art advisors. Many collectors will often choose to

Andy Warhol, Jackie, 1964

Which artist in your collection can provide the best ROI?

Many post-war and contemporary artists’ markets can be volatile, prone to sudden changes, or dependent on other international markets. Even the biggest names, such as Warhol have had ups and downs. To answer the question, for me there is always one sure bet: Picasso. He is a timeless genius, buying a work on paper or painting by Picasso is the safest investment. My strategy as an art dealer is to visit the world’s best exhibitions, research the market, showcase my collections and help people celebrate the beauty of art. When my grandfather started as an art dealer, the digital world didn’t exist, so although today people buy art on the internet, it’s unlikely they would part with £1m online as they would predominantly prefer to see the physical piece.

Are we going to see another artist of similar magnitude to Picasso or Van Gogh emerge in our lifetime?

No one knows and I would not want to speculate. What I would say, however, is that more and more collectors are entering the art market every day and this will certainly result in increased competition over certain artists that could well drive their prices up beyond those of Picasso and Van Gogh some day. This September I am opening a Pablo Picasso works on paper exhibition at the Mayfair space. This will be an extremely exciting exhibition that will bring together extremely rare and fresh works from as early as 1905. Solomon Mines readers are more than welcome to visit our Mayfair showroom by appointment.

To learn more about Omer Tiroche art, visit: otca.co.uk

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By Tali Zeloof (right) and Nicole Kluk

QUINTESSENTIALLY ART An embodiment of her eclectic and provocative art collection (one guest rested her head in between a soft sculpture of two breasts draped over the sofa), Valeria wore a nude silk blouse, pink pants, frilly yellow socks and patent purple shoes. The outfit was perfectly completed with three glittery star hair clips that pinned back her auburn curls.

This is just one of the exclusive experiences included in the Quintessentially Art Patron Programme, which was launched in 2015 as a way of engaging art collectors and enthusiasts with the local and wider international art world.

Essentially a backstage pass to the best of London’s art scene, the Patron Programme encompasses VIP access to international art fairs, specialist-led tours to major exhibitions, artist studio visits, champagne auction previews and private collection visits, just to name a few. With a dynamic and tightly curated annual itinerary, the programme offers members exclusive access to a diverse spectrum of art experiences and events. This was epitomised by a recent visit to interior decorator and celebrity stylist Sera of London’s dreamy abode. With celebrity clients ranging from Yoko Ono to Kate Moss and the late Amy Winehouse, Sera discussed her interior decorating style and how she creates spaces that are wildly romantic, infused with a spirit of artistic reverie.

In the upcoming Autumn Programme this SeptemberNovember 2016 patrons are invited to the studio of Nick Knight, a giant of contemporary fashion photography whose inimitable images and theatrical construction of the ‘fashion

narrative’ positions his practice firmly in the realm of fine art.

Knight’s legendary status in the contemporary art world was recently reflected when his iconic Black Pearl, 1996 sold for over £90,000 at Phillips’ Photography auction in March 2016.

Other events to look forward to in the upcoming Autumn Patron Programme include VIP access and guided tours of Frieze London and Frieze Masters, a champagne breakfast preview of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale, VIP access to Decorex and a private tour of Syon House. An intimate talk with leading designer Louisa Guinness where she will discuss collaborations with major artists such as Anish Kapoor and Ed Ruscha, will also be part of the Autumn agenda, along with a backstage experience at Gagosian Gallery.

Quintessentially Art also offers corporate and private client advisory services to assist clients in building their art collections. Senior art consultants offer a personalised service that helps individuals navigate and understand the complex art market and collect from a place of knowledge. This is included in the Patron Programme package, which allows members to benefit from Quintessentially Art's services, both in terms of building their art collection and also enjoying the educational programmes that are part of the Patron Scheme.

For more information or to enquire about special membership offers for Solomon Mines readers, please contact Tali Zeloof at E: tali@quintessentiallyart.com or visit Quintessentiallyart.com

“ MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES A VIP BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE ARTS WORLD ” Tali Zeloof Quintessentially Art Patron Programme Manager

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By RaFael Rosenfeld

Introducing the RaFael collection Picture Copyright: Mark Meyer, CER Diner Chairman

‘The Dying Painting’

By Shai Yehezkelli

‘Biodynamic Eruption’

By Ezra Biderman

MY JOURNEY into the fascinating world of the arts commenced in the eternal city of Jerusalem. At the age 0f eighteen, whilst studying Torah at Orayta Academy located just a few steps away from the Western Wall, I took on an internship with the renowned French art advisor and owner of Matsart Auction House and Lucian Kreif Galleries, Mr. Lucien Kreif. I worked day and night in the gallery, often doing mundane jobs such as cleaning frames and sweeping the floors, but my passion kept me going.

One night, whilst working alone at the gallery that was open 24 hours a day at King David Hotel Gardens, an American lady walked in and at 2am made a purchase of £279,000. This was my first ever sale.

Subsequently I decided to launch the Rafael Collection which represents young Israeli talent specialising in contemporary Judaic art that we believe the world should see. We are now working closely with our buyers offering them our art advisory services

‘City Of Glitter And Gold’

By Rabbi Besaćon

Aizenshtat lithograph presented to Nicolas Sarkozy, Mikhail Fridman and Dayan Ehrentreu at CER dinner

as well. Our artists include Alexander Aizenshata, the first and only living artist to have a solo show at the Pushkin Museum and at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art; Shai Yehezkellim, the winner of the Rappaport Prize, debuting his first solo show at the Museum of Tel Aviv; Yonatan Sindel, a talented artist chosen to take the official portrait of President Obama and Pope Francis in Israel; and Chaim Frankel, winner of the Magnum Photography Prize.

The Rafael collection of artists dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to their creations, filling them with deep meaning. I am delighted that our art brings huge happiness and joy to our buyers and anyone who sees them. For this reason we ensure the works are priced affordably so as many people as possible will be touched by them.

I sit on the BFAMI Committee, the British Friends of The Art Museum of Israel, as I believe it is important to support the arts and culture of Israel.

Earlier this year, Marc Meyer the Dinner Chairman of the CER (Conference of

the European Rabbis) kindly offered us the incredible opportunity to showcase Yonatan’s photographs at the organisation’s dinner. The event was a very intimate and exclusive occasion attended by President Sarkozy, Ronald Lauder, Mikhail Friedman and other high profile figures.

Today, we are very flattered that many buyers and collectors are getting in touch with us, wanting to work with us, as well as organisations and charities who want to collaborate and artists who would love to be represented by us. I personally work very hard to make sure the whole Rafael Collection experience is one that is so real, warm and with a personal touch that every person, be it a first time buyer or an avid collector, is given the respect they deserve. For us, one of our greatest achievements is to know that we can facilitate clients with works that bring them, their family, their homes and anyone that visits, lots of happiness and unique experiences.

To enquire about these art services, visit: TheRafaelcollection.com

Solomon Mines 43

For her Guerlain Météorites pearls powder £41.50

Giuseppe Zanotti Gold Leather Sandals £975

With an ethereal texture and inimitable violet fragrance, these make-up pearls illuminate a woman’s beauty and have won cult status. Météorites light-creating polymer transforms light invisible to the naked eye into a pure and endless glow on the skin. Guerlain.com

An elevated version of Giuseppe Zanotti’s signature metallic sandals, this knee-high pair has eight buckle-fastening straps for a personalised and supportive fit. Made from glossy gold leather, wear them with high hemlines or let them peek through the splits of a midi skirt. Harrods.com

Le Specs Nero Cat-Eye rose gold-plated sunglasses £75

Chloe Drew Mini Python Shoulder Bag £1,765

Le Specs looks to flea markets and underground music scenes to find inspiration for its 80s-inspired sunglasses.

Designed in an angular cat-eye shape, this statement ‘Nero’ pair has sleek, rose gold-plated frames with a reflective lens offering full UV protection. Lespecs.com

Available in Poppy Red, Black and Cloudy Blue, Chloé’s new shoulder bag is given an elegant uplift with its textured finish, crafted from real python skin. Accented with goldtoned hardware, this petite bag exudes the Parisian label’s classic and refined aesthetic. Chloe.com

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STraPPy WraP dreSS by CamILLa £469

‘vIvId yeLLoW’ dIamoNd rING 75.56 CaraT £4,000,000

Starting with one simple kaftan seven years ago, designer Camilla Franks is rapidly earning the reputation as one of the most clever fashion print designers in the world. Her signature colourful graphic prints and free-flowing designs are the core focus of her vibrant designs. Camilla.com

The term ‘fancy vivid’ represents coloured diamonds of the highest quality in colour saturation. A diamond of this size and colour is truly exceptional. ‘Vivid Yellow’ is the largest yellow diamond in the world and one of the largest cut diamonds across all colours. Auctioned by Sothebys.com

aGeNT ProvoCaTeur fLoreLLa bIKINI £100

boCa do Lobo dIamoNd SIdeboard £18,300

Flaunt your curves with the Agent Provocateur Fiorella bikini. Designed with fine gated straps through the front to create an enticing cutaway effect, the soft sliding cups offer adjustable coverage, while self-tie fastenings ensure the perfect fit. Agentprovocateur.com

The Diamond Sideboard is a reflection of the furniture jeweller’s unique expertise and quintessence, undoubtedly deserving its title. This opulent object, full of resources and desire, has two carefully sculpted doors that reveal a gold lined interior with shelves and drawers. Bocadolobo.com

SoloMon MineS 45

DELFINA DELETTREZ

Deriving from an Italian fashion royalty family, Delfina is a jewellery designer and daughter of FENDI Creative Director, Silvia Venturini Fendi. We look at Delfina’s new and exciting jewellery line, which has won her fans throughout the world including Beyoncé, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Catherine Deneuve and Alicia Vikander.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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Picture Copyright: Fendi

FENDI

DELFINA DELETTREZ FENDI

is a designer and jeweller based in Rome. Since the inception of her brand in 2007, she has developed a signature perspective using a wide material vocabulary, manifested in her original use of figurative surrealism and natural iconography including hands, eyes, bees and lips. These adorn different parts of the anatomy in a continuous game of echoes.

Delfina’s latest work explores a more conceptual sense of the surreal: instead of adding, she now subtracts, viewing precious stones as self-sufficient in themselves and creating ‘phantom settings’, which give the illusion of fine jewels floating around the body.

The unique aesthetic of Delfina’s work comes from the marriage of classical goldsmith techniques with innovative contemporary materials, progressing traditional Italian craftsmanship to create modern, futuristic jewels. Her kinetic pieces - tourbillon bracelets and rings with spinning, concentric layers of precious metal or expandable, hinged bracelets and rings named ‘Detaille Unique’ - utilise the excellence of traditional Italian handicraft, mixing it with postmodern inspirations, so the pieces are a fusion of past and future.

Delfina’s designs are hyper-modern, but still handmade in her Roman atelier.

9 Carat gold Topaz and Peridot Ring £795

Delfina is the youngest designer included in the permanent collection of fine jewellery at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Decoratifs; her work has been part of the museum since October 2010. In June 2012 gallery Antonella Villanova featured a solo exhibition in Florence entitled ‘Delphinarium’, a comprehensive look at Delettrez’s path as a jeweller. In December 2012 a solo exhibition of Delfina Delettrez was showcased by Antonella Villanova gallery at Design Miami 2012. Delettrez presented her ‘Never Too Light’ collection at Almine Rech Gallery, Paris in September 2013. In 2014 she created a short film to launch her ‘Gold Vein’ collection. The film charts an imaginary, temporal journey beyond space and time to create a surreal vision of another world. Her love for contrasts remains untouched.

Picture Copyright: Vogue Italy

Left: Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of Chanel has become co-creative director of Fendi alongside Delfina’s mother, Silvia Venturini Fendi.

Solomon Mines 47

Your family is renowned throughout the fashion world. What was it like to grow up in the FENDI household, attend catwalks from a young age and meet fashion icons?

1.

It was so great, beautiful and inspiring. I am who I am because of my family; they gave us an incredible freedom to experiment. I was constantly playing in my mother’s wardrobe, trying on everything until one day she got home and found me with scissors in my hands, cutting and transforming all of her archive clothes. I must say that looking back to her reaction, she had to be mad at me but she was trying to hide a sense of proudness ‘e di divertimento’ to see me at a very early age expressing myself with so much confidence and precision. Of course, from that day scissors were banned from our home. But when she recalls that day she says that she clearly understood that I had a very strong sense of fashion and she is now very supportive of my career.

Your pieces are stunning. What inspires you?

Being surrounded by such a creative family has definitely allowed me the freedom and confidence to express my own creativity, which I choose to express through the art of fine jewellery. I take daily inspirations from all the things around me, starting from the materials I work with to my home in the city of Rome, the stories people tell me and their hidden symbolism. Nature and figurative surrealism also play a part in the iconography in my work.

Where do you showcase your jewellery?

In my boutiques in Rome on Via del Governo Vecchio and on London’s Mount Street. My work is also available in around 70 retailers worldwide. I am very honoured to be the youngest designer included in the permanent collection of fine jewellery at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Decoratifs.

Do you plan to launch further items, such as clothes, bags or shoes?

I am very excited to grow my fine jewellery business, especially since I am always learning and creating new techniques, but never say never.

Tell us about the FENDI watches you created?

I have collaborated with FENDI a number of times, including two jewellery collections entitled ‘FENDI Furry Tales,’ which was a daring collection which merged my signature style, the eye and fur and FENDI’s symbol and icon. Most recently, I created the Policromia FENDI timepieces, a voyage through time from the mysterious myth to the future.

2.

1» The unique Haute Joaillerie collection entitled Policromia unveiled by Delfina at Baselworld. She explained that the collection was inspired by the geometric layout of the Palazzo Della Civilità Italiana which houses Fendi's headquarters. Featuring brilliant-cut, white diamonds alongside malachite, green mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli and blue mother-of-pearl, the watches (which have internal Swiss watch mechanisms) have alligator straps, made in the Fendi workshop and are finished with 18-carat-gold buckles.

While it is the first time that the young jeweller has created a watch collection for the house, she has collaborated on catwalk jewellery before for the spring/ summer 2014 and autumn/winter 2014 collections. The Policromia collection retails from £2,000 to £150,000.

2» 18-carat gold multi-stone earring £675 3» Delfina Delettrez showroom in Mount Street, Mayfair, London

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3.

Picture Copyright: Popsugar

The Policromia Collection From £2,000 - £150,000

Picture Copyright: Mark Cocksedge

Fendi and Poppy Delevigne attend Louis Vuitton show at Paris Fashion Week

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Picture Copyright: John Saunders

Ondine’s Clients Include; Duchess of York Princess Beatrice Princess Eugenie Jensen Button Kate Beckinsale Kevin Spacey Courtney Love Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi Princesses

By Ondine Cowley Advanced Director Wedding & Event Hair Specialist, Nicky Clarke Mayfair

Ondine Cowley with celebrity make-up artist Lina Cameron

Hairstyle Tips

Wedding Season The first time I was asked to do a bride’s hair, I found the whole process mesmerising. I felt highly privileged to play such an important role in a woman’s life. We all know that every bride is unique and every wedding is different. Therefore I make sure I work closely with make-up artists, the dress designer and even the florists.

A cut around two weeks before the wedding day is essential so that the hair can settle and grow into the cut in a natural way. Using treatments such as Nicky Clarke Weightless Treatment with Argan Oil (RRP £20) to hydrate and nourish your hair before the big event will ensure it looks shiny full and healthy for the unforgettable occasion.

a dreamy look or tight and sleek for a more modern twist. A waterfall plait is created by plaiting hair horizontally across the back of the head. Gather some hair from the temple area and split it in three sections. Begin by braiding the hair as you would a French braid, and then gently let some sections of the hair fall naturally and effortlessly.

“ I often style all members of the family, making sure they complement one another ” I always try to encourage the wedding party to be styled together in order to complement one another. I often style or oversee the styling of all members of a family and their close friends. I use heated rollers on everyone as they give great body for all styles.

For instance, if the bride has her hair up, I will ensure that the bridesmaids have their hair down so the bride stands out. One rule I like to follow is usage of gorgeous flower crowns for younger bridesmaids. It is a failsafe, romantic and totally adorable look for younger ones, whether the hair is up or let loose.

Older members, perhaps the bride’s grandmother always look elegant with a classic style. This might even be one that offers a retro twist; a 40s updo for instance. This glamorous style has become popular again in recent years.

For younger brides, the waterfall plait will dominate this year’s summer bridal season. This is a ‘hair up’ style that can be loose and bohemian for

It is easy to embellish this style with flowers or accessories and the summer allows more colour to be incorporated.

This season’s colours will be bright pastel tones, very dreamy and natural.

Most brides choose to have the same flowers in their hair as the rest of the wedding party, so choose colours wisely and make sure you have enough flowers.

Ondine has been at the forefront of wedding hair for seventeen years and is acknowledged as an industry leader, constantly developing new styles and exclusive looks for clients. She has styled hair for weddings in London, Italy, India and Kuwait.

For an appointment with Ondine, call Nicky Clarke Mayfair Salon.

Tel: 0207 491 4700 and follow her on Instagram@ondine_cowley

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The EVOLUTION of fashion

By Daisy Knatchbull, PR & Events Manager at Huntsman Savile Row and Solomon Mines PR Consultant If you would ask my 10-year-old self what I wanted to be when I grew up, without hesitation I would have answered ‘a fashion designer.’ I can almost guarantee that every girl in my class would have given the same answer.

We thought it was our calling, and why not? Fashion is an industry with a rich and vast history, the vehicle for finding one’s identity and self-expression and what I saw as the most glamorous profession in the world. While I have come to accept that I am not the next Miuccia Prada, it has not stopped me caring about my personal style or that of other people.

It is perhaps a tad clichéd to quote the iconic Coco Chanel, but oh so true that “fashion fades, and only style remains the same.” It was Chanel’s emphasis on the significance of personal style that I was so desperate to find. I scoured the pages of fashion magazines for help, delved deep into the web to scope out what the ‘cool kids’ were wearing.

Unfortunately, what these sources told me was ‘in vogue’ were the current ‘A-listers’ of the moment. These sources taught me nothing of the history of fashion and the importance of the people who shaped it.

I can’t even tell you how many times my mother attempted to hand down her high-waisted shorts or flared jeans but, to her dismay, was greeted with moans from her angsty teen daughter, refusing to accept they would ever be in fashion.

A few years later I would come crawling back, begging to borrow the clothes I once so quickly shunned. The evolution of fashion is a story little understood by

most and while the desire to remain ‘in fashion’ is ceaseless, one thing we can be sure of - it will consistently shift in a cyclical manner. Looking back now, Chanel’s quote seems more poignant than ever. The faith in the style icons of my pre-teen years diminished as I realise they merely emanated the fashion trend ‘du moment’ that would ebb as quickly as it came. For it does not matter whom you wear or how much you spend, it is style that remains the vehicle that allows any trend to flourish in a correct and memorable way. Because of this, we can characterise sartorial epochs by the people who framed and defined them, the real style icons.

I immediately think of Beau Brummell, a man hailed by many as the ‘architect of modern men’s fashion’. His style: was inconspicuous elegance. Beau reportedly took 5 hours to prepare before leaving the house, polished his boots with champagne and spent £100,000 a year on his tailoring. Some say it was Beau’s influence that set in motion the revival of British tailoring.

The late 1800s saw Savile Row put itself on the map by setting standards for men’s tailoring in new and exciting ways with the birth of the lounge suit. This men’s staple, hailing from military and equestrian wear, still held the traditional structure but adhered to the need for men to establish an image of propriety and decorum in the workplace. Each house on Savile Row was able to define their ‘house style’, with my favourite being that of Huntsman. Loosely based on an equestrian coat, their house offering still comprises a single-button

jacket, longer skirt, and tapered waist, enhancing the gentleman’s stature and making them appear visually longer and much slimmer.

Marlon Brando and his influence on the importance of the white T-shirt, a staple of both male and female wardrobes.

No one could have imagined before filming that when Brando stripped down to his undershirt in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ he would give the T-shirt its iconic status. Originally an army undergarment, Brando ensured it became an essential in every wardrobe.

His ability to carry it off (helped by his ‘pin-up’ looks) meant both men and women went crazy about it. Brando gave it life. The pattern of military apparel becoming a fashion has been repeated ever since something we still see in both high street and luxury brands today.

Now in my twenties, and working in men’s fashion, I have found a new appreciation for those who played such an integral part in paving the way, both on and off screen. I have come to appreciate the rich history of fashion.

With each decade comes a shift in generational thought, which provides a new platform for different and varying style icons. It is through these icons and looking back at fashion through time that I have formed my eclectic personal style and opinions on this vast topic that will forever evolve.

Daily, I learn more and delve deeper and that is the beauty of the industry. I once heard someone say. “That’s fashion. It puts a spell on you” and I can safely say I am very much under its spell.

Solomon Mines 53

kids of

Summer

Being a new mother doesn’t mean that you have to give up on fashion. VIKTORIA VALERIE RADER explores the latest trends for kids, but be aware, they might steal your spotlight.

Photography: Dirk-spath.com A new fashion niche has emerged in recent years. A special section of little clothes and styles specifically made for our most precious things as parents: our children.

The days are over when you would leave the kids at home with your parents or the nanny to go on luxury vacations without the kids. Even though travelling with children can be stressful at times, it is becoming more common to integrate their lives with ours, and doing so opens up a whole new world of fun and bonding.

Matteo with a gentleman-cat sleep suit

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I myself have made it not only a lifestyle choice but also a business to keep my two little boys near and included in my everyday life. You might think that high fashion, lifestyle and interior design

doesn’t mix well with children, but if you go through my blog or social media platforms, you will see I prove that wrong each and every day.

Getting creative with dressing my boys, styling them to the latest trends and decorating their rooms has become an essential part of my daily routine and something I look forward to as much as styling myself. When we go on our many little getaways over the year, the boys turn heads and there is nothing lovelier than seeing people stop on the street and exclaim how cute they are.

That right there is fashion and lifestyle beautifully melded with looking after and spending time with my children!

I am actually a little envious of kids fashion at times. Nothing is off limits!

Viktoria’s fashion blog Vikyandthekid.com has become an international sensation

For kids, bold cuts, crazy patterns and bright colours are the norm and there is absolutely no end to the creative options you have when dressing them.

of my life. Add in a high-tech stroller with glam potential like the Cybex Butterfly or the Bugaboo Bee 3 and you can literally climb mountains in style.

Dressing my eldest son, three-year-old Luca can be quite an adventure, while dressing my youngest and new born son, Matteo, often leaves me in tears because he is so cute. Over the last three years, I have developed a love affair with a few special children’s brands and have been fortunate to become an ambassador for my favourite: Il Gufo.

This is a truly gorgeous Italian kids label that excites me whilst it provides the boys with comfort and freedom.

This season I love splashes of summer colours, light cotton fabrics and fun prints. Below I list the brands that both the children and I love. Please take a look at the companies’ websites; I promise your hearts will melt.

Remember: Every day is different, challenging and exciting when you are a mother and there is no need to separate your lifestyle or say goodbye to your love of fashion when you become one.

Embrace the opportunities that having kids provides you and simply enjoy.

When dressing boys (and probably girls, too, but I don’t have that much experience in that), it is important to keep functionality and sturdiness in mind if you would like to use an outfit more than once. Luca is a bundle of energy and wears and tears anything down within hours if I let him. But there is nothing more cute than having a tiny little James Dean dressed in denim and T-shirt coming into the house after playing in the garden after getting dirty from head to toe. Even your child in a baby tuxedo for an event is on the cards but be prepared they will steal the show.

Summer is a special time to get creative with children. Travelling, dressing them up and discovering the world together are some of the most rewarding aspects

Recommended stockists Ilgufo.Com Bonpoint.com Minirodini.com Tartidedechockolade.com Kidsaround.com Numeroventuro.com

To see more fashion style tips

by Viktoria Valerie Rader, visit: Vikyandthekid.com or follow her on Instagram @vikyandthekid

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NEW SMARTPHONE APP REVOLUTIONISEs WELLBEING Today, apps enable us to book a cab, fast food or a cup of coffee, but can they provide us with more personal assistance, for example mental health? Our columnist SILJA LITVIN discusses her new mental health app PSYCAPPS and its medically proven benefits.

AS A PSYCHOLOGIST

I think there are far better ways of offering responsible, ethically sound and yet effective mobile mental support, evidence based platforms.

I could not step away from the phenomenon of mobile and smart technology as it grew over the last few years. I felt that I had to develop a platform that does not only cater to our hedonistic needs, but also offers a unique opportunity to assist with mental health and personal development. Our mental health is something extremely personal and immediate so what better platform to work on issues such as stress, depression or anxiety within our own comfort and pace than smartphones.

On my exciting journey with the app I developed, PsycApps, I learnt so much more about the people suffering from depression, their symptoms and how it affects every aspect of their lives than I did at university. Looking at other applications that treat psychological issues, such as Sleepio and Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM), it is clear that evidence based apps will become an integrated part of our everyday lives, guiding us through difficult emotional situations and helping us manage the seemingly unmanageable dark dog: depression.

PROVEN STATISTICS IN MOBILE APPLICATIONS The tendency towards mobile grows each day promising to leave web in its wake. Over 70% of the population in the western world own and use a smartphone daily, with 19% of the app downloads being around health in general. Various entrepreneurs who are apprehensive about mental wellbeing have already launched wildly successful apps such as Headspace (over 6 million active users) or Pacifica, but there is always a very important ingredient missing: scientific validation. Some medical platforms such as WebMD, Babylon Health and Doctors on Demand make sure you get primary care within minutes; psychologists have been a bit reluctant about entering the mobile space. If you think about it, it is very good to be conservative with mental treatment; a careless word or false information can do immense damage to the recipient and negativity is unfortunately one of the symptoms of mental illness.

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PsycApps

“ Technology has the power to shape our lives ”

For example, if you are stressed out from travelling to and from work, or the anxiety Brexit brought with it seems overwhelming, why not look at the app store, as it may offer a simple, private and evidence based solution to your problems?

That is what we are trying to achieve at PsycApps: for you to be able to step off the plane where you went through your emotional health questionnaire that tracks your mood, do a few therapeutic exercises to soothe your frayed nerves and between ordering a car home and a restaurant on the way, book a session with a therapist before dinner. In that example, you have the best of all worlds: technology working hand in hand with humans.

To download PsycApps, visit the appstore. For more information about Silja Litvin’s work, visit: Psychologyandme.com

“ My mission is to bring mental health to the digital age �

Psychologist Silja Litvin (left) PsycApps Founder, Solomon Mines Columnist

Silja Litvin at the Azure Suite, The May Fair Hotel, London

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The Beauty Of Aesthetic Medicine Dr Rita Rakus Dr Rita Rakus has over twenty-five years of aesthetic medical experience and has won dozens of industry awards and accolades for her contribution to the development of the field. She is a Founding Member and Fellow of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine and regularly trains, lectures and works to raise the standards of practicing doctors. The Royal Society of Medicine recently encrypted her name onto their Wall of Honour in recognition of her achievements.

Dr Rakus said: “I started doing aesthetic medical procedures long before it became hugely popular. My philosophy, developed 25 years ago, remains the same today: I help clients to achieve what is best for them, not what is currently trendy or fashionable because these are bound to change.

Today, girls want to have the bum of Kim Kardashian or the lips of Angelina Jolie, but what they don’t understand is that those body parts may look perfect on those celebrities but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will proportionally look good on them as everyone is different.”

In the very competitve global market of aesthetic medicine, clients should always choose a recognised practitioner to achieve the best personalised results.

You have catered to many highly notable people. How have you managed to attract such a client list?

My results truly speak for themselves and when you are performing at the highest level for long periods of time, people do take notice. For example, we are very proud of having provided Baroness Karen Brady with treatments and this is a lady that goes to the House of Lords often; therefore she ought to look elegant, sophisticated and presentable. Over the years I have had many referrals from previous clients and ultimately that is why people from all over the world come to us repeatedly.

How has medical aesthetics changed over the years?

In terms of product quality the industry has really advanced in recent years due to extensive investments in R&D. There are also many more products in the market. From a consumers’ point of view, today they are much more knowledgeable of different treatment methods because they have the possibility to thoroughly research them and compare between service providers, which is great. The latest trend we see, influenced by the US, is businessmen arriving for Botox and filler treatments.

To learn more, visit: Drritarakus.com Picture Copyright: Karrenbrady.com

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Picture Copyright: Nqlondon.com

Picture Copyright: zimbio.com

Annabelle Bond OBE is a client of Dr Rakus Fashion Designer, Melissa Obadash Designer

Baroness Karren Brady of Knightsbridge CBE

Relationships Explained

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By Susie Ambrose Founder, Seventy Thirty Matchmaking Agency

veryone has different ideas or expectations about their ‘ideal’ or ‘perfect’ partner and how they envisage their perfect relationship, which is entirely natural. Our relationships form such a large part of our lives that we are bound to dream about what they should be like. However, when these ideas or rules become fixed or are unrealistic, we are automatically slamming the door in the face of many wonderful people and experiences, and when our rules or expectations are grounded in fantasy rather than reality, they can be extremely damaging. For example, we all want to desire and be desired by our partner. However, attraction is not based on physical appearance alone. A huge number of factors play a part in how attractive someone is, such as their confidence, intelligence, the way they hold themselves, the way they move, speak or even smell. You cannot predict who you will have chemistry with, and you may end up feeling that spark with someone who isn’t your ‘ideal’ or even close to it.

Having a specific physical formula for a partner rarely works, and having tunnel vision means potentially missing someone who is exciting in a way you may not expect. It is not only expectations about a partner’s physical appearance that can damage your chances of finding a soulmate but also creating an unrealistic ‘must list’.

It is important to realise which ‘must haves’ (such as respect and trust) are essential for a long-term relationship and which may need to be flexible (being funny or dressing in a certain way). Expecting your partner to be perfect all the time is a recipe for disaster.

Remember, your partner is human, too; they can’t be there for you all the time, they will make mistakes, sometimes they will want to spend time with their friends rather than you, sometimes you will argue. Having some conflict is normal; it’s how we resolve difficulties that are important. Expecting perfection all the time will doom the relationship to failure before it has even begun. Envision your ‘perfect partner’ as someone who is truly compatible with you, not someone who is perfect within themselves or in terms of your expectations.

Happiness in finding the ‘right’ man or woman will not fix your life or complete you, despite what we see in the movies.

However, the right partner will be able to provide you with the love and support you need for a healthy and happy life together. To achieve this, however, you need to accept that no couple is happy 100 percent of the time. Being content in yourself is the key to having realistic expectations of your partner. When you are happy yourself, you are in a better position to think about what your partner expects from you.

“ Everybody has a compatible match for them ” About the Author Susie Ambrose is a Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Nominee for The Great British Entrepreneur Awards (2014), a Nominee for Entrepreneur of the Year by UK Dating Awards. Lemarc Thomas, Seventy Thirty’s Managing Director responsible for gay dating was nominated as Matchmaker of the Year in 2014. The team is based at 12 Hans Road, opposite Harrods.

For a confidential consultation or to learn more about Seventy Thirty Membership Tiers, please contact Susie Ambrose. T: 020 7753 7631 E: info@seventy-thirty.com or visit susie@seventy-thirty.com Solomon Mines 59

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According to latest research, we spend seventy percent of our time working and dedicate only thirty percent for socialising, which can make it difficult for some people to meet their other half.

Seventy Thirty, an exclusive matchmaking and elite introduction agency, helps to bridge this gap.

Seventy thirty For membership enquiries, visit: www.seventy-thirty.com

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For him Burberry Contrast Collar Polo Shirt £275

Graff diamond Grand Date Tourbillon watch From £85,000

The contrast design of this Burberry polo shirt will ensure you feel slick and cool. Crafted in luxurious cotton, the shirt’s metal logo plaque is a sophisticated finishing touch.

Made from pure cotton. Enjoy this iconic British brand all year round. Available in various colours. Burberry.com

Taking over 2,000 hours to develop, the exclusive calibre reveals the beauty of its gear wheels through sapphire crystal, whilst the case and dial exalt the jewellery-making expertise of the house through a dazzling setting of 329 diamonds totalling 13.7 carats. Graffdiamonds.com

Samsung Virtual Reality Headset £95

Globe-Trotter Centenary trolley suitcase £1,215

Whether you are looking for your own personal cinema experience or to lose yourself in a virtual world, Samsung can deliver. With built-in Oculus’ VR technology suitable for all smartphones, it produces quality visuals from its Quad HD displays. Samsung.com

Globe-Trotter have been producing luxury luggage in England since 1897. Invest in their heritage style with the Centenary 21" trolley suitcase, crafted from lightweight and durable vulcanised fibreboard. This instantly recognisable case is finished with leather trim. Globe-trotter.com

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Boca Do Lobo Pixel Cabinet £15,420

Harley Davidson Fat Boy From £18,195

Pixel is an effort to honour the union between design and craftsmanship. The 1,088 triangles that complete this piece carry the dedication and art of those who built it, with a diversity of finishes never seen before. The polished brass base gives Pixel a unique personality. Bocadolobo.com

There is nothing like a fistful of American street muscle.

The original fat custom icon matches the unmistakable style with a High Output Twin Cam engine. Feast your eyes on its sleek design, waiting to send mountains of torque to the meaty 240mm rear tyre. Harley-davidson.com

TOD’S Gommino heaven driving shoes in suede £260

Etnia Barcelona sunglasses £200

Updating its iconic 122 driving shoes, Tod’s creates the ultimate footwear to ease yourself into the new season.

Lined in comfortable leather and available in various colours, the butter-soft suede uppers are durable.

Give a colourful touch to your wardrobe. Tods.com

With artistic contours and bold bursts of colour at its core, Etnia Barcelona’s new optical collection focuses on the work of late American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. They embody the striking silhouettes of pop culture and street art, cut into funky round frames. Etniabarcelona.com

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LARRY KING

FROM poverty TO INTERNATIONal STARDOM

Larry King, 82, is an award-winning radio and TV host. He is the co-founder of Ora TV, which is producing ‘Larry King Now’ and ‘Politicking With Larry King’. He spoke with Marc Myers.

Looking back, I suppose watching a war film is a strange place to learn of your father’s death in 1943, but the cop was a friend of my father and wanted to break the news to me easy. Later, I learned my father, Eddie, had died of a heart attack while telling a joke on the bus bringing him back to the city from his defence plant job in New Jersey.

I took my father’s death badly. I didn’t go to the funeral. I was angry at him for dying. I had loved my father and admired his easy humour and charm, especially when he was tending his bar and grill on nearby Fulton Street. Soon after my father died everything changed. He didn’t have an insurance policy and my mother, Jennie, was a housewife. Her first son, Irwin, had died of appendicitis at age 6 before I was born.

My mother moved my younger brother, Marty, and me to an attic apartment in a three-storey walk-up in the Bensonhurst section. We were on welfare for two years. My mother took in seamstress work, but she had to hide it whenever the relief inspector came around.

I started out in school as a good student. I skipped third grade.

But after my father’s death I lost interest. When I graduated from high school, I didn’t go to college. We didn’t have the money and I wouldn’t have gotten in even if we did. I didn’t care. I was going to be a radio announcer.

Growing up, I lived for the radio. I was captivated by it. Onair actors and announcers created this world that stirred my imagination. I left Brooklyn for Miami in 1957, when I was 23.

I was told by a radio producer in New York that Miami had a

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lot of radio stations and that it would be easier for me to get my start there.

My first job was at WAHR as a disc jockey. But 10 minutes before I went on for the first time, the general manager said that my name, Zeiger, was too ethnic. In his office, the newspaper was open on a table. He looked at an ad in it for King’s Wholesale Liquors. He said, “How about Larry King?”

I had always been ambitious, but once I was on the air that day, nothing came out of my mouth. I was so nervous I just kept playing records. Finally, the general manager came into the studio and insisted I get on the air. After ‘Swinging Down the Lane’ by Les Elgart finished, I turned on the mic and said, “Hi, my name is Larry King. All my life I wanted to be on the radio. Well, here I am and I’m frightened.” Listeners responded by calling in. That day, I learned a valuable lesson: Be yourself and it won’t matter what the audience thinks. You only get nervous when you’re trying to be someone else.

My first celebrity interview in Miami was with the singer Bobby Darin in 1959, when I did a morning show for WIOD at a deli called Pumpernik’s. He was an insomniac and had been listening to me. He walked in and we spoke for an hour on my show. I’m still curious about people and about ‘why’the most important word because guests can’t answer it in one word. Today, my wife Shawn and I and our two boys live in Beverly Hills, in a two-storey, five-bedroom house. It has a pool, a backyard, two winding staircases that meet in the foyer and an elevator. I also have a trophy room. Whenever I feel low, I go in there.

My biggest fear is dying and not being around to know what’s next. I went to my doctor recently for a physical exam. He said I’m in great shape, that despite all of my past ailments, I’m going to live to be 90. I told him, “Hey, that’s only 8 years away. How about 100?”

Picture Copyright: Larry King with Nelson Mandela, CNN.net - LK with Dalai Lama, Ora.tv - LK with Snoop Dog, Ora.tv - LK with his wife Shawn, Rbstyleblog.com. LK main picture, TVguide.com

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he sound of my mother’s scream was terrible. I was 9 and had just arrived outside my family’s small, twostory home at 208 Howard Ave. in Brooklyn. Before I could walk in, a cop rushed out, scooped me up and put me in his squad car. The next thing I knew we were at the movies watching ‘Bataan.’

“ My favourite question is ‘why’ because you can’t answer it with just one word ” Solomon Mines 67

Solomon Mines | wine review

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inside the

RothsChiLd’s vineYaRd The Rothschild family have been known worldwide for their success in various fields, from banking to business, art, philanthropy and, of course, award-winning wine. Our Wine Connoisseur CLAUDIO MARTINS tastes the estate’s latest produce from Bordeaux to California and Chile.

Picture Copyright: Millesima.de

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R

othschild’s family gradual ascent to international prominence began in 1744 when Mayer Amschel Rothschild, a moneychanger, started trading with the Prince of Hesse. But it was only in 1933 when the family purchased Domaine de Mouton d’Armailhacq and transformed it into the world’s leading Bordeaux AOC-branded wine that they become leaders in the field.

Today, managing the production of 23 million bottles of wine sold in 150 countries are Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, co-owners of the château perpetuating their ancestors dedication to excellence. United in the same ambition, they work closely to manage the illustrious ‘First Growth’ with accustomed success. The Joint-stock Corporation has two distinct lines of business, running six estates and the branded wines under a single management.

The company makes three classified growths in the Pauillac appellation including the illustrious Château Mouton Rothschild. It produces and sells a range of high-quality branded wines sourced from various partner growers, then blends, matures and bottles it, foremost among them the famous Mouton Cadet.

Similar to banking, the Rothschilds are driven by a constant ambition to provide the best service; in this case, to make the best wines in the world. This aspiration is reflected through the famous Château Mouton Rothschild, Premier Cru Classé (Classified First Growth), as well as Château Clerc Milon and Château d’Armailhac, both 5th Classified Growths.

The company exports its know-how as exemplified in the Pays d’Oc with Domaine de Baronarques, in California with Opus One and in Chile with Almaviva. Their French wines

are blended, aged and bottled at the Mouton Cadet Winery and the Chilean ranges at the Bodega Baron Philippe de Rothschild Maipo Chile. In total, six grape varieties are planted at the Domaine; four Atlantic varieties - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec; and two Mediterraneans (Syrah and Grenache). Recently, the team at the Domaine has created a Chardonnay as well.

Wine is not the only thing this famous brand is known for, but also its bottle label images. Since 1946 famous artists have been designing the labels, including Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon, Picasso and Miró. The popularity of the label images results in auction prices for older and more collectible years being far out of sync with the other first growths, whose labels do not change from year to year. The most recent label for Mouton's 2013 vintage is the work of Korean artist Lee Ufan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Claudio Martins, founder of ‘Martins Wine Advisor’ is a leading wine expert and consultant who works with UHNW’s, royal families, corporate clients and organisations. His services includes bespoke wine cellar planning, wine procurement, wine pairing advice, events planning and staff training.

Claudio works closely with ‘Premium Trade Fine Wines & Spirits’, a company based in Switzerland that has a portfolio of over 2,000 wines from around the world, most of which cannot be found in wine shops.

To contact Claudio Martins, please visit: Martinswineadvisor.com To see Premium Trade Fine Wines & Spirits exclusive portfolio, please visit: Premiumtrade.ch

Picture Copyright: Tipofthefork.com

The 2010 Château Mouton Rothschild Aile D’Argent Blanc £48.50 per bottle A blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc, 43% Semillon and 2%. It was possible to add the Muscadelle because the harvest took place earlier than usual. The waxy grapefruit, lemon peel, vanilla bean and green apple create a wine that is fat, sweet, sassy and fresh.

Available via Martinswineadvisor.com

Château Lafite Rothschild, from £700 per bottle

Some of the Rothschild labels fetch more than the wine Picture Copyright: Sothebys.com

The 1869 Lafite Rothschild sold at Sotheby’s for £147,020

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With a base largely made up of gravel, the vineyard is unsurprisingly dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), with the balance comprising Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). Grapes are handharvested and vinified parcel by parcel. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats, after which the wine is run off into barrels, 100% new for Lafite itself, a mixture of new and one-year-old barrels for the second wine.

Available via Martinswineadvisor.com

1869 Lafite Rothschild, £107,000 In 2010 three bottles of Lafite became the world’s most expensive wine after fetching a record £147,020 at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. Today, only one bottle is available from this outstanding 1869 vintage and incredibly rich spicy and ripe. It has a handwritten label and shipped in a deluxe silk lined wooden presentation box with wine accessories.

Available via Martinswineadvisor.com

Château Mouton Rothschild (Red) retails from £12.95 to £7,995

Picture Copyright: Vinhoemprosa.com

“ rotHScHild iS driVeN BY a coNStaNt amBitioN: to maKe tHe BeSt WiNeS iN tHe World ”

Picture Copyright: Dhh-trading.com

The Rothschilds manage six wine château estates worldwide, making 23 million bottles a year - exported to 150 countries

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A touch of

Gold Nick Gold is a nightlife expert living in Las Vegas. He is the Director of Lounge Marketing at the world’s renowned nightlife group Hakkassan. His father, Johnny Gold, was one of the most iconic club owners in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, responsible for managing the legendary Tramp Club.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Johnny Gold with Joan Collins at his 80th birthday at Tramp NICK was brought up in the UK and attended the prestigious boarding school Pangbourne College in Berkshire. Following graduation, he travelled to Jamaica, China, Hong Kong, British Columbia, Baffin Island, Bahamas, New York, Florida and then Las Vegas, where he decided to settle working for the Bank Nightclub and the Light Group. He is married to Jaimarie with whom he has a 10 month old baby girl called Gianna.

You grew up in an era where rock royalties, business tycoons and Hollywood stars frequently visited your father’s members club Tramp. What can you tell us about this period?

Growing up, Dad kept business and home life very separate. I do not think I really understood where Dad was going every night until I was around six or seven, and it was because my parents were hosting a dinner party at home and invited Christopher Reeves, who had just had Superman 2 come out, and Robin Williams, who had just had Popeye come out. Needless to say, I was very excited and Dad explained that they used to come to Tramp often and that is how they were friends.

How is it to work for the Hakkasan Group which comprises 15 restaurants, 12 nightclubs and soon a luxury hotel in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah Island?

I have the pleasure of being the Director of Lounge Marketing for Hakkasan Group here in Vegas and the most satisfying part of my job is seeing a concept I envision grow into a successful event at one of our many luxurious lounges.

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Nick and Jaimarie Gold on their wedding day in 2014

Your father, Johnny Gold, has a sterling reputation worldwide. In what ways has he inspired you and what do you think are the key factors that have made him hugely successful?

I remember as a kid my dad sitting me down and saying that I should always treat everyone equally regardless of what they do and to never forget that we all have to sit on the loo. I think he has always remembered that and still, to this day, treats everyone he meets like royalty. My dad just has an amazing ability to make people feel at ease and comfortable. I have always tried to be the same.

Johnny and Nick Gold

“ My dad just has an amazing ability to make people feel at ease and comfortable. I have always tried to be the same ” - Nick Gold

You have many years of experience in the nightlife industry. How do you think the industry has changed in the last 10 years, and how do you think clubs will look like and feel in 10 years from now?

Why did you decide to live in Vegas?

I came out here on holiday in 2011 and met my old boss who offered me a position as Director of Marketing for The Bank Nightclub in Bellagio and also sponsored my visa. I had always wanted to live and work in the US but never really thought about Las Vegas. I thought it would be an easy transition as we speak the same language but it is a very different culture and that took some time to get used to, but there’s more to Vegas than just the Strip and you can have a great quality of life here.

Las Vegas is renowned for its party scene. Where do you go to enjoy quiet family time?

I haven’t drunk alcohol since 2003 so my partying days are well and truly over, but when I want to get away from the Strip, I go home to spend quality time with my family.

Is there any club today that is the equivalent of what Tramp used to be in its heyday?

Even though Tramp is still open and quickly approaching it’s 50th anniversary, it lost its soul when Dad retired. I think the closest is still Annabel’s and the Soho House Group.

Do you have any plans to open your own private members’ club? We would be the first to sign up.

Tramp attracted worldwide celebrities Ha ha ha! I am flattered. But the answer is no. The world has changed a lot since Tramp opened in 1969, and one of the reasons for its popularity for so many years was that the biggest celebrities in the world could come and just relax and hang out without fear of their antics ending up on social media or in the press. These days, it’s impossible to control who has a camera phone on them and the paparazzi are on the inside as well as the outside. So without being able to offer that level of privacy, I feel that the Soho Houses of the world have it covered for now and I wish them the best of luck for the future.

I feel that social media now plays a bigger part in the industry than 10 years ago. When you walk into a club now, everyone has their phones out posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. So you have to make sure you’re putting on one hell of a show for the customer to post on social media. So it’s not only the DJ, it’s the lights, the pyro effects, the waitresses, the bottle presentations etc.

I honestly don’t know what the future holds for nightlife; at the moment it’s more about the big name DJs than the club. Hopefully, it will become a more balanced playing field.

What are your plans for the future?

If you had told me in January of 2011 that I would be moving to Las Vegas and would meet the woman of my dreams and have the most beautiful baby girl in the world, I would have laughed! I don’t tend to plan too far out as you don’t know what God might have planned. But for now, my main plan is for my wife and I to raise our daughter.

As far as work goes, I love working for Hakkasan Group and the company is expanding at a rapid rate, so who knows where that will take me!

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the woRLd’s

RaRest CoFFee

Interview by NicK HartmaN, Photography by MAX LACOME

“I only get about six hours sleep a night, but you don’t get much choice when you have got a 20-month-old child. Maybe that is why I got into the coffee business - to keep me going!”

Amir Gehl laughs at the notion, but his passion for crafting only the very finest coffee is clearly derived from more than just the challenges of fatherhood.

“You know when you wake up and you say ‘What am I going to do today?’ You realise that you spend at least eight hours a day at work and if you do not enjoy what you’re doing, or the work doesn’t excite you in some way, then what use is it?”

Amir Gehl bubbles with excitement and enthusiasm, rather like the Nespresso machine we are standing around in the aromatic cigar room of Dunhill’s at 1 St James. He has chosen this luxurious location as the ideal place to meet and talk about his dedication to his company, Difference Coffee.

Deal making is in Amir’s blood. He is the sixth generation of his father’s family working in tobacco in Israel. Amir attended Ivy league Schools; London Business School and Harvard Business School amongst others, and has built a solid career in Marketing Consultancy before deciding to launch difference coffee co.

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Born in Israel, Amir came to the UK when he was just eleven years old and while he loves to go back to see old friends and family, his heart is very much in the UK. “I like what the UK has to offer and I hope I have something to offer it,” he says as he carefully cleans the machine to ensure nothing can pollute the very special coffee he is about to put in it. His attention to detail would rival any culinary expert, as would his commitment to only drinking the best, be it wine or coffee.

“I got into coffee a bit late in life,” he tells me, slipping in a capsule of his rare Wild Kopi Luwak coffee. “I didn’t really like it when I was younger, but because we entertain a lot, my wife Natalie and I bought a Nespresso machine for home and its ease of use and cleanliness of delivery helped convert me. But although the coffee was better than most restaurants serve, I felt there must be a better coffee experience out there.”

So he bought a luxury bean-to-cup machine for home and 100g of very expensive Kona coffee from Harrods and tried to do better. “I wasted most of it,” he says with a rueful shake of his head. “It’s all too easy to get it wrong with those machines. So many variables.”

His breakthrough was finding that you could fill Nespresso-style capsules with your own coffee, thus ensuring consistent quality with no fuss. “So I said to myself, how expensive can it be to take the best coffees on earth and put them into capsules? Why try and create cheap versions of Nespresso capsules when you could create the ultimate terroir-led coffee collection ever?”

Passing me a gold cup “designed for serving our coffee at Harry’s Bar”, he tells me that ‘Specialty Coffee’ was a term he hadn’t heard before but found out was a precise denomination of the utmost quality and standard.

“Only 1% of the world’s coffee is titled Specialty Coffee and I am delighted to offer this within our capsules.”

Amir now sells four varieties, each selected and roasted for him by experts.

“You don’t need to take my word for it,” he says, “take Jonny England’s, the youngest Licensed Q Grader and a world-renowned coffee judge.” These experts select his Hawaii Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain, Wild Kopi Luwak (civet coffee) and Panama Geisha. “The last is so special. So little is produced that it’s sold by auction once a year but we got some. It has been compared to hallowed wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti,” he says with triumph.

Where can his coffee be bought?

“Through the exclusive club, to people who value good taste and also on board luxury private jets and yachts.”

His knowledge of what customers expect has led him to ensure his coffee capsules come in exquisite presentation boxes, each a joy in itself with the coffee’s CV inside. The limited edition boxes even boast gold hinges along with quiet efficient magnetic catches.

“Respect the ingredients. Respect the experience and tell the story,” he insists.

“If I am going to do something, I have to do it properly,” he says as he selects a fine cigar from Dunhill’s collection. “I want to know all about it, where it comes from, how it’s produced. It took me one and a half years to prepare to launch Difference Coffee. I wanted it to be just right.” As I sip his coffee nectar from my gold cup, I know Amir has succeeded in creating something special and I envision his product will make waves in the coffee industry worldwide.

What exactly is Kopi luwak?

Read our full guide by JoNatHaN armStroNg-JoNeS to learn more about the coffee derived from wild cats. »

“ Our coffee is ranked amongst the world’s top 1% ” Amir Gehl, Founder, Difference Coffee Co.

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what is KOPI LUWAK CoFFee?

By JoNatHaN armStroNg-JoNeS

The rare Kopi Luwak coffee derives from the wild Indonesian civet cat

A cup of wild Kopi Luwak coffee, Speciality Grade, can cost up to £75

KOPI LUWAK is one of the world’s most expensive coffees.

One of the core reasons for its high price is its very unusual method of production. This unique exotic coffee is made from beans that have been digested and excreted by a small Indonesian wild cat called the palm civet or civet cat. The civet is notoriously famous for its remarkable ability to select only the finest and ripest berries for consumption, while leaving the remainder of the presumably inferior berries untouched.

A UNIQUE PRODUCTION PROCESS

a true WoNder oF Nature As the civet cat consumes cherries the outer flesh is removed, but the seed inside, the coffee bean, is left totally untouched and protected. Then, inside the civet’s digestive system, as the beans are passing through, a rare process transforms them, making them less acidic and less bitter. Scientists who have analysed this phenomenon have found that the civet’s gastro enzymes remove caffeine and protein levels from the beans. This results in a superior tasting coffee with a rich smooth aroma and low bitterness. This amazing, naturally occuring process cannot be precisely replicated in laboratory conditions, which makes the coffee even more sought after.

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Wild

Luwak beans are collected from farmers based in Indonesia. They start by separating coffee beans from the civet’s excretions, carefully washing them and then drying them in the sun. Once the beans are dry enough, farmers remove the outer skins or parchments and put them into a wooden mortar and pound them with a pestle. The coffee beans are not affected by the pounding but their skin breaks apart making it possible to remove the seeds. In the next step, every single bean is carefully examined and hand-sorted to remove any damaged ones before the roasting process begins (these processes can vary). Kopi Luwak coffee can lose up to 30 percent of its total weight during production; therefore, it takes around 3kg of raw coffee beans to make 1kg of roasted Kopi Luwak ready to drink, indeed a very expensive process.

Amir Gehl’s fascinating Kopi Luwak offered exclusively at Harry’s Bar in London costs £75 a cup. The market for speciality and fine coffee grows every year and Difference Coffee is rapidly becoming a key player.

“ Our coffee beans are strictly sourced from non-caged wild civets whilst being graded ‘Speciality’ - an extremely rare combination” Amir Gehl Founder, Difference Coffee Co.

Amir Gehl is collaborating with Harry’s Bar Private Members Club

SUSTAINABILITY, PRESERVATION AND QUALITY Coffee

aficionados should pay particular attention when purchasing Kopi Luwak, as some companies on the market are known to use caged civets for production. These companies breed or capture wild civets, separate them from natural habitats and lock them in small cages where they cannot roam freely or socialise with other civets. These companies then force-feed the civets to increase production intake and ultimately boost their profits, which is an appalling practice of animal cruelty. In the wild, civets roam freely in the jungle and independently choose which berries to consume whilst leaving others untouched; therefore, caging civets is not only a very cruel practice but it also produces a lower quality Kopi Luwak as the animal hasn’t selected the beans.

Due to the potential of high profits, some companies on the internet even offer Kopi Luwak coffee as free range when in fact it is not. However at Difference Coffee by Amir Gehl, things are very different, in terms of grading of the coffee, its origins and its availability. Difference Coffee Wild Kopi Luwak is sourced in strict accordance with SCAA 100 point grading, which means that their Luwak isn’t only wild but it is also ‘Speciality in Grade’ which is very hard to attain.

Difference Coffee source Wild Luwak from farms that have been inspected by the World Animal Protection. In fact, WAP work with these plantations to develop standards, and in their words, “see this as a model of how a standard for Kopi Luwak should look like.”

To register your interest in joining the Club, please visit: Differencecoffee.com/solomonmines

Difference Coffee Espresso Martini (Beluga Vodka) is a world exclusive

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PHILIPPE BRENNINKMEIJER OF GERMAN-DUTCH DYNASTY PURCHASES HUNTSMAN of SAVILE ROW 32-year-old PHILIPPE BRENNINKMEIJER from the family who owns the C&A conglomerate, with 2,000 department stores and 40,000 employees buys the legendary Savile Row 167-yearold institution HUNTSMAN. Can the new CEO revolutionise this classic British brand?

An exclusive insight into the world of top bespoke tailoring by David Miller.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 78

Notable Customers King Edward VII (1865), Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, Sir Harry Oppenheimer, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, US President Ronald Reagan, Lucian Freud, Paul Newman, Dr Henry Kissinger, Eric Clapton, Marc Jacobs and David Gandy

For centuries

I need. For example, our cutters are the best personnel you could find in the industry.

Britain’s role in influencing cultural and social standards, particularly in sartorial elegance and manners has been pivotal. Huntsman, established in 1865, has played a major role in maintaining these traditions over the years by catering to kings, queens, business magnets and Hollywood icons. Today, a new generation is shaping the next chapter of Huntsman; Philippe Brenninkmeijer and co-owner Pierre Laggard, a former hedge fund manager.

You have now completed over 6 months as Huntsman’s CEO. How has this experience been for you?

Brenninkmeijer’s background is as unique as his personality. He grew up between the cities of Paris, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Amsterdam, London, Belgium, Switzerland and completed his BA in Business Studies at St Gallen University.

Brenninkmeijer’s career started at City Bank as a trader and later joined the family business, C&A, as a sales person working on the shop floor.

“From a very young age I was highly passionate about fashion. For me, it was a great experience to work on the shop floor, engage with clients and truly see how they relate to the C&A brand,” he said. Later he worked as C&A Store Supervisor and following that as a Merchandise Buyer.

In March 2016 Brenninkmeijer purchased Huntsman, and this came as no surprise as the entrepreneur had been a client of the house for many years. “When I learned that Huntsman was for sale, I knew that it would make a perfect business for me. Bespoke tailoring has been an inseparable part of my life, both professionally and personally, for a very long time.”

Why did you decide to leave C&A? Because I wanted to create my own destiny.

Some entrepreneurs often invest initially in small companies and gradually grow, but you went directly to the pinnacle of English tailoring: Huntsman - your first business.

Weren’t you apprehensive about it?

No, I was not fearful at all. The team here at Huntsman is very well established and the company has been passing on the tradition for nearly two centuries. From a very young age I have been collecting fabrics, visiting trade shows and meeting with top craftsmen from around the world. Therefore, it feels completely natural for me to be here. On top of this, I have fantastic mentors who guide me and assist with anything

I absolutely love it. My team is fantastic, they love what they do and they do what they love we are just like one big family. One of the things I enjoy the most is being on the shop floor and working with my clients, helping them to choose from our vast array of fine materials and making our vision into a reality. Most of our clients are passionate about Huntsman’s craftsmanship and tradition as much we are; therefore it gives me great pleasure to see their reactions when they wear our garments.

What are the key products of Huntsman?

A Huntsman is for all occasions, from town (two or three piece suits) to country pursuits, formal wear, seasonal wear and conceptual. We produce suits in three categories: Ready-to-Wear starting at £2,000, Made-to-Measure starting £3,000 and Bespoke from £5,000. The Huntsman signature is a one-button cut and it takes upwards of 80 hours to produce a suit. Our house tweeds, the signature cloths (used for more then 100 years) are known throughout the world for bold, distinct checks and rich, earthy colour tones.

Since early 2016 Huntsman became the first Savile Row institution to take up a permanent residence in New York in order to better serve the needs of its American clients. Apartment 7A, 130 West 57th, corner of West 57th Street and 6th Avenue, looking toward Carnegie Hall has been restored to its former glory, in keeping with the discreet British luxury that Huntsman is known for. Visits can be made by appointment only, creating a welcoming haven exclusively for guests; a sartorial home away from home for those in the know, which intends to transport the old-English glamour of our Savile Row shop into the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Upon opening the door, one is suddenly transported to London: the walls are covered in iconic Huntsman house tweeds, as in the bespoke clubroom in No.11. The pied-à-terre is accented with a wealth of original Huntsman archive material and memorabilia, offering but a small splash of sartorial inspiration for prospective clients.

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Whether for styling advice and cloth choice, a bespoke fitting, an alteration, ready to wear or a general enquiry, Huntsman client managers and cutters are there to help you meet all your sartorial needs. In London, you can easily visit them on Savile Row or make an appointment to ensure they can devote you the necessary attention. In New York, Huntsman

on 57th Street is open by appointment only. You can also book an appointment during their trunk shows in Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco. In Asia, they are currently visiting Bangkok, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore. They also travel around Europe and to the Middle East. Huntsmansavilerow.com

“ Creating a bespoke suit is the ultimate form of art �

Philippe Brenninkmeijer CEO, Huntsman

It takes upwards of 80 hours to produce a Huntsman Bespoke Suit

Brenninkmeijer sits on the Board of the Savile Row Bespoke Association

Huntsman Apprenticeship Programme preserves British tailoring

Campbell Carey, co-Head Cutter and Creative Director at Huntsman

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The Modern Day multi family office

By Jonathan Betesh When you think of a multi-family office, you may strictly think of financial services such as money managing, hedging and investing. However, I had the objective to change this concept and to make the most of my personal relationships. I want to be a consigliore.

I don’t only provide clients with legal representation or simply put together financial teams to manage capital. I go way beyond that to build a strong and long-term friendship founded on integrity and loyalty.

By practice, I am a lawyer having worked for a leading litigation firm in Israel and my passion for law is just as strong as my passion for living well and taking care of others. Yet the everyday legal work was not fulfilling enough for me on an inspirational level. Ever since I was old enough to understand the essence of service providing, I saw that there was something missing from lawyers, bankers, accountants, financial advisors and their travel agents. I found their service very unappealing, totally irrespective of their immense knowledge, and I always wondered what can these service providers even do to make their clients’ experience more fulfilling? How is it possible to blend both business and personal needs into a unique experience? I learned over the years that relationships with a client go much further than contract signing or investment strategy. Today’s HNWIs are not the same as twenty years ago and the game has changed.

Today, clients are more demanding than ever and are constantly looking for a person they can trust with additional tasks, someone who knows them well and they feel comfortable enough to plan and consult their future with. If you already have a strong relationship with them on a legal and business level and you are trusted, then why not offer more? Does their travel agent really understand where to send them?

Which suite to sleep in? All they know is that they can spend a substantial amount of money on their lifestyle needs, sometimes more than they are willing to spend on professional advice, and they want someone they trust well to tell them where to spend it.

My vision was to build a team for my clients and to provide them with a onestop-shop. The main questions were: What does one really need? Perhaps it can be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, tailor or, a well-connected travel agent?

I then decided to blend my black book together with my knowledge and network of service providers I have to provide clients with a service they have never experienced before. I do not meet with clients in your typical office to discuss legal requirements.

I do not meet with clients for a coffee update on their investments and a performance sheet, along with a team of money managers. I spend hours with them to discuss everything they need, from legal and financial advice and even their lifestyle requirements,

all at the highest level of service and discretion. Ultimately we can meet anywhere they desire and do anything they want, with an emphasis on two things, 1) complete discretion and 2) that we place ourselves in a comfortable and enjoyable environment. Whether they want to sit and have the finest whisky, ride around the country or sit in their local park. These are personal and intimate relationships and the topics we discuss have significant implications for them, both personally and financially.

Before I qualified in law I launched The Coterie, a members-only lifestyle brand. We booked the most beautiful hotel rooms for clients across the globe, arranged VIP services at airports, chartered yachts, arranged drivers and built daily itineraries. After my Israel Bar Exams I started managing clients legal needs too, and also taking care of their assets, funds and commercial activities in Israel. There was a huge gap in the market and a significant increase of Jews making Aliyah who wanted ‘their man’ in Israel. I aspired to be just that. The same individual who just bought a house, rented an apartment, invested in a start-up, put money into a fund or inherited a substantial amount of money also requires somebody to manage their lives around the globe and I hope to be able to assist more people in the future.

To learn more about these exclusive sevices, visit: Thebeteshgroup.com

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AN ENTREPRENEUR AT HEART A discussion with MAURICE OSTRO OBE KFO, an award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, gemologist, art and car collector and a promoter of effective interfaith dialogues.

Maurice Ostro has been instrumental in cultivating entrepreneurship and interfaith dialogues

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“ I enjoy creating new things, but for me it’s more important to be remembered as a good mensch, father, husband and friend ”

I

Maurice Ostro is the Vice Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ)

n 1992 Maurice Ostro founded Frozen Yogurt and then Media on The Move, a leading supplier of media content to airlines, shipping companies and train lines. Subsequently, he founded Air Fayre, an aviation catering business and in 2010, after the death of his Holocaust surviving father Max Ostro, he took over Ostro Minerals; the world’s leading producer and distributer of blue topaz.

Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I have been interested in business since I was very young. Even from the age of 8 years old, I would go to my father’s office and bring some of the rejected leftovers of the gemstones from the mines and would go through them, pick the prettiest ones and sell them at school. Then at 11, I went to Carmel College Boarding School and brought over from Hong Kong stationery items that cost next to nothing in Hong Kong but sold them at UK prices out of a suitcase in my room. I made a £50 profit but sadly, I didn’t spend this wisely. I brought a gold Parker pen for a girl I liked in my class and she lost it the next day.

Luckily, I have married well, so did not repeat that mistake.

Then at the age of 16, after becoming a Graduate Gemologist (the youngest person they have ever had do this degree at the Gemological Institute of America), I started travelling regularly to Bombay in India to buy diamonds, which I then sold in Japan. Whilst there, I began buying sequined dresses which were very fashionable at the time and other womens’ fashions and took them to sell in Los Angeles. My next business was installing videocassette recorders in NY hotels, which at the time was amongst the very first to do so and then provide cassettes for rent. I agreed to be bought out by my partners at the time for a good sum of money considering we started in 1982 and I successfully exited in 1983.

What is the best business advice you received and what drives you as an entrepreneur?

To be focused and aim to make a difference and be a catalyst for change. I run a project called Entrepreneurial Giving whose aim is to help entrepreneurs be successful by teaching them about the importance of purpose and mission for their business and to see that translates into a benefit for society.

You run Collaboration House, a project for interfaith charities. What is your vision?

Collaboration House is an experimental initiative to explore how best to encourage and enable charities with common interests to share resources and experience to increase the impact of their work. The aim is to facilitate their enhanced co-operation and then to record it and the benefits so this can be shared with others. Over a dozen charities from different faith communities currently reside in the building without any cost or obligations on them. The only proviso is that they agree to collaborate with other charities co-located in the building. All rent, rates, electricity, internet, cleaning and maintenance costs are paid for by my foundation Fayre Share.

Although the current focus is on the interfaith sector, this same model can be applied to most other charitable areas. If successful, this type of building could become a template for charitable hubs around the world.

Ostro Minerals is the world’s leading producer and distributer of blue topaz. What more would you like to achieve in this arena?

My father was a pioneer in the development and awareness of coloured gemstones and when he passed away I decided to enter the business in order to grow and develop it, but also to protect the people involved in the business whilst maintaining my father’s legacy. I sold my previous businesses in order to focus on philanthropy and I didn’t want to go back to an operational role in a commercial enterprise. I therefore decided I would take Ostro Minerals and use it to help various charities. As an example, we help support a fabulous organisation supporting artists called Outset. Besides any financial support we have given it we are also giving artists gemstones to allow them to further develop their artistic pallet, which they will also sell to support their future projects.

The Ostro Stone, a 9,381 carat blue topaz, has been in your family’s possession for over 20 years. Why have you decided to display it at the Natural History Museum?

My father found the stone in the 1980’s in the Brazilian region of Marambaia. It has been secured in the company vaults since then. I felt it was such a shame to keep it hidden and was impressed with the new developments at the Natural History Museum and delighted that our gift might enable millions of people to see this magnificent stone, but also to give the museum an opportunity to reach a new audience who might be attracted by a spectacular gemstone who might not otherwise have considered visiting this great institution.

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THE RACE TO THE AUTONOMOUS CAR HAS BEGUN Driverless vehicles, otherwise known as autonomous, automated or self-driving cars, are no longer science fiction. The technology is here and several companies are already testing them on the roads. We look at the key leading architects of this technological change.

GOOGLE, FORD AND TESLA

faces regulatory hurdles as they push to take humans out of the driver’s seat. Last year, California set out to draw up new rules of the road for the driverless car era. As the state’s motoring regulator released its proposals, one immediately attracted controversy: the requirement that a human sit in the driver’s seat. For the pioneers of the autonomous car industry, among them Google and Tesla, this rule would undermine the whole point of the technology. Instead of making the cars safer, they argued, it would only increase the chances of a crash. “I cannot deliver this point more strongly: we need to be careful about the assumption that having a person behind the wheel will make the technology more safe,” said Chris Urmson, technical director of Google’s self-driving car project. Executives at Tesla and Ford echoed his argument.

But there is another worry. How would driverless cars share the road with vehicles driven by humans? Can a person be able to take control in an emergency?

Many people in the automotive and technology industries believe that computers, which never get drunk, look at their phones instead of the road or fall asleep at the wheel, are already better drivers than humans. But completely selfdriving cars could take decades to reach every city, even if the first autonomous vehicles are on the road in some places within a couple of years. How to navigate that transition, and

Car - drive me to the office The clash in Sacramento was a taste of the regulatory, social and ethical questions that will emerge as robots become more deeply integrated with everyday life. Thanks to rapid advances in artificial intelligence, sensor technology and computing power, labs from Silicon Valley to Tokyo are making huge strides in robotics that will transform industries from healthcare to agriculture. But if self-driving cars are introduced as quickly as many in the industry hope, it is on the roads that many people will have their first encounter with a robot. And while Google touts the prospect of safer roads once the possibility of human error is removed from driving, the idea of unleashing two-tone robots capable of reaching 60mph in 10 seconds strikes some as unnerving.

Even industry executives acknowledge the potential for problems when traditional vehicles begin sharing the road with autonomous cars, which will have to learn to respond to hundreds of millions of erratic and distracted human drivers.

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how significant the subsequent disruption to the traditional automotive business will be, are matters of intense debate from Silicon Valley and Detroit to China, Germany and Japan.

“Many people in the industry want things to be safer and they want cars to be more accessible,” says Gill Pratt, head of Toyota Research Institute, the Japanese carmaker’s new research and development unit in Silicon Valley. “There’s a divergence of opinion of how to get there.” Rather than the all-or-nothing approach to self-driving cars pioneered by Google, Toyota is focusing on a more incremental kind of autonomous technology. “We think that we can add intelligence to cars that works in parallel with drivers, like a guardian angel that’s watching what you do and intervenes when you are about to make a mistake,” he says. While Toyota eventually aims to ditch the steering wheel too, this guardian angel is more achievable in the near term, he argues.

As many human drivers might appreciate, one of the big obstacles to self-driving cars is weather. Heavy rain, snow or fog can play havoc with sensors essential for autonomous navigation. “There will always be conditions that you can’t drive in,” says Urmson. This means that in highly unusual situations, Urmson gives the example of a sudden downpour in a desert, a robot car may simply refuse to continue.

Nonetheless, Urmson insists that anything that is short of a completely self-driving car is riskier and less useful than the incremental approach taken by the likes of Toyota. If the passenger has to be ready to take the wheel in an emergency, the idea behind the California proposal “you’re destroying a lot of the value to the user at that point”, he says.

Visitors to Mountain View, home to Google and its parent company Alphabet, could be forgiven for thinking that the driverless future is already here. Dozens of Google’s podlike car prototypes, with their rooftop sensors and smiley headlights, trundle around the Silicon Valley town every day.

Each converts its thousands of hours of real-world driving experience into data from which the entire fleet can learn.

Google runs 3m miles of testing in simulation every day so

“ By 2040 most cars will be operated by computers, exactly like aeroplanes ” Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla

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Picture Copyright: Google, Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, Tesla, BMW

its cars can prepare for any situation. There is even a special team that thinks up oddball incidents to throw at them. Yet real life brings surprises no one can anticipate. Last year, a Google car rounded a corner to find a woman in an electric wheelchair chasing a duck with a broom in the middle of the road. “We’d never tested the car against a woman and a duck,” Urmson says, “and it was able to understand this was unusual, slow down, let that thing play out and then get on its way.” Google is sufficiently confident about its technology that their staff have discussed launching a fully autonomous taxi service in Mountain View as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the company’s thinking. The service may initially be restricted to Google employees, which might get around any legal and regulatory issues.

f Google, Ford or Uber succeed in bringing large numbers of fully autonomous vehicles onto the road, traditional notions of car ownership and business models would be transformed. But the economic impact could be just as substantial on the towns and cities that maintain roads. Many advocates of driverless cars like to point to the opportunities for redeveloping car parks to make way for new housing or green space, or the reduction in accidents and congestion by having cars that can drive better. However, Lauren Isaac, who spent a year studying the potential impact on city planning from autonomous cars for engineering consultancy WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, believes that the effects may not be entirely benign. “One of my biggest concerns with driverless cars is that the ability to both drive in the car and have it doing things for you when you’re not in it has the potential to greatly increase the number of vehicle miles travelled,” she says. “If we continue to privately own cars, I think that we risk having mass congestion on our roadways.” The cost of responding to incidents might fall but so too could income from sales tax, speeding tickets or public transport tickets.

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CALIBRE DE CARTIER DIVER CARBON MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT 1904 MC WATER�RESISTANT TO 300 METERS, THE CALIBRE DE CARTIER DIVER CARBON WATCH IS AN AUTHENTIC DIVING WATCH. FITTED WITH THE 1904 MC MOVEMENT, IT COMBINES THE HIGH TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE ISO 6425: 1996 STANDARD WITH THE ASSERTIVE AESTHETICS OF THE CALIBRE DE CARTIER WATCH. ESTABLISHED IN 1847, CARTIER CREATES EXCEPTIONAL WATCHES THAT COMBINE DARING DESIGN AND WATCHMAKING SAVOIR�FAIRE.

BUSINESS NEWS

by Noam eSTebaN deLaroSa

LVMH Sells Donna Karan International For £500m LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has sold fashion house Donna Karan International for an enterprise value of £500m, in a rare divestment for the French luxury group. Antonio Belloni, LVMH’s group managing director, said that US clothing group G-III Apparel had made an approach for Donna Karan and LVMH had ‘concluded that the time was right’ for a sale. The outlook for Donna Karan has been uncertain since its founder stepped down as creative director of the eponymous fashion house this time last year.

LVMH does not publish results for individual brands but analysts at Citi

and Exane BNP Paribas said Donna Karan had been singled out by the company as losing money. Thomas Chauvet, head analyst for luxury goods at Citi, has estimated operating losses of £21m at Donna Karan for 2016.

The French group had restructured the fashion house in the year since Ms Karan’s departure along with another American label Marc Jacobs, which analysts say is also loss-making.

LVMH, whose brands include Christian Dior and Givenchy, has built a global empire by dusting off underperforming heritage brands and turning them into luxury powerhouses. The sale of

the Donna Karan and DKNY brands is only the second time the French luxury group has sold an entire fashion label.

Mr Chauvet of Citi Bank said: “Donna Karan no longer fits within LVMH’s portfolio owing to their difficult positioning in the market and high capital requirements.” He said the sale “opens the door to other disposals including Marc Jacobs”. Luxury goods groups have experienced a sharp fall in demand amid a slowdown in China, falling oil prices and terror attacks in Europe, which have deterred some bigspending tourists. Donna Karan loyal customers won’t be affected by the sale.

Leonid Mikhelson Raises £12bn For Yamal LNG Project Yamal LNG Project has been financed by the amount of £12bn said CEO of Novatek Gas Producer Leonid Mikhelson earlier this month at a meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Novatek is currently Russia's largest independent natural gas producer and the seventh largest publicly traded company globally by natural gas production volume. The company was originally known as OAO FIK Novafininvest. Novatek is based in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region in West Siberia and maintains a sales office in the Russian capital.

Russian New Agency TASS reports that Chinese partners invested about

£3.7bn and French partners £2.6bn.

Shareholders of OAO Yamal LNG are Novatek (60%), China’s CNPC (20%) and French Total (20%). About £12bn has been invested to date, including two thirds being resources of the National Wealth Fund, as reported by TASS .

Mr Mikhelson said in a statement, “The time is challenging. Novatek is in the sanction list. We received the second tranche (from the National Wealth Fund)and continue financing together with partners”. Today the OAO Yamal LNG is implementing the project of constructing the liquefied natural gas plant with the capacity of 16.5 million tons of LNG per year on the resource

base of Yuzhno-Tambeiskoe field. LNG production start is scheduled for 2017.

Born to a Jewish family, Mikhelson began his career as an engineer for a construction company building a gas pipeline in Russia’s Tyumen region.

In 1991 he was the general manager of Kuibishevtruboprovodstroy, one of the first companies to undergo privatisation after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAO SIBUR and serves on the Supervisory Board of OAO Russian Regional Development Bank.

According to Forbes 2016 Mikhelson, an avid art collector, is worth £11bn.

Starbucks’ Howard Shultz Opens Premium Coffee Chain In a move that is signaling Starbucks’ increasing emphasis on the high end of the coffee market, Howard Schultz is stepping back from day-today operations of the coffee giant to concentrate on the overall strategy and innovation, including development of a premium business unit within the company. The plan includes Roasteries, like the high-end coffee shops Starbucks first opened in 2014; the Reserve Stores, which sell and brew Starbuck’s more premium, small-lot Reserve coffees, and Princi, the high-end bakery chain Starbucks have just invested in. It may

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be a necessary move, given that in Starbucks’ most recent quarter, sales growth slowed globally. Sales were particularly worrisome in the Americas, where growth in stores open at least a year was 4 percent, compared with 8 percent a year ago. Executives said the slowdown was an anomaly. Still, “Starbucks realises it is running out of headroom for growth in many core markets, especially the United States,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail analysis firm Conlumino”. As such, it needs to develop new ventures to expand and compete in the market.”

Starbucks opened its first Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle in 2014, a, 15,000 sqft showplace where the company’s Reserve coffee, its priciest, small-lot roasted beans and various ways of preparing coffee, including pour-over and siphon, are used.

The company plans to open a Roastery in Shanghai in 2017 and in New York City in 2018. Starbucks considers its Roastery a “stunning success” and plans to “accelerate and globalise the Roastery experience, building more roasteries in cities around the world.” Shultz said.

Dasha Zhukova Sells ‘Garage Art Magazine’ To Vice Media Vice Media has acquired a controlling stake in Garage Magazine, an art and culture publication founded by Dasha Zhukova, the wife of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, as the youth brand pushes into contemporary art.

Vice said it would beef up Garage’s online presence, building a digital video channel, expanding its editorial team and launching new international editions. Ms Zhukova, Garage’s editorin-chief, will continue in her role.

Ms Zhukova and her husband, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, have become big players in the art world with a private collection that includes works

by Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon. Ms Zhukova was also a founding partner of Artsy, an online art sales site, alongside

Google’s Eric Schmidt and Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife. Dasha Zhukova said the deal would “broaden the lens through which our audiences are exposed to art, architecture fashion and design in a multi-connected world.”

Garage has featured some of the biggest names in contemporary art, often in a fashion setting: a Damien Hirstdesigned crotch tattoo of a butterfly appeared on the cover of the first issue, while the artist Dinos Chapman arranged a fashion shoot with clothes supplied by Marc Jacobs. The magazine is named after Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, the city’s equivalent of London’s Tate Modern museum. It has hosted exhibitions by artists such as Mark Rothko, Antony

Gormley and Urs Fischer. Ms Zhukova founded the museum eight years ago in an abandoned 1920’s bus depot.

Last year, it moved to a Rem Koolhausdesigned building in Moscow, Russia.

Mr Tom Punch, the global executive creative director of Vice Media said the magazine would generate ‘an arsenal of creative ideas’ for the company. Vice has partnered with the Times Group of India to launch online, mobile and TV content in the country, with plans to hire hundreds of local journalists, producers and filmmakers at a new production headquarters in Mumbai.

Vice also received investment from media companies that include 21st Century Fox and Walt Disney, which last year doubled its stake to £3000m.

Ilan Goldfein Appointed President Of Brazil Central Bank Goldfein had previously served as chief economist at Itau, Brazil’s largest private bank, deputy to the bank governor of Brazil, an advisor to the World Bank and advisor to the International Monetary Fund. Goldfein earned his PhD in economics from MIT. He is considered one of the leading and most well-regarded economists in Brazil, has worked as a senior lecturer at top universities and has published many articles. In addition to Portuguese, he speaks Hebrew, English and Spanish. He has family in Israel and visits often.

Goldfein’s appointment was announced at a difficult time for the country's economy, as the Brazilian Real continues

to lose its value and in light of predictions claiming that the country’s economic growth is slowing down. Goldfein put the blame for the current situation on the government’s fiscal misconduct, saying that “We are currently carrying out a very important investigation that deals with corruption. Its trail of money flows from the private sector to public companies, from Petrobras (a stateowned oil company also involved in the scandal) to politicians. For the first time we have billionaires sitting in jail.

We have politicians in jail. People ask, ‘Why is everything happening all at once?’ With an intensive investigation the kind of which we have never seen, the worst recession in our history and

the recent suspension, is it all just a bad coincidence? Obviously, it is not.

What happened was that the middle class, which had thought it was going to get rich and whose aspirations were going to come true, must now face the decimation of its prosperous dreams.”

Ilan Goldfein estimated that in order to successfully get out of the current crisis, the Brazilian government will have to take unpopular measures, such as raising taxes, budget cuts and raising the age of retirement, which currently stands at an average of 50–55 years, up to 65. “The problem is that instead of facing reality, Brazil has entered a phase of denial and I hope to challenge this,” he said.

Safra Swiss Bank Announces 12 Percent Profit Increase J. Safra Sarasin Holding Ltd., the Swiss private bank and asset manager owned by billionaire Joseph Safra, said profit climbed 12 percent while its assets under management were little changed.

Net income increased to 230.5 million francs (£176m), boosting shareholder equity to £3.1bn, the Basel-based company said in a statement.

Safra Sarasin is hunting for acquisitions after integrating Morgan Stanley’s Swiss private banking business, which it bought last year. The company is part of a network of banks also spanning the US and Brazil controlled by Joseph Safra, Brazil’s third-richest individual, who is worth about £9.5bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index which is published every year.

“These strong results for 2015 demonstrate yet again the virtues of our proven conservative approach to banking,” Jacob Safra, vice chairman of the bank and son of Joseph Safra, said in a statement on the company website.

estate and agribusiness. It is present in the US, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean.

In the early nineteenth century Safra Frères et Cie., the family's first financial institution, was founded.

Most Swiss banks are struggling to improve profitability under the burden of the higher regulatory compliance costs, such as expenses related to a US crackdown on hiding assets in offshore accounts. Safra Sarasin last year agreed to pay a £65.7m penalty and said it would continue to cooperate with the US Department of Justice in exchange for an agreement it wouldn’t be prosecuted.

The Safra Group international network comprises of banking and financial institutions, industrial operations, real

Further economic expansions have prompted the family to open new branches in Beirut, followed by Istanbul and Alexandria. In the early 1900s Beirut was chosen as headquarters of the newly founded Bank Jacob Safra.

Following the end of World War II, Jacob Safra expanded the new banking activities toward Europe and Latin America. Today, they control £53.6bn in assets, of which £27.7bn are client assets and £4.5bn stockholders’ equity which continually grows each year.

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soLoMon Mines | CoMPanies & MaRkets

woRLd-CLass edUCation FoR ChiLdRen

By NatHaNiel mccullagH, managing director, Simply tuition FOR THE MANY FAMILIES who live between different countries, providing children with a continuity of education can be a daunting challenge. However, an enlightened few believe it is quite the opposite, seeing their children’s unique circumstances as an outstanding opportunity to enrich their learning and prepare them effectively for the challenges they will face in adulthood and throughout their lives.

Traditionally, parents seeking the best possible education have sent their children to an elite boarding school, or hired a governess or tutor. Boarding schools can be brilliant if your child is suited to them. For others they can be lonely, uninspiring places that can do little to develop character or academic success. Tutors on the other hand, provide learning that is tailored to a child’s exact needs. With a tutor, parents are free of any cultural or religious limitations that may be imposed by the school and are free to take an active part in designing their child’s learning.

Traditionally, the tutor or governess would be an impoverished but well-mannered student or a retired teacher. These days, there are a small number of passionate, internationally minded, professional tutors who choose full time tutoring as a career path. When Gwyneth Paltrow advertised for a £62,100-a-year tutor to teach her two young children drama, tennis, chess, Mandarin Chinese and philosophy as well as Latin and Greek, she set the precedent for the ‘uber education’.

Tutor fees now can climb up to £200,000 per annum.

The next generation always faces interesting challenges and opportunities. Recent statistics suggest that 65 percent of children may end up doing jobs that don’t yet exist, making it impossible to know exactly what to teach them. For this reason, the best educators teach soft skills, such as creativity and resilience that will allow children to succeed across new disciplines; they also need to cover government-set curricula.

HNW and UHNW families can offer their children an even better preparation for the real world by tailoring their children’s education to take advantage of the family’s own resources. What better way for a child to learn about a water conservation project in the Saharan desert than to accompany their parents on a philanthropic trip, accompanied by their private tutor who will use the experience as a basis for a plethora of lessons; ranging from history, to politics, geography, anthropology, science and art and culture?

For a small number of families with adequate means, the world can literally become the classroom, with the private tutor as the child’s facilitator, guiding them expertly through each new experience and challenge.

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For children who are gifted and talented, or have specific educational needs, the benefits of one-to-one teaching are even more pronounced. Great progress can be made, which can often result in a return to mainstream schooling. Many parents want to be able to choose the individual educator their children work with. They will ensure that the tutor fits like a glove with their family, that their attitudes and beliefs are aligned and that they have similar aspirations for the child. Over time the tutor will often become part of the extended family, representing a trusted mentor and friend to a child and his or her parents.

Armed with some of the most effective educators in the world, parents can now begin to shape their children’s future in the way that they choose. They have freedom to cherry -pick the best parts of the international education market.

For example, a child could be homeschooling for a year to catch up from some missed learning in earlier years. Part of this could be spent skiing or hiking in the mountains, or on family excursions, where the child learns in harmony with their new environment. This could be followed by preparation for a top boarding school, where the child can dip into a new social group, fully prepared and confident to succeed. With memories of bucolic school days and firm friendships made, the teenage child may then wish to prepare for university at a Sixth Form in a different country. As fashions and career plans change, leading universities like Harvard, Yale and Oxbridge will change in popularity; the child will always be well equipped for any choice. By choosing to provide a truly bespoke education, the global elite are able to give their children the best possible tools to thrive in a challenging and rapidly changing world and cultivate personal characteristics.

Nathaniel McCullagh has worked in private tuition for 20 years. He graduated from Durham University with a degree in Archaeology and completed an MFA at the University of Southern California in LA. He has worked with children of a wide range of ages and abilities, from Eton scholars to children facing challenges such as dyspraxia and Aspergers syndrome.

McCullagh believes passionately in the effectiveness of carefully managed one-to-one tuition. Nathaniel spends his time consulting with clients, visiting schools and working with head teachers and other international educationalists.

to learn more about first class education for children or to consult with Nathaniel McCullagh, please visit: Simplylearningtuition.co.uk

Financial markets analysis

By ANITA KHALILI, Private Equity Advocate, Bloomberg New York The wild swings in crude and other commodities, rising corporate default, and widening credit default swap spreads have buffeted markets. The average CDS spread on US companies’ rose more than 40 percent in the 12 months through May 20. In effect, the market price of betting on a default has increased dramatically from a year ago, even though spreads have tightened since reaching highs in February. Energy sector high-yield issuers, not surprisingly, had some of the largest CDS spreads. Such stress in the public markets is opening doors for private equity professionals to provide liquidity and financing.

debt-fund trend. Some private equity investors may prefer to buy debt that pays a regular coupon rather than take an equity stake with a longer horizon to a potential payoff. For that matter, high-yield bonds issued by energy companies have performed better than stocks over the past two years.

Run {BUHYEN Index COMP} to analyse returns of the Bloomberg USD High Yield Corporate Bond Index that tracks energy issuers. To compare its performance with that of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange SIG Oil Exploration & Production Index, enter “EPX Index” in the 2 field. The bond index fell 19.6 percent during the two years through May 20.

A number of heavy hitters are involved in new ventures to take advantage of market conditions. Hedge fund manager John Paulson is raising a £1.1bn private equity debt fund that will invest in longer-term distressed debt in the metals-andmining and energy sectors. For a description, run {PE12624 US Equity DES}. KKR energy dealmaker Marc Lipschultz left the firm in February and joined former Blackstone Group executive Doug Ostrover at Owl Rock Capital Partners, a new firm planning to originate, underwrite and invest in loans to middle-market companies, it said in a regulatory filing.

By contrast, the stock benchmark plunged 55 percent. One additional reason for private equity investors’ preference for debt may be a scarcity of attractive energy assets to buy.

Among the criteria that private equity professionals look for in buyout candidates are strong market position, sustainable competitive advantages, low capital expenditures, favorable industry trends and stable cash flows.

To track debt-fund launches, you can use the Private Equity Fundraising Environment (PEFR) function. Run {PEFR} and click on the debt bar in the graph to drill down to debt funds.

More than 30 have been launched this year, through late May. Among firms raising money for energy-focused debt vehicles are Riverstone and Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. Lime Rock Partners recently closed a fund that will invest in real assets in the energy space.

For private equity debt funds in the market, energy was the second most targeted sector, following financials. (Financials has historically been an area that’s had more private equity debt investment than buyouts.) Together, financials and energy accounted for almost half of the targeted debt fundraising, with energy making up 20 percent. By contrast, energy accounts for only 7 percent of buyout fundraising.

Debt funds typically provide liquidity to companies, whereas buyout funds aim to provide operational expertise to realise better efficiencies in continually changing markets .

One reason for the focus on raising debt funds may simply be more opportunities. Many banks have pulled back lending. In addition, the Volcker Rule has reined in proprietary trading groups, which had previously also been a source of financing.

Energy companies, meanwhile, are looking for liquidity to tide themselves over until oil prices recover. So private equity firms cater to that. Market uncertainty is also fuelling the

Few US energy companies fit that bill these days. To find bonds and loans issued by US oil and gas exploration and production companies, you can use the Fixed Income Search function at {SRCH}. Enter “exploration” in the field and click on the Sector/Industry Group match. Then enter “United States” and click on the Country of Incorporation match.

Of 474 bonds issued by US exploration and production companies, the average bid price was 75¢ on the dollar as of May 20. The median of 94¢ suggests that some big companies may be skewing the average down.

To look for potentially attractive energy companies to invest in, you can also use the Equity Screening function at {EQS}.

Enter “exploration” in the field and click on the Sector (GICS) item in the list of matches. Enter “United States” and select the Country of Domicile item.

Next, enter “net debt/Ebitda” and click on the match for the ratio of debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation. Next, click on the arrow to the right of No condition and select Rank. Select Sequential and then Lower Value Is Better. To see the top 30 companies, enter a “30” in the field to the right of Top. Press and click on the Results button for a list of the 30 US exploration and production companies with the best debt-coverage ratios.

Anita Khalili is a private equity advocate in the sales department at Bloomberg in New York. To contact her, email: akhalili2@bloomberg.net

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CoMPanY Review GoLDBURD BRoTHERS inteRview with

beNJamIN a. GoLdburd, dIreCTor

B

ased in the heart of New York City only a few steps away from the Empire State Building, the company is run by partners and brothers, Benjamin, Steven and Joseph Goldburd. This celebrated trio have developed a solid track record for providing tax planning, financial planning, cash flow management, trust review, family wealth management, business succession, philanthropy and family office services.

What is the company philosophy?

BG: Our makeup is that of a family with an approach to service that matches the same caring nature.

Our members enjoy a personal and constantly available connection with the professionals that are addressing their needs. We view every member as an opportunity to provide unparalleled service tailored specifically and individually, producing a higher level of value and, more importantly, a lasting relationship. We specialise in the design and implementation of customised strategies encompassing lifestyle and financial goals. Our professional staff are problem solvers helping members evaluate every important decision, whether entrepreneurial or charitable, while keeping a watchful eye on sustaining their financial safety and success. Drawing on decades of experience and specialised knowledge, our multidisciplinary expertise blends taxation, finance and legal acumen to each and every morsel of advice. Due to the relationship built, we are often consulted with and tasked to identify, qualify and supervise lifestyle service providers that enhance the lives of our members. Ensuring that finances are

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properly adhered to and engagements and documentation are provided under a proper legal framework.

Which services do you provide to individual and corporate clients?

A vast majority of members have specific lifestyles, goals and family structures.

We provide a management structure which oversees the daily complexities of life and construct effective and practical strategies to efficiently manage the daily financial demands of our membership.

Consistently maintaining that bills will be paid timely, cash flow will be appropriate, tax filings will be current and assets will be cared for. The details are left to us, with the financial health and stability of our members the only goal. Our skilled corporate group provides an unparalleled outsourced option for financial, accounting and strategic solutions that acts as an extension to your management team.

We are your partners in handling all of your corporate financial matters from the complex to the mundane.

Which services do you provide to trusts, family offices, foundations and charities?

A successful trust arrangement must be designed with the future in mind.

Our professionals can take the reins in providing a strategic plan for both current and future beneficiaries. We can assist in forecasting, budgeting and administrative duties for the trust’s continued financial health.

Our family offices collaborators are adept at investment strategy. However, some offices do not have the necessary structure in place to handle family aspects beyond wealth creation. We

provide an unparalleled outsourced option for financial, accounting and strategic solutions that acts as an extension to the family’s management team. We are partners in handling all of the corporate financial matters and finer details. Our professionals can effectively assist in providing a strategic plan for current and future beneficiaries of the family as well as aid the office in forecasting and budgeting for the family’s continued financial health. Many of our special situation organisations do not have the experienced support staff to deal with financial complexities, especially in growth spurts. To meet these needs our experts provide financial input, advice, bookkeeping and management services in an all-inclusive and seamless professional method.

Which personnel do you work with?

We have assembled a dedicated and well-trained team of managers with backgrounds in accounting, law and investment services. Furthermore, we collaborate with a host of other professional advisors that our members utilise on a daily basis, including, accountants, attorneys, private bankers, business valuation experts, insurance specialists, investment advisors and talent management.

What are the fees?

As our services span from the basic to the complex, we tailor our membership packages to meet many styles and needs. We apply carefully structured pricing models ranging from hourly to fixed-fee calculations.

To learn more about the company, please visit: Goldburdbros.com

Q&A WITH

Ari Epstein, CEO Antwerp World diamond centre

H

ave you always wanted to work within the centre of the Brussels diamond industry?

AP: Having been born and raised in Antwerp, you could say that diamonds are in my DNA. Although I studied law at Antwerp University, I was always drawn to the diamond industry.

What are your day-to-day duties and responsibilities as CEO of AWDC? I serve as a conduit between the Antwerp trade, represented by AWDC’s Board of Directors, and the AWDC management team responsible for the day-to-day activities of the organisation. My task is to know the concerns of the industry leaders and to translate them into initiatives beneficial for the industry, whether this is business development, informational, or perhaps marketing or promotional campaigns.

How is the global diamond market at present? How do you expect this to change by 2030?

The diamond market is in a holding pattern right now. Significant transitions are underway across the entire industry, from mining to manufacturing to marketing and consumer demand. This started last year, but it is unclear which direction things will go. Fortunately, AWDC and the Antwerp industry avoided the temptation of looking for a ‘quick fix’ and stuck with its long-term plan of sustainable development. So however the industry will look in 2030 we are confident that Antwerp will still be at the forefront.

What is the role of Antwerp within the global diamond industry?

Antwerp has been a magnet for the diamond trade for hundreds of years. As a result, we have accumulated a wealth of experience, infrastructure, services and intellectual capital unparalleled in the diamond world. Consequently, Antwerp is not only the leader of the diamond trade in terms of volume and value, but the way we go about our business also serves as a benchmark in the industry, whether this concerns the Kimberley Process, compliance or transparency. It is also important not to overlook that we are the only true multicultural hub in the industry today. More than 1,700 companies call Antwerp home, creating a total of 6,600 direct jobs and 26,000 indirect jobs in Antwerp and around the world.

For generations, consumers have preferred to buy diamonds from non-conflict zones. What is the role of AWDC in making sure that no people or nature are hurt during the production chain process?

The Kimberley Process is an initiative involving governments, industry and civil society to stem the flow of conflict diamonds, such as rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance war against legitimate governments. AWDC actively and wholeheartedly supports the KP’s efforts, not just in theory, but also in practice. The Diamond Office, a subsidiary of AWDC, issues nearly half of all KP Certificates that accompany every single shipment of diamonds, guaranteeing they are conflict-free.

AWDC also supports initiatives and industry organisations, for instance the Diamond Development Initiative and the Responsible Jewellery Council.

What is your point of view regarding synthetic diamonds? Do you think that if in 30 years from now they become hugely popular and flood the market, the value of natural diamonds will decrease?

There is nothing wrong with synthetic diamonds as long as they are disclosed as such. The problem is when very small synthetic diamonds - which are not certified due to the expense involved - are mixed in with natural diamonds by unscrupulous businesses.

I cannot say what will happen in the future. Synthetic diamonds will most probably have a share in a certain part of the market, but when you wish to express to someone, ‘our love is eternal’ or ‘this moment is unforgettable’, I do not believe you do so with something grown in a microwave or produced on an assembly line. When you look at a diamond, you are glancing into eternity.

What are the key diamond centres in the world that you deal with?

The diamond industry is a global industry. We do business with everyone.

The key trading countries after Antwerp are UAE, India and Israel. Aside from these trade hubs, our most important trade partners for rough diamond imports are the Russian Federation, Botswana and Canada. Our leading trade partners for polished diamond exports are the United States, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Israel.

Solomon Mines wish to thank Margaux Donckier, Head of Communications and Spokesman of AWDC for her assistance.

To learn more about AWDC or attend their events, please visit: Awdc.be

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Brexit Investment opportunities

By James Innes and Andrew Beswick of Chrystal Capital

Brexit is likely to dominate conversations from the boardroom to the dinner table for some time to come. Most observers believe that it will take years to untangle ourselves from Europe and the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, says that it will not take place this year. Chrystal Capital, responsible for raising £481m for clients, predicts Brexit will provide prosperous opportunities.

UK’s geographical proximity with its neighbours means it will always be part of Europe and will remain a significant trading partner. We believe that despite the current UK uncertainty, we will transition to a new model and change always brings with it opportunity.

We believe one of the most immediate consequences of the Brexit decision has been the weakness in sterling, which has been the centre of attention for the Bank of England. The relative cheapness of sterling will boost exporters’ competitiveness and make imports expensive, which is expected to drive higher inflation in the UK. Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has indicated rates will most likely go lower depending on the MPC’s reading of the most recent data. This will clearly benefit those seeking to borrow in Sterling and homeowners whose mortgage costs fall as a result.

Arguably, some of the biggest winners are Family offices with US$-based funds, who can invest in UK companies at a 12% discount to pre-Brexit prices.

The public’s memory is short and we should not forget the exchange rate was $2.11/1£ as recently as 2007. Public markets have been quick to recognise this, which is why the FTSE100 Index, which is weighted towards exporters and commodities companies, has been reaching new highs. Note also that many of the so-called US$ earners will

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also see an exchange rate translation benefit boosting their profits when converted to sterling. Family Offices and High-Net-Worth clients are sophisticated investors with often very distinct styles of investing. Many who made their wealth in a particular industry will have a natural inclination towards that sector and seek our advice exploring other sectors that are less familiar to them. Whoever we are advising, our primary objective is to find the right opportunities for their profile in terms of risk tolerance, target return, suitable business growth/maturity and importantly, what they envision as their duration of holding.

CHRYSTAL CAPITAL

are investors, not traders, and as such are inclined to focus on the long-term outlook working in partnership with our clients, whatever their needs. In July, post-Brexit, we have been working on a number of transactions and are pleased to say we have seen little impact.

We have just completed a secondary raise for Velocity, the world’s leading digital hospitality service, sitting at the heart of mobile payments, big data and social media. This was the third round we’ve completed for Velocity, raising £16.5m through a mixture of equity and venture debt with investors from the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia. In addition to this, we have been working with a large European Internet retailing

business to enable them to reduce their shareholder concentration. We are very pleased to announce we will be raising funds for a new members’ club in the heart of Mayfair backed by some of the industry’s leading players.

The firm has solid relationships with a significant number of single and multi-family offices that manage assets worth £188 million or more and are actively seeking direct investment opportunities in private and public companies. These families tend to possess diverse sector and geographical requirements but Chrystal’s aim is to aggregate the most common areas of interest and then source opportunities based upon pre-qualified investor demand.This expedites the fund raising process for the company since they already know from where and from whom there is demand. Chrystal works in close partnership with a number of institutions that have an alternative approach to investing, such as Specialist equity, Pre-Initial Public Offering and IPO, Equity purchase agreements, Listed cash shell, specialist debt convertible bond specialists, small and mid-cap focus, commodity specialists, royalty and stream finance products, mezzanine finance, hybrid and conventional mezzanine debt.

To learn more about Chrystal Capital investment options, contact the team via: Chrystalcapital.com

ISRAELI START-UP MARKET review

By Hugo Beiber, CEO, UK Israel Business

2016 began with local Israeli VC funds holding over £1.5bn available for investment and in the first two months of the year, a further £500m has been raised in commitments. With such a pool of capital available to Israeli early-stage companies, UK Israel Business expects to see the ‘start-up nation’ continue to scale-up and provide a diverse range of tech investments.

OUT of Forbes’ 10 innovative companies to watch in 2016, four Israeli companies were selected, including cyber-security firm Illusive Networks; InSightec, which uses an MRI-guided ultrasound device to destroy tumors and uterine fibroid cysts without surgery; Audioburst that searches and curates radio content in real-time; and Real, which offers real estate professionals technology-driven licencing and operating tools without having to have a physical office.

Companies such as Illusive Networks highlight changes to the way investors approach the Israeli start-up scene. For example, Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt’s venture fund, Innovation Endeavours, provided the initial backing for the Team 8 syndicate. Team 8’s hybrid model acts as an accelerator matching the best players in the industry to create category-leading companies that can meet the biggest problems in cyber security. Having raised Series A funds of £14m in 2015, a second round brought in £17m this year, signalling potential future success for this venture.

Collaborative approaches to funding have also become popular through the rise of crowdfunding platforms like OurCrowd and iAngels. While OurCrowd focus on providing the accredited investors with equity-based investment opportunities in pre-vetted fast-growth companies, iAngels seeks to bring investors into the fold of the

diverse Israeli ecosystem, partnering with leading Israeli angel investors in early-stage companies at the cutting edge of the Israeli tech scene.

Another new innovative model that we have seen in the FinTech sector, is The Floor in Tel Aviv. A verticalfocused FinTech hub hosting an R&D centre, collaborative workshops and mentorship opportunities. Partnering with global banks including RBS, HSBC, Intesa Sanpaulo and Santander, with financial backing from China’s Pando Group the hub operates on a membership-based system and aims to link Israel’s best in financial technology with investors and partners from Beijing to Singapore.

against the 2014 average of £43m. Of the 96 M&A hi-tech exits recorded in 2015, worth £6.3bn, local acquisitions of 26 hi-tech companies amounted for £1.3bn. Israeli buyouts of foreign tech firms also accounted for 30% of deals.

Upon exit to foreign companies, we are starting to see more Israeli hitech companies being acquired either as Israeli R&D centres or to grow the acquired company further. For example, in March 2016, Tel Aviv-based start-up, Replay Technologies was acquired by Intel for £131m in order to penetrate new markets as a unit of Intel.

saw Israel move away from start-up towards scale-up and is highlighted by the maturing of venture capital cycles in Israel. This reached 9.5 years in 2015, as valuations of Israeli hi-tech companies increase due to investors no longer pushing for an early exit. As a result, last year saw over 50 venture capital-backed exits net companies and investors £3.6bn, with the average deal size worth nearly £72m, 47% above the 10-year average, according to research

by IVC (Israel Venture Capital).

There has been a reduction in the number of Israeli companies choosing to IPO, dropping from 27% in 2014 to just 7% in 2015. While 2015 saw three companies, Novocure, Chiasma and Solar Edge IPO successful on the NASDAQ, raising a total of £320m, the London Stock Exchange failed to attract larger Israeli IPOs in 2015 compared to 2014. Nonetheless, a new survey conducted by New Wave Research in Q4 of 2015, examining the potential for increasing bi-lateral trade between the UK and Israel (which currently stands at nearly £5.2bn), has found that 89% of Israeli tech companies and 86% of investors expressed interest in business and tech cooperation with the UK.

This maturity has also been reflected in the M&A market, with the average deal size increasing by 53% in 2015 to £66m,

To become a member of UK Israel Business and to attend their events, please visit: Ukisraelbusiness.co.uk

UK Israel Business

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Solomon Mines | Science NEWS Picture Copyright: Shutterstock

Start-up aiming to end animal cruelty by growing meat and leather in laboratory raised £50m US based start-up Modern Meadow, founded in 2011, has secured a total of £50 million in funding to grow leather in labs instead of taken from livestock. The cruelty-free business model could end the slaughter of animals for leather goods but it also has another benefit, cutting down on the physically and chemically intensive processes needed to produce leather using traditional means, such as farm space, animal food and carbon emissions emitted.

Physics Professor Rainer Weiss validates Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity wins major awards Rainer Weiss, emeritus professor of physics, is the recipient of the 2016 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics. The Kavli Prizes are awarded biennially in recognition of scientists who have made seminal advances in three categories: astrophysics and nanoscience and neuroscience. He has also been awarded the 2016 Shaw Prize in Astronomy, awarded in three categories; astronomy, life science and medicine and mathematical sciences, to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in the prime fields of academic and scientific research or applications.

The new Laser Deduction of Gravitational Waves (LIGO) announced this year provided additional confirmation about Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity and the strongest evidence yet for the existence of black holes and collisions between them.

It has also offered a striking demonstration of the LIGO’s capabilities as a new means of observing the universe. The scientists determined that the incredibly faint signal was produced by the spectacularly violent collision of two black holes, each about 30 times as massive as the sun, 1.3 billion light years away.

Professor Weiss will share the prize, including a cash award of £1.7 million, with Ronald Drever, the emeritus professor of physics at Caltech, scientist Kip Thorne and Caltech’s Richard P. Feynman the Professor of Theoretical Physics, emeritus.

The three scientists, who are co-founders of the Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory (LIGO), have received the prize for the direct detection of gravitational waves, according to the award citation:

Weiss has received numerous awards and honours, including the 2003 Medaille de l’ADION, the 2006 Gruber Prize in Cosmology and the 2007 Einstein Prize of the American Physical Society.

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Some of Professor Weiss’s respected colleagues argue that he should be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics.

"We are making a material that has no hair, flesh or fat on it. So the liming and toxicity that you see elsewhere in the leather trade is eliminated," the CEO and co-founder of Modern Meadow, Andras Forgacs has noted. Because some of the laboratory fabrication process gives them more control, the designers could order leather with specific characteristics rather than simply choosing from what

Picture Copyright: Shutterstock

“This prime detection has in a single stroke and for the first time, validated Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and for very strong fields, demonstrated the existence of black holes with masses 30 times that of our sun and opened a new window on the universe.”

Professor Weiss is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Physical Society, as well as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Earlier this year, Weiss received the acclaimed Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and the 2016 Gruber Prize in Cosmology, both shared with Drever and Thorne.

Biofabrication also allows them to "design, grow, and assemble collagen," along with other proteins to produce leather, that is biologically identical to traditional leather, minus the unwanted details that make the traditional leather processing toxic. This could mean a better life for tens of millions of sheep, cows, rabbits, alligators, foxes and snakes, to mention a few.

is naturally available. This flexibility would help the company secure its market and achieve their goal of becoming the world’s goto source of leather. But leather is not the only thing Modern Meadow will be growing in the lab. They are also growing meat, because Andras Forgacs is a firm believer that growing leather and meat together is a more cultured choice than slaughtering animals.

The company now intends to move forward from the research and development phase of the project and expand into the preparation for full-scale production. In the immediate future, that means setting up a studio in New York and readying its first factory for production.

Horizons Ventures' director Bart Swanson, whose firm has invested in Modern Meadow, thinks that while the cost competitiveness is one of this dynamic startup’s biggest challenges, Modern Meadow will be able to break through that barrier eventually and succeed.

Investor Bart Swanson said: “It took us a long time to rid ourselves of the total dependence on oil and carbon fuels and I believe that now is the time for animal rights, renewable energy, LED lighting and of electric vehicles to have traction and change the world.”

Picture Copyright: Laboiteverte.fr

Laboratory-made diamonds may end mining’s destruction of human and environmental habitats monetising the value of a process called ‘chemical vapour deposition’, which uses a high-energy 8,000 -degree plasma field to hotforge diamonds from layers of carbon atoms. Unlike cubic zirconia and other crystals that are simply cut glass, these diamonds are not synthetic and they are atomically identical to natural diamonds that even gemologists are fooled.

DiCaprio announced his investment in Diamond Foundry saying, “it will reduce some of the human and environmental toll by safely and sustainably culturing diamonds in laboratories, without the destructive effects that mining produces.”

Diamond Foundry proudly says it can grow hundreds of diamonds - up to nine carats in just two weeks in the lab at a cost around 30 per cent less than standard. To date several other companies including the Diamond Nexus and DeBeers, are believed to be ‘growing’ diamonds using technology, but Diamond Foundry stands alone as the only business making jewellery-grade diamonds.

DeBeers, for instance uses its manufactured diamonds on the silicon microchips with a near zero carbon footprint, thanks to its use of solar power credits. The company has raised more than £75 million but the goal is to stay lean where it can. Rather than keeping a large staff of jewellery designers on the payroll, Diamond Foundry sells to a curated collective of several hundred artisans who dress up the stones and sell them direct to consumers which may break the grip diamond companies typically hold on the international market.

DiCaprio joined the venture with Silicon Valley titans: the Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Zynga founder Mark Pincus, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams and Facebook cofounder Andrew McCollum.

Far removed from the film “Blood Diamonds,” that were the subject of DiCaprio’s 2006 picture about African warlords profiting off the gem trade, these stones are born inside a plasma reactor at the headquarters of Diamond Foundry in leafy San Carlos California. Manmade diamonds aren’t new (General Electric pioneered the trick in 1954), but Diamond Foundry is so far the most committed in

Various drugs from depression to cardiovascular disease treatments, the era of individualised medication might just be the best thing to happen to healthcare. Ever feel like your doctor's orders don't really match up with what your body wants or needs? Well, you are not alone and there is a whole new wave of scientific engineering just around the corner, deemed "personalised medicine," which uses DNA sequencing that will develop treatments designed around your unique genes.

Ultimately this means that, in most cases, all it takes is a simple blood sample or a mouth swab for a lab to map your DNA, says Erica Woodahl Ph.D., a leading biochemist.

“People with the same disease who are treated with the same medicine have different responses,” Woodahl explains “If we can tailor a drug to a person’s specific genetic makeup, we can improve some of those responses and lower the odds of an adverse reaction.”

After all, just as a size six won't fit you if you're a size two, not all treatments fit every patient. A lot of people, even those who aren't ill, are interested in learning more about their genetic material

and how it might factor into their disease risk. A recent survey found that 98 percent of those polled would want to know if their DNA pointed to an increased risk for a lifethreatening disease.

Several healthcare systems already use DNA information to create more effective cancer and heart disease treatment programs. "Treatments that are based on a person's genetic makeup are already in use and effective, particularly in the areas of cancer therapy and cardiovascular disease treatment," says Woodahl.

Personalised medicine may soon be able to improve therapies for everything from mental health disorders to pain management Woodahl says. One of the possibilities is figuring out the proper dose and strength of drugs for depression sufferers, which are currently proving extremely difficult. “Genebased information should help doctors prescribe more effective, accurate doses,” Woodahl says. She expects similar medical advancements, such as painkillers, infectious disease therapies and drugs for neurological disorders, all of which will create many positive benefits worldwide for future generations to come as the global population grows.

Picture Copyright: Lgcgroup.com

Leonardo Dicaprio has a diamond proposal for you. The Oscar winner is alongside ten billionaires and Silicon Valley titans backing Diamond Foundry.

The company, founded by Martin Roscheisen, uses technology to accomplish what alchemists and other businesses have attempted in vain to make for a few centuries: to grow diamonds and precious stones.

Medicine produced according to individual DNA genetic sequences will be soon available worldwide

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300 MILLION YEARS OF EVOLUTION ENDS IN A SOUP BOWL Every year 73 million sharks are killed worldwide for their fins. A fish that has evolved perfectly to rule the seas and keep the food chain in order is now being driven to extinction by the rulers of the land - humans.

In markets around Southeast Asia, shark fins sell for up to £300 per kg. In the last 15 years, shark populations have declined by a staggering 98% whilst nearly one third of pelagic shark species are considered endangered. The blame lays not only on humans for their lack of education or simply due to their cultural differences, but also on Asian governments who profit from this vast industry.

We kindly wish to use the platform of Solomon Mines to urge people to sign an online petition calling on the Chinese government to end the illegal trade of wildlife animals, including tigers, elephants (ivory), rhinos (horns), manta rays and pangolins.

We have selected Wild Aid conservation charity whose work in the field produces tangible results. This year they have managed to convince COSCO, China’s largest shipping company, to completely ban shark fin shipments. In a recent study conducted by Wild Aid it was found that 75% of Chinese people were unaware that shark fin soup came from sharks (the dish is called “Fish Wing Soup” in Mandarin), while 19% believed fins grew back and only 6% understood the impact on shark populations and marine ecosystems.

Our mission is to completely end all illegal wildlife trade.

Please sign the online petition now at: Wildaid.org/sayno Picture Copyright: George Probest

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Lucy, a female great white shark, is one of the most recognisable sharks to visit Isla de Guadalup in Mexico due to her deformed tail, believed to be the consequence of a shark attack. Nevertheless, Lucy adapted to her injury by developing a unique swimming style that has helped her remain a top predator. Today, Shark finning is the species biggest threat.

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Solomon Mines | Philanthropy news AUSTRALIA: Gandel Family provides Victoria Museum with its largest single donation

Picture Copyright: Lauderfoundation.com

Children that visit the Melbourne Museum in Australia will soon have a million reasons to smile with the development of a new children’s gallery. Museum Victoria announced a £1m partnership with one of Australia’s largest private family foundations, Gandel Philanthropy, to develop the new play space. The partnership is the single largest gift from an individual in Victoria Museum’s history.

EUROPE: Ronald S. Lauder Foundation builds Jewish education centres in seventeen countries The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation is supporting Jewish education in Central and Eastern Europe. Founded in 1987, the Foundation has created, managed, funded and partnered kindergartens, schools, youth centres, holiday camps and institutions of higher education in seventeen countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe. With their flagship projects in Austria, Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and in Russia, the Lauder Foundation reaches over 4,000 children each year with a total of 30,000 children over the past 25 years.

Headquartered today in the city of Berlin Germany, the Lauder Foundation was established and is led by its ambassador, Ronald S. Lauder, a noted philanthropist, businessman, diplomat and Jewish leader. Ambassador Ronald Lauders’ vision has long driven the Foundation to create and support institutions designed to bring about significant change to Jewish life in Europe, including for example, the Lauder Business School in Vienna, Austria and the Rabbinerseminar zu Berlin in Berlin, Germany.

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Mr John Gandel is an Australian key businessman, property developer and philanthropist, who made his fortune in the development of commercial real estate, as well as shopping centres around Melbourne, including Chadstone. According to Forbes 2015 Rich List, he has a net worth of £3.3bn, making him Melbourne’s second richest man after Anthony Pratt.

It is the goal of The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation to support new communities, especially Jewish children. By providing them with quality opportunities through Jewish education, they are able to develop into proud and informed Jewish adults. As these young Jews learn about their culture and faith, they inspire their parents to continually do the same.

The new gallery will feature a dinosaur dig to excavate fossils, a discovery garden, museum objects, and also an immersive camouflage disco where children can turn into spotty and stripy zoological specimens.

The Javne Fund, a tax-exempt organisation created in 1995 enables all those concerned to donate funds to encourage this exciting renewal of Jewish life in Central and Eastern Europe. Through The Javne Fund, which supports programs of Jewish education and community outreach, those who contribute and those who receive are allowed the chance to reconnect with their Jewish past and roots.

Lauder was elected president of the World Jewish Congress in 2007. He has met with a number of heads of state and government, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Pope Benedict XVI, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, Czech President Václav Klaus, the Hungarian PM Ferenc Gyurcsány, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Jordan and Swiss President Pascal Couchepin.

When the area is complete in December 2016, the new gallery will be named The Pauline Gandel Children’s Gallery in recognition of Mrs Gandel’s love of children and her philanthropic goals.

Picture Copyright: Victoria Museum

Lauder said in a statement: “Our long-term philanthropy policy seeks to underwrite the future of Jewish life in Europe, both communal and the individual developments, by continuously supporting excellent Jewish schools. But what exactly is an excellent

Jewish school? One that prepares young Jews to be successful, both personally and professionally and who inspire a continuous active participation in Jewish life.”

The Museum Victoria CEO Dr Patrick Greene said it was important to acknowledge the contribution from the Gandels. “Together with the Victorian Government, funding this new partnership with Gandel Philanthropy enables us to develop a world-first exhibition gallery dedicated to the fostering of learning and creativity in children from birth to five years old. Museum Victoria has consulted widely with early childhood educators and specialists, playground designers and leading health professionals to create a unique and innovative space that will focus on play-based learning and development.”

Dr Greene said the opening of the gallery was well timed.

“This coincides with the 100 year anniversary of the first children’s gallery opening its doors at what was then the National Museum of Victoria. The Minister for Creative Industries, Martin Foley, launched the project.”

The donor, Mrs Gandel, said she hoped visitors and their children would embrace the gallery. “It may sound corny, but children really are our future. The rich and varied experiences that children will encounter in the new gallery will no doubt help them grow and develop into inquisitive, informed and creative people.”

Picture Copyright: Ben-Gurion Unversity

ISRAEL: Dr Howard and Lottie Marcus donate £308,000,000 to Ben-Gurion University New israeli record the American Associates of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) announced a substantial donation of approximately £308m from the estate of Dr. Howard and Lottie Marcus from San Diego, California. Lottie Marcus died this past December at age 99, just two months short of her 100th birthday, while Howard died in 2014 at the incredible age of 104.

The legacy gift is believed to be the largest bequest on behalf of an Israeli university and may be the largest donation ever made to benefit any institution in the State of Israel. The funds will be used to establish a permanent endowment in support of the university, which will yield endowment assets that more than double the size of its current endowment. A substantial portion of the funds will be earmarked for BGU’s worldrenowned work in water research at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, respected as one of Israel’s leading water institutes.

“Both Howard and Lottie Marcus lost nearly all members of their GermanJewish families, families that were annihilated by the Nazi Holocaust. Their legacy is a triumph over the forces of evil that very nearly erased them from the face of the earth more than 70 years ago,” says AABGU President Lloyd Goldman.

Howard and Lottie gained their fortune as a result of a special relationship with the legendary investor, Benjamin Graham. Lottie worked as the head of the secretarial pool at a major Wall Street firm.

She met Graham through the Wall Street Ski Club in the 1930s. They became lifelong friends and in the early 1960s, Graham told Howard and Lottie about a student of his at Columbia Business School, a young man he thought a prodigy.

He invited that student, Warren Buffett, to meet with Howard and Lottie and they put most of their nest egg in Buffett’s new partnership, which years later became Berkshire Hathaway.

WARREN BUFFETT said, “I met Howard and Lottie Marcus more than fifty years ago through a mutual friend, my lifetime hero Ben Graham. We hit it off and they joined my investment partnership.

Having known them well, it comes as no surprise that they have elected to use their key financial success to enhance the lives and futures of thousands of young Israeli people.”

USA: UJA-Federation of New York raises £159m worth of donations, an increase from last year For the fourth year in a row, UJA-Federation of New York has raised more money in its annual campaign than the previous year and raised a total of £115m, an increase of £1.9m over last year. In addition to the annual campaign, the UJAFederation recorded £29.5m through planned giving and endowments and has raised £11.3m for capital projects and special initiatives. Total fundraising achieved £159m.

“At a time of increasing challenge and uncertainty, we are particularly grateful to our donors for their extraordinary generosity, enabling us to tackle an ever-growing list of urgent needs for millions of people in New York, Israel and around the world,” said Eric S. Goldstein, the CEO, of the UJA-Federation of New York (appointed 2014).

“From helping New Yorkers who live in poverty, to the growing threats of antisemitism and BDS on college campuses, to strengthening Israel and supporting Jewish life, the programs we fund will have an immense impact on our community going forward.”

“Raising over £115m in one year for an annual campaign is a remarkable feat for an organisation of any size, anywhere in the world,” said Alisa R. Doctoroff, whose term as president ended on June 30, 2016. “I am very proud to have worked side by side with the talented professionals at UJA-Federation and the tens of thousands of donors and volunteers who make all our life-changing work a prosperous reality.” she said.

“This campaign is reflecting the contribution of the talented volunteers and staff professionals who help UJA fulfil its mission,” said Jeffrey A. Schoenfeld, who assumed the volunteer role of president of UJA-Federation of New York on July 1, 2016. “As UJA enters its centennial year, our donors have set an important marker that the work of UJAFederation has never been more important and vital.”

For nearly 100 years, UJAFederation has inspired New Yorkers to act on their values and invest in our community for the biggest impact.

Through the UJA-Federation, more than 50,000 donors address issues that matter most to them, pooling their resources to care for New Yorkers of all backgrounds and Jews everywhere, to connect people to their Jewish communities, and to respond to crises close to home and around the globe. Working with nearly 100 beneficiary agencies, synagogues, and other Jewish organisations, UJA-Federation is the world’s largest local philanthropy; our reach spans from New York to Israel to more than 70 other countries around the world, touching 4.5 million people each year and growing.

UJA-Federation branches are located around the world and their long-term mission is to welcome active participation from interfaith couples and families and people of all abilities, backgrounds and sexual orientations as part of our diverse community, connecting everyone to the richness of Jewish life, culture, art, humanity and philanthropy.

In 2004, Lottie and Howard Marcus were both awarded honorary doctoral degrees by the BGU in recognition of their pioneering spirit, exceptional philanthropy and unstinting dedication to Israel and to the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

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Solomon Mines | book review

A LIFE CHANGING BOOK Professor Yuval Noah Harari best selling book ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ challenges every aspect of our existence. Has Professor Harari found the answers to the questions that have been baffling billions of people for one hundred thousand years? Why are we here and what is the meaning of life? An exclusive book review and interview by SOLOMON MINES.

“ The world is not what it seems ”

Imagine if we told you that nothing exists. What would you say? According to Yuval Noah Harari, a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an international bestselling author, there are three main truths that rule our lives: the Objective, Subjective and Inter-Subjective.

Objective Reality An objective reality is a phenomenon that is not dependent on human understanding, beliefs, perception or views. For example, it is an astronomical fact that the Earth orbits the Sun and no matter what humans may think of this phenomenon, the Earth will not stop its 24-hour orbit. The same rule applies to the time when people thought that the Earth was flat. No matter what they thought or understood, the Earth didn’t become flat to adapt to human perception. An objective reality is a non-dependent biological and scientifical fact.

Subjective Reality A subjective reality is a phenomenon that is dependent on the perception or beliefs of one person; it is not a biological fact.

For example, a person who dislikes vanilla-flavoured ice cream but adores opera music. If we were to dissect a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, there would be no physiological evidence of support the hypostasis that humans have an innate dislike to various types of music or food. Therefore, the liking of this person ‘does not exist’; it is only a subjective experience. The same thing can be said about people who fear spiders, public speaking, tall blonde women or scuba diving. Scientifically, we are born with only two fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling; all other phobias are developed later.

Inter-subjective Reality Inter-subjective realities are ideas that are dependent on the collective belief of a cross network of people. According to

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Picture Copyright: James Duncan Davidson/TED

Professor Yuval Noah Harari

Harari, these fictitious realities are the strongest of all because they control every aspect of our lives. For example, only one hundred years ago, white people believed they were superior, stronger and smarter than black people. Today, science proves that intelligence is not correlated to skin colour. Therefore, a cross network of people believed in a fictitious reality and suffered from it, including the slaves themselves.

Today, although we are surrounded with cutting edge new technologies, inter-subjective realities still rule most aspects of our lives. For example, if tomorrow Britain invaded Denmark and rename it ‘Britmark’, would all Danish people become English? And if a few years later, the US invaded and renamed it ‘US2’, what would the citizens become? Therefore, today Denmark may exist in the reality we all accept and respect, but ultimately Denmark is not a biological fact, it is only a name or idea that is 100% dependent on the perception of its human rulers. Therefore, all countries, nationalities and currencies do not objectively exist; they are simply ideas that are accepted by the majority of people living at any given time (eg. the Roman Empire), thefore countries do not exist.

Further inter-subjective ideas that are completely dependent on a cross network of human perception: Real men don’t cry, a womans’ place is in the kitchen, the American Constitution, kingdoms, social hierarchy by wealth, Nazism, democracy, the free market (capitalism), religion, money, the UN or even authentic Chinese food (DNA tests prove that early human settlers to Asia 50,000 years ago originated from Africa).

Looking at the three main realities, enlightened beings should realise that perhaps they should not believe everything they were taught from nursery to university, they should not believe everything they read, nor everything that their parents tell them, but most importantly, they should not believe what they tell themselves.

If all human perceptions and beliefs are a direct manifestation of our societies and culture, is there an absolute meaning to life? From a scientific point of view we know that the meaning of life is purely dNa replication. How can one lead a meaningful and fulfilling life knowing these facts?

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ProFeSSor Harari aNSWerS: Many people look for the meaning of life in some cosmic drama. They imagine that the entire universe has some predetermined divine script, and they must discover their role in the drama, and play it well. As Shakespeare said, all the world is a stage, and all humans are merely players. So when you tell people that there is no script and no drama and therefore that they have no cosmic role to play, they become terrified. If we have no role to play in some cosmic drama, what is the point of life?

However, only when you give up all the myths and fantasies can you finally see reality as it is, which is much better. Not everything is a myth and not everything is a fiction. Reality isn’t a divine drama, but it is still there. Some things are real, and when you let go of all the myths, you can observe reality with far greater clarity than before.

One of the best tests of reality is suffering. If you want to know whether an entity is real or imaginary, ask yourself: Can it suffer? When the temple of Zeus is burned down, Zeus doesn’t suffer. When the euro loses its value, the euro doesn’t suffer. When a bank goes bankrupt, the bank doesn’t suffer.

When a country suffers a defeat in war, the country doesn’t really suffer. It’s just a metaphor. In contrast, when a soldier is wounded in battle, he really does suffer. When an investor loses all her wealth in a stock exchange bubble, she suffers.

When a cow is separated from her newly born calf, she suffers.

This is reality. Of course, suffering might well be caused by our belief in fictions. For example, belief in national and religious myths might cause the outbreak of war, in which millions lose their homes, their limbs and even their lives. The cause of war is fictional, but the suffering is 100% real. This is exactly why we should strive to distinguish reality from fiction.

Fiction isn’t bad. It is vital. Without some imaginary stories about things like money, states and corporations no complex human society could function. But these stories are just tools.

They should not become our goals or our yardsticks. When we forget that they are mere fiction, we lose touch with reality. Then we begin entire wars ‘to make a lot of money for the corporation’, ‘to safeguard the interest of the state and the nation’ or ‘to spread the word of God’. This is madness.

Corporations, money, states, nations and gods exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us. How come we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in their service?

So what is the meaning of life? If by that you mean ‘what is my role in the cosmic drama?,’ the answer is simple: There is no meaning, because there is no cosmic drama. But if you suffer from anxiety, from fear, or even from a gnawing feeling of meaninglessness, your suffering is still real, and there is a way out of it. By realising the truth about the feelings that torment you, you can become totally liberated from them.

But that is not easy, because we identify with the fear and with the stories it weaves, and we don’t want to let go of them.

When I wake up in the morning, I don’t want to play a role in some make-believe drama. I want to understand reality as it is. To know the truth. A direct realisation of the truth is the key to real and lasting happiness. If you really know the truth about yourself and the world, nothing can make you miserable.

But that is, of course, much easier said than done.

PROFESSOR HARARI’S FIFTH BOOK ‘Homo deuS’ IS OUT NOW In his latest book Harari examines the future of humanity with a blend of science, history and philosophy.

• After four billion years of organic life, the era of inorganic life is now beginning.

• The main products of the twenty-first century economy will not be textiles, vehicles and weapons, but bodies, brains and minds.

• The way humans have treated animals is a good indicator for how upgraded humans will treat the rest of us.

• Humans won’t fight machines, they’ll merge with them.

We are heading towards marriage rather than war.

This is the shape of the new world, and the gap between those who get onboard and those left behind will be bigger than the gap between industrial empires and agrarian tribes, bigger even than the gap between Sapiens and Neanderthals.

This is the next stage of evolution. this is Homo deus.

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Solomon Mines | property

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NTRODUCING 400 OF The world’s FINEST villas, private islands, beach houses, chalets and country estates by My Private Villas Private Club

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of holidaymakers choosing to rent luxury villas as opposed to staying in hotels. Our team select the finest properties on offer and illustrates the various benefits that MPV private villa rental provides in comparison to a hotel chain experience.

Pack your bags and bring your passport - the journey has begun.

Villa Bora Bora One

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“ A luxury villa rental is more than

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just a holiday - it’s an experience ” Paolo Macchiaroli Founder, My Private Villas

The ‘Villa Beach House’ in Anguilla provides luxurious amenities set in one of the most exotic destinations in the world

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redefining

villa

rentals How did you come up with My Private Villas (MPV)?

PAOLO: In the panorama of the luxury villa rental market there are thousands of agencies but MPV’s approach to both owners and clients is different. Most agencies work without having direct contact with the villa owners; they simply copy and paste information from other websites and promote them at much higher rates than the official ones. These agencies ultimately try to use beautiful properties to promote their own brand, but at MPV we promote the villas themselves; there lies the big difference. I am a villa owner too and I know the feelings owners have when they decide to offer their property for rent. They have many expectations, they are worried about who will be their short-term guests and they want to know how and where rental agencies will promote their precious assets.

Paolo Macchiaroli has over fifteen years experience in the travel industry. He is a judge at the Academy of The World Boutique Hotel Awards with responsibility for selecting the most luxurious villas and private islands under the Private Villa Award Category. Paolo regularly travels to leading shows, including ILTM Cannes, ILTM America, Travel Week Brazil, ATM Dubai, Travel Mart and more.

a particular villa. MPV does exactly the opposite; we generate press coverage for each asset independently thanks to our seven PR agencies worldwide (UK, France and Monaco, South America, Central America, North America, India & Australia).

This is very good for several reasons. Firstly, it is better for the owners because, they get more exposure and for our clients because due to our free promotions, we are able to negotiate lower rates than most other agencies in the market.

Secondly, because we work with each owner and each client on a personal basis, we deliver a bespoke holiday experience that includes tailor-made services, local activities or event management, such as weddings and family celebrations.

How does MPV differ?

Why do you only accept a small percentage of villas to the Private Club Collection?

Let’s illustrate this via a simple case study: Some agencies might have a nice villa portfolio, but when they buy adverts in magazines or attend trade shows for promotional and networking activities, they promote their own brand and not

Our team manages and promotes over 400 villas worldwide.

Thus we carefully visit each new property and vet it. The properties must adhere to strict criteria in order to match our first-class customer service philosophy.

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ASSET QUALITY: A villa can be classic or minimalist, a castle or a waterfront villa, but the beauty of the property, the quality of its furniture, the little details are the things we evaluate and care about when we decide if it can be added to our collection.

DESTINATION: We only select properties in iconic destinations because these are the locations requested by our clients, which will guarantee a good number of bookings for each property concerned.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Our customer service philosophy is first-class. Thus, we train local staff in all destinations, adhering to strict standards.

What are the key financial and lifestyle benefits of renting a villa as opposed to staying in a hotel suite?

Some people think that staying at a villa or chalet is much more expensive than a 5* hotel suite, but this is not the case.

Look at the numbers; a typical villa with 5 bedrooms has a starting price of around £15,000 per week. If we divide this by seven days, we get almost £2,000 per day. A typical hotel suite would cost the same, but then you would have to book 3-4 of those to accommodate a large party. So from a financial perspective, a villa is much cheaper. More importantly, the family stays together rather than spread around the hotel, plus you have the luxury of not having to share any common spaces with other guests (living areas, pool, gym, spa, etc.)

Which services and experiences can you provide?

MPV provides a complete concierge service ranging from private travel to nannies, chefs, kosher chefs, personal trainers,

tutors, chauffeurs, butlers and event management. We are able to organise weddings and private parties and take care of all the details including florists, caterers, photographers, DJs and everything else that guests might need. Because we work directly with the property owners, we know which villas are ideal for hosting events; therefore our clients do not need to waste time and effort by browsing many websites. We once had a family who wanted to rent a beautiful villa situated on a cliff in Greece. The pictures on our competitors’ website were stunning, but because we had previously visited the property, we knew that it is not family-friendly because the cliff was not gated. The pictures didn’t show that. A standard agent will not know this because they don’t visit the villas, they only have access to general information and pictures. This is where our bespoke approach comes into play. Furthermore, because we know each property and its surroundings, we can recommend different types of villas, depending on the experience required. We have villas for various experiences; wine, golf retreat, family get-together, partying, ultra-luxury experience or perhaps a countryside exploration.

What are the most popular destinations?

In Europe the busiest periods are from May to September, plus of course, the winter season in the Alpine ski resorts.

The busiest time to enjoy winter sun destinations such as the Caribbean, Brazil and Thailand are from December to March.

Book early to avoid disappointment.

For a one-on-one consultation with Paolo Macchiaroli contact: 020 8672 7040 E: info@myprivatevillas.com or visit Myprivatevillas.com

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THE RISE OF TEL AVIV’S SUPER LUXURY PROPERTIES

By Sholomi Ben Ishai & Noa Ella of PREMIUM TLV, specialists in luxury real estate SUPER luxury properties are bigger, better located and built to higher standards and specifications. Not every asset can qualify as ‘super luxury’ as prices start from £5m (£18,000 per sqm) upwards. Super luxury properties are designed by international award-winning architects with flexible budgets that allow usage of the finest materials and the creation of bespoke amenities. The clients tend to be ultra-high-networth individuals who own similar prestigious properties in other metropolitan cites.

In recent years, Tel Aviv has become synonymous for its high quality of life, low pollution levels, sunny year-round weather, nightlife, cultural activities and gourmet restaurants. The Israeli start-up market attracts thousands of international investors to Tel Aviv in search of the next VIBER, WAZE

The Oranim Penthouse offers some of Israel’s finest works of art

magnificent, timeless seafront palace. White marble floors with book-match tiling to create kaleidoscope images on the floor, the 6-metre high kitchen surfaces are glass, shot through with silver silk fabric and mirror slabs that reflect Italian chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The master bedroom, with its 4-metre high headboard upholstered with silk, overlooks old Jaffa. Even the light fixtures are bespoke.

Bedrooms and lounges offer up to 6 metre high ceilings

or WIX. According to the World Economic Forum, Israel’s technology sector attracted £3.3bn of foreign investment in 2016 - much more than London, Shanghai, Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Sydney, São Paolo or Singapore. Tel Aviv’s municipality also invests resources to develop new quality infrastructure, such as bicycle lanes, green open spaces, accessible routes to the city’s sixteen beaches and for the preservation of historic buildings.

A fine example to reflect the super luxury real estate market is ORANIM, the developers of Royal Beach luxury hotels and residencies in Tel Aviv renowned for breaking several records. Their chart-topping sales prices include over £23m for penthouses and their latest project, Celestia Seafront Penthouse, conjures up a sense of grandeur with its soaring 6-metre high ceiling and the spectacular vast blue views from Old Jaffa to Herzlia. Designed by renowned Israeli interior designer Shlomo Frenkel, the challenge was to create a

Shira Oren-Nahmias, the Deputy CEO of Oranim said: “We sell art, not real estate. Each penthouse is a one-of-akind work of art.” In line with Oranim’s philosophy that there is a convergence between art and real estate, the art in the penthouse pays tribute to contemporary Israeli artists. She added: “Our motto is ‘Oranim - Art Estate’ and similar to fine works of art, our development value surges with time.”

Indeed, properties with a price tag of £30m are no longer a rarity in Tel Aviv with several of them currently on the market.

We at PREMIUM TLV offer some of the finest real estate in the city. Launched in 1990, we have a solid track record for providing clients with personalised reports analysing historical sales data by geographical locations and in-depth socio-political/legislative trends. We also offer access to some of the most knowledgeable luxury real estate experts, including architects, solicitors, accountants, tax specialists and banks, should you require financing.

To contact Sholomi Ben Ishai or Noa Ella for a nonobligatory consultation, please visit PremiumTLV.com or email: sales@premiumTLV.com

Tel Aviv offers some of the most stunning properties in Israel

To contact Shira Oren-Nahmias of Oranim Art Estates, please visit Oranim-projects.co.il or email: sales@oranim-projects.co.il

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Herzliya Pituach finest properties For over fifty years, Anglo-Saxon have played a major role in shaping Israel’s real estate market. With over seventy specialist branches nationwide, their team provides an extensive selection of quality houses and commercial real estate to local and foreign buyers each year. The founder of the company and one of Israel’s property pioneers, the late Dave Blumberg, started the company when he identified the requirement of Jewish people worldwide to own real estate in Israel in case of uncertain times and also due to patriotic reasons. He successfully promoted the notion to ‘have a foothold in Israel’. His son, Eytan Blumberg, has been continuing this legacy for the past 25 years, serving as Managing Director of Anglo-Saxon Herzliya Pituach.

Which services do you provide?

Our core specialities at the Herzliya Pituach boutique branch are sales and rental of premium residential and commercial properties in some of Israel’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, including Herzliya Pituach, Nof Yam, Herzliya Bet, Kfar Smaryahu, Rishpon, Arsuf and Kfar Neter near the American school. We have three specialist departments: a Frenchspeaking department headed by Mira Renassia Cohen, a department for foreign companies and embassies headed

by Susan Nisim and a commercial department dealing with offices and stores headed by Snapir Erez (Partner).

How do you differ from other agencies?

We are completely different because everything we do is niche, from the geographic area we specialise in to the prestigious clients we cater for and the properties themselves.

Your offices are now at the beachfront Daniel Hotel. Why? The move symbolises our growth and innovation and it represents a new milestone in the organisation’s history.

The refurbishment of the Daniel Hotel provides us with a professional and luxurious working environment whilst bringing us closer to potential new clients that visit it; for instance Israeli citizens, international Jewish and non-Jewish

business people and tourists. This enables us to market and promote assets directly to end-users in a convenient manner. The proximity of the hotel to the beachfront further strengthens our position as the leading estate experts in Herzliya Pituach and the surrounding areas.

What is the aim of The Anglo-Saxon Herzliya Pituach ‘Exclusive Selection’?

A few years ago, due to the continuous growth of luxury real estate transactions, we decided to create a specialist department to respond to this need called Exclusive Selection. In fact, one of the main reasons behind our office move is precisely because of this growth.With some properties in this classification, we are the sole representatives and have absolute exclusivity to market them to buyers. Marketing and advertising strategies are tailored for each property owner and their needs. The Exclusive Selection portfolio is marketed via our wide network of contacts and across AngloSaxon nationwide. We also advertise the portfolio in luxury hotel magazines, aviation publications, real estate websites worldwide, along with our own marketing collateral.

Every year your team win chain awards. What is the secret of this success?

Our teams have been working together for many years; therefore, we are all very familiar with each other. There is a great atmosphere of professionalism as we encourage expertise sharing, which delivers a premium service for clients. The geographic area that we cover is not large and contains approximately 9,000 properties. Therefore, it is an intimate and exclusive market where relationships and reputation play big roles in sustaining business over a long period of time. We are delighted that Anglo-Saxon is one of Herzliya Pituach leading real estate agents.

For more information please call: +972 072-3728568 Email: Daniel@ashp.co.il or visit: Ashp.co.il

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LUXURY HOMES

THE MOST EXCLUSIVE APARTMENTS IN TEL AVIV

www.PremiumTLV.com

26 Ashtori Ha-Farhi St. (BASEL area), TEL AVIV Tel. 03-944-1818 Sales@PremiumTLV.com

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There is no Demand too High for MIT PC

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MIT Property Consultants Director Murtaza Haidermota brings in-depth knowledge, meeting the challenges of London’s constantly evolving property market.

MIT Property Consultants are active in the most select and high-value areas of inner London, and we cater to a small group of distinctive clients. Our service is carefully personalised and dedicated to finding the perfect property to suit your specific needs. We dedicate our resources to the handling of all aspects of your property purchase or rental, including negotiations with vendors and landlords, which are conducted on your behalf, and management of the purchase or lease agreement.

Many investors are unaware that hundreds of properties are sold Off-Market; they are not marketed or advertised.

MIT Property Consultants have a select portfolio for their clients, housing some of these exclusive properties in both London and overseas including 8 apartments in Parkside Knightsbridge, which all overlook Hyde Park.

There is no demand too high or requirement too specific for us.

We pride ourselves in working with our clients on an individual basis; we want to get to know you, your culture and your long-term property objectives, offering discretion and accountability through your property search.

Most recently, we found a £1.8 million holiday apartment for an Azerbaijani client on Fulham Road with amazing views of London’s West End. As a Knightsbridge based company, we take pleasure in working with local businesses and landlords. Not long ago, we discovered that a Knightsbridge landlord had been sitting on 4 apartments for a long time. Fleetingly, we found a Qatari family who rented them all at once. Similarly, we rented a whole commercial block in Beauchamp Place. For us, there is no demand too high or requirement too specific.

Get in touch with MIT Property Consultants today if you are looking to buy, sell, rent or rent out your property.

Property Consultants Contact MIT for further details at

info@mitpc.co.uk | mitpc.co.uk

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WINNERS OF 130 AWARDS SINCE 2010

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enefiting from a high-specification finish throughout, this exceptional four bedroom town house is arranged over four floors and boasts a range of luxurious fixtures and striking design features, including a glass atrium in the contemporary double reception room that overlooks the charming courtyard.

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£7,950,000 Share of f/hld 1 reception room, 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 shower rooms

South Kensington Sales 020 7590 1000 Foxtons.co.uk/12187934

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ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THIS BROCHURE AND TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE.

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