MillionaireAsia Indonesia Edition 1 2014

ISSUE 1 | 2014

RAMESH DIVYANATHAN, DASHING COUNTRY HEAD OF BMW IN INDONESIA TAKES US ON A TEST DRIVE OF NEW MODELS, NEW COLOURS AND NEW TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE & BUSINESS

LITTLE BLACK BOOK

TRAVEL

Ramesh Divyanathan - BMW Sandiago Uno - SARATOGA Salvatore Ferragamo - FERRAGAMO

Begüm Kiroglu - BEGÜM KHAN Christophe Claret - CHRISTOPHE CLARET Séan Harrington - ELEMIS

Metropolitan - BANGKOK Warwick - NEW YORK Leela Palace - UDAIPUR

Penyengat Island, Bintan

Located south of Bintan Island, the charming Malay fishing village of Penyengat Island truly reflects Bintan as a place of culture and history. Visit this 18th century village or discover the 100-year-old Banyan Tree Temple in nearby Senggarang – all here, in Bintan Resorts.

For more information, visit www.bintan-resorts.com, email us at bintan@bintan-resorts.com or call us at +65 6389 3535.

5am: An early morning by the quay, a fisherman brings me out to sea 8am: Catching a glimpse of local folks, from an ancient village built on stilts 12pm: I took a stroll down antiquated streets, discovering little eateries

1pm: Exchanging stories with the locals, sampling food so full of flavour 5pm: Sitting on the pier with the village cat, watching the skies as the sun sets

BINTAN RESORTS. MY DAY DONE MY WAY.

CONTENTS

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The Colourful Success Of BMW In Indonesia

The Colourful Success Of BMW In Indonesia

62

Luxury Time

20

Expanding Horizons

68

Timepieces Iceland

38

Motoring

72

A Family Tradition of Luxury

50

People

76

Up In The Air

54

Little Black Book

82

Smooth Sailing

Ramesh Divyanathan talks to MillionaireAsia about his job as President Director of BMW in Indonesia; the reason for the brand’s success and his dream for the future.

Leading the rush into Myanmar to secure new business is Indonesian Sandiago Uno. His field: oil and gas.

A close-up look at the chic and high-performing new Mini Clubman Bond Street.

We meet Thailand’s new hotel family dynasty: the Sukosols.

Some movers and shakers from around Asia give us the secrets of their Little Black Book.

The latest in fine time pieces from the world’s great manufacturers.

You think of many things when you think about Iceland: fine watches are probably not among them. The full story.

Grandson of the legendary cobbler, this Salvatore Ferragamo has made his mark in the Italian luxury hotel business.

The very latest news on private aviation.

A sneak peak at the largest private yacht to be launched into the seas.

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CONTENTS

114

Mont Rouge

86

Hotel-Udaipur

106 Luxury Real Estate

88

Restaurant-Bali

110 When In Bangkok

90

Fine Wines

113 Where Will You Be?

98

Art

The very grand Leela Palace in Udaipur is one of those places you must stay eventually. Overlooking Lake Pichola, it offers you a lifestyle once only enjoyed by the fabulous maharajas.

Serving great food, Cuca is a welcome edition to the dining scene in Jimbaran.

Cork or screw? We get the lowdown on preserving fine wine from Australia’s famous Penfolds vineyard.

Highlights of a recent exhibition of works from the private collection of Penny Wen.

104 Motoring

Racer or roadster? It really does not matter with the 50 anniversary Lamborghini prototype: Veneno.

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th

A close look at the best places in the world to invest in a second house or apartment.

A standout hotel in the Thai capital, different for two reasons: its design and its signature restaurant, the starrated Nahm.

Take a look at some of the upcoming events where our members can gain exclusive access and VIP treatment and facilities through our MillionaireAsia Concierge Service.

114 Mont Rouge

News of a beautiful wine estate in Australia that could be your dream getaway.

118 A Very Special Place

A fascinating story behind the famous Goring Hotel in London.

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EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to the latest edition of MillionaireAsia Indonesia.

This edition is full of fascinating people. We spend time with Ramesh Divyanathan, the President Director of the BMW motor company in Indonesia; talking colors, design and technology.

We sit down with Salvatore Ferragamo, grandson of the renowned Italian shoemaker at his 700-hectare wine and olive estate in Tuscany.

We catch up the Sukosol family whose generations are now a new hotel dynasty in Thailand.

In Mumbai, we have a rare interview with a fascinating and very amiable man: Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair, who is the founding chairman of the luxury Leela Hotel, Palace and Resort Group.

We look at how the work of Michelle Sampoerna and the Putera Sampoerna Foundation is transforming ordinary lives through education.

And we talk with one of Indonesia’s most energetic young business dynamos: Sandiago Uno, who is moving beyond these shores to explore the business possibilities of Myanmar.

In this edition, there is certainly a lot to consider when you are buying, selling or just looking. The latest in motoring: everything from the new Mini to a Lamborghini and a Ferrari – and to the grand old lady of them all: Rolls-Royce. We also bring you the latest in private aviation and yachting. On the investment front, we take an in-depth look at opportunities on Bintan Island and, further afield, we look at the top destinations for luxury residential property investment.

For our members who have a passion for wine, we take a look at how Penfolds are helping clients assess the health of their Penfolds wines with the acclaimed Penfolds Re-corking clinic! And we take a look at one of Australia’s most iconic wine brands Hardys as it celebrates its 160th anniversary. Last but certainly not least, you will find out who are the winners in the inaugural Indonesian Wine List of the Year Awards.

On the jewellery scene we visit a Melbourne institution, Kozminsky.

The firm founded in 1851 is the city’s most famous hometown jeweller.

We also take a look at the magnificent pearl exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and keeping on the pearl theme look how Indonesian pearl export business is thriving.

Enjoy this issue and do keep in touch via email.

Graham Pearce Editor in Chief

BMW is one of the most recognised luxur y car brands in the world. Ramesh Div yanathan is President Director of BMW in Indonesia.

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MAGAZINE INFO

EDITOR IN CHIEF Graham Pearce gp@millionaireasia-indonesia.com

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Meeliani Handoko ISSUE 27 | VOLUmE 8 | 2012 | SINGAPORE

meeliani@millionaireasia-indonesia.com

ADVERTISING IT’S ABOUT LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

Dwi Safitri Apriyanti

promotions@millionaireasia-indonesia.com

IT’S ABOUT LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

ACCOUNTING Tissa Pricilla

Scaling nEW HEigHtS

accounts@millionaireasia-indonesia.com

Adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow has climbed almost every mountain, forded every stream, but he says, there are still greater heights to scale.

CIRCULATION M. Nur Hasan

ISSUE 27 | VOLUmE 8 | 2012

King of the game SHELDON ADELSON REVEALS HIS LATEST ASIAN RESORT EMPIRE, EXPANSION PLANS AND MORE

members@millionaireasia-indonesia.com

More Wealth goes to asia WHAT THE WORLD WEALTH REPORT 2012 TELLS US

traversing the Skies JOHN TRAVOLTA DIVULGES ON HIS PASSION FOR FLYING AND ALL THINGS AVIATION

ISSUE 16 | VOLUmE 5 | 2012 | mALAySIA

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Grace Lai, Gwendoline Sim, Catherine Shaw, Ryan Borroff, Selena Wong, Javier Espinosa, Goh Chay Teng

CREATIVE IT’S ABOUT LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

Origomedia IT’S ABOUT LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

King of the game MillionaireAsia speaks to Sheldon Adelson on the opening of the new Sheraton Macao Cotai Central and plans for even further expansion.

ART DIRECTOR Atsarina Kardina

PUBLISHER

ISSUE 16 | VOLUmE 5 | 2012

traversing the Skies JOHN TRAVOLTA DIVULGES ON HIS PASSION FOR FLYING AND ALL THINGS AVIATION

more Wealth goes to asia WHAT THE WORLD WEALTH REPORT 2012 TELLS US

Concrete Steps in Sustainability SAM TAN TALkS AbOUT bUILDING GREEN AND GREEN DEVELOPMENT

MillionaireAsia is a fresh concept publication dedicated to the celebration of the millionaire lifestyle. MillionaireAsia has launched 8 distinct editions: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Japan, Macau, Hong Kong and

PT Artha Cipta Pratama Jl. Setiabudi III / 2A Setiabudi, Jakarta Selatan 12910 Indonesia p +62 21 5292 1638 / 7031 6882 f +62 21 5292 1637 e info@millionaireasia-indonesia.com www.millionaireasia-indonesia.com

Vietnam with a combined circulation of 60,000 copies per issue and a readership of 300,000 of many of the richest people in Asia. MillionaireAsia is currently trademark registered in 23 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, UAE, South Africa, Russia, UK, USA, Argentina, Chile and most recently Cambodia.

MillionaireAsia Indonesia is published under license from EVENTS CREATION PTE LTD, 545 Orchard Road #09-05, Far East Shopping Centre, Singapore 238882. Tel : +65 6838 5331, Fax : +65 6333 6638.

Group Publisher & Managing Editor : Brian Yim.

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TITLE AND TRADEMARK REGISTERED, NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHER THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED IN MILLIONAIREASIA ARE THOSE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS AND ADVERTISERS AND NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE PUBLISHERS

PEOPLE & BUSINESS

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

THE COLOURS OF SUCCESS Black Sapphire, Alpine White, Valencia Orange, Melbourne Red, Marrakesh Brown, Sparkling Bronze, Monte Carlo Blue, Singapore Grey and Havana. These are not exactly motoring terms – unless, of course, you are an engineer at BMW in Munich.

B

MW employs some 6,000 engineers – all broken into teams who look after every last detail in the manufacture of BMW automobiles. Most of them, of course, are concerned with mechanics, engines, computers, brake systems and all the other myriad components of a modern motor car.

But there are also several teams who look after the seemingly ‘minor’ details, such as the sound of a door lock – and colours.

The colour experts are expected to produce colours that sell and colours that will be fashionable three years in advance, as that is how long it takes to properly develop a new model.

Ramesh Divyanathan is the President Director of the BMW motor company in Indonesia and he is passionate about his product and everything that goes on behind the scenes to make it successful. Even taking note of colours.

“In Indonesia just three years ago, just 2% of our cars were white,” he says. ”Today, 20% of our customers demand a white colour. Back then also, our dealers said ‘nobody will buy a red car. Today our red models are sold out.”

“It is very interesting: the younger generation is being more adventurous; they want other colours. So, all those colours you mentioned will be available in Asia.”

“But it is not only with colours but with every single aspect of a motor car. It is not rocket science (well, not yet) but we must change and adapt and introduce new technology and new details constantly,” says Divyanathan.

“This thoroughness has become a hallmark of the German brand and is one of the things that sets it apart. Everything is changing so fast, so you simply have to keep up and always keeping in mind, the satisfaction of our dealers and our customers.”

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

THE MAN

THE PLUS SIDE

Ramesh Divyanathan was born in Singapore. He studied law in Wellington and became a business journalist in Singapore. He then took a job as corporate communications manager with BMW there and went on to become regional manager before taking on the international job as global media manager in Munich.

“Number One is sheer driving pleasure, says Divyanathan with relish. “And that is part of the brand’s rich history. Our philosophy straddles sport, performance and luxury and that continues today.

Although what used to a ‘roadster’ (now an old-fashioned term) is now a family car. But we have the best combination of sportiness and comfort.”

In 2008, he returned to Singapore as Asian marketing director and then in 2009 was appointed president director of BMW Indonesia.

He is obviously a man of intense focus on the job. Which, to put it simply, is to promote the BMW brand’s prestige and ability to produce fine motor cars and, secondly, to market them and this idea to the Indonesian motoring public.

All this and the ongoing ‘battle’ with Mercedes Benz. “This is a worldwide thing, not just in Indonesia, and we will probably battle it out to the end. However, BMW, I should tell you, was Number One for seven years globally. In Indonesia not yet but my aim here is certainly to be Number One,” enthuses Divyanathan.

“And I am not fighting a lone battle here. I am helped greatly by HQ in Germany and, not less, by my local staff, every one an expert in his field.”

“From 1975 until 2001, Indonesia was a subsidiary company for BMW. Then we began assembling the 5-series locally. Today, we assemble four models here: the 3, the 5, the X1 and X3. The 7-series, X5 and X6 are fully imported.”

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“This reaches out to people who are dynamic at heart who, once in a while, want to step on the gas pedal,” he smiles.

“But in doing this, they can still enjoy the layout and the physics of the car. And I should mention specially its 50/50 weight distribution makes it predictable, especially on corners. With the engine driving the rear wheels, it ensures stability. In fact, some say it handles as it were on rails.”

DESIGN “A BMW car always looks like it is ready to move,” says Divyanathan. “This has been a deliberate feature in all our cars’ designs. It is part of our brand dynamic – literally.”

“Another aspect is safety. We keep this uppermost in mind and, not just with the build, proper air bags and structural reinforcement; we also work pro-actively to prevent accidents.

Our stronger brakes, for example, allow you stop much quicker.”

“I have been a BMW driver myself for 17 years now – and counting,” says Ramesh Divyanathan. “And I have seen myself a great transition, especially over the last ten years – a transition

PEOPLE & BUSINESS

towards a driver-oriented automobile. Before, there was little boot space, for example. Now (in the 3, 5 & 7 series) there is a very generous luggage space.” ”And, unique to places like Indonesia, great care has been given to the back seat because that is where people who have drivers sit. We have combined rear seat comfort (softer and with extra support) with many technical innovations. There is extra recline capability, extra leg room and the latest technology, which includes a DVD screen and a WiFi hotspot. This was all introduced with the Asian market in mind.”

“I should mention that in China, the 5 series has 16 extra centimeters of back-seat leg space. Unfortunately, economics prevent that coming here, mainly because China has right-handdrive and this in line with European manufacture. One day, I hope it will be given to left-hand-drive cars as well.”

TECHNOLOGY A criticism has often been levelled at manufacturers, not only of cars but of many products, that they are too technically advanced for their own good. For example, if a central computer breaks down, the whole car will not function.

“We are well aware of new technology. At BMW, rather than detract, it is certainly added value. Our computers allow us to simply plug in, analyse and fix any problem quickly. In any case, computers and cars are becoming more and more reliable in general.”

“And I should mention that we are heading towards a ‘clean car.’ Engineering is making it possible to make motors – and everything connected with a car – to become more efficient and more friendly too our fragile environment – with reduced gas emissions and so on. So we are working on electric cars and hybrids – you will not see them now but hopefully in a few years.”

ECONOMICS We live in an uncertain world and every day, there is some gloomy news about faltering financial systems somewhere in the world.

“We are very aware of fragile economies.

We areJ based in Lamborghini Aventador Germany, which so far is escaping many of the problems but our selling base in the rest of Europe is affected,” says Divyanathan.

“But this is not the first and probably not the last crisis. We have learned to grow, adapt and to compensate for weaker markets.

We were very lucky earlier on to market heavily in Europe and the United States and we managed to build huge confidence in the BMW brand. Not only were sales good, this knowledge and goodwill went global,” he adds.

“It positively affected Asian sales in a big way and now we are very grateful that Indonesia and neighbouring countries are helping to compensate for weaker areas in the world.”

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

BMW HISTORY In 1913, Karl Rapp formed the Rapp-Motorenwerke company to make aircraft engines in a bicycle factory outside Munich. Nearby, Gustav Otto established the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG aircraft factory. In 1922 the two companies combined to form the Bayerische Motoren Werke.

Pretty well ever since the brand has been known as BMW. (Their logo vaguely resembles a spinning aircraft propeller).

Bayerische Motoren Werke or ‘Bay-Em-Vay’ in German; Bavarian Motor Works or Bee-Em-Double-U in English – ‘Beemer’ to enthusiasts everywhere.

Because of their WWI production work, they were banned after 1918 from producing aircraft engines and made railway brakes instead. Aircraft engine started again in 1922 and their models won dozens of international air races.

In 1928, BMW bought a car factory at Eisenach in Thuringia and finally began producing automobiles.

The first cars were called BMW Dixi, but the word Dixi was soon dropped. A new model called the BMW 3/15 DA-2 was such a success, it saw the company through the Great Depression.

BMW Dixi

In 1936, BMW introduced the type 328 roadster which quickly became the most successful sports car of the time. It was noted for its stylish (and aerodynamic) body shape and its inline six-cylinder engine. It handled superbly and won dozens of motor races. In 1990, the Type 328 roadster was nominated Car of the Century.

BMW made aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe during WWII, which led to another three-year ban on production at the war’s end. From the rebuilt ruins of their factory, their first post-war vehicle was the 250cc R24 motorcycle.

Two years later, BMW unveiled a roomy six-cylinder sedan called the 501. This was followed by the 502 which featured a lightweight alloy V8 engine. And, later, the 507, a lightweight V8 sports car BMW hoped would revive the racing success of the 328. The car lost money, however, and production stopped in 1960.

Later in the 1960s, BMW enjoyed notable successes, including the 1500, a 1499cc, four-cylinder tourer, first of the modern BMW sports sedans. Other popular new models were the famous BMW 2002, a two-door sedan based on the four-door 1600. This was the forerunner of the BMW 3 series which continued in production until 1976.

BMW 328 Roadster

Engineering and style by this time had established the brand’s success. The 1970’s saw the introduction of the 3-tier sports sedan range consisting of the 3-series, 5-series and 7-series. Between 1970 and 1993, production grew by more than 1700%!

(There was a brief time that BMW took over ownership of the British Rover group but that did not work out and was disposed of in 2000.)

1992 was a memorable year: the first that BMW outsold Mercedes-Benz in Eruope.

BMW 3/15 DA-2

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Today’s ‘Beemers’ have retained their highly prestigious reputation for engineering, quality and reliability. The company today is thriving and moving intentionally towards a ‘green car.’

PEOPLE & BUSINESS

MARKETING Ramesh Divyanathan smiles when the word ‘marketing’ is mentioned. A fact of life today: you can have the best product around but it will not work without marketing.

“We don’t have the world’s largest advertising budget,” he laughs.

“So we have to be clever in other ways. Firstly, we look at all the ‘touch points’ of the customer. Not just in the media but in our showrooms and, especially in shopping malls, now so important in the lives of the average consumer.”

“We have two owners’ clubs in Indonesia and we love to talk shop with them and we also take special care in training our sales people, both for the showroom and for mall displays. They must know every fact about a car and about BMW’s motoring philosophy,” he says.

“Next time you see a Beemer in a mall, take special note. It is parked so it looks ‘driving ready’ – ready to take immediately to the road. This is highly effective when you are talking to a repeat or prospective customer.”

LUXURY “Luxury is not a satisfactory word for us,” says Divyanathan.

“What appears to be luxury for some is simply a necessity here. For example, our upholstery is leather. We use wood and metal. Then there are all the extras. One I personally love is the 3-D GPS guidance system. You can see your way and your destination in three dimensions, which makes navigating so much easier.”

“I know it sounds trite but there really is nothing like being able to smell a car when you open the door. Mostly from the leather upholstery – something you never get from cloth (or plastic) seats.”

“One more ‘luxury’ I should also mention is our service here. We have a five-year warranty on our cars and we have outlets now in all major cities in Indonesia.”

LIFE “I am half Indian, half Chinese and I was born in Singapore,” says Divyanathan. “So, of course, I love Chinese and Indian food. I have been in Indonesia three years now and I love it. My family has also become very fond of Indonesian food.”

“If we are at home, we also enjoy a good steak on the barbecue.

I think this is a throwback from my days at university in New Zealand,” he laughs.

“My time off is spent with my family. And I have discovered a godsend in the form of my Kindle. It means I can download any book I want. But I love to read business books, autobiographies and stories about entrepreneurs. I have often thought I would like to write a book myself one day: about my work at BMW, my life in Indonesia and the rest of Asia.”

“I get to play golf only once or twice a year. But of course, I take a vital interest in our BMW Tournament where the winner this year will go to play in the finals in South Africa.”

“As to my own BMW. I am like most people in Jakarta and I ride in the back. I work with my computer and smartphone. But only Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, I like to (as we said earlier) enjoy the sheer pleasure of driving. Usually I take my daughter to her stables where she rides horses. I have the GPS, so I don’t get lost and I love it.” w w w.bmw.com

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

Aiming for Numero Uno Sandiago Uno proves he has great foresight in his foray into Myanmar 19 years ago to secure oil and gas concessions in Bagan.

By Brian Yim in Yangon

T

he 200 businessmen from Asia, Europe and America had one common purpose. They were scrambling for investment opportunities in Myanmar, currently seen as the last frontier country just starting to open up to the world.

Fuelling the feeding frenzy are reports like those generated by McKinsey Global Institute which estimates that the Myanmar economy could quadruple from US$45 billion in 2010 to more than US$200 billion (S$253 billion) in 2030.

In the midst of the swirling crowd comprising of tycoons and even royalty from Malaysia who flew in on their private jets to Yangon, stood Sandiaga Uno, or more commonly called “Sandi Uno”, one of the wealthiest and most successful entrepreneurs in Indonesia with an estimated net worth of well over US$800 million.

Sandi owns PT Saratoga Investama Sedaya, one of Indonesia’s largest and most prominent enterprises. The company is shaping up to be the first private equity firm to be listed on the Indonesian stock exchange, with plans to bring at least one initial public offer (IPO) per year from its pipeline.

His co-founder and partner is a billionaire, Edwin Soeryadjaya, who owns coal company Adara Energy. His telecommunications company, Tower Bersama, is reported to be a candidate for a merger with the country’s biggest telecom firm, Telkomunikasi Indonesia. His investment firm, Saratoga Capital, also has stakes in Provident Agro, a plantation company, Interra Resources, an oil and gas exploration outfit, and Mandala Airlines.

MYANMAR ON THE RISE Sandi, just like the others, were eager to hear affirmations from the leadership that Myanmar was on an irreversible path to democracy and change. He liked what he heard, as he told me on the sidelines of the forum in Yangon, in an exclusive interview with MillionaireAsia.

But unlike the others, who were only now frantically trying to carve a slice of the Myanmar pie, Sandi was already well ahead

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of the curve. 19 years to be precise, as he won the pitch for two oil and gas concessions near the ancient city of Bagan in 1994.

He said, “They were very old facilities from the 1800s that needed to be revitalised. Back then, it was part exploration and part improving two of the very old oil and gas concessions. It was competitive because there were several parties eyeing the block.

But it was not as hectic as now. In fact, not many people wanted it at that time.”

FIRST MOVERS Even then, he counts himself as “lucky” to be among the first few to have a foot in the door in Myanmar well ahead of the current investors’ stampede into the fast changing economic landscape.

Though the early days was a time to understand “the feel, the surrounding and the culture” of a reclusive regime and closed economy then and how Myanmar operated on a day-to-day basis. There has been astonishing progress made in the last 20 months which Sandi said is “confirmation that the trends will not be reversed.”

PT Saratoga’s investments cover mainly three sectors in Indonesia. Firstly, natural resources as in energy, mining, coal, oil, gas and plantations; infrastructure plays such as telecommunication and finally consumer products and services to capitalise on the growing economy and rising middle class.

PT Saratoga plans to take advantage of Indonesia’s strong liquidity inflow to be one of the first private equity firms to launch an IPO in Asia.

Sandi was born in Rumbai, Pekanbaru on June 28, 1969. The youthful looking 44-year old began his career with Bank Summa in 1990. A year later, he won a scholarship to continue his studies at George Washington University, USA. In 1995, he moved to NTI Resources Ltd in Canada and worked as Executive Vice President.

The 1997 monetary crisis hit NTI Resources Ltd hard, caused it to go into administration and left Sandi jobless. This forced him

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

“We want to make sure we leave a good footprint for long lasting sustainable value creation.” – Sandiago Uno on his vision for Myanmar 22

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

to return to Indonesia. Seeing no real future as an employee, he decided to set up and run his own business. In 1997, he co-founded PT Recapital Advisors with his high school friend, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani and a year later in 1998, he co-founded Saratoga Capital with Edwin Soeryadjaya. Saratoga Capital now employs more than 20,000 people.

When asked about opportunities back home in Indonesia, which has no shortage of gas and natural resources, Sandi replied, “We want to have a regional platform. We have attempted Thailand earlier, but Myanmar is the only producing block outside Indonesia that we have invested in.”

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES On his strategy for success, Sandi humbly referred to the lessons learnt from his “earlier mistakes” which included investments in manufacturing that did not reap profits despite “being very disciplined in our investment approach.”

“Investments are always a combination between science and art.

If you are disciplined, you will be making the right choice most of the time. But areas outside your control, it may not turn out to be what you anticipated,” he said.

Sandi added that PT Saratoga looks and assesses at long-term trends in order to determine where to focus its resources and zero in to the “right companies we think can be a winner.”

Albeit a shrewd businessman and a strategic thinker, he confesses that the most difficult investment decision would be “something that involves friendship and business”. While

acknowledging that it is an uphill task to separate the two, he raises the challenge of having to part ways when you have been investing as partners.

“If you think about just taking the money out (when you invest), it is very short term,” he said. He emphasised that PT Saratoga is not a trading company but instead looks at “creating value” in what it invests, usually with a view to the long term.

The company has been grafting its import oil and gas expertise from Indonesia to train the local Myanmese. He noted, “Life is about creating positive long lasting impact. When you are in a country like this, with very friendly people, and providing you with lots of opportunities, you should give back.”

When asked about his next step, Sandi said, “My vision is to create a company which will be a world class investment firm that Indonesians can be proud of. We want to be a global competitor.”

“With that, I do not think I want to stop anytime soon, because we are nowhere in the region. We do not really have to be the biggest, but we want to create an investment firm that can compete with the best. We are still very small. In Indonesia, we might be up there. But outside Indonesia, we are tiny.”

On going global, Uno noted, “When you are out there, you are going to be facing the giants. You are forced to be competitive.”

As to his sojourn in Myanmar, he noted, “Part of my trip here is to make sure we leave a good footprint for long lasting sustainable value creation.”

Bagan, Burma - Myanmar

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LUXURY MOTORING

THE WRAITH HAS LANDED The latest addition to the Rolls-Royce family was unveiled in a fashion that echoes Wraith’s unique character: power, style and drama, with just a hint of the ‘noir’.

R

eviving one of the most famous Rolls-Royce names first used in 1938, Wraith is the boldest, most dramatic and powerful Rolls-Royce that has played host to the mythical Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. Dan Balmer, RollsRoyce Motor Cars General Manager for Asia Pacific says it is the “ultimate super-luxury gran turismo” and “is the car the great founding forefather and adventurer The Honourable Charles Rolls would have chosen to drive were he alive today”.

Featuring a contemporary two-door design, Wraith’s striking fastback body exudes power, style and drama - inspired by the great Grand Tourers of the Fifties and Sixties. Presentation-wise, this luxury car is finished in Diamond Black upper and Madeira Red lower, complementing Wraith’s sweeping fastback design that gives the car its unique character. Bold lines, tension in the panels and a raked rear screen also evoke the image of a worldclass athlete, poised in the starting blocks. Further expression of 24

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its dynamic intent can also be seen in Wraith’s deeply recessed grille and wide rear track.

Wraith’s coach doors open to reveal a delectable interior, complete with the softest Phantom-grade leathers in Seashell and expanses of wood called Canadel Panelling. Named after the famous cove in the South of France where Sir Henry Royce and engineering teams spent their winters, this contemporary and tactile finish sweeps through the entire interior, cosseting passengers in a space bathed in light and warmth. This stunning new open grain wood treatment is a testament to the superior skills of Rolls-Royce’s craftspeople in Goodwood.

Starlight Headliner, a bespoke feature available beyond Phantom family cars for the first time, complements the interior ambiance of Wraith. 1,340 fibre optic lamps are hand-woven into the roof lining to give the impression of a glittering, starry night sky.

LUXURY MOTORING

The Wraith’s beauty is only rivalled by its performance, with effortless and dramatic power delivery, thanks to a V12 engine married to 8-speed automatic ZF transmission, resulting in 624 bhp being available to the driver while achieving the 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.6 seconds.

From 1,500 rpm 800 Nm of torque is available, while a wide rear track, shorter wheelbase and lower roof height further contribute to the most powerful, involving driving experience of any Rolls-Royce in history. The luxury car sits on a set of 21inch five-spoke part polished tyres which features self-levelling RR monogram centres matched to the body colour of the car.

Its suspension has also been tuned to minimise body roll and discreetly amplify feedback when cornering, while steering weight is heavier at high speeds and lighter at low speeds adding to the spirited drive.

However, Wraith is no GT bruiser. Agility improvements have been achieved with absolutely no compromise to the sensation of riding on a bed of air. A more polished, effortless driving experience and even better response brings a new, more dynamic dimension to the famous Rolls-Royce trait, waftability.

For over a century, a Rolls-Royce motorcar has featured technologies designed to support occupants discreetly and deliver a peerless driving experience epitomised by the term ‘effortlessness’. In every Rolls- Royce these technologies assist the driver when called upon, but are prepared to return without fuss to the background when no longer required. Advances in

mechanical and electrical technology, however, deliver systems like head-up display, adaptive headlights and Wraith’s keyless opening boot.

Improvements in connectivity have also taken the humanmachine interface to a new level of sophistication, a suite of aids that could be likened to a contemporary on-board valet.

Voice activation commands, for example, come with a onetouch call button located on the steering wheel. A destination no longer requires manual input from a navigation menu and route assistance begins immediately, on-screen and via audio guidance following a voice command.

In addition, the Spirit of Ecstasy Rotary Controller allows navigation through on-screen functions using a touch pad that features pinch and pull functionality to mimic smart phone usage.

Letters can also be ‘drawn’ onto the pad by hand rather than by scrolling through a series of available characters on-screen.

Last, but no less impressive, the debut of Satellite Aided Transmission (SAT)* technology takes the powertrain to a new level of effortless delivery, one that perfectly suits the RollsRoyce brand.

Satellite Aided Transmission uses GPS data to see beyond what the driver sees. It anticipates his next move based on location and current driving style, and then proceeds to select the most appropriate gear for the terrain ahead. Motorway junctions and roundabouts are all anticipated in advance, meaning Wraith is constantly poised to deliver on its promise of performance.

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GIVING BACK

Transforming Lives Through Education

By Cheryl Tay

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t was a critical period for the country in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998 and Putera Sampoerna, one of Indonesia’s wealthiest men, felt that his family could do something to help the nation. With a fortune of more than US$2 billion after divesting his clove cigarette business to Philip Morris in 2005, he is now heavily engaged in social business through the Putera Sampoerna Foundation.

He had sent his eldest daughter Jacqueline Michelle Sampoerna to Singapore during the financial crisis but later decided to bring her back to do something to improve the education for the country. It started with the Sampoerna Academy – now known as Akademi Siswa Bangsa Internasional – an international standard boarding school for children from underprivileged families.

When Michelle learnt of many children dropping out of school due to financial problems, she knew she could not simply sit back and let that keep happening.

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“My father has always instilled in us since a very young age the obligation to give back to this country, which has been very generous to our family. He said it was time to contribute to our country, hence he asked me to return to Indonesia and find out the best ways and practices of giving back within the education sector. I did not volunteer, this was a job at first; then it became a project that I wanted and needed to do for my father. Over time, passion took over,” she shared.

Over two years, she developed high schools and scholarship programmes which became the platform of Putera Sampoerna Foundation (PSF) which was established in 2001 with Michelle as the chairperson. PSF was focused on helping students receive quality education and granting scholarships to underprivileged youths. However, she soon realised there were other problems facing Indonesia’s education system besides the lack of ability to afford an education.

GIVING BACK

Jacqueline Michelle

“There was also a need to increase teacher’s capacity and quality, school facilities and management. We realised that the government could not work alone in solving the problems of the nation’s education. The government needed help from other parties,” said Michelle.

Hence, PSF expanded its programmes and included initiatives to improve the quality of education in Indonesia, enhance school and teacher development, and student financing for higher education. Then in 2010, PSF evolved from a philanthropic organisation to a social business institution to ensure sustainability of its programmes and tap a wider spectrum of recipients.

“A social business institution is devoted to create improvements in the country. Its goal is to address social problems by applying business principles and generating revenues that will be used to fund its programmes. PSF is fully committed in achieving its vision to create future leaders of Indonesia,” Michelle explained.

“Education is the key to strong leadership. Most of us understand that it is the single most important component to build vibrant economies and resilient democracies. However, with most emerging economies, it is unfortunate that the word education is often translated to include only literacy and existing systems of rote learning. What Indonesia lacks today is analytical, knowledgeable and responsible leadership rather than mere education,” Michelle elaborated.

The aim is to build the right support system to help complete their journey and get as many students as possible through their pathway. To date, PSF has assisted thousands of Indonesian students as well as actively collaborated with more than 300 corporations. Although it has only achieved “about 20 to 30%” of its vision, Michelle is determined to make this “lofty goal” happen, and galvanise more help from the private sector.

She adds, “We have to unite and give back to the country we love.”

As Indonesia’s first social business enterprise, PSF executes initiatives across four pillars – education, women empowerment, entrepreneurship, compassionate and disaster relief – all directed towards a more viable and internationally competitive Indonesia.

It does not help that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is still new in Indonesia and not many people really understand what it is. People are also sceptical about PSF, especially with the family’s prior history in the tobacco business.

DEFINING EDUCATION

Still, Michelle will not give up. “Perseverance is key. This trait motivates us to keep moving and not look back. We will continue to shift and evolve. My inspiration is my father. A man of discipline, he also has big dreams. He is compassionate and passionate in what he does, and is never afraid to take risks,” she said. In 2014, there will be 483 students graduating from

Believing that “the creation of leaders is critical to Indonesia’s future”, Michelle shared her plans to continue “building support systems” for their eight-year education pathway by reaching out to corporations to help the government raise education standards.

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GIVING BACK

Akademi Siswa Bangsa Internasional. These students were selected from the thousands of underprivileged youths who were each matched to a corporate sponsor for their three-year journey with the Academy.

Moving forward, sponsorship needs to be secured for this graduating batch for their next academic stage at Universitas Siswa Bangsa Internasional (USBI), another initiative of PSF that offers an American degree at a local price - the first in Indonesia.

Out of the graduating class of 2014, PSF has successfully secured student assistance for 224 students through Indonesiabased corporations but the remaining 259 will each require about US$25,000 to US$30,000 to complete their education with USBI. PSF is hoping that more local and multi national companies in Asia will consider this as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or scholarship programmes. “Instead of seeing it as donating funds to charity, we hope they will see this as changing lives for the better, for an entire generation to come. Every corporate sponsor should play a significant role in the mentoring of the sponsored student as well as providing internships and future employment,” Michelle said.

It is a win-win situation: The organisation achieves its CSR mission by sponsoring the student’s university education and gains the opportunity to acquire a top-class new employee.

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Through this programme, future leaders can be trained to produce more globally competent Indonesians.

These graduates give back to the cause by spreading the message as ambassadors and by contributing a small part of their salaries back to the Koperasi Siswa Bangsa (KSB) to help fund future generations. KSB is a student-owned professionallymanaged cooperative under PSF that serves as an umbrella for all of their education endeavours, including alumni services, job placement and networking facilities.

Corporations that have contributed to PSF include ExxonMobil, RBI, RBS, USAID and Mobil Cepu.

“We hope that with more participation from corporations and individuals, access to education and community empowerment programmes will better penetrate areas, particularly for the less privileged, high achieving students. This, we believe, will not only change the lives of a few individuals today but with the right support, will transform an entire generation to come and hopefully many more generations, not only in Indonesia but also in other countries,” Michelle concluded.

TRAVEL : BINTAN

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DESTINATION BINTAN

Lagoi Bay Aerial View

Bintan Resorts Beckons

By Cheryl Tay

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DESTINATION BINTAN

Bintan Marketplace

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onstantly evolving over time to offer travellers more options, Bintan aims to maintain its rustic charm while coming up with new offerings integrated with its verdant surrounds to distinguish them from urban tourist destinations.

“Bintan, an extension of Singapore’s economic space in the tourism area, has to keep pace with the new breed of travellers and demands. Bintan has to be more than just sand and sea and as such, we are bringing on more interactive tourism offerings where the experience matters more than just the infrastructure,” said Chia Tek Yew, executive director for strategy and marketing at Bintan Resorts International Pte Ltd. Unaware to many, Bintan Resorts is not just a resort operator. It is also the master planner and owner of 18,000ha on the northern shoreline of Bintan Island. Founded in 1990 as a collaborative initiative between the governments of Singapore and Indonesia, Bintan Resorts currently consists of five independently owned and operated beach resorts, four designer golf courses, as well as a range of recreational facilities and attractions.

If things go according to plan, there should be more visitor arrivals and also more investors brewing with new and innovative concepts for the island. Visitor arrivals have been on the rise,

from 332,108 in 2002 to 487,475 in 2012. As of last year, 31.94% of these visitors are from Singapore, which is not surprising at all.

Just 45 minutes from Singapore by ferry, Bintan Resorts offers an escape to recharge urban batteries. It makes for an appealing twin destination with Singapore, where tourists visiting the Lion City can hop over to Bintan for a day or two for a beach getaway as an extension to their city holiday.

Wanting visitors to stay longer, Bintan Resorts has launched a remake to the island, helping it to stay relevant in the regional tourism space, especially with the advent of budget air travel.

From as early as 2014, visitors will be able to experience stays at new hotels in Lagoi Bay and Treasure Bay, a stone’s throw from the Bintan ferry terminal.

You might want to keep Bintan in mind for your next holiday, as different hotel concepts continue to unfold between now and 2018, which will see an addition of 5,358 rooms to Bintan’s existing 1,406 room inventory. These will range from tent hotels and backpackers’ lodges to high-end boutique seafront properties. You may even want to consider Bintan as a second home with villas for sale as your holiday home.

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DESTINATION BINTAN

Plaza Lagoi

Grand Lagoi Swiss-Belhotel, Lagoi Bay

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DESTINATION BINTAN

Alila Villas, Bintan

LAGOI BAY One exciting major project in Bintan is Lagoi Bay, a prime tropical beach resort development spread over 1,300 hectares between the existing Banyan Tree Bintan and Club Med Bintan Island. It will see the opening of many highly-anticipated facilities including beach and lakeside resorts, upscale residential clusters, as well as Bintan’s first beach village mall and recreational amenities.

“For those who have enjoyed the old and rustic Bintan, I say ‘welcome to the new Bintan’ – a perfectly balanced haven of modern delights amidst our natural environment and old school charm only 45 minutes from Singapore. By developing Lagoi Bay as a residential and commercial nucleus, we not only assure the economic sustainability of our own endeavours, but also provide for our on-going efforts in the surrounding community.

We hope to curb destructive practices and support local people who have been living harmoniously within these coastal jungle environments for decades,” said Tek Yew. At the heart of Lagoi Bay is the 20-ha Plaza Lagoi, a mall which will be gradually operational from mid 2014. With its sweeping walkways, fountains and the latest technology in public space lighting, the island’s first beach village mall will have the highest concentration of commercial, leisure and recreational activities.

There will be shuttle bus services from the resorts to the mall and a ferry check-in facility that enables easy checkin of luggage and collection of boarding passes. That way, visitors will be free of their luggage and will be able to shop with ease. There will also be a shuttle bus service to the Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry

Terminal. An upmarket food court on the second floor of the mall has splendid sea views to accompany you as you dine.

Not far from Plaza Lagoi is the Bintan Marketplace, a 1.6-ha site with 41 shop houses and an F&B enclave. It broke ground in March 2013, along with 180 serviced apartments adjacent to the Marketplace, and is expected to be ready by end 2014.

Many accommodation options await at Lagoi Bay, such as The Sanchaya that will open in April 2014. Meaning “The Collection” in Sanskrit, The Sanchaya spans across 9.3-ha of beachfront location with nine luxurious suites themed in Asian Mozaic splendour and 19 one to four-bedroom villas.

The 14.4-ha gated Alila Villas Bintan development will have 12 three-bedroom beachfront residences and a luxury boutique resort with 52 one and two bedroom guest villas. It will also house a 4-ha The Village with arts, culture, culinary and wellness activities for both guests and visitors.

Two and three-bedroom villas at Alila Villas Bintan are already available for purchase from US$1.8 million. Attractive ownership options include revenuesharing, guaranteed yield for the first three years and the option to sell the unit back to the developer at original purchase price. Alila Villas Bintan is set to open in late 2014.

Just next to Plaza Lagoi is the Grand Lagoi Swiss-Belhotel, Lagoi Bay, a fourstar condotel styled resort managed by Hong Kong

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DESTINATION BINTAN

Pantai Indah Two-Bedroom View

The Sanchaya, Salon

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The Sanchaya, Library and Bar

DESTINATION BINTAN

based Swiss-Belhotel International. It has 196 rooms, with half of it put up for sale, as well as a rooftop pool and comprehensive meeting facilities. Lagoi Bay will also see Pantai Indah, Bintan’s first seaside residential estate. These resort-style luxury villas are spread across 13ha of lush tropics, flanked by stunning seaside views. It is developed by PT Buana Megawisatama, a subsidiary of Gallant Venture Ltd, a Singapore listed company.

NEED FOR THRILL Adventure seekers can embark on treks to Gunung Bintan or traffic-free cycling rides across the island, participate in the annual Ironman or triathlon events, or try their hands on being a pilot in the new ultralight aircraft at the newly-opened Air Adventures Flying Club Bintan in Lagoi Bay. The ultralight aircraft ride centre and flying school is Southeast Asia’s first seaplane facility that offers hands-on flying experience in an open-cockpit seaplane for views of Bintan and the surrounding islands from a different perspective. Seasoned pilot

or novices can undergo flight training or go on introductory flights in Air Adventures’ fully-equipped two-seater amphibious aircraft, operated out of an inland lake remodelled from existing low-lying marshland within Lagoi Bay. In the next few years, there will be a motocross facility and driving academy where petrol heads can go off-track rallying in four-wheel drive cars or zip around a first class track in a sports car.

Other adventure plans include an equestrian/polo academy which will host Southeast Asia’s first beach polo competitions and a safari park.

Tek Yew also shared that there are plans to reach out to the sailing, diving and fishing community with the development of a marina for private boats in 2014. Immigration facilities to process arrival visits by private boats are already in place since early 2013 and visitors with private yachts are encouraged to sail direct to Bintan’s ferry terminal.

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DESTINATION BINTAN

The Sanchaya, Mali Villa, Bathroom

GAME CHANGER All these upcoming developments make Bintan a more exciting destination, but Tek Yew believes that the game changer would be the opening of the airport in Bintan in late 2015.

“With our own airport in Bintan, we envisage that the domestic Indonesian market will grow significantly to over 30% of market share in the two to three years after 2015. We will have better access to the Indonesian domestic tourism market, especially with Bintan situated at almost the mid-point of the Indonesian archipelago, with important cities, like Medan in the west and Surabaya in the east,” Tek Yew elaborated.

CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Besides efforts to develop the leisure and residential areas of Bintan, Bintan Resorts also has various conservation programmes in place. For example, it has engaged and collaborated with the community on conservation programmes such as the mangrove forest restoration programme in 2009 which involved planting a total of 28,500 mangrove seedlings on 18,000m2 of wet land.

Conservation of the environment has always been a key consideration from the very beginning, according to Tek Yew. “The beauty of a master-planned location is that you can plan ahead and allocate space and infrastructure properly to conserve and sustain the environment in order to maintain the natural ambience and beauty of the place,” he said.

Bintan Resorts has always allocated green belts of forestry into the plan so that land usage is kept to acceptable sustainable levels. Recyclable waste and sewerage management, water treatment and increasing use of solar power are all incorporated

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into the site development plan and guidelines issued to every investor in Bintan.

This is an integral part of preserving Bintan’s charm and Bintan Resorts has pledged to protect this in a planned fashion while promoting the land for development. It is not a conflicting issue in any way, as investors attracted to Bintan want the environment to be properly conserved.

In appreciation of its efforts in successfully managing the environmentalbased natural attractions like the mangrove tours, Bintan Resorts was recently given the Citra Pesona Wisata CIPTA AWARD 2013 from Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in September 2013.

The mangrove tours, since 2002, have helped to foster a greater sense of environmental awareness and the need for preservation among visitors. This award also outlines Bintan Resorts’ commitment in developing integrated tourism in Bintan by optimising existing natural resources and prioritising environmental protection.

With many new projects and developments coming gradually to fruition, it is hoped that Bintan will no longer just be “a place for sun, sand and sea”. In the future, other ideas to further develop the island include the development of a high-end integrated senior living holiday or retirement abodes, as well as extension of the eco-farm, utilising the mangrove forest and reservoir park as educational assets for study camps and more.

DESTINATION BINTAN

The Mangrove Tours have helped to foster a greater sense of environmental awareness since 2012.

KEEN TO INVEST IN BINTAN? You would be pleased to know that Bintan Resorts is very flexible in the provision for land for the right projects. It welcomes discussions regarding joint venture including land for equity; as well as long-term leases or flexible repayment terms via deferred payment or revenue-sharing. However, note that Bintan Resorts is not a government agency and cannot provide tax incentives or investment grants.

But if you are thinking of putting up iconic projects on the island, Bintan Resorts can work with investors to seek incentives and licences from the regional and federal government and essentially act as your liaison in this area.

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LUXURY MOTORING

ENTER THE MINI CLUBMAN BOND STREET

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LUXURY MOTORING

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INI Indonesia has introduced its latest design model in Jakarta. As a one-off in the premium small car segment, the MINI has cemented its place in the street scene of modern cities everywhere with inimitable style.

“MINI was introduced less than two years ago, and now Indonesia has become the second largest MINI market in South East Asia,” says Ramesh Divyanathan, President Director BMW Group Indonesia.

The MINI Clubman Bond Street is tailor-made for style-conscious customers who want fine design and premium quality. It is named, of course, after the exclusive shopping street in London.

The car’s Midnight Black metallic paintwork teams with the Cool Champagne contrast colour for the roof, exterior mirror caps, lower sections of the C-pillars and bonnet stripes. It has dynamically flowing body lines and an extended wheelbase. The interior is bespoke in material and colour with its sporty seats and instrument panel in Carbon Black Lounge Leather that blend with a Deep Champagne tone.

The MINI Clubman Bond Street also features Xenon lights and a Chrome Line Exterior package as well as an extra dose of driving fun and comfort, thanks to options such as climate control, MINI Visual Boost with MINI Connected, the Sport Button, a rain sensor with automatic headlamp activation, a leather steering wheel with multifunction buttons including cruise control, and height adjustment for the front passenger seat. It also sports a panoramic glass rooftop.

Its 17-inch light-alloy wheels in Twin Spoke Black design come with an exclusive trim ring in Cool Champagne, and the side indicator surrounds and doorsill strips both display Bond Street lettering.

The MINI Clubman Bond Street is now available in Indonesia with engine variant: Cooper S Clubman with four-cylinder engine and Twin Scroll Turbocharger, capable of developing 184 hp.

All the engines link up as standard with a six-speed automatic transmission. w w w.mini.co.id

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PERSONALITY

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME Captain Krishnan Nair The Leela Hotel Group

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any people remember this phrase from the 1989 film Field of Dreams. But they probably said it about arid Las Vegas before they built the casinos and it would certainly apply to the Leela Hotel Group and the vision of its founder, Captain Krishnan Nair.

His first hotel was the Leela Mumbai in 1983. He had some ‘useless’ land not far from the airport and it was a suggestion from his wife, who said ‘why don’t you build a hotel there so people will not have to suffer the long and chaotic ride into the city?’

Today it is a hugely popular hostelry and is now surrounded by offices, apartments and, not so strangely, by a dozen other hotel brands.

Mumbai was the first of eight palace hotels, city hotels and resorts, with as many more in the pipeline. And they are not just hotels: most are among the grandest and luxurious buildings in India. And all are built in unconventional locations.

The extraordinary thing about Captain Nair is that he did not go into the hotel business until he was 65 years old, an age when most people are thinking about retirement. Just this year, he stepped down as active head of the company and is now known as the Chairman Emeritus. He is, however, still very much involved – at the age of 91.

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MillionaireAsia’s Graham Pearce meets ‘The Chairman’ “What are you wearing to meet the Chairman?” asks the corporate PR lady when we meet at the Leela Mumbai. “The Chairman is very visual.”

A confronting question when you have just spent a week or so crawling around monuments, dusty old palaces and busy bazaars – literally in the thick of the ‘heat and dust’ of India. The meeting was unexpected so it prompted a dash to the suitcase to see what was left – and clean. I should have just asked my butler in the Royal Club at the hotel – he knows everything! “Your white shirt and dark red trousers will be fine,” he tells me. Right again, as when the Chairman arrives, he gives me a very obvious onceover to check the whole image. He nods approvingly and sits down. (Thanks, Bibhuti, the best butler in India.)

Captain Nair is one of those people in the world who exude a presence when they walk into a room. He is youthful, practically wrinkle-free and his round glasses add to the effect of groovy agelessness (the inspiration for the spectacles was his political idol and key figure in India’s independence, Subhas Chandra Bose).

He is dapper and modern, affable and avuncular. He is wearing a Brioni suit and silk shirt. No tie but a kerchief and the UN Environment Program gold medal in his buttonhole. A glance at his watch is surprising. Not one of your usual brands but a

PERSONALITY

With the President of India

The Leela Palace Chennai

beautifully simple lapis and gold one from H. Stern in Brazil; he found it on a visit to Rio. Travel, in fact, has been a very large part of this man’s life.

“I have visited almost every country in the world, seen diverse cities and enjoyed the food,” he says. “But the one place that occupies an unforgettable place in my heart is New York. You see my love affair with luxury hotels began on my first fabric-selling trip to New York in the ’50s when I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria and it was here that I became inspired to build similar, if not better, hotels in India.”

Back to the present day in Mumbai, he is obviously a man who has enjoyed life and it is obvious he is still enjoying it – in his new ‘elder statesman’ role.

The staff at Jamavar, Leela’s Indian restaurant, is fussing over our visit (the Chairman ordered the normally-closed-for-lunch restaurant open especially for our get-together.) But Captain Nair is a simple eater and the food he has ordered is delicious. He has also asked for a bottle of the particular Italian red wine called Solaia, made near Florence, that he loves. Being lunch, I thought a glass of white would be less detrimental to concentration: he orders me a bottle of fine Mersault.

Obviously he is now used to some of the very finest things in life and midway through several concurrent reminiscences, he mentions that it was the wife of his commanding officer in the army, General D. S. Brar, who taught him ‘how to be a gentleman.’ “I was a country boy and there was very little time for life’s niceties until I joined the army,” he recalls.

I ask him if life in the army provided a discipline he might apply in the civilian business world?

With the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama’s gift

With the Obamas

at five a.m. and start my day with a game of volleyball followed by my regimen at the gym. This includes 10 minutes of cycling.

I exert the same military precision when it comes to business meetings or handling changing issues of the day. Nothing bothers me because the army imparted the mindset that we shall overcome and prevail,” he says.

As the conversation becomes lively, it is fascinating to meet a man who is a walking reference library of the events and people that have shaped modern India. And he does not flatter all of them…‘but that is off the record,’ he laughs. Through many business and political friendships built up through the years (beginning with V.P Menon, political adviser to India’s last Viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten and later to the independent government), he has personally developed along with his country.

He became close to every prime minister from Nehru onwards.

He actually lunched with Lord Mountbatten in London who, to his credit, noted the discomfort of Mrs. Nair when she was confronted with cutlery. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We are all eating with our hands.”

Through his hotels, he has met just about everyone in the world worth meeting. From presidents, to kings, to cricket heroes, to business magnates, to film stars – to his favourite perhaps, the Dali Lama. “He always stays with us,” says Captain Nair.

“And we have become great friends. One of my most treasured possessions is a Buddha wrapped in yellow silk and blessed by him. It sits in my office still today.”

Most of the well-known people he now meets come to India but he was also fascinated by the pomp of imperial Tokyo when he went to receive his membership of the Global 500 Laureate Roll of Honour by United Nations Environment Program, which was presented to him by Emperor Akihito.

“Thanks to my life in the army, discipline for me is a lifestyle not just a practice,” he states. At 91, I still wake up every morning MillionaireAsia Indonesia

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PERSONALITY to sell the products of a variety of manufacturers, including his father-in-law. “A group of us formed the All India Handloom Board and tried to reform the handloom sector. We met Mr. Nehru (in 1952) and told him we wanted to modernize the industry and make sure the weavers and everybody got a fair share. The Prime Minister loved the idea,” recalls Captain Nair.

It was V. P. Menon again whom he fondly called Uncle VP, who introduced him to Laurence Mitchell, the managing director of a Scottish lace firm. Their agreement was to make lace for the international market. In 1972, Leela Scottish Ltd became India’s biggest garment factory.

Army days

Around that same time, he became a famous pioneer in marketing Bleeding Madras fabric (the stuff that changes colour after every wash) and joined hands with Brooks Brothers, the American menswear company, to make Bleeding Madras into clothing, a move that led to later clients like Tommy Hilfiger, WalMart, Liz Claiborne and Macy’s. “I used to export millions of yards to America; such was the rage for the fabric there,” he says.

These were the times he stayed at the Waldorf - the time and the place he had the epiphany that India needed five star hotels that could measure up to any international standards.

With sons Vivek and Dinesh

LIFE Padmabhushan (an Indian Government title for service to the country) Captain (from his army days) Chittarath Poovakkatt (traditional names from his parents’ home towns) Krishnan Nair just this year stepped down as executive chairman to become Chairman Emeritus and Founder Chairman of Hotel Leelaventure Limited.

Back home, Nair went to the State Bank of India to ask for a loan. He had only 5,000 rupees to his name; everything else was tied up in the textile business. The bank refused on the grounds he would not be able to raise capital so he called upon some American contacts from his textile business network. Some 200 of them contributed $5,000 each – a hefty sum back then and many still hold shares in the company today.

In Bombay, as it then was, he named the hotel Leela after his beloved wife, who is still also his business advisor, supporter and, not least, fabulous cook: some of her recipes are still served in the Jamavar Indian restaurants that are a feature in all his hotels. They have been married for nearly 70 years.

I think on this one occasion, we can be forgiven the cliché that his is a ‘rags to riches’ story. In fact, Krishnan Nair made his first fortune in what rough and ready New Yorkers indeed christened the ‘rag trade.’

The young Krishnan was one of the eight children of a government bill collector in Kerala. He was born on 9 February 1922 and his early education was at a small elementary school in his native village of Kannur. But he was born a rebel and he organized a student union and later joined the Freedom Movement at the age of 13.

In 1942, he got a job as a civilian wireless officer with the military in Abbottabad, now part of Pakistan and recently famous as the place where they killed Osama Bin Laden. Later he joined the Indian Army proper – and army life suited him very well.

But some time in 1951, it was Leela (daughter of a textile manufacturer) who urged him to leave the army (which he regretfully did) and go into business. “What is this career that involves little else but saluting?” she asked.

The following year, he started a handloom marketing company 42

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Leela Goa

THE HOTELS Hotels are obviously a passion more than a business with Captain Krishnan Nair. With the success of the first hotel in Mumbai, he started scouting for other locations: “I went back

PERSONALITY

Leela Resort, Kovalam

Leela Palace, Bangalore

to Goa around 1990 and I found this piece of land, again not in a conventional location but on the beach down south, with the sea in front, a river behind and a fantastic view of the mountains behind.”

“Risk? Of course in business you are always taking risks. But if you are earnest and honest, you will be all right,” says Captain Nair. “Dream big! Believe in yourself. Act on your instincts.

There’s nothing that you cannot achieve.”

“Then the main tourist area was in north Goa but I always thought a little outside the box,” he says. “When I built the place, nobody came so I launched a marketing campaign that simply said ‘the last man who walked on this beach was Vasco da Gama. Don’t you want to be here?’ It resulted in not less than a thousand enquiries on the first day. And then the resort was sold out for months.”

At his recent endowment at Jodhpur National University with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, he spoke to the graduating students.

Today, there are eight luxury Leela properties: in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Gurgaon (Delhi), Udaipur, Goa, Kovalam and New Delhi: this newest one sits on a coveted piece of land in the capital’s Diplomatic Enclave. It was put up for auction and Captain Nair, against fierce competition, was the successful bidder. With the luxurious build, it holds the record as the most expensive hotel in India.

CREATING LUXURY

With eight hotels, he could be said to be a small player in India, especially compared with the Taj and Oberoi groups. But the Chairman is not bothered with the competition: “My desire was to create India’s most opulent hotel chain with the highest revenue per room. I have achieved that,” he says.

No less than eight more a planned – in Jaipur (opens 2014), Agra, Coimbatore and Lake Ashtamudi in Kerala, Dubai and London. He also has his sights set on Jodhpur, Bhartiya City (Bangalore’s IT hub), a palace hotel at Supertech’s largest mixed-use development at Noida, Jaisalmer, Hyderabad, Pune – and a mysterious fascination still lies with Bali. He smiles and is very reluctant to spill the beans because, just like in India, negotiations for land, renting and the bureaucracy can be tricky.

“Let’s just say I love the place; I have been there many times and I think a Leela would be a valuable addition to the tourist scene there.”

The group now has marketing alliances with German-based Kempinski hotels, the Preferred Hotels & Resorts from the U.S. and is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance based in Geneva.

RISK In business, especially the luxury and tourism business, there are risks like in no other area (political, natural, financial and, as recent events in Mumbai proved, the possible target of a terrorist attack).

“To you, my message is simple and straightforward. Nothing is guaranteed, and everything is possible. Go forth with courage and resilience. Life will not be necessarily smooth – but its script is yours to write.”

Unlike others, Captain Nair has stayed away from middle and budget hotels to focus very much on luxury – just walk into the lobby of any of his hotels, especially the palace brand, and you will be transported to a new and now mostly unreachable world of ambient opulence.

Over the years he has employed the world’s top architects, designers, landscape artists and interior decorators. His daughter in law, Madhu, has taken on the responsibility of sourcing the massive supply of antiques, artworks and decorative furniture for the properties. And there is no stinting here. If you look in the garden of the Leela Palace in Delhi, for example, there is a huge bust of a goddess by the artist Satish Gupta. “It cost us almost a crore of rupees,” he says. (About $220,000).

All this, and impeccable service, is reflected in the myriad awards Leela has received over the years. In fact, Leela Palace New Delhi has just been named in the Robb Report’s Best of the Best list.

“Hotels are not heartless mansions but have a soul and a life” – Captain Krishnan Nair.

GREEN Long before “environment” and “ecosystem” became buzzwords, Captain Nair had a vision for green spaces.

Apart from his UN award, Captain Nair’s green moves have earned him awards such as ‘Green Hotelier of the Decade’ by Gulf Connoisseur; the ‘Green Hotelier’ Award by the Genevabased International Hotel and Restaurant Association and the Maharana Mewar Foundation’s Uday Singh Award for “Outstanding Practical Achievements in the Protection and Improvement of the Environment.”

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PERSONALITY OFF DUTY At 91 (92 in February), Captain Nair can be forgiven for slowing down a little.

With his ‘retirement from active duty,’ the executive chairmanship has devolved upon his son Vivek, along with the title of Managing Director. His younger son, Dinesh is now Co-Chairman and Joint Managing Director. It seems it will remain a family business as the two brothers are said to have made a gentlemen’s agreement not to sell without one giving the other first right of refusal.

Leela Palace, Chennai

“Maybe this is why my second designation is chief gardener of The Leela Group,” he smiles.

I ask him what his advice to the next (and next) generation of Nairs would be in the hotel business.

“Twenty five years ago, The Leela Mumbai was built in the middle of 100 barren acres. We, my wife Leela and I, actually handpicked plants and flowers, from Plumeria and Banyan trees to dainty lilies and orchids to King and Queen palms, and then decided where to plant each one of them systematically - one sapling at a time. As the saying goes the hands that help are holier than the lips that pray. Our daily gardening slowly turned the whole deserted area into a green oasis which soon began spilling into the adjoining neighborhoods.”

“Follow your passion and you will overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Don’t do anything anti-national, unethical or irrational and unbecoming of my deepest beliefs. Whatever you do…make me proud.”

“Over the years, Leela and I personally supervised the greening of each hotel. Our dream was to create green havens in the heart of our sprawling cities as well as on our resorts. In fact, we issued an internal mandate from the very start that at least thirty percent of every Leela hotel must be marked as a ‘green haven’ where instead of using space for extra rooms or business inventories, it must be filled with trees, plants, foliage, and gardens,” says Captain Nair.

“I am a big fan of art forms that reflect the glory of Indian traditions,” he says. “For example, Kathakali from Kerala is riveting. The performers with their larger-than-life masks that pulsate with colour are marvellous. And their dancing conveys such drama. For me, it’s like watching grand opera.”

CSR Apart from his intense interest in business and ecology, the Captain also spends a great deal of time with his favourite charity.

“The A.K.Nair Memorial Endowment is a forum that celebrates those who have contributed towards advancement of modern India. It also provides scholarship to the sons and daughters of handloom workers and weavers for higher college-level education.”

“Every year, the endowment hosts a function in my home town, Kannur, and names the recipient with the honour that rewards matters important to trade and industry, culture, or science,” he says proudly.

“This year, each of our properties further strengthened partnerships with local NGOs to ensure charitable donations where uniforms, books and magazines, kitchen utensils are donated to the underprivileged. Each property also launched a training program called Hunar Se Rozgar Tak, to create employable skills in young adults. These courses cover diverse skill sets, from food and beverage service to housekeeping to teaching behavior in a global hospitality sense.”

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“Now the new generation is already involved,” says Captain Nair.

“Apart from my two sons, my grandchildren have followed me into the business.” He is particularly proud of granddaughter Aishwarya who put herself through hotel school in New York and is now the company’s corporate food and wine consultant.

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Meantime, his interest in many other aspects of life has not diminished with the years.

He never forgets his roots in South India, especially its particular form of famous dancing.

“Tanjore painting is another favorite and I have been collecting them for years. In fact, I have dedicated an entire wall at the new Leela Palace in Chennai as a tribute to this ancient and classical art form of Tamil Nadu. Two of my personal favorites hang in my office, one in the sitting and another in the dining area”.

INDIA In our (now nearly four-hour long conversation) it is obvious Captain Nair is a very proud Indian. So I venture to ask him for his personal wish for India’s future?

“I am Indian above everything else. Though I have visited almost every country in the world, the thought of leaving India, even for a few years has never crossed my mind,” he states emphatically.

“I have had an unshakeable faith in India’s ability to compete with the best in the world as an equal. But if you ask what I long for personally: firstly, a fully literate India where every child is given a compulsory free education. I wish for a ‘green India’ that worships nature and the environment as our ancestors did in the earliest known scriptures – the Vedas. A ‘world class India!’ Beginning with infrastructure: I want a well thought- through network of roads that connects the smallest towns with the biggest cities.

A connected India that is so advanced with technology that it outpaces even countries like America that have created technological history ahead of everybody else. And, on a truly personal note, a great nation is judged by many things, including

PERSONALITY

With Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur

the hospitality it extends to the world. We are three generations of hoteliers and I like to think our hotels are up there with the best of them.”

Captain and Mrs. Nair with the Emperor and Empress of Japan

TODAY Captain Krishnan Nair cannot seem to retire completely. Every day he makes the leisurely walk from his bungalow to the office he still keeps in the Leela Mumbai. He is still formulating plans; still thinking of ways to improve things; still thinking of new touches – like Le Cirque restaurant in his Delhi hotel. Good food remains a passion.

He does take time, however, for a little personal indulgence.

Another passion is for fine cars. He has had many over the years but he has settled on the best of British, a pair of Rolls-Royces.

“I suppose I think back to the days when I had to walk miles each day to high school and how the years have changed things. Now, every evening, I go for a leisurely drive with my wife Leela either in my 1973 Silver Shadow or my new Phantom,” he smiles.

It is a pleasure talking to this man – his stories are legion enough for a book (and whisper is there is one under way). Life and business do not seem a trial but a constant pleasure for him. His life must be complicated yet he likes to keep things simple. A good example: he intimates that after we leave, he will hang up his suit and change to his traditional private office attire of kurta and mundu. But the kurta (long shirt) is ivory silk and the mundu (sarong) is hand-woven with a beautiful stripe of gold.

Captain and Mrs. Nair with Bill Clinton

I feel kind of bad admiring them as he then insists his valet bring me a spare of each to take home – with the promise I will send him a photo of me actually wearing them. On second thought, they are a warm (and visual) memory of this friendliest of men, an exuberant participant in this turbulent journey we call life.

Captain Nair has collected countless personal awards over the years but three of the most prestigious came back-to-back in 2011. One was for Lifetime Achievement at the Hotelier India Awards; another the Lifetime Achievement at the Condé Nast Traveler Awards. He was also named Hotelier of the Century by the International Hotel & Restaurant Association in Geneva.

But we think the one to go out on came in 2008 when U.S. Business Week listed him among the 50 global octogenarians who still ‘rock the world’.

Make that nonagenarian! w w w.theleela.com

Graham Pearce with Captain Nair in Mumbai

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IN THE SALEROOM

THE BIG O This magnificent gem is simply called ‘The Orange’ and it was part of a record sale of jewellery in Switzerland last month that topped $111 million, proving the world economy, especially in the luxury goods area is not as bad as many might think.

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IN THE SALEROOM

Princess Faiza of Egypt

T

he largest (14.82 carats) fancy vivid orange diamond ever sold at auction brought a record price of US$35,540,611 (US$2,398,151 per carat) at the Magnificent Jewels Sale at Christie’s in Geneva. (Original estimate was USS$17,000,00020,000,000).

The November sale featured 280 lots, including some of the rarest gems, impressive period and signed jewels as well as royal treasures. Provenance (as always) played a key role in the sale. That is, their previous celebrity owners almost automatically ensure a higher price.

Cartier. These India-inspired pieces were produced by the firm throughout the 1920s and 30s and few survive today. The pavéset diamond branch with carved sapphire and emerald leaves, cabochon sapphire and emerald collets, ruby bead berries and enamel detail brought US$1,573,313 (estimate was (estimate was: US$800,000-1,200,00).

JEWELS FIT FOR A PRINCESS

This was exemplified by the sophisticated jewellery collection of style icon Hélène Rochas and three exceptional jewels formerly part of the collection of Simón Itturi Patiño, known as ‘The Andean Rockefeller’.

Another standout was an Art Deco emerald and diamond necklace set in platinum by Van Cleef & Arpels. It originally belonged to Princess Faiza of Egypt (sister of King Farouk and the Empress of Iran and one of the most famous, elegant and sophisticated women of the late 1940s). She is seen here with King Farouk and Queen Farida and some guests and she is actually wearing the necklace.

Other highlights of the sale included a circular-cut D Flawless diamond necklace comprising fifty-two stones and weighing a total of 104.84 carats, which brought US$8,144,064 (US$77,680 per carat) and was sold to a private buyer in Asia.

Says Christie’s: “The emerald drops hang from the diamond motives set in such a unique way, that it allows the stones to move very gently on the ‘décolleté’ of the woman who wears the piece.”

A Burmese ruby and diamond ‘Flora’ necklace by Bulgari fetched US$3,789,504 and was bought by a private buyer in the Middle East.

Its beige suede fitted case bearing the khedivial crown and the monogram F is still intact.

Few jewels have captured the imagination of connoisseurs and collectors alike as much as the ‘Tutti-Frutti’ creations by

It fetched US$4,203,848 from the original top estimate of US$3,809,524. w w w.christies.com

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IN THE SALEROOM

Elsa Schiaparelli at Home

SHOCKING! 48

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IN THE SALEROOM

“Madame Elsa Schiaparelli was incomparable.

There is no equivalent to be found.

Her imagination knew no bounds. She would have transformed you in less time than it takes to tell – and saved you. She was a bouquet of spells. She was a constellation of the stars, a fireworks display. Watch out! Or be hypnotized.”

Alberto Giacometti A bronze 1936 floor lamp modelled with the head of a young woman (estimate: $81,000-110,000)

YVES SAINT LAURENT

C

hristie’s will auction the Personal Collection of Elsa Schiaparelli in Paris on 23 January, 2014.

It will be a landmark sale for the international world of fashion, style and design with the heirloom collection coming to the market from the famed designer’s granddaughter, the actress Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson.

Elsa Schiaparelli was a woman of passion and extraordinary vision (not to mention a deadly rival of Coco Chanel) who was at the heart of avant-garde ideas in 1930s Paris. Her creations were a powerful conduit between the worlds of cutting-edge fashion and surrealist art. In fact, she was collaborator, friend and patron to many leading artists of the day, from Salvador Dalí and Man Ray to Christian Bérard, Jean Cocteau, Alberto and Diego Giacometti and Marcel Vertès.

Schiaparelli: The Astrologie Collection A violet silk blouse from 1939 (estimate: $34,000-41,000)

Comprising approximately 180 lots, this remarkable private collection features fashion – a dynamic combination of Elsa Schiaparelli’s own designs alongside other much-loved ethnic costumes and personal pieces – furniture, fine art and decorative items.

The star lots are a bronze Alberto Giacometti 1936 floor lamp modelled with the head of a young woman (estimate: $81,000110,000) and a violet silk blouse, 1939, from Schiaparelli’s Astrologie Collection (estimate: $34,000-41,000).

Lots, though, begin at around $670 with the total sale expected to realize more than $1 million.

Schiaparelli: A waistcoat with intricate ‘Bucking Bronco’ beadwork, inspired by her influential 1940’s trip to Texas (estimate: $14,000-16,000)

Schiaparelli drew influence from the Orient, from Tunisia (where she had a home), the Ottoman Empire, Persia and even Texas, which inspired her famous waistcoat with ‘Bucking Bronco’ beadwork (estimate: $14,000-16,000).

She was famous for using ‘shocking’ colours (and Shocking was the name of her signature perfume), most notably the bright pink that is still alternately called shocking pink and Schiaparelli pink.

The full pre-sale exhibition will be on view at Christie’s Paris, 9 avenue Matignon: 18-20-21-22 January 2014 w w w.christies.com

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

A NEW HOTEL DYNASTY Following the Hiltons, the Oberois, the Marriotts (and the Pritzker and Wilson families, who don’t put their name on the Hyatt or the Holiday Inn chains) a new family now ranks high among world five-star brands – and it does not stop there.

T

he Sukosols are from Bangkok and their name really came to prominence with the recent accolade of ‘Family of the Year’ at the Nine Entertain Awards.

These Awards are sponsored by Modern 9 TV, one of Thailand’s most popular public television stations. Their objective is to praise and celebrate public figures taking on an active and positive leadership role in society.

THE SUKOSOL FAMILY They are fondly called the ‘Musical Hoteliers of Thailand.’ Apart from the hotel business, music is an integral part of all their lives – and they can all sing!

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

Melanie Giles-Clapp (Kriss’s wife), Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, Krissada Clapp and Kamala Sukosol

Kamala Sukosol

The family is headed by a matriarch who is a businesswoman, entertainer, hotelier, philanthropist and entrepreneur: Kamala Sukosol.

Mrs. Sukosol is a diminutive woman of great energy and diverse interests. She was married to an American and spent time in New York (hence her perfect English) and also a lot of time in Mexico. We mention this because she was also a recent recipient of a cultural award from the Spanish government – this because her latest CD was a collection of Spanish-language songs she wanted to introduce to Thailand.

Surrounding this matriarch are her daughters Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi (who is Executive Vice President of the company) and Daranee Sukosol Clapp (Clapp after her American father), a former Wall Street banker, who is Chief Financial Officer. Her son Sukie Clapp (Project Director, not in Bangkok when we talked to the family: he was filming episodes for his television show Dreamchaser, currently in Season 3 that will see him motorbike along The Silk Road from Bangkok to Istanbul). Other son Krissada Clapp is the company’s Creative Director, but also a well known actor and rock singer. His wife, Melanie is also very hands-on with company PR and marketing.

HISTORY Their story began in 1972 when Kamala Sukosol inherited, by way of her entrepreneurial father, a 20-acre plot of land in the then sleepy fishing village of Pattaya. She made the visionary decision to build a resort there and The Siam Bayshore Resort

became a reality three years later (it was one of only three hotels in Pattaya at the time).

In 1983, the Sukosol family acquired another piece of prime beachfront property in central Pattaya, where now stands the Siam Bayview Hotel. In 1990, the family opened the luxurious Siam City Hotel in downtown Bangkok. At this time the group was called Siam City Hotels & Resorts, a name that spanned two successful decades.

In 2012, the corporation underwent major developments, not least of which was a change of name. They are now the Sukosol Hotel Group, with five divisions: Hotels, Trading, Entertainment, Properties and Living.

That year also saw the opening of their newest luxury projects, the marvellous Siam, which is an urban resort on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok: this was the special project of Krissada, not least because of his design vision but also a place to display his extensive antique collection. The other project is Wave, a Miami art déco boutique hotel overlooking Pattaya Bay. This now means Sukosol Hotels now operates, or has under development, six hotels with more than 1,000 rooms, along with 20 bars and restaurants.

PHILANTHROPY At the Nine Entertain Awards, the Sukosol family was also lauded for most exemplifying the spirit of the award by way of their public acts of charity and artistic/business achievements. Finally, all

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PEOPLE & BUSINESS

the family members were deemed to be upstanding citizens who represent good role models for today’s Thai youth.

Besides staging regular charity concerts, art exhibitions and other fundraising events, the family are all ambassadors for a range of causes, including the Ramathibodi Foundation’s Liver Transplant from Parent-to-Child Program, the Chulalongkorn Craniofacial Centre and Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation. Not to mention that they help out international aid organisations like the Thai Red Cross and UNICEF on an ad hoc basis, such as when Thailand was hit by devastating floods in 2011.

THE FUTURE “One of our main goals is to go as green as we can,” says Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi. “Environmental awareness has become an integral part of the Sukosol Hotels culture and brand ethos. As the group’s oldest property, the Siam Bayshore, for example, is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and is subsequently a proud and active member of the regional Green Leaf Foundation.

Similarly, in 2010 the resort was awarded its third consecutive ASEAN Green Hotel Standard Award in recognition of its

Krissada Clapp

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commitment to responsible tourism; environmental friendliness; air, water and electricity conversion management and undertaking CSR initiatives. We are taking these ideas to all our properties.”

And there are new hotel projects in the pipeline.

Mrs. Kamala Sukosol is actually a with-it, enthusiastic woman who happens to love hotels. She also loves football and will often stay up very late at night to watch her beloved Arsenal play live in England.

“But my energy is limited,” she smiles. “We thought of Phuket but everybody is doing that. And, besides, it would be a tedious plane ride every time I had to go there. I prefer to go to places by road. So, we are looking at doing something different again with a property we have on the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi: it will be a plantation-style resort. And we have some other ideas. And we may even venture into Myanmar!”

Whatever, the ventures, there is no stopping the Sukosols. w w w.sukosolhotels.com

WINE

THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WINE

The exclusive wine merchant Le Clos have a number of stores at Dubai International Airport where they stock cognacs and whiskies as well as wine. But the spotlight currently is on an extraordinary bottle: a Balthazar of Château Margaux 2009, with the asking price of a hefty US$195,000.

This undoubtedly makes it the world’s most expensive bottle of red wine ever to be retailed. A Balthazar, incidentally, is a 12-litre bottle.

This is the first time in the history of the famous Château Margaux that Balthazars have been bottled. The 2009 (which can be aged for over a century) is widely reputed to be one of the best vintages ever produced. Originally there were six of these large bottles but only three were offered for sale through Le Clos. They come swaddled in an impressive case (designed by the French agency Partisan du Sens), made of oak and raised on steel legs symbolising the barrels resting in the 400-year-old Château Margaux cellars.

As a bonus (and, at that price, you might expect a little something), the buyer will be flown first class to France to visit the first growth’s estate, enjoying dinner at the Château hosted

by Paul Pontallier, Chief Winemaker and Managing Director of Château Margaux.

And if you think that is an expensive tipple, one of the Balthazar’s has already been sold. The Le Clos people at the flagship store in the new Concourse A where the A380 arrives at Terminal 3 were very discreet about the buyer – only to say it was a gentleman who actually lives in Dubai.

But, good news, they still have two more. So, if you are interested, you can go on line before you arrive in Dubai to make a purchase or check out their concierge-style arrivals service. If you want to shop in person, Le Clos is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. w w w.leclos.net

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LUXURY

Little

BLACK BOOK millionaireasia speaks to influential business leaders for their luxury living maxims.

BEGÜM KIROGLU

In my drinks cabinet, you’ll always find...

Tanqueray & Tonic (I love the Tanqueray green!)

I usually fly with…

Turkish Airlines (they have the best food!)

Istanbul-born, Shanghai-based designer Begüm Kiroglu is the founder of artisanal brand BEGÜM KHAN, which specialises in hand-made timeless cufflinks, inspired by the rich history and sophisticated craftsmanship of Old World cultures, together with the vibrant styles of modern day Istanbul and Shanghai.

The watch I wear is…

A vintage 70’s Cartier.

The next thing on my wish list is… to go to Bhutan.

The best meal I ever had was...

At my grandmother’s house when I was last in Istanbul.

My most unforgettable holiday was to…

Lhasa in Tibet.

I always look forward to staying at...

My Istanbul home.

For Personal grooming I always go to…

Zeta Villa in Shanghai.

The last item of clothing I bought was... an Art Déco evening bag at a Hong Kong vintage store.

(I am obsessed with Art Déco pieces!)

I buy my suits from...

My tailor in Shanghai.

An event I never miss is...

My collections launch and events in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

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LUXURY

I always look forward to staying at...

My castle in France. It is called Chàteau de la Roche.

For personal grooming, I always go to…

Serenity Blue (a Beauty Salon).

The last item of clothing I bought was…

A cashmere coat by Franck Namani.

I buy my suits from…

Kenzo.

An event I never miss is…

BaselWorld.

In my drinks cabinet you’ll always find…

Champagne.

I usually fly with…

Air France.

The watch I wear is…

A 21 Blackjack (white gold case & tiger dial).

The next thing on my wish list is…

The stopping of crises!

The best meal I ever had was….

At home, with my family.

My most unforgettable holiday was… anywhere with my children.

Christophe Claret Having spent 22 years developing and creating innovative and highly complex movements for various major watch brands, Christophe Claret launched his own brand in 1989, basing himself in the Neuchâtel mountain region which is home to almost one-third of the Swiss watchmaking workforce – and thus to a body of expertise and skills that is unique in the world

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LUXURY

Séan Harrington A leading figure in the international spa industry, Séan Harrington has spearheaded Elemis since 1990. He travels the world, researching and carving a niche for Elemis in the global spa industry to push the international expansion of the brand.

I always look forward to staying at…

Babington House, Somerset, UK or Soho House, New York.

For Personal grooming I always go to…

Elemis Day-Spa, Mayfair in London. For a traditional wet shave, I go to Truffitt & Hill in St James’s, London.

The last item of clothing I bought was…

Brightly-coloured J Brand Jeans in New York.

I buy my suits from…

Adam Waite, a personal tailor.

An event I never miss is…

The racing at Royal Ascot every summer.

In my drinks cabinet, you’ll always find…

Good wine. A French Claret and Cloudy Bay from New Zealand.

I usually fly with…

British Airways or Emirates.

The watch I wear is…

Rolex Oyster Perpetual.

The next thing on my wish list is...

A holiday in Bali with my family.

The best meal I ever had was... at Tetsuya Restaurant in Sydney.

My most unforgettable holiday was to...

Anantara Ki-Hara in the Maldives (actually on my honeymoon).

I always look forward to staying at…

Four Seasons Hotels.

For Personal grooming, I always go to...

Action Hair Salon, Paragon Shopping Centre in Singapore.

The last item of clothing I bought was…

A dress shirt.

An event I never miss is…

The Open Championship (golf).

In my drinks cabinet you’ll always find…

A good Sauvignon Blanc and good Vodka.

I usually fly with…

Singapore Airlines.

The watch I wear is…

Breitling.

The next thing on my wish list is…

To go back to Africa on vacation.

The best meal I ever had was…

Teppanyaki in Miyazaki.

My most unforgettable holiday was to...

The W Hotel in The Maldives.

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Robbie Henchman Moving to Hong Kong with IMG in 1995, Robbie has handled some of the largest sporting events in the region. This year, with his appointment as Senior Vice President- Head of Business Development – Asia Pacific, he took on the responsibility for all IMG business development in Asia Pacific, including golf, tennis, football, fashion, arts and entertainment.

WHERE TO STAY : BARCELONA

When in Barcelona THE ALMA The Alma is the flagship of new hotel brand that has become a benchmark for boutique properties in Europe.

It is housed in a restored historic building in the Eixample area and just five steps from the Passeig de Gràcia, centre of everything in the city, The Alma has seven floors and 72 rooms, all more than 50sqm in size. Décor is sober and elegant, typical of a classic Eixample apartment – a certain French air that is also very Barcelona.

Special highlight here is free WiFi and complimentary minibar (replenished daily).

Downstairs is a spa, gym and heated pool. But a major feature is the huge terrace garden out back – pure luxurious space, especially in summer. The restaurant extends out here and a must-try is the tapas menu (preferably with a chilled glass of cava).

The food, like the entire ‘artisanal’ concept of The Alma is a unique, local and luxurious experience that goes against the trend of mass production. w w w.almabarcelona.com

W Designed by architect Ricardo Bofill, W Barcelona is a huge white sail against the Mediterranean on one side and the city on the other. It is on the famous Barceloneta boardwalk on the beach.

W has 473 ultra-modern guest rooms and suites, all with spectacular views.

Dine in style at Michelin-star rated chef Carlos Abellán’s Bravo 24 or have a drink at the glamorous 26th floor hotspot, Eclipse rooftop bar. Downstairs in the signature Living Room is Salt, Wave and W Bar. You can take a dip at the ‘WET’ pool, surrounded by sun terraces, cabanas and enjoy the only beachfront access at any hotel in the city.

Or you can simply wind down. Relax and recharge at Spain’s first ever Bliss Spa. w w w.w-barcelona.com

ARTS One of Spain’s premier luxury hotels, Hotel Arts is close to the beach, with spectacular views of the ocean on one side and the city on the other. Its design is traditional luxury (parent company: Ritz-Carlton).

After exploring Barcelona, you can indulge in a soothing treatment at the Six Senses Spa on the 43rd floor Arts is renowned for its 24-hour personalized service and innovative dining (there are five restaurants in all), especially the traditional Catalan cuisine at Arola or you can enjoy a meal at Enoteca, where Chef Paco Perez offers contemporary classic cuisine.

Hotel Arts has 483 sea or city view rooms including 60 suites and 26 duplex apartments. Beyond the terraced gardens is the swimming pool. w w w.ritzcarlton.com

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BESPOKE JEWELLERY

THE FAMILY JEWELS

Just 100 metres from Melbourne’s bustling pedestrian shopping mall with its SALE signs and scruffy bargain hunters is a boutique that looks quietly elegant, sophisticated and, well, just a little old fashioned.

K

ozminsky is this city’s most famous home-grown jeweller. In more than a century and a half, it has naturally gained a reputation for reliability, quality and the place to go for special occasion jewellery or some unique gift.

It is a rather staid, although very friendly, place. There is everywhere a sense of longevity: owner Kirsten Albrecht is always a presence; executive manager Jacqueline Shaw has made it her only career and head designer Ross Allan has been here for nigh on 35 years.

Their cases include antique, vintage and modern jewellery, including fine Art Deco pieces and exceptional South Sea pearls.

“We don’t sell trends. We don’t sell mass produced items. We sell handmade one-off pieces,” says Jacqueline Shaw proudly.

“One interesting area is estate jewellery. Usually, people prefer more up-to-date settings; some pieces are bequeathed to be shared. So Kozminsky specializes in resetting these pieces or, more often the case, removing the stones and making two or more new pieces for the heirs of the single original.”

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Designer, Ross Allan

They also take pride in designing original pieces. Usually head designer Ross Allan will listen to your request, make colour sketches and then translate these into gold, platinum or silver pieces set with precious or semi-precious stones. (They also do enamel work as you can see in the ‘popsicle’ commission).

Their hard-cover catalogue has also become extremely popular, especially for people out of town. From the latest catalogue, one Brisbane buyer bought $100,000 worth of Christmas gifts, sight unseen.

“Our biggest-selling item is the engagement ring,” says Jacqueline Shaw. “Usually a young woman will come in with her mother. They bring a photograph, a magazine clipping or maybe a printout from the Net of the style of ring they want. We make a proper sketch and then translate it into a beautiful piece of jewellery.”

GOLD RUSH

But we also have a huge collection of estate jewellery,” she says. “This comes from all over Australia and we also go on buying trips, chiefly to London and Paris. Usually for art deco and vintage pieces: I should add that the most popular item last Christmas were antique Victorian earrings.”

In 1851 (during the gold rush) Simon Kozminsky established the firm and set up shop on the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth streets in Melbourne. In 1910 Kozminsky moved to the famous Block Arcade in Collins Street and, with the granting of vice regal patronage by Governor General, Lord Hopetoun, Kozminsky enjoyed the attention and custom of Melbourne society.

Kozminksy is more than just a jewellery store: you will find things such as antique perfume bottles, letter openers, silver ornaments such as candelabra. “One of our most popular corporate gifts is the silver and crystal claret jug,” says Shaw. “People nowadays like gifts that can be put to good use. Another big item is the custom champagne bucket.”

The Kozminsky family sold the business and it was eventually acquired by an employee, Kurt Albrecht, an immigrant from post WWII Hamburg and a gold and silversmith who began work there when he first arrived.

Not so common in today’s atmosphere of ‘full disclosure’ and dollar limits on gifts from foreign governments but Kozminsky was once the place to go when ‘state gifts’ were required. A good example is the brooch made for the Australian government as a memento to Britain’s Princess Alexandra when she paid an official visit.

With the steady growth of the jewellery trade in the 1970’s and 80’s Kozminsky moved to its iconic home on the corner of Bourke and McKillop Streets. The business has passed to Kirsten Albrecht and remains a bespoke jeweller in this new century.

“For men, cufflinks are always popular. And we have all manner of them,” says Shaw. “From enamel, silver, platinum, gold – some

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are antique, others new. Particularly good are the Australianathemed – look at the gold ones in the shape of miniature frilled lizards. Signet rings are also a big-selling item.”

And it is not just establishment Melbourne that patronises Kozminsky. “We have sold pieces to Elton John, Billy Joel and many others who are visiting Australia,” says Shaw.

Kozminsky is definitely the place to while away some time when you are in Melbourne. Go in the morning and then move on to one of the city’s famous restaurants for lunch. If you are not going to Melbourne for a while, their catalogue is available as is their ‘concierge service.’ Check online at w w w.kozminksy.com.au

Jacqueline Shaw

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TRAVEL : PARIS

Plaza Athénée Looks to the Future

Now having celebrated a century, the iconic Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris is already making plans for its next century.

The hotel is now part of the Dorchester Collection and there are already plans for a partial restoration to integrate additional buildings tht will create six new guest rooms, eight suites, a ballroom and two event spaces.

This comes after a little buying spree where the owners bought three buildings surrounding the hotel, two townhouses and the building that housed Le Relais Plaza.

So, Plaza Athénée has closed its doors while the workmen are there; planned re-opening is May next year.

Dorchester says gret care will be taken to retain the charm and quintessentially Parisian character of the hotel. Decoration of the suites is under the eye of Marie-José Pommereau, who redesigned existing suites last year, including the Royal Suite.

The Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée restaurant and Le Bar will be redesigned by the Paris-based Jouin-Manku agency, and Bruno Moinard will be responsible for La Galerie des Gobelins, La Cour Jardin and Le Relais Plaza, as well as the event rooms. w w w.dorchestercollection.com

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FINE TIMEPIECES

Best Of Both Worlds The ExoTourbillon Chronographe is the first watch in Montblanc’s Villeret 1858 Collection to unite two of the most avidly admired horological complications: a chronograph function and a tourbillon. The chronograph upholds the lovely tradition with a column-wheel and horizontal coupling, and the four-minute tourbillon boasts a never-before-seen innovation.

The owner of an ExoTourbillon Chronographe can enjoy the spectacular vista of a large balance (with weight screws along its rim) that’s free to oscillate in all its beauty and turns around its own axis, without being cramped inside the narrow confines of the tourbillon’s cage. With commensurate self-confidence, it proudly presents itself in a large aperture cut into the dial at the “12 o’clock” position and above a plate that has been manually embellished with circular graining.

Each of the impressive 47-mm-diameter cases is high-gloss polished and fitted with an arcing bezel that securely holds a

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highly domed sapphire crystal with vertically falling flanks. A pane of sapphire crystal is integrated into the back, which is screwed to the case and protected by a hinged cover, opened by a patented mechanism concealed between the horns.

To appropriately honour these spectacular mechanisms, Montblanc is launching the unconventional monopusher chronograph with ExoTourbillon in a strictly limited new edition.

This makes the chronographs in Montblanc’s Villeret 1858 Collection ardent sought rarities.

Only one unique piece of the ExoTourbillon Chronographe will be manufactured in platinum, along with limited editions of eight pieces each in 18K white gold and in 18K red gold.

FINE TIMEPIECES

Blast From The Past In order to express the very best in watchmaking, Audemars Piguet has developed the Tradition Tourbillon Minute Repeater Chronograph. A timepiece equipped with complications and clothed in a case inspired by that of a 1920s cushion-shaped pocket-watch belonging to its private museum.

The first version, featuring a pink gold case middle topped by a white gold bezel, lends the model an original and timeless charm. The other version, with its titanium case middle and white gold bezel, offers the wearer the best possible auditory experience when its minute repeater is in operation. In addition, this extraordinary instrument also houses an exceptional movement, combining highly sought-after horological complications including a tourbillon regulator and a minute repeater mechanism.

The curved case of the Tradition Tourbillon Minute Repeater Chronograph accommodates a mechanical hand-wound 131/4-ligne (29.90 mm) calibre that is 7.65 mm thick and comprises 504 parts – of which some of the individual elements and mechanical subsets are visible through the transparent case-back.

Concurrently, the 83 parts composing the oneminute rotating tourbillon with its balance oscillating at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour may be admired through the dial opening, thus enabling the owner of this fantastic instrument to revel in the sight of this 0.4g regulator of which the constant revolutions are designed to enhance the precision of the watch.

These two intense and exceptional models, produced in two 10-piece limited editions, share the same Manufacture Audemars Piguet hand-wound Calibre 2874, partially visible through the case-back and ensuring a 48-hour power reserve.

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THE FUTURE BY TRADITIONAL A classical work of art, the Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication by Audemars Piguet is an eminently masculine 44 mm-diameter titanium and ceramic watch teamed with a rubber strap, featuring powerful, generous lines. Its carefully designed structure serves to reveal its wearer’s inherent masculinity through the subtle characteristics of its simple yet complex geometrical shapes. The timepiece is also endowed with the rare ability to transcend the potential of a traditional self-winding movement uniting the supremely refined minute repeater, splitsecond chronograph and perpetual calendar complications.

Interpreted in a resolutely modern way by Audemars Piguet, the watch is a material expression of the talent and mastery exercised by the watchmakers united within the workshops of the Manufacture. Within this impressive horological accomplishment, the 648 parts sharing the 8m3 space allotted to the movement are finished with exemplary care. Contemporary finishes such as sandblasting are designed to highlight more traditional treatments such as bevelling or hand-drawn flanks. To reveal the exceptional nature of this model, the parts composing this exceptional art are partially visible through the transparent sapphire dial and a fitted exhibition back. The latter in particular provides a view of the solid gold oscillating weight featuring a black coating serving to accentuate the overall contemporary touch that the watchmakers have chosen to give this model.

ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET Franck Muller has once again charmed the world with a striking collection that embodies his passion for creating lively timetelling pieces, with the Red Carpet Collection. Unveiled at the World Presentation of Haute Horologerie Monaco 2012, the collection features an intense red dial with white Arabic numerals, symbolising life, confidence and energy.

A watch that perpetuates simplicity and yet exudes vibrancy, the Red Carpet is the perfect timepiece to take one through day and night effortlessly. It is available in both quartz and mechanical hand-winding movement.

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OF ART AND PRECISION Since the spark of international trade in the late 19th century, Ulysse Nardin has been crafting marine chronometers, keeping captains and their valued cargo precisely on course. Advanced since its first introduction in 2011, the UN118 caliber is powering the artfully designed 2012 Marine Chronometer Manufacture.

timepieces. For the Marine Chronometer dial, the aesthetic is a bright, snow white offset by black Roman numerals and bold accents of cherry red, presenting a style that is simultaneously straight-forward and interesting. Its 18-karat rose-gold bevelled case enhances the timepiece’s sophistication.

An expanded 45 mm diameter case and a new crown design for easy handling, complete with a rubber notch for comfortable winding, are not the only progressions made to the coveted Marine Chronometer. Gracing the collection’s latest addition is its beautifully handcrafted enamel dial produced by Donzé Cadrans, the world-recognised enameldial specialist and the latest member of the Ulysse Nardin group of companies.

Further illustrating Ulysse Nardin’s imagination in watchmaking is the UN-118 caliber, the manufacture’s self-winding base caliber conceived and executed entirely in-house, and now offered in the Marine Chronometer Manufacture. This caliber continues the advancement of Ulysse Nardin’s use of new materials and techniques. The movement features a stellar 60hour power reserve indicator, oversized small seconds register and a date display at 6 o’clock. It boasts Ulysse Nardin’s “quick setting” allowing forward and backward date adjustments.

A refined and complex decorative technique, the mastery of enamelling depends upon both the personal sensitivity and daily practice of the artist. It is a centuries-old craft that continues to make its stunning mark on Ulysse Nardin

The Marine Chronometer Manufacture will be available in a limited edition of 350 pieces in 18-karat rose gold, and an unlimited edition of two-tone titanium case with gold bezel and gold crown, as well as an all stainless-steel/titanium case.

A CAPRICIOUS FANCY With the new Caprice Butterfly, Ulysse Nardin flutters in an exquisite beauty beyond compare. Brilliant in blues, with a pop of berry, and delectably adorned in 3.8 carats of diamonds (353 to be exact), the 18-karat white gold, and limited edition Caprice Butterfly is breathtaking. Yet, it is the butterfly, itself, produced in Enamel Champlevé that further reveals the artistic mastery of Ulysse Nardin.

In this technique, superior care and precision is crucial to its success. Cavities in a thick metal surface are created, filled with moist powdered enamel and fired.

Sanding delicately by hand, an essential step maneuvered by the hands of experts, excess enamel is removed, allowing the enamel’s true color and shine to break through.

Life-like in its illustration and jovial in its essence, the Caprice Butterfly is ideal for the playfully glamorous woman. The new Caprice Butterfly timepiece is presented as a limited edition collection of 28 pieces.

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CELEBRATING A DECADE OF COLLABORATION The Royal Oak Offshore is the quintessential sports watch, a combination of audacity and performance, showcasing character traits that also define Arnold Schwarzenegger the actor, the politician and the man. This limited-edition timepiece, introduced recently, is a vibrant tribute to this long-established friendship.

Like all the timepieces created in close cooperation between Audemars Piguet and former governor Schwarzenegger, the Royal Oak Offshore Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Legacy Chronograph is a masterpiece of rugged elegance. Inspired by the case of the Royal Oak Offshore Arnold All-Stars Chronograph it is the first Audemars Piguet watch to feature an all-ceramic 48-millimetre case middle and bezel. The watch is supplied with an anthracite aramid fibre strap, along with an additional strap in hand-sewn black crocodile leather with large square scales.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING The Chrono 4 Géant collection is being enhanced with a new super-cool total black edition, the Chrono 4 Géant “Full Injection”. This timepiece perfectly combines technique and aesthetical elegance, and is produced in a limited series of 500 pieces. The 46 mm case of Chrono 4 Géant “Full Injection” is particularly remarkable for the use of a special treatment consisting advanced low temperature carbon diffusion. This allows the carbon to penetrate the steel surface for 30 µm (micrometers), thus producing a structural hardening. With the steel’s elevated hardness, the watchcase wear resistance and fatigue-limit are improved. Chrono 4 Géant Full Injection is unique also from the styling point of view - the black shade is extended to the chronograph push buttons and crown and the black dial, with black counters and red counters’ hands, featuring a circular metal plate with a “Côtes de Genève” decor. Water-resistant to 200 metres, this chronograph comes with a vertically sculpted rubber strap that underlines its explosive energy.

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AN ALARM TO AWAKEN PAST TIMES First launched in 1956 and featured in the very first Corum catalogue, Chargé d’Affaires returns interpreted in a manner that is more contemporary than ever. This alarm watch will delight devotees of mechanics as well as devotees of the heritage from the past. The Chargé d’Affaires model is the pride of the Vintage collection. This alarm watch has been re-issued in a virtually identical form, to the delight of all those who revel in aesthetic codes directly inherited from the past. Endowed with a 46hour power reserve, the historical movement has been entirely restored using vintage tools and techniques, while meeting current standards of quality and finishing. This mechanical handwound Caliber CO 286 is fitted with two barrels, each with its own winding crown, one to control the hands, and the other the alarm. The elegantly understated face of this timepiece pays tribute to the aesthetic perfection of historical watches. The silver-toned dial is punctuated by applied hour-markers, while the minute track is delicately transferred, as is the “Chargé d’Affaires” legend. The Chargé d’Affaires is issued in a 200-piece limited and numbered edition: 150 in 5N 18K gold fitted with a black alligator leather strap with pin buckle; and 50 in 18K white gold with an identical strap. This alarm watch is water-resistant to 30 metres.

THE UNVEILED ROSE Two years after the great success of the first Bugatti Super Sport in white gold – unveiled in August 2010 – this year, Parmigiani Fleurier presents the much-anticipated new model in rose gold.

The manually wound Calibre Parmigiani 372 (power reserve of 10 days) was designed in two planes in order to match the contours of the new Bugatti watch. On the wrist, the movement of the watch is presented at a 90° angle. On the upside, the balance and escape wheel bridges form an arc, reminiscent of the Bugatti oval. With striking aesthetic characteristics, the train wheels are cut in the form of car wheels, the plate and its 10 bridges, designed and decorated in line with Parmigiani Fleurier’s exclusive codes, adopting the pillar system already used on the Calibre 370 to support the assembly. Six sapphire crystals reveal the 333 components of the Bugatti Super Sport, which is water resistant to 10 metres. The dial, made from black opaline with a gold base, a testimony to the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, has transparent sections in the centre which allow a glimpse of the hour wheel. Bugatti hence becomes the unmistakable signature of the Parmigiani Fleurier style, adorned with the symbolic curves of the brand. Extremely ergonomic on the wrist, the two articulated lugs on the front of the Bugatti Super Sport ensure wearer comfort.

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WATCH OUT FOR ICELAND When you think of watch manufactory, you automatically think of Switzerland. Now, you should also think Iceland!

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es, Iceland. Currently with its economy the envy of Europe – having bounced back from bankruptcy in only a couple of years and now with a healthy growth that puts the big countries to shame. So, it is probably natural they have time to think about luxury – like the production of fine timepieces.

The JS Watch Company in Reykjavik is probably one of the world’s smallest manufacturers of stylish, quality watches. All their timepieces are designed and assembled by hand in Iceland, with only highest quality movements and materials used and they have the luxury time (literally) to achieve perfection. The quantity produced is limited but that gives them an exclusive and truly personal feel.

HISTORY In 2005, four passionate and enthusiastic watch collectors had a dream. Sigurdur Gilbertsson (Technical-Director), Julius Heidarsson (Director of Development), Grimkell Sigurthsson (Design and Marketing Director) and Gilbert O. Gudjonsson (Master Watchmaker) wanted to make world quality watches and make them in Iceland.

In the strive for perfection and in order to create watches that could stand the scrutiny of the most discriminating of clientele, they had to be more than enthusiastic, passionate, creative and technically perfect. They had to be their own staunchest critics.

Under the guidance (and the 45 years of experience) of MasterWatchmaker Gudjonsson, it took years of groundwork that finally

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Despite the obvious challenges of launching in such a wellestablished and prestigious market, JS’s debut collection of 100 watches sold out within six months.

Then, in true Icelandic form, the company went on to weather their nation’s financial crisis; finding its timepieces were soon picked up on by the inbound jet-set, drawn to Iceland by the favourable exchange rate.

Within no time, its five limited edition collections were leaving Iceland, bound for global acclaim. Collections by JS Watch Co. include the 101, the Islandus, inspired by the vagabond Solon Islandus, a self-proclaimed genius who believed himself to be the foremost authority on art, science, debate, oratory and mathematics, the Sif: stylish and robust timepieces dedicated to, and worn by, North Atlantic Rescue teams (water resistant to an astonishing depth of 1000 metres) and the popular Frisland collection, including the Frisland GOÐ, which celebrates the intricacy and mystique of Viking engraving and pays homage to the power of Iceland’s volcanoes by incorporating volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010.

BOUTIQUE The JS Watch Co. factory and exclusive retail shop are located in the trendy “101” area of downtown Reykjavik so customers have the unique opportunity to meet the watchmakers who assemble and test their timepieces.

Currently JS watches are being worn on many celebrity wrists – including those of Viggo Mortensen, Quentin Tarantino, Tom Cruise, Jude Law, Yoko Ono – not to mention the Dalai Lama and the King of Greece.

Islandus

Such high profile admirers seem fitting of a company that truly embodies the notion that Iceland’s time has arrived. w w w.jswatch.com

resulted in a collection of mechanical timepieces and the JS Watch Company was born.

“Our Icelandic designed and constructed collection had an instant positive impact on the local market. And soon they were gaining international recognition with collectors and connoisseurs of fine mechanical watches,” says Grimkell Sigurthsson.

“Our idea of engineering classically-inspired designs to modern precision, using finely-constructed traditional mechanical calibers adjusted by hand, respecting the watchmaking traditions of the past has proven very successful. Our customers instantly appreciated the personal attention given to them by us-fellow enthusiasts. The idea of purchasing a watch from a watchmaker had been forgotten in the era of big brands.”

“We are passionate about the precision of our craftsmanship,” says Sigurthsson. “Each watch is individually created and handassembled, either as part of a limited edition or as an exclusive, personalised timepiece. Our hallmarks are flawless Swiss movement, surrounded by classically- styled pieces of the finest quality, with a strong sense of our Icelandic heritage.”

Jude Law

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LUXURY MOTORING

Prancing To The Top The most comprehensive and acclaimed Ferrari range ever - LaFerrari

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he wraps are finally off the LaFerrari. The Prancing Horse’s eagerly-anticipated, limited-series special, was debut recently at the Geneva International Motor Show. “We chose to call this model LaFerrari,” declared Ferrari’s President, Luca di Montezemolo, “because it is the maximum expression of what defines our company - excellence. Excellence in terms of technological innovation, performance, visionary styling and the sheer thrill of driving. Aimed at our collectors, this extraordinary car encompasses advanced solutions that will find their way onto the rest of the range. It also represents the benchmark for the entire automotive industry. LaFerrari is the finest expression of our company’s unique, unparalleled engineering and design know-how”.

For Ferrari the development of a limited-series special like LaFerrari allows for experimentation with technological solutions that will later filter down onto the production cars. Of particular significance in this context is the introduction of the hybrid system whichhas resulted in a solution that exalts Ferrari’s fundamental values – performance and driving thrills.

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The hybrid technology used, known as HY-KERS, represents the perfect combination of maximum performance and lower emissions. LaFerrari in fact emits just 330 g/km of CO2 without resorting to electric-only drive which would not fit the mission of this model. The HY-KERS system is designed so that in future applications, a car can be driven using exclusively electric power for a few kilometres. During development testing, a full-electric version of LaFerrari achieved just 220 g/km of C02 emissions on the combined cycle.

The LaFerrari is equipped with dynamic controls that are integrated for the first time ever on a Ferrari road car with active aerodynamics and the HY-KERS system. Thanks to Ferrari’s proprietary logic which govern all the systems, the car can achieve absolute levels of performance, aerodynamic efficiency and handling without any form of compromise. A very advanced and uncompromising approach was also taken with the interior design which features an HMI inspired by F1 single-seaters. w w w.ferrari.com

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PROFILE

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PROFILE

Being Salvatore

By Grace Lai Il Borro, a 700-hectare wine and olive oil estate in Tuscany, has recently been accepted as a new hotel member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux, an association of the world’s finest 520 privately-owned hotels and gourmet restaurants. Il Borro is headed by Salvatore Ferragamo and the visionary entrepreneur shares his reasons for this personal venture.

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he grandson of the renowned Italian shoemaker, the first Salvatore Ferragamo, Salvatore Ferragamo the younger has now guided the family business in a whole new direction. Apart from a fashion house, he adds wine-making and a hotel to the roster, keeping to the same high standards and respect for heritage his grandfather insisted upon.

So, Salvatore personally, is general manager of Il Borro estate and also takes the reins as brand ambassador for Relais & Châteaux for the year 2013.

The estate is set in a mediaeval Tuscan village and the Ferragamo family (notably Salvatore’s father Ferruccio) restored and created this haven of peace, rebuilding it from a dream.

It is said that fate intervened on a hunting party in 1985, when Ferruccio Ferragamo fell in love with the Il Borro Estate. Until 1993, the family had rented the Tuscan Estate and, in that year while out hunting, decided to buy it, along with the entire (and crumbling) mediaeval village dating from 1039 nearby. The manor house had been destroyed by attacks during the Second World War. “Borro” means a ravine formed by the bed of a stream and, today, the estate, after a lengthy restoration has regained a new splendor.

MA talks to the man himself, Salvatore Ferragamo.

How does it feel to be the 2013 ambassador for Relais & Châteaux?

I still do not really know why, after Paulo Coelho in 2012, they chose me. But I am honoured to receive this appointment and I feel full of enthusiasm for this fantastic experience. Not only do I want to fly the Relais & Châteaux flag, I would also like to explain and illustrate my world and how I perceive and live my life, both MillionaireAsia Indonesia

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my working life and that within my family. I hope to be equal to the task.

I consider myself very fortunate to be able to work in such an active, dynamic sector (hospitality and wine production) because it enables you to spend most of your working time in this beautiful countryside, always in contact with nature. I grew up with II Borro and now, on a daily basis, I attend to its growth in accordance with the fundamental philosophical principles of my father, with whom, every day, I share a dream which becomes ever more real.

I believe wholeheartedly in the Relais & Châteaux project.

I believe it to be a duty to enable everybody a chance to experience the uniqueness and the special nature that characterise each property, enhancing its special beauty. This, as far as I can see, seems to be the common aim of all those who are part of the Relais project.

The family underpins all your activities. What have you inherited from them?

Clearly the idea that strength lies in numbers. Our family is very tightly knit. My grandmother, Salvatore Ferragamo’s widow turned 91 in December and continues to come to the office every day. Even more importantly, she carries the heritage of my grandfather, the son of simple farmers and one of 11 children.

He developed a real passion for the trade of shoemaking and this guided him throughout his life, taking him to the peak of his profession.

His are the values that we want to hand down, the belief in listening to what your heart is telling you, and living your dream.

Therein lies the road to success.

Tell us about your personal, perhaps your fondest memory of restoring Il Borro.

I must say that it would be my very first harvest. That was the 1999 vintage. The moment I saw the juice, the intensity, the rich dark colour of the wine was epic for me. It took 10 years to plant and grow the harvest. We studied the different soils on the property and invested heavily in different machinery. So that first sip of the wine was immensely fulfilling.

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Did you always know what you wanted to do in life?

No, I did not. I only knew that I was always fascinated by business. I could have joined the family fashion business but I wanted to build something of my own and try my hand at something else. I wanted to start something from ground zero, very much like my grandfather when he built the Ferragamo brand, I think.

I have always had a lot of support from my family. They knew I wanted new projects instead of maintaining an existing role. I was always on the lookout for the prospect of adding on to the family portfolio.

How do you feel about the Ferragamo name and legacy?

It is really a big responsibility, carrying the name and the expectations. It is also a huge privilege that I carry my grandfather’s name. I am the first boy of the first son and, in Italy, it is a tradition that the grandfather’s name goes to the first boy of the first son. My family are all level-headed people with strong principles. We were brought up to be hardworking and we learned a lot from my grandmother. She is a fantastic example of good, strong leadership and she communicates that to the family.

Tell us about you and your twin brother, James.

The differences are there but there are also strong similarities.

He works in the family business and is in charge of women’s shoes and dresses. We are identical twins and tend to be competitive with each other in sports. But ultimately, we carry the same family principles. We are both driven to achieve what we set out to do and we enjoy a good challenge.

What prompted you to take on Il Borro?

It was a challenge to restore a property that was in such a shambles. And I was excited by the opportunity to do something totally new. I guess I followed my grandfather’s example in doing so, as he too started from nothing.

I bought Il Borro, the little hamlet on our land and restored it to all its glory.

PROFILE Since the hotel opened, I have watched the site recover its original beauty under my very eyes and hospitality return to its heart. I have also seen the vineyards produce quality wines Witnessing this rebirth has been an extremely rewarding and satisfying experience. It’s a very special estate. Imagine spending a holiday in a beautiful mediaeval hamlet perched on top of a hill? The only way to access it is a narrow and tall stone bridge.

Even though the market is full of prestigious hotels and fantastic wine, I knew that this was the right thing to do. The property now is self-sustaining especially in the area of energy. Europe is in the forefront of green energy and the production of our wine is entirely organic.

In your travels, what has been your favourite country?

Tuscany! But outside of that, Argentina. I spent five months there and it is truly a beautiful country with many flat, agricultural land, fantastic wines and mountains. Malaysia and Singapore are incredible too. Comparing the different countries, Europe is an ageing continent while Asia is very young and energizing. How things are done there and how we get things done are totally different - it is a great experience.

Are you very involved in the winemaking?

Yes. I am involved in many aspects. I talk to the winemakers on strategies but I do not interfere in the process itself. I leave that

to the professionals because they know the best. I travel the world as ambassador of Il Borro and Relais & Châteaux now and am involved in the administrative and managerial areas of the business.

Tell us more about the wines.

From the very beginning my father and I knew that we should produce wine at Il Borro because of the fertility and variety of the soil. We cultivate Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay.

This is our first winery as a family, although my uncle Massimo does have another beautiful winery in Montalcino, also in Tuscany near Siena. Generally we try to keep fashion and wine quite separate. You will not find the name Ferragamo on a bottle of Il Borro. Our wines are treated with great respect in order to deliver the best quality produced.

What are your guiding principles in life?

Perseverance. Never give up. I market and sell my wines without putting the Ferragamo name on it yet it carries the seal of approval from the family. The Ferragamo name will generate a lot of interest but I wanted to build something from scratch. It was not easy because it took me 10 years and a lot of hard work to build the name Il Borro but I am glad I never gave up. w w w.ilborro.com

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UP IN THE AIR

Set to Impress – Falcon 2000LXS

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he Falcon 2000LXS, which replaces the Falcon 2000LX in 2014, will offer an all-around improved experience.

The 4,000nm Falcon 2000LXS allows operators to access more airports owing to new full-length inboard slats, giving the aircraft category-leading airport performance and balanced field length.

“Customers are demanding more from their business jets and that is what Dassault is delivering in the Falcon 2000LXS. Like all Falcons, the 2000LXS will offer the best fuel economy and the lowest operating costs in its category,” said John Rosanvallon, president and chief executive officer of Dassault Falcon.

With full fuel, the Falcon 2000LXS will have a payload of 2,190 pounds and a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 42,800 pounds with a balanced field length of 4,780ft, which is over 1,000ft better than some aircrafts in its category.

At Mach 0.80, the Falcon 2000LXS will climb directly to 41,000ft in 19 minutes, reach a mid-cruise altitude of 45,000ft and have a certified ceiling of 47,000ft. With a typical end-of-flight profile, the Falcon 2000LXS will need a mere 2,575ft of runway to land.

Enhanced Experience, Quieter Cabin Cabin sound level within the Falcon 2000LXS has been lowered by two decibels compared to its predecessor. It will be delivered standard with an entirely new Falcon Cabin HD. This cabin management system provides more controls and greater convenience into the hands of passengers; making the transition from the office to the aircraft as seamless as possible.

The system provides high definition viewing on monitors up to 22 inches with functions that can be controlled from anywhere in the aircraft via an iPod Touch or iPhone. A dedicated application allows passengers to control video playback, operate optional electronic window shades and adjust the lights, temperature and other cabin parameters to their liking.

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Updated, Greener Engine

the Falcon 2000EX/LX, they will provide 7,000 pounds max thrust each at ISA+15˚C. Moreover, the newest generation of this engine is even more environmentally friendly due to a new TALON II® combustor. It produces 20 per cent fewer NOx emissions than the previous generation, without any penalty in power. It will be 40 per cent greener than required by future CAEP/6 regulations.

Thrust on the 2000LXS will be provided by two new generation Pratt & Whitney Canada 308C engines. Already proven on

The Falcon 2000LXS will be certified in the first half of 2013 with deliveries beginning in 2014.

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UP IN THE AIR

The Best One Yet –

Gulfstream G650

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he Gulfstream G650 ultra-large-cabin, ultra-high speed business jet is, quite simply put, the gold standard in business aviation. The flagship of the Gulfstream fleet flies faster, farther, and more comfortably than any other business aircraft in its class. With its powerful Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, the G650 will cover shorter distances at a speed of Mach 0.925.

Gulfstream engineers paid particular attention to the cabin environment. Longer, wider and taller than any other cabin in its class, the G650 living environment provides comfortable accommodations for up to 18 people. Customers have the ability to choose from 12 floor plans to configure the G650 and meet their specific mission requirements.

“With a range of 6,000 nm at Mach 0.90 (955 km/h), the G650 can link Shanghai to London, Sydney or Los Angeles, saving operators up to an hour as compared to other aircrafts.”

Since mid-January, the G650 has visited 42 locations in 12 countries for more than 180 flying hours. The demonstrator has flown approximately 54,500nm so far this year. The farthest nonstop distance it has travelled is 6,475nm between Washington D.C. and Qatar.

Most recently, this impressive fleet added an eighth city-pair record to its 2013 flying resume when the aircraft made its way from Chicago to Beijing in late March. The aircraft left Chicago International Airport with five passengers and four crew members serving on board. It flew 6,223nm at an average speed of Mach 0.87, landing in Beijing 12 hours and 49 minutes later. The citypair has been submitted to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for confirmation as a record.

“The G650 is the perfect fit for the China market,” said Scott Neal, senior vice president, sales and marketing of Gulfstream.

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BUSINESS

GEM OF A BUSINESS

Big business is often associated with oil, gas, construction, manufacturing – lots of heavy things.

But one area of business that is a quiet achiever (and big time) in Indonesia is the production of pearls.

INDONESIA PEARL EXPORTS HAVE TOPPED US$ 29 MILLION. According to Saut P. Hutagalung, the Director General of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Affairs’ Directorate General of Processing and Marketing of Fishery Products, Indonesia is now supplying 43% of the world’s South Sea Pearl demand, making Indonesia the world’s biggest producer of these gems.

The actual value this year is US$ 29,431,625 or 2.07% of the world’s pearl trade value, which tops US$ 1.4 billion.

Their resurrection to fashion importance has prompted the ministry to initiate a number or proposals to support and grow the pearl production industry, including a marketing campaign to let the world know about it.

Indonesia is actually placed at Number 9 in the exporters list, coming in behind Hong Kong, China, Japan, Australia, Tahiti, the U.S.A., Switzerland and Britain. But quite an achievement nevertheless.

One of these was the 2013 Indonesia Pearl Festival held in October. This Festival will be an annual event to bolster the image of the industry and help to market these local gems, both locally and overseas.

Export destinations, incidentally, are dominated by Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Switzerland, New Zealand and France.

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The pearl industry in Indonesia is centuries old. Not only to use pearls as jewellery but to make oyster shells into buttons and inlay for furniture.

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BUSINESS

WHAT ARE THEY? The pearl is the oldest natural substance valued as a gem in history.

Traditionally, the best known are the lustrous white variety but they can come in cream, brown, black, pink, green, blue and even rainbow.

The Indonesian variety best known is the golden-hued one the international market calls ‘champagne coloured.’

South Sea Pearls are produced naturally and culturally, with the major centres being Lombok and the rest of West (and East) Nusa Tenggara, Lampung, Bali, Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Maluku and Papua.

Of course, history has seen them go in and out of fashion. Think of those striking portraits of Queen Elizabeth I in knee length strands. Think of India’s maharajas with chests covered in fabulous pearl necklaces.

In 1917, jeweler Pierre Cartier purchased the Fifth Avenue house that would become his New York jewellery headquarters in exchange for a matched, double strand of natural pearls that he had been collecting for years. They were valued then at US$1 million; today priceless.

Pearls have been worn in Asia (both near and far) from around 3500 BC. And there is the famous story about Queen Cleopatra who dissolved a pearl in wine and drank it to prove her love for Marc Antony.

America’s most glamorous First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy was known for her pearls but they were often fake. However, the most famous yellow Margarita Pearl necklace was given to Mrs. Kennedy by President Romulo Betancourt when she accompanied President Kennedy on a state visit to Venezuela.

Women are wearing them again and men have taken to them also. In the Middle East these days, a single pearl on a black chord is very prevalent on men.

The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth but the oddly shaped ‘baroque pearls’ are now enormously fashionable.

The most valuable pearls occur spontaneously in sea oysters but these are extremely rare. These days, the majority are farmed with oysters and mussels, both in salt and fresh water (95% of freshwater pearls come from China).

The value of a pearl is determined in the same way as it would be for other gems: by size, shape, color, quality of surface, orient and luster.

Black pearls, incidentally, are rarely ebony black – more often shades of eggplant, green, purple, blue, grey, silver or peacock (a mix of several shades, like the bird’s famous feathers).

Japanese companies bleach Indonesian pearls. A new colour is added and flaws mechanically removed. They also coat them for extra lustre.

So best to buy them at home because in Indonesia they have not been processed in any way. So if it looks flawless, it really is.

And speaking of Cleopatra, the woman who portrayed her on screen, Elizabeth Taylor became the owner of one of the world’s most famous and valuable pearls, Le Peregrina.

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WHEN IN LONDON

PEARL OF AN IDEA Not only is a visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum a must while you are in London, these coming months make it doubly worthwhile with a collection of magnificent pearls.

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he V&A, as it is called, is a unique museum – concentrating on lifestyles from all over the world, rather than on fossils and skeletons. You will see costumes, jewellery, exotic art works, textiles, carpets – all manner of very valuable and usually hand-crafted treasures.

The pearls exhibition is a joint production between the V&A and the Qatar Museums Authority (pearls were once the Gulf’s major industry) and runs through January 2014.

A pearl-drop earring worn by King Charles I at his execution in 1649, magnificent pearl tiaras worn by European nobility and a necklace of cultured pearls given to Marilyn Monroe by Joe DiMaggio in 1954 are among the incredible array of jewels and other objects on display in the exhibition.

It is designed to explore the history of pearls from the early Roman Empire to the present, and is a highlight event of the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture.

On display at the V&A are over 200 pieces of jewellery and works of art showcasing the extraordinary variety of colour and shape of natural and cultured pearls. The exhibition examines how pearls have been employed over centuries in both East and West as a symbol of status and wealth, how tastes vary in different cultures as well as the changing designs of jewellery using pearls.

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WHEN IN LONDON

Through Antiquity myths and legends surrounded the pearl and early examples of Roman and Byzantine jewellery show how they were used as a sign of power and a symbol of rank.

The exhibition takes you through the Renaissance, as Europe experienced a period of affluence; pearls began to be used extravagantly in jewellery and into the 18th century. Celebrities of the day including Queen Marie-Antoinette, her mother the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, Empress Catherine the Great of Russia and Queen Charlotte of Britain wore opulent pearls, either in swags or as multiple strands.

Until the last century, wearing jewellery was not restricted to women; men of distinction also wore jewels and accessories.

On show are a set of buttons finely enamelled and framed with pearls worn by George III (1780).

From the modern era, you will see a three-stranded Cartier necklace with Gulf pearls designed in the 1930s, an Art Deco brooch by Jean Fouquet (1937) and a design by Stefan Hemmerle with rare melo pearls (2011). The figurative creations of Geoffrey Rowlandson (1999) and the complex use of pearls in Sam Tho Duong’s necklace (2011) illustrate the diversity of contemporary jewellery designs with pearls.

The exhibition also follows the invention of the cultured pearl by Kokichi Mikimoto in Japan.

The jewellery and works of art are drawn from the V&A and QMA’s collections, alongside pieces from Tate Britain, the British Museum and the Royal Collection and established jewellery houses such as Mikimoto, Tiffany & Co, Bulgari, Cartier, Chaumet, René Lalique and YOKO London. w w w.vam.ac.uk/pearls

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BOATING

L

KING OF THE SEAS

ürssen, the Germany-based global leading yacht-builder, launched AZZAM, the world’s largest motor yacht to hit the water, on 5th April 2013. This 180 m giant is the brainchild of principal designer Eng. Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi, who defined the original creative idea based on his in-depth knowledge of the environment.

Mubarak was tasked to build a yacht that redefines luxury and sophistication, with an innovative and timeless design, that would be able to travel at high speeds in warm and shallow waters.

He then personally assembled and directed a world-class team starting with the overall requirements with regards to general layout, size and performance and exterior style.

The privately run company, which remains solely in the hands of the Lürssen family to this day, has earned an international reputation as best the specialist in exclusive, large custombuilt yachts. Under the personal guidance of Mubarak, Lürssen developed the technical engineering and found the best solutions in order to satisfy specific requirements with regards to design and technology.

Breaking new grounds in terms of dimension, performance and technology, AZZAM, in addition to being the largest yacht in the world with a length of 180 meters and a top speed of over 30 knots, adds another record in terms of building time.

Together with Nauta Yachts on exterior design and Christophe Leoni on the interior, the most complex and challenging yacht that has ever been built was born.

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Lürssen Managing Partner, Peter Lürssen, is proud that “when she will be delivered later this year, she will have been in build for only three years, following one year of engineering”. He added, “She truly represents another milestone, in not only our history but yachting history as well.”

BOATING

AZZAM

AZZAM displays both strength of character and a sense of purpose in its design; all these elements of visionary contemporary modern design are then wrapped together in timeless elegance.

Mario Pedol, CEO of Nauta, said, “When I first saw the scale model before the general presentation to the Principal, I was 100 per cent happy with the outcome and so was the Principal. Such recognition made me confident that we had achieved our goal.”

Amongst its many other features, the yacht boasts mainly a salon with a length of 29 m and a beam of 18m with an open plan and no pillars. She will travel in excess of 30 knots, powered by a combination of 2 gas turbines and 2 diesel engines with a total of 94000 horsepowers.

Burgess CEO Jonathan Beckett said, “We are proud to be associated with this extraordinary and unique project as the owners’ technical consultants. The construction of this yachtwith its highly complex technical features- has been extremely demanding and challenging. It has been a real team effort between all the professionals involved, including the builder, the designers and us.” w w w.lurssen.com

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BOATING

THE AEROBOAT

As its name implies, this is a boat but a boat with all the of a World War II fighter plane.

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he British designer, Claydon Reeves, describes it as ‘one of the fastest and most elegant small yachts ever produced – perfect for anyone wanting to breakfast in St. Tropez, lunch in Antibes and dine in Monaco.

Aeroboat’s exterior is inspired by the legendary Spitfire, the feisty plane that helped win the Battle of Britain.

Key to the design is the original Rolls-Royce Merlin engine that powers the Aeroboat. The supercharged Merlin V12, with bespoke gearbox and final drive, can achieve speeds of over 50 knots.

The Merlin V12 engine was designed over 80 years ago and has been installed in many iconic aircraft, with its power output varying between 1100hp and 2500hp depending on the application. The sleek body is made of carbon fibre and lightweight wood veneer materials.

Aeroboat’s interior is based on a sports car design, with handsome leather stitching and wooden dashboard. The forward seats are a unique shock-mounted design, also inspired by the Spitfire. The helmsman has the use of a combination of analogue gauges for basic functions and touch-screen navigational systems, as well as a joystick throttle.

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BOATING

Claydon Reeves is one of a new breed of British yacht designers.

Based in Hampshire, it was founded two years ago to breathe new life into the yacht design industry.

They describe this one as a fast, stylish day boat to explore a coastline or, for more experienced owners, an elegant tender for a super yacht. It can comfortably hold up to seven passengers.

Below deck, the forward cabin includes a double sleeping berth and a small bathroom.

Initially, there will be a limited edition of just 10 Aeroboats, tailored to the personal requirements of each client, from cockpit layout and interior trim to engine specifications and exterior finishes.

A ripper boat with looks and performance. And, at a cost of ÂŁ2m - ÂŁ3m, it is still an entry-level yacht w w w.claydonreeves.com

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TRAVEL : UDAIPUR

PALACE ON THE LAKE Y

our arrival is a surprise. You are taken by car from Udaipur airport to a natty little jetty on the edge of Lake Pichola, complete with mughal canopy where you and your luggage are loaded aboard a small boat.

You motor gracefully past the famous Lake Palace and on the far shore, the Maharana’s vast City Palace. Finally the boatman points out the Leela Palace (and it is literally a palace) – two buildings in the traditional Indo-Saracenic style. A gentlemen’s agreement sees the lack of any signage on any of the hotels so it could well be the home of a royal.

You are escorted up the ramp by a liveried guardsman with a colourful umbrella and two cheeky musicians greet you at the entrance with what, I suspect, are slightly naughty love songs.

The interiors are resplendent with paintings, objets and furniture that do indeed give the feeling of stepping back a little in time to luxury few know today. And if that does not do it, the massive chandeliers will prove the clincher.

Every room (80 of them) at Leela Palace overlooks the lake and across to the City Palace. And best of these, of course, is the magnificent Maharaja Suite.

You have complete butler and concierge services. And the staff (mostly local people from Udaipur) is friendly, efficient and all have an innate sense of good service.

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Special mention goes to their ESPA Spa, which is a small tented city with it is own pool. It is quite beautiful. Spa treatments are very popular with every guest but especially with honeymooners.

“And there are 13 secluded spots around the property where a couple can have a romantic dinner alone,” says a butler.

The grounds are spacious; there is a large swimming pool and several courtyards – one enclosed one used for sitting or watching nightly dance performances. The other is a huge affair that stretches between the hotel and the lake. Here, with indoor and al fresco dining on a roof terrace is the Sheesh Mahal, serving delicate Indian specialties under the adept hand of chef Prateek Sadhu.

Before dinner, though, a cocktail in the Library Bar with it clubby English feel is a must. Then you can either choose Indian or ‘international’ cuisine in the Dining Room.

After a hectic day in the city and its bazaars and palace tours and you will come back to be amazed again at the calm, elegant, extravagant, very old-Indian atmosphere of Leela Palace and you smile as you know you are living a life, even for a short time, as even some of the old maharajas only dreamed of. w w w.theleela.com

TRAVEL : UDAIPUR

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RESTAURANT : BALI

CUCA HAS ARRIVED The mediocre dining scene in Jimbaran in Bali has welcomed a place that will not only liven up the neighbourhood but serve great food. It is called Cuca.

C

uca is the pet name owner Virginia Entizne’s Spanish grandmother used to call her as a child: it sort of translates as ‘Sweetie.’ And it is pronounced ‘Kooka’ although it is often bound to be ‘Choocha’ in Indonesia.

Cuca’s menu states there are three reasons to come: tapas, cocktails and desserts. They do specialize in tapas, although there is a concept you should understand before you go. The plates do not contain half a dozen nibbles all the same: they are composed small meals but definitely everything is meant for sharing.

Apart from the great food, Cuca is grand to look at. The main restaurant and bar take up a long low building – the rest is a huge coconut grove where they have now installed a garden lounge. And, all around, are little herb gardens.

Already popular, especially with the single diner and foodie, is the Food Bar on a raised floor where you look across an eight-metre

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teak table into the kitchen so you can watch all the action. On the other end of the building is the cocktail bar, where you can enjoy wine, beer and Cuca’s own cocktails, which are served in a house-labelled bottle and a hand-made glass.

The air-conditioned dining room is interesting in that it is indeed one large room but every table can be separated at will by a linen curtain. Overall you have the impression of a large, airy and comfortable space. Cuca is casual but that does not mean they skimp on décor or delicious.

At home on the range is award-winning chef Kevin Cherkas, who happens to be married to Virginia and the pair is constantly talking food and hospitality. Together their enthusiasm for food is totally infectious.

“Every single thing in the restaurant is fresh: fish (direct from the boat), vegetables (thankfully a lot of these), meat, spices, coffee and chocolate. And every single thing we use comes from Bali and the rest of Indonesia.” (This includes the Artisan wines

RESTAURANT : BALI

Kevin Cherkas Glazed Young Carrot Salad

Sun-gria

Tokyo Mojito

from Bali on the drinks menu) so the Ministry of Making Food Expensive in Indonesia will be well pleased).

“I would describe the food as modern organic but my chief principles are sweet, salty, sour, bitter and perfumed,” enthuses Cherkas.

Originally from Canada, he comes with some great credentials.

He has worked in some of the world’s best restaurants, among them the Michelin-starred El Bulli, Arzak and La Broche in Spain and Daniel in New York. Most recently, he was at Restaurant Lafite at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, before moving to BLU at the Shangri-La in Singapore. The Spanish influence is evident in a few mousses and globules but overall the flavours and ingredients loom robustly large on the Balinese hand-crafted plates.

The food menu is divided into ‘Inspired, Ceviches, Chichas and Puddles.’ Among the signature dishes is the Chilled Watermelon Salad, a wonderfully fresh and flavourful concoction of watermelon, calamansi, radish, fresh seaweed, sesame and cilantro. (The combo of watermelon with radish is genius). Glazed young carrot salad comes with whipped avocado, Bedugul strawberry, cashews and basil. Deep ocean tiger prawn puddle (a wet dish) is with white rice, chilli and wild herbs. BBQ Octopus is served with an ‘Asian gazpacho,’ apple, caramelized cauliflower and coriander. Roasted tiger prawns come with sweet and sour eggplant, chilli, light coconut broth and kaffir lime. A cheeky

Bali Breakfast - Dessert

favourite of Kevin Cherkas (“from my fast food childhood”) is the farmed chicken chichi: rolled in oats and nuts and served with purple grape, wing beans, red onion and lemon basil.

Desserts come on a different menu and already a big hit is ‘Cocoa 8,’ a warm Javanese chocolate mousse with mint ice cream and cocoa croutons. So is the ‘Bali Breakfast,” a sweet runny mango, frozen passion fruit with whipped coconut.

Cocktails form of cuisine of their own: Tokyo Mojito has calamansi, rum, soda and shiso leaf. Irish Kopi is frozen coffee, whiskey cream and coconut sugar. Sun-gria is Balinese red wine, iced fruit and brandy soda.

On your way out to enjoy a digestif in the coconut grove, don’t forget to look at ‘Cuca Salt’ by the door. Cherkas is already into the Balinese way of life and, not only does he use local sea salt in his cooking, he has packaged it as a seasoning with various herbs and spices so you can use it at home (recipes on the can).

When you go (and go you must), the first time could be difficult.

But as you go along the main road in Jimbaran, look for the Cuca sign –the restaurant is just in front of Kayumanis. w w w.cucaflavor.com

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FINE WINES

The Art and Science of Penfolds Re-corking Clinics

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FINE WINES

R

ecently wine enthusiasts in Singapore enjoyed the rare opportunity of having the health of their prized Penfolds wines assessed when the internationally acclaimed Penfolds Re-corking Clinic visited Singapore.

Hosted by a team of four Penfolds winemakers including Chief Winemaker Peter Gago at the St. Regis Singapore, the free aftersales service is the only one of its kind in the world and allows wine lovers to taste the rewards of their patience in Penfolds red wines aged 15 years and older.

A record-breaking 540 bottles of Penfolds wines were registered for re-corking including rare collections such as a complete collection of Grange from 1951 to 1998, which is the youngest vintage eligible for re-corking.

More than 200 bottles were opened and re-corked at the Singapore clinic as local collectors enjoyed valuable one-onone time with visiting Penfolds winemakers, learning about the history and personality of their wines along with invaluable tips on cellaring, wine care and peak drinking windows for the wines in their collections.

The re-corking process is highly technical and specialised. It guarantees and certifies Penfolds wines for quality, ensuring attendees leave the clinic with their re-corked collection in an excellent condition, ready for continued cellaring or to enjoy at their leisure.

This art of re-corking is a delicate process. Wines are firstly inspected in the bottle. Bottles with low levels may be opened, tested and have their quality assessed. If the wine is deemed to be in a sound condition, it is topped up with the most recent vintage, re-corked and provided with a new Penfolds capsule.

The winemaker then certifies the wine, attaching a certificate to the back of the bottle stating that the wine has been successfully re-corked at the 2013 Penfolds Re-corking Clinic in Singapore.

Since 1991, more than 120,000 bottles have been assessed at Penfolds Re-corking Clinics from around the world including the Europe, the Americas, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

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WINE

HARDY AT 160

2013 sees one of Australia’s most well-known wine brands celebrate its 160th anniversary.

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WINE

Thomas Hardy

A

lthough this may not seem a long time in an Old World wine country; it is quite an achievement in the New World.

The Hardys brand can be traced to the pioneering spirit of one extraordinary man: Thomas Hardy.

At only 20 years old, he sailed from England and arrived in Adelaide on August 14, 1850 to carve out his future in the newly established colony of South Australia. He bought an allotment of land on the banks of the Torrens River at Thebarton in 1853 and named it, rather unimaginatively, Bankside. In the ensuing years the land was planted with vines, fruit trees and oranges. Though most of the grapes grown were used for raisin production, some of the Grenache and Shiraz were used to produce small parcels of wine in three 100 gallon wooden casks.

An historical first was achieved in 1857 when Hardy shipped two hogsheads of wine to England, marking Australia’s entry into the wine export market. By 1894 he was the colony’s largest wine producer, with a vintage of 315,000 gallons.

Today, Hardys is renowned for its award-winning wines, winemaking expertise and heritage with over 3,000 wine show awards in the last decade alone. Last year they bagged 31 medals from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2012 and the International Wine Challenge 2012.

Hardys’ philosophy is based on the preservation of varietal fruit characters in all of their wine. From the top down, while incorporating winemaking methods that add an underlying complexity and texture to their wines. Hardys takes the best of old world and new world techniques and applies these to cutting edge viticulture.

In Asia, five award-winning Hardys sub-brands are available: Hardys Nottage Hill, the distinctly Australian Hardys Stamp, the single varietal Hardys VR (Varietal Range), the Hardys Reserve 3L and the sparkling Hardys Sir James. w w w.hardyswines.com

Thomas Hardy died in 1912, leaving Australia and the Hardy family an empire that would see the name associated with fine winemaking for generations to come.

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WINE AWARDS

Chief Judge Mr. Roy Moorfield and Mr. Budi Widodo Director of Food & Beverage Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta

INAUGURAL INDONESIAN WINE LIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS 94

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WINE AWARDS

Best Aperitif List Sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin

Best Bar/Lounge Wine List Sponsored by Viva Asia

Best By-the-Glass List Sponsored by Schott Zwiesel

Bacchus - InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza

Apero Wine Lounge & Bar

Dava - AYANA Resort and Spa Bali

Best Listing of Australian Wines Sponsored by Penfolds

Best Listing of North American Wines Sponsored by Beringer

Best Listing of South African Wines Sponsored by Schott Zwiesel

Kayuputi - The St. Regis Bali

C’s Steak & Seafood - Grand Hyatt Jakarta

T

he Indonesian Wine List of the Year Awards recognise the effort and commitment of hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, cafés across Indonesia as they strive to provide customers with the best variety of wines and vintages.

To ensure the impartiality of the judging process, the wine lists were judged by an international jury made up of distinguished international wine experts, sommeliers and writers who have no connections to the wine industry in Indonesia. The entries were numbered, so the judges would not know the names of the venues and then sent off to various points of the globe for assessment.

The Chairman of Judges is Roy Moorfield, one of Australia’s leading wine experts, consultant, wine writer and, for the past 25 years, the senior Wine Advisor for Cathay Pacific Airways.

The winners of these inaugural Indonesian Wine List of the Year Awards were presented at a glittering dinner in the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Jakarta.

They comprised 15 individual categories, along with two special Hall of Fame awards for individuals who are inspirational in their promotion of wine and wine knowledge in Indonesia.

The panel of international judges was impressed with the quality of the entries and pointed out that many of the winning lists would

C’s Steak & Seafood - Grand Hyatt Jakarta

be winners if entered into competitions in Australia, Hong Kong and beyond.

The big winner on the evening was The Steak House, Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta, which picked up awards in three categories, including the coveted Indonesia’s Wine List of the Year 2013. w w w.winelistawards.com

AWARDS DINNER MENU Marinated Seafood Timbale, pickled ginger jelly, avocado purée Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel § Potato Cream Soup, nutmeg foam, black truffle Rosemount Diamond Label Chardonnay § Lemon Rosemary Sherbet § Roasted Organic Beef Tenderloin, parmesan mashed potatoes, green asparagus, pink peppercorn sauce Penfolds Bin 2 § Chocolate – pecan tart, praline ice cream, sugared pecans § Lucaffé, tea and home-made cookies § Glenfiddich Single Malt

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WINE AWARDS

Best Food & Wine Matching Wine List Sponsored by Fiji Water

Best Listing of Italian Wines Sponsored by LucaffĂŠ

Best Wine List, Bali Sponsored by Rosemount Estate

Best Wine List, Jakarta Sponsored by Wolf Blass

Best Digestif List Sponsored by Glenfiddich

Hall of Fame Award Sponsored by Planta e Montenegro

Gaia Ristorante

The Steak House- Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta

Gaia Ristorante

MO Bar - Mandarin Oriental Jakarta

Kayuputi - The St. Regis Bali

Bpk Yohan Handoyo

The Indonesian Wine List of the Year Awards would like to thank all the wonderful sponsors for making this years event such a great success

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WINE AWARDS

Indonesia’s Wine List of the Year The Steak House - Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta

Best Listing of New Zealand Wines Sponsored by Matua

Tugu Kunstkring Paleis

Best Listing of French Wines Sponsored by The Peak Connoisseurs

Amuz Gourmet Restaurant

Hall of Fame Award Sponsored by Planta e Montenegro

Bpk Eddy Sugiri

Best Restaurant Wine List Sponsored by Tyrrell’s Wines

The Steak House - Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta

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ART

ASIA On CAnVAS

V

isitors to the Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta over the past two months will have had the opportunity to view an eclectic mix of paintings from Asian artists and Asian based artists in the gallery that is a tradition feature of their lobby.

All the works came from the private collection of Jakarta businesswoman Penny Wen, who has been an avid collector of Asian art over the past 15 years. Prior to the exhibition her collection stood at some 255 pieces.

The Four Seasons exhibition featured some stunning pieces, including paintings by Popo Iskandar, Ma Yue, Richard Winkler, Antonio Blanco, Phuong Quoc Tri, Bue Xuan Phai, Saint Geong and Haris Purnomo.

The exhibition was an opportunity to showcase a variety of works from her collection and offer pieces for sale to make way for some fine new pieces she has recently acquired. The exhibition was a resounding success with some 90 pieces sold. To view the whole collection you can visit www.pennywen.com (If you are interested in good modern art, Four Seasons changes its lobby exhibition every couple of months. Well worth checking out.) w w w.fourseasons.com

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ART

Artist : Richard Winkler Title : Two Women By The Beach, 2008 Size : 120 X 90 CM Media : Oil On Canvas

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ART

Artist : Popo Iskandar Title : Dua Macan Memandang Bulan, 1997 Size : 100 X 150 CM Media : Oil On Canvas

Artist : Ma Yue Title : Mr. Mao Smoking, 2007 Size : 150 X 150 CM Media : Acrylic On Canvas

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ART

Artist : Bui Xuan Phai Title : Mid Autumn Festival, 1979 Size : 60 X 80 CM Media : Oil On Canvas Illustrated : on Page 194 – An Artistic Journey – Bui Xuan Phai

Title

Artist : Antonio Blanco : The Portrait Of Ngurah Dharma Kusuma Size : 80 X 70 CM Media : Mixed Media on Paper

Artist : Phuong Quoc Tri Title : Portrait of Lady 38 Size : 90 X 110 CM Media : Oil on Canvas

Title : Saint Giong, 1968 Media : Rice paper Size : 46cm x 33cm

Artist : Haris Purnomo Title : Alienated Baby No. 10 Size : 180 X 200 CM Media : Acrylic on Canvas

Walid Birak, Gene Kreyd, Penny Wen, Kanghyun Lee, The Ambassador of Tunisia, Mourad Belhassen

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WHEN IN NEW YORK

Marion Suite

THE SUITE LIFE Follies Suite

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The luxe Warwick in New York has unveiled five new specialty suites that pay homage to legends of Hollywood and innovators of today’s cultural landscape.

WHEN IN NEW YORK

Marion Suite salon

Modern Art Suite

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he midtown hotel has a history in itself, being originally built as a romantic hideaway for publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst and his paramour, the screen actress Marion Davies.

So, it was natural the first of the new spaces be called Randolph Suite and the Marion Suite. The others are the Jane Suite, the Follies Suite and the Modern Art Suite.

The Randolph Suite draws inspiration from shades of newsprint with a pallet of deep navy offset by touches of black and grey along with some striking gold accents to reflect his opulent tastes. (It also has a boardroom for business meetings).

The deep purple and gold Follies Suite was designed to recreate the razzle-dazzle spectacle that was the Ziegfeld Follies, who performed nearby.

Randolph’s Suite

Formerly a Follies Girl herself, Marion’s suite captures her brazen spirit with bold contrasts of black and white in a glamorous Art Deco feel.

The Jane Suite is a tribute to the voluptuous Jane Russell with a four-poster bed and 1950s photographs of Jane with her most famous film partner Marilyn Monroe (they were together in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes).

The Modern Art Suite looks not to the past but to the future of New York’s art and culture, drawing inspiration from the Museum of Modern Art. It is filled with the great names of modern art, like Warhol, Miro, Pollock and Jasper Johns. The colours are cream with bold streaks of orange and black.

Jane Suite

w w w.war wickhotels.com

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LUXURY MOTORING

The Power of Three

The Lamborghini Veneno - a racing prototype and road-going super sports car is a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini

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utomobili Lamborghini presented the extremely exclusive Lamborghini Veneno at the Geneva Motor Show 2013 as part of its 50th anniversary festivities. Only three unique units of this model were built and sold. Designed to be consistently focused on optimum aerodynamics and cornering stability, the Veneno provides the dynamic experience of a racing prototype, fully homologated for the road.

The entire front end of the Lamborghini Veneno has been mapped for perfect airflow and downforce. It works as a large aerodynamic wing; large channels guide the air to outlets in the front hood and in front of the windshield, as well as to the front wheels. Characteristic of the Lamborghini is the Y-shape of its angular headlamps that reach well into the fenders as well as the scissor doors.

Design

The exclusive alloy wheels measure 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear and are equipped with centre mountings. Their design is also determined by aerodynamic functionality – a carbon-fibre ring around the wheel rim. It works like a turbine, delivering additional cooling air to the carbon-ceramic brake discs.

The Veneno is unmistakably Lamborghini; sticking firmly to the consistent design philosophy of various super sports cars from Sant’Agata Bolognese. This includes its extreme proportions, as well as its dexterous arrow-shaped front end and interplay between razor-sharp lines and precise surfaces.

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The model is sports a brand new, grey metallic-look, with individual parts in black. The Lamborghini remains the only car to display all three colours of the Italian flag as an accent The three cars sold their respective customers each feature a single colour of the Italian national flag, together a trilogy, in green, white and red accents thus representing each a unique piece.

Technology Automobili Lamborghini’s unique competence in CFRP-based lightweight design is further emphasised by the Veneno. A monocoque made from carbon-fibre reinforced polymer forms the basis of the Veneno, which is largely similar to the Aventador monocoque – as are the aluminium sub-frames front and rear – although its form has been adapted to the new design. All exterior parts are made from CFRP. The car meets all safety and registration requirements worldwide, and naturally also incorporates a full complement of safety systems from airbags through to the adapted ESP handling system.

Its carbon fibre monocoque becomes visible inside the car in the area of the central tunnel and the sills. Its two lightweight bucket seats are made from Lamborghini’s patented Forged Composite while woven carbon-fibre CarbonSkin® is used to clad the entire cockpit, part of the seats and the headliner.

This unique material is soaked in a unique kind of resin that stabilizes the fibre structure, while allowing the material to remain supple. Like a hi-tech fabric, this extremely fine-looking carbonfibre matting fits perfectly to any form, and it reduces weight. The racing personality has been transferred also to the instrument panel, which has been completely redesigned and now, thanks to an aggressive graphics and to the introduction of some additional features like the G-meter, provides all necessary information to the driver for control of the car.

The systematic, carbon-fibre, lightweight design of the Veneno is not only visible, it is also evident on the scales: With a dry weight of just 1,450 kilograms (3,190 pounds), the Veneno is even 125 kilos (275 pounds) lighter than the already extremely lean Aventador. The highly beneficial power-to-weight ratio of 1.93 kg/ hp (4,25 lbs/hp) guarantees a performance that is nothing short of mind-blowing. Even the stunning acceleration figure of 2.8

seconds cannot adequately describe it. Despite an aerodynamic setup configured for extreme downforce, the Veneno possesses exceptionally low wind resistance that allows it to reach a top speed of 355 km/h (221 mph).

Performance The Lamborghini Veneno features a twelve-cylinder power unit with a displacement of 6.5 litres, an extremely fast-shifting 7-speed ISR transmission with 5 driving modes and permanent all-wheel drive, as well as a racing chassis with pushrod suspension and horizontal spring/damper units. Fully in keeping with the tradition of the brand, the name of the Veneno originates from a legendary fighting bull, whose name became popular in 1914. The bull fatally wounded the famous torero José Sánchez Rodríguez during the bullfight in the arena Sanlúcar de Barrameda’s, Andalusia, Spain.

The Veneno accelerates from 0 – 100km/h in just 2.8 seconds, with a maximum output of 552 kW / 750 hp. This is the top speed for a street-legal racing car at 355 km/h. The model is priced at EUR three million plus tax but as mentioned, all three units have already been sold to customers.

For more information, please log onto w w w.lamborghinisingapore.com

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LUXURY REAL ESTATE

TOP GLOBAL DESTINATIONS FOR LUXURY RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY ”Limited inventory, strong international buyer demand, and high-net-worth individual’s (HNWI) increased appreciation for world-class lifestyle offerings have pushed prices for luxury homes toward historic highs.”

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his from Christie’s International Real Estate in a new study on the global prestige residential market.

Titled Luxury Defined: An Insight into the Luxury Residential Property Market, the report compares 10 of the world’s top property locations – London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris, San Francisco, Cote d’Azur, Toronto, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami.

It also debuts the ‘Christie’s International Real Estate Index,’ the first ever global indicator for luxury residential real estate.

The Index ranks markets across key metrics including record sales price, prices per square foot, percentage of non-local and international purchasers, and the number of luxury listings relative to population.

Cote d’Azur, incidentally, includes Monaco, which is probably still be the world’s most expensive place to buy a residential property, with homes costing around $6,000 per square foot

Residential Real Estate is a Tale of Two Markets - Luxury and Everything Else.

Real estate trends are driven, not surprisingly, by global trends in wealth movement and wealth management, as well as political currents. From the gyrations of the stock market to concerns about the Eurozone crisis and other global political events, international financial factors affect real estate values and investment patterns, particularly residential real estate spending.

Real estate is an important, if not the most important, storage of wealth in the economy. Additionally, the majority of households tend to hold wealth in their homes rather than in equities. The luxury housing market remains insulated from money flows and political shifts, as these concerns are less likely to determine the purchase of a trophy home for the ultra-high- net-worth population around the globe. Today, there are more billionaires than before the 2008 global downturn and the number of

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millionaires in the world has grown by more than 55% since 2000. The cities in which ultra HNWIs feel comfortable investing their money are often the cities where luxury real estate thrives, despite the economic downturn.

Highlights of The Research: • Globally, top-tier property sales achieved record prices in several cities, remaining immune to many of the economic concerns that drive the general housing market.

• HNWIs are often more inclined to invest in an important global market than in another city within their home country for second or additional homes.

• Prestige residential real estate values will more likely follow growth trends of non-consumable luxury goods, such as fine art more so than the growth trends of the general housing market.

• Cash transactions have dominated luxury property acquisitions across many studied cities.

• Recent tax law changes in many of these markets are expected to negatively impact 2013 market activity.

“With financial markets providing a limited return on investment, high-net-worth individuals are recognizing the intrinsic value of investing in non-consumable assets such as prestige real estate and fine art,” says Bonnie Stone Sellers, Chief Executive Officer of Christie’s International Real Estate. “Strong momentum in the luxury property market is also being driven by scarcity of quality inventory and demand from international buyers in many of the world’s top destinations.”

London’s recent $121 million sale and New York’s $88 million sale pushed both cities to the top of this year’s Index with the highest record home sale prices. A prized second home

destination, Côte d’Azur recorded the highest percentage of both secondary home buyers (95%), and international and non-local buyers (90%). Toronto’s real estate market, which has remained buoyant in recent years of global turmoil, recorded the lowest amount of days on the market for luxury listings (46 days).

While the report focuses on 10 indexed markets, it also provides insight into other luxury residential areas around the globe with a population of less than 150,000, such as St. Bart’s, French West Indies; Salzburg, Austria; Aspen, Colorado; and Jupiter Island, Florida. w w w.christiesrealestate.com/luxur y-defined

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INDONESIA The Christie’s study is interesting and it clearly defines its parameters to 10 hot-spot locations. But what about Moscow, Mumbai and other expensive real-estate places – including Indonesia? Our capital is probably not yet fashionable for the ‘second luxury home buyer’ but worth considering as an investment, nevertheless.

Luxury property prices in Indonesia are rising faster than anywhere else in the world, according to a new report by Knight Frank. And these, of course, centre on Jakarta and Bali (where the $2million villa is no longer a rarity). According to the research, Jakarta saw a massive yearly increase of some 38% in luxury property prices in 2012. In Bali, it was 20%.

Indonesia’s economy is still surprising everyone and it seems to be largely immune from uncertain global trends. If that continues, it will be the world’s seventh largest by 2030. If we are talking individual wealth, net worth per person increased by 7% last year.

The Indonesian economy has been growing by 6% and above for the last few years, meaning there are now more high-net-worth individuals than ever. But the growing middle class is also now putting pressure on real estate prices.

Interestingly, ‘second home buying’ usually involves apartments in the CBD of Jakarta or a villa in Bali by Indonesian investors

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(chiefly from Jakarta and Surabaya), who do more than their bit to underpin a healthy property market.

Jakarta saw a 38% jump in its residential luxury market in the past year, with value best in the so-called Golden Triangle, where an average price has been Rp.30 million per square metre.

These people are now joined by buyers from Australia, Singapore, Japan, France, Italy and Spain (note: some of these places have very shaky domestic economies…)

Land banking has also become popular, especially with Indonesian investors. Others like hotels and, of course, their own private villas.

In Bali, not surprisingly, star land is around the Seminyak area and prices have risen 300% in the last couple of years. In Seminyak and Petitenget, land can now be worth Rp2.5 billion per are. And that is not beachfront, now almost impossible to find.

Some of the smart money, however, is moving away from the tourist hub (north and east) where land prices are cheaper but even so, the rule of thumb seems to be that even here asking prices increase by more than 20% per annum.

LUXURY REAL ESTATE

SKORPIOS FETCHES £100 million It is not the most attractive of the Greek Islands by a long shot but its provenance has ensured top dollar

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korpios was a barren islet that shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis bought to turn into a private getaway haven and it is where he married the former American First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy.

According to Greek media reports, Onassis’s only surviving heir, granddaughter Athina Roussel agreed to sell the tiny island to a Russian billionaire. (Rumour is he outbid the likes of Giorgio Armani, Bill Gates and Madonna, who were also interested.)

The island (actually shaped like a scorpion) is in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece which Aristotle Onassis bought in 1962 for a reportedly measly sum of £10,000.

He had to ship in water and supplies, plant trees, sand to make an artificial beach and build a small house. Then, in 1968, its tiny chapel was the venue for the marriage of the Greek and the widow of President Kennedy. Thereafter, the media christened her Jackie O. The Pink House villa was built specially for the new Mrs. Onassis, complete with a helipad and small marina. She also had a small and beautiful Cyclades-style cottage built in a quiet cove.

When Onassis died, Skorpios passed to his daughter Christina, herself dying prematurely at 37 in 1988; title then passing to her daughter Athina. His famous yacht, the Christina, which could often be seen moored at the island, has also been sold.

Onassis, Christina and his son Alexander (killed earlier in a plane crash) are all buried on the little island. Jacqueline Onassis died in 1994.

But don’t be discouraged, the Ionian is littered with small islands – and bigger ones if you don’t actually want to buy. They have marvellous luxury villas and hotels.

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TRAVEL : THAILAND

WHEN IN : BANGKOK 110

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TRAVEL : THAILAND

T The Metropolitan by COMO is not like other hotels in Bangkok. Firstly, by reason of its chic, modern, minimalist design and, secondly, because of its restaurant called Nahm.

he hotel is also not in the Sukhumvit tourist area but on South Sathorn Road, close to Bangkok’s famous nightlife streets as well as some great shopping.

It has 171 rooms and suites, some with balconies (rare in a city) and several grander suites that are two-storey. Metropolitan is part of the Como Group, whose urban hotels and resorts ‘highlight wellness, adventure, culture, service and design, while always trying to uphold a strong, sustainable approach towards the people and places where they operate.’

So these rooms in Bangkok offer a private space of sleek serenity, strong because of their simplicity, with the pared-down aesthetic delivering a feeling of peace in the midst of this teeming metropolis.

The greatest luxury is light, which streams in through floor-toceiling windows. This gives onto ample white spaces, punctuated with dark Makha wood details that are offset by contemporary and Oriental art. They have a Como Shambhala Urban Escape Spa; perfect after a long hot day doing business.

Another big thing for Como is cuisine and this is a special highlight at the Metropolitan in Bangkok.

At Cy’on, the taste is Mediterranean spiced with Moorish influences. At Glow, they have the Como Shambhala principle of light and healthy food. Meantime, on the lobby level, Australian chef David Thompson is wowing them at Nahm.

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TRAVEL : THAILAND

NAHM And don’t take our word for it; it has just been named third best restaurant in Asia (after Narisawa and Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo) in the prestigious San Pellegrino Awards. Nahm is also listed in the world’s top 50 and it is also the only Thai restaurant in the world that is Michelin-rated.

You know it is different when you walk through the door. Interior architect Koichiro Ikebuchi has used rich golds and russets to complement the raw brick pillars in a design reminiscent of the temples of the ancient Siamese capital of Ayutthaya. There is a terrace for poolside outdoor dining.

Thompson first went to Bangkok in 1986 and instantly fell in love with the place – not least because of the food. So taken, in fact, he set about to learn the fundamentals of its ingredients and the techniques of preparing them. No easy task and it has meant endless experimenting and researching long into the wee hours.

He studied under a grand old lady who used to cook for the royal family, gradually developing his own codex of ingredients, recipes and techniques, learning Thai along the way. The basis of his cuisine combines big, bold flavours with meticulous attention to detail, fresh local produce and traditional cooking methods.

Standout Thai dishes include a coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab or lemongrass salad with pork, prawns and squid. There is also a colourful array of traditional salty and sweet Thai desserts and an extensive wine menu.

So popular has it become that they had to open for lunch as well as dinner to fit everybody in. If you dine, though, you move afterwards over to The Met Bar on the other side of the lobby (perhaps for a Tom Yumtini), now a lively watering hole that is particularly popular with the hip Bangkok crowd. w w w.comohotels.com David Thompson

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WHERE WILL YOU BE

July 6 2014 th

The MillionaireAsia Concierge service, in partnership with JBS, has exclusive access to leading international events all over the world.

June 6 2014 - Men’s Singles Final Wimbledon th

This year produced a fairytale finish to Wimbledon with Andy Murray becoming the first British player in 77 years to lift the trophy. Our clients who were there to enjoy this historic occasion said the atmosphere was electric and can’t wait for Wimbledon 2014.

The good news is that you can join MillionaireAsia at our VIP table in the ‘Wimbledon Club’ beside the Centre Court. This VIP package includes full corporate hospitality and Debenture Tickets for the final matches. We have 10 places available for our members.

Our Members and their partners are invited to contact us if they are interested in private or corporate participation at this or any of the other events. Access is often very limited and we would advise our Members to contact us early to reserve your places.

Other upcoming events where we have special access and exclusive opportunities for our Members include: January 26th The Grammy’s - Los Angeles March 2nd The Oscars ‘A’ list after show parties - VIP MillionaireAsia Tables March - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul April 10th – 13th US Masters - VIP Hospitality (very limited places available) May & August - MillionaireAsia Super Car Road Rally, Scotland May 25th Monaco Grand Prix - VIP Exclusive Access to the race and the parties.

For information on costs and the full itineraries please contact our office or email info@millionaireasia-indonesia.com

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LUXURY REAL ESTATE : AUSTRALIA

DIVINE RURAL PEACE ONLY AN HOUR FROM MELBOURNE Mont Rouge Estate has a large and comfortable residence set amongst huge sprawling gardens, a vineyard and an olive grove.

Photos by Jason Felmingham

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ut it is more than a home – it is a picturesquely peaceful retreat with the landscaping providing complete privacy.

The air is pollution-free and the only noise you hear is the rustling of the breeze through the established trees and the call of the many birds.

Though not a huge ranch, its natural undulations and foliage give it very much the impression of the wide open spaces for which Australia is famous. Hard to believe it is a quick drive down a freeway from the bustling city of Melbourne to the middle of the wine country of the Mornington Peninsula, whose centre is the famous Red Hill (hence the ‘Mont Rouge’ of this property’s name).

This 6.65 hectare estate is already producing highly regarded wines but you will not have to be an oenologist to keep it working: the grapes are grown here and sent to an expert winemaker to produce each vintage.

The beautiful gardens have an English flavor close to the house – spreading to true Australiana as you venture further out.

These gardens are visible from every room of the contemporary, architect-designed home that is built for entertainment on a grand scale, with formal and casual reception rooms, a home theatre, five queen-size bedrooms, three bathrooms and three large terraces. The U-shaped building winds around a central courtyard, one edge providing undercover parking for five cars with ample outdoor parking for a dozen more. The house is constructed of brick with a terracotta tile roof. There are floor-toceiling windows on every external wall with three-metre vaulted ceilings.

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LUXURY REAL ESTATE : AUSTRALIA

There is a large water storage dam and water rights to pump from Stoney Creek means the 2500 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz vines and 400 mature olive trees can be easily irrigated.

In dry times, water can also be pumped from the creek for the gardens to a 20,000 gallon storage tank. Another 40,000 gallon tank is available for use inside the house.

The property also features substantial shedding, a wine cool store and all-weather internal road system.

And it is not in the ‘Outback’ so you are attached to the city resources of electricity, postage service and trash removal. There are quality produce stores and supermarkets just up the road.

Down the long and winding the driveway, the home appears from behind a high walled courtyard, and is introduced by a hanging rose garden, formal hedging and a fountain. And being in Southern Australia, the view and the gardens change with the seasons.

Adjoining the heated swimming pool is the air-conditioned studio workshop with large cupboards, a wet area and, next door, is the small gym.

From the main entry door to the left is a large informal sitting and dining area, off an open kitchen with its granite bench tops and Tasmanian oak woodwork. It is airy and light and features excellent stainless steel appliances, two ovens, dishwasher and a fixed marble-topped island bench.

The house is within a few minutes’ drive to the beach, the swank resort town of Portsea, golf courses, diving and snorkelling areas, sailing jetties and many man-made attractions. It is also close to two dozen fine restaurants, from fine to farm dining, many of them part of the Mornington Peninsula’s famous vineyards.

Two substantial al fresco dining areas adjoin this sitting room, protected from the heat of the day by retractable sun awnings.

Private Sale: AUD 4,250.000.00

The home is fully air conditioned for summer and centrally heated in winter. WiFi is available throughout the house.

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Tel. Victor Porteous: +61 408 359 145 email: vporteous@vicport.com.au

TRAVEL CONCIERGE

A WORLD OF UNIQUE EXPERIENCES

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t MillionaireAsia Indonesia we deliver more than just a great magazine. We are constantly on the look out for ideas and opportunities to enhance our members experience.

MillionaireAsia Indonesia has joined forces with Luxury Lifestyle Travel Consultant John B. Sutherland, to provide our members with the a comprehensive range of unique luxury travel experiences and services.

As demand grows from our members for more experience based travel itineraries we have seen an increase in enquiries for a wide range of products relating to general luxury travel, sport, music events with VIP access, culinary & wine, private yachts as well as unique incentive programs.

Our Millionaire Asia Indonesia Travel Concierge service puts together tailor made ‘Lifetime Experiences’ for you, your family or your customers and clients.

We can help you whether you want to fly off to the UK with VIP tickets to an English Premier League match, sample some great wines in Tuscany before heading off to an Andrea Bocelli concert with VIP hospitality, be possibly the first Indonesian in space by booking a seat on ‘Lynx’, have a private shopping experience at one of the major fashion brand stores in Paris or a private helicopter trip round the Eiffel Tower, mix with the stars at a Hollywood function, or just want to sample the VIP Corporate experience at the 2014 World Cup. To start planning your next travel experience contact our MillionaireAsia Indonesia Travel Concierge on

travel.concierge@millionaireasia-indonesia.com

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LUXURY

A Very Special Place

Forward Great Grandpa Goring built and opened this hotel in 1910. He was a man of considerable vision an innovator, and from what I can tell a great hotelier and host. I sometimes wonder if his vision included what The Goring has become today, and what he might have made of some of the stories and occurrences of the last 100 years.

One thing is certain; that strong but invisible threads connect today’s Goring with that of 1910. The family is one of those threads, as are today’s staff, many of whom were hired and trained by department heads who were themselves taken on by Great Grandpa himself. Even more importantly, we are lucky to have guests whose great, and even great great grandparents stayed here in the hotel’s first decade, and who would have made their reservations by writing a letter to O.R. Goring.

This book does not attempt to set out a full history of The Goring but I hope that you will be amused by the small selection of tales in it. While you are reading, we are busy with the task of creating the stories for the next 100 years, and there is always the chance that you will be one of them.

Jeremy Goring

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n 2010, The Goring celebrated its 100th year. Just behind Buckingham Palace, this hotel was the first in the world to offer its guests central heating and a bathroom for every bedroom, when Otto Goring opened its doors in1910. It is also the only hotel in London still owned and run by the family that built it, with the 4th generation Jeremy Goring keeping up the tradition begun by his great-grandfather in 1910. The Hotel is quintessentially English and provides guests with unparalleled and exceptionally attentive service.

In response to popular demand for information and stories about the hotel and its history, a book was commissioned and released in1997. A Very Special Place was written by Robin RhoderickJones with delightful illustrations by Tim Jaques. Ahead of the 100th year celebrations the book was updated with the latest version appearing in 2009.

The book is full of wonderful tales of the colourful characters that have worked and stayed at the hotel during the first 100 years.

Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of staying at the hotel, who enjoys the pleasures of luxury travel, or who has worked in the industry will find it an interesting and entertaining read. In the coming editions of MillionaireAsia we will be featuring some of the tales and illustrations from the book.

The Manager’s Tale Some of the most stressful moments of a manager’s life stem from the enforcement of ouse rules and dealing politely but firmly with guests who attempt to flaunt them.

There is a regulation which guests occasionally find irksome.

Pet animals are banned. A notice dated March 1910 is displayed in reception. “Visitors are respectfully reminded,” it reads, “that dogs, cats, birds and other pets are not allowed in any part of this hotel.”

In 1930 a regular guest arrived on his way home from a week’s shooting in Scotland. He was known to have an uncertain temper, and when he introduced a red setter into the hall, there was clearly going to be a problem. The Head Porter of the day, William Bingham, was given short shrift: “Don’t talk such bloody nonsense, man. Of course the dog’s staying with me. Who the delve do you think you are? Fetch Goring.” Otto Goring (OG) was summoned and got a full measure of the same: “This is my dog, Goring. I’ve been coming here for year. Tell your man to take him to my room.”

Not without difficulty, OG was able to calm him down. “I wonder my lord,” he ventured after some time. “I wonder, my lord, where you keep the dog at hem?”

“In the kennels, of course. In the bloody ken- Ah. I see what you mean. Oh very well then, you look after him. Feed him, mind.”

And OG led the animal off the the mews garage he keep for such emergencies.

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TRAVEL : NEW YORK

SKY HIGH New York is the home of the skyscraper but it is about to have a new one that will dwarf them all.

CIM Group and Macklowe Properties have unveiled plans for the landmark 432 Park Avenue project that will be the tallest apartment building in the Western Hemisphere.

Pre-sales have already topped US$1 billion with notable interest from buyers in Asia, including Indonesia.

With completion in 2015, the graceful tower, designed by Rafael ViĂąoly, is on swanky Park Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets.

The tower will have 96 stories and will be constructed using architectural concrete, steel, and glass. All windows measure an expansive 3x3 metres, flooding residences with abundant natural light and providing spectacular views of Central Park, the Hudson and East Rivers, Atlantic Ocean, and many iconic Manhattan buildings and avenues.

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It will boast a private restaurant, outdoor garden for dining and events, a spa and fitness centre, pool, library, lounge, billiards room, screening room and performance venue and children’s playroom.

Residents can enjoy in-house catering, private elevator, concierge, 24-hour doorman and valet parking.

Residences at 432 Park Avenue range from US$7 million to US$95 million.

Oh, and for just a tad extra, you can have a climate-controlled wine cellar, office suites and staff apartments. w w w.432parkavenue.com.

GALLERY

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