Contributors

Viju Mathew

A degree in physical geography laid the foundations for the decade Viju spent writing about various aspects of fine living, before he became Robb Report’s automotive editor (along with testdriving cars around the world, he pilots the Dream Machines section of the magazine).

A former rock-climbing instructor, he also has a penchant for cycling, snowboarding and the odd drop of single malt. In this issue of Private World, Viju delves into the highoctane world of the Ferrari 499P (page 66)—the hypercar that, proudly bearing the Prancing Horse logo, will tear up the tarmac at the FIA WEC in the top class this year.

Lysanne Currie

Lysanne is an editor, writer and digitalcontent creator who spent a decade in various consumer magazines before becoming editorial director of Hachette Filipacchi. A former editorial director at BSkyB and head of content at the Institute of Directors, she’s now editor in chief at Meet the Leader—which helps CEOs tell their stories through print, video and digital—and writes about business, luxury and travel for titles including Victor, The Ethicalist, Tempus and Superyacht

Life. In this issue, Lysanne explores two forthcoming exciting developments in the world of seafaring— Silenseas, a sailing yacht whose roots lie in the history of the Orient Express (page 28) and Habacoa—a resort community being developed in the Bahamas (page 31).

Simon De Pury

An art dealer, curator, gallerist, photographer and DJ, Basel-born polymath Simon was, early in his career, chairman, Europe and chief auctioneer worldwide at Sotheby’s and also curator of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. Since then, he has become one of the world’s most highprofile auctioneers (he owned and ran Phillips from 2001 to 2013). He has been called the Mick Jagger of auctions for flamboyant performances behind the podium that have earned him several screen appearances (including the BBC documentary The Man With the Golden Gavel and the Netflix hit Emily in Paris). In this issue, in one of three focuses on “passion investments,” Simon— with characteristic elan and eloquence— describes the ins and outs of investing in art (page 48).

Lewis Chester

Lewis, DipWSET, is a London-based wine collector, member of the Académie du Champagne and Chevaliers du Tastevin, cofounder of Liquid Icons and, along with Sasha Lushnikov, cofounder of the Golden Vines Awards— which will take place in Paris from October 13–15 this year. He is also honorary president and head of fundraising at the Gérard Basset Foundation, which funds diversity- and inclusivity-education programs globally in the wine, spirits and hospitality sectors. In this edition of Private World, Lewis offers some of his exhaustive insights into the nuances of investing in fine wine.

Elizabeth’s 30-plus years in watch publishing have included contributions to numerous high-quality print magazines, books and websites all over the world. Her books— Twelve Faces of Time (2010) and Bridging Art and Mechanics: The Unabridged Story of the Corum Golden Bridge (2015)— examine independent watchmakers. She was on the jury of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève eight times before becoming a member of the GPHG Academy. In 2013 she cofounded and was editor in chief of quillandpad.com. In this issue, as part of our focus on passion investments, Elizabeth offers her take on what timepieces might yield returns in years to come (page 52).