Global Citizen 33

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WALK WITH TIME He was a traveler, experiencing all hours of the earth.

Planning trips with such great care, he and Time had merged.

Grateful to the man for walking with him, not around, Time reassured he’d arrive anywhere he was bound.

#MakeTimeYourOwn

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Big Bang Ferrari King Gold Carbon.

Manufactured UNICO movement. Column-wheel chronograph with a 72-hour power reserve. King Gold case, an exclusive red gold alloy developed by Hublot. Bezel made through a fusion of carbon fiber and 18K gold. Strap in brown leather stitched on rubber. Limited edition of 500 pieces.

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CONTENTS BUSINESS

18 INVESTMENT DESTINATION A safe bet in Montenegro

22 LEADERSHIP Robin Sharma

24 COVER

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

30 FAMILY BUSINESS

36 ENTREPRENEUR

Gumball 3000 Founder

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP 40 Hungary’s big appetite 44 Portugal’s golden visa 48 IPSA on transparency

Sir Rocco Forte

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR 50 Daniele Kihlgren 52 Mark Weingard PHILANTHROPY 54 Malaika Project 56 The Amal project

32 BUSINESS TYCOON Ralph Lauren

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LIFESTYLE 58

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58 GADGETS

66 DESIGN ICON

78 FASHION

60 AUTO

68 HOTELS

80 HOROLOGY

62 DESIGN ENTREPRENEUR

TRAVEL 70 Croatia 74 Montenegro

Stock up before summer Mercedes museum Dario Spallone

64 YACHTS

A Boat for Billionaires

Karl Lagerfeld

A Roman Retreat

Style it up for the beach Summer showstoppers

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Philanthropist of the Year OR ACCOMPLISHED CON ARTIST? We help you decide.

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EDITOR’S LETTER GLOBAL CITIZEN EDITOR IN CHIEF Natasha Tourish - nt@global-citizen.com SUB EDITOR Tahira Yaqoob - ty@global-citizen.com LIFESTYLE EDITOR Nausheen Noor - nn@global-citizen.com ART DIRECTOR Omid Khadem - ok@global-citizen.com FINANCE MANAGER finance@reachmedia.ae CONTRIBUTORS Zoi Constantine, Phill Tromans, Ivan Carvalho, Ben Flanagan, Triska Hamid, Chanelle Tourish, Rachel Taylor PRINTED BY Masar Printing and Publishing www.global-citizen.com www.issuu.com/global-citizen www.facebook.com/GlobalCitizenMag

e’ve been ushered into a new era of the European Union brought about by the historic decision by the British public to leave the EU. The true consequences of which won’t be felt for years to come — the UK has a two-year window in which to negotiate a new treaty to replace the terms of EU membership once it invokes Article 50.

Besides free trade agreements, freedom of movement among EU countries — one of the most important and controversial achievements of the EU, allowing global citizens to live, work and study anywhere in the EU is top of the negotiating agenda when Britain sets out its reformed role outside of Europe.

However, as commentators have been quick to point out, while the leave campaign want tighter controls on borders, they are far from antiimmigration and they will want to continue to roll out the red carpet for the brightest and best from all over the world who contribute millions in foreign investment to its GDP. However, it may be a step too late, experts at the London School of Economics have warned of a drop in GDP of up to four per cent and years of economic uncertainty. The UK’s passport has already plunged in value as a UK citizen’s right to travel freely is under threat and as Britain looses some of its control and pull for foreign investors, it’s likely its loss will be other European countries gain. Our summer edition focuses on the European countries that are likely to benefit from Brexit, namely Montenegro, Hungary and Portugal.

Natasha Tourish

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MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE Fierce International Dubai Internet City Business Central Tower A - Office 2803 T: +971 4 421 5455 - F: +971 4 421 0208 tarek@fierce-international.com

REACH MEDIA FZ LLC CHAIRMAN Armand Arton CO-FOUNDER Armand Peponnet ADVERTISING sales@reachmedia.ae SUBSCRIPTION subscription@reachmedia.ae Dubai Media City, Building 8, Office 87, PO Box 502068, Dubai, UAE T: +971 4 385 5485 - Email: info@reachmedia.ae Copyright 2016 Reach Media. All rights reserved.

Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of Reach Media.

Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author and does not necessarily reflect the editorial views of the publisher or Global Citizen.

All information in Global Citizen is checked and verified to the best of the publisher’s ability, however the publisher cannot be held responsible for any mistake or omission enclosed in the publication.

Little ballerina.

Big plans.

Unforgettable performance.

©2016 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

The Ritz-Carlton, Abama, Tenerife. One family’s memory captured in six words. A true story where one of our Ladies helps a young daughter’s love of ballet bloom. The surprise recital orchestrated just for her parents moves them to tears. What story will you tell? ritzcarlton.com/ar

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CONTRIBUTORS

Zoi Constantine

Phill Tromans

Ivan Carvalho

is an Australian freelance journalist with more than a decade experience.

She has written on politics, conflict and development from the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and the Arabian Gulf for outlets including Al Jazeera and The National.

is a British journalist with more than 15 years’ experience. His exploits have taken him to more than 40 countries. He has written for titles including Evo Middle East and crankandpiston.com

is the Milan correspondent for Monocle magazine, covering a range of topics from politics to business. A native of California, he previously wrote for Wired, Domus and the International Herald Tribune.

Amanda Fisher

Peter Allen

Laura Binder

is a New Zealand freelance journalist currently based in Nairobi. She previously worked at the Philippine Star and Radio New Zealand before taking up a post as special correspondent at the Khaleej Times in the UAE.

is a British journalist and author based in Paris. He writes for the Daily Mail, London Evening Standard and Sunday Telegraph and has covered major news stories all over the world from Afghanistan to Yemen.

is an editor and journalist based in the UK where she writes for international luxury titles. In this issue, she takes us to Croatia to explore the jaw-dropping islands and superyachts.

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GLOBETROTTER SUMMER 2016

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Hill Car Races Cetinje – Ivanova Korita, Montenegro

Red Cross Ball, Monte Carlo

Every year, flash sports cars race from Monaco to Montenegro by distinguished racing drivers in a hill car race traversing over lush green mountainous landscapes. Since 1981, this race has been in the calendar of the Federation of International automobiles (FIA).

The Hill Car races from Cetinje to Lovcen attract thousands of spectators annually.

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The Red Cross ball held under the high patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert at the Sporting d'Eté Club in the Salle des étoiles is the high point of summer in Monaco. Sting will perform at this year’s spectacular charity gala, which sees celebrities and royalty mingle on the red carpet.

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East Coast Open, Greenwich Polo Club Greenwich, Connecticut, US The East Coast Open is one of polo’s most prestigious competitions in the United States and is in close proximity to New York City where the first polo match was played in the United States more than 125 years ago. There is no better way to wind up summer than watching some of polo’s finest, which has included Prince Harry in the past, take to the polo field in Greenwich.

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MYBA Pop-Up Superyacht show Porto Montenegro, Montenegro

Monaco Yacht Show Port Hercules, Monaco

Montenegro is now widely recognized within the yacht industry as the Med’s newest super yacht hotspot and ollowing the success of the inaugural MYBA Pop-Up Superyacht Show in September last year, Porto Montenegro will once again host the most prominent event where international brokers, agents and 20m+ yachts will come together for three days of yacht inspections, B2B meetings, networking and seminars.

The 26th Monaco Yacht Show promises to be bigger and better with more luxury super yachts, designers and yacht builders exhibiting than ever. Besides the Monaco grand prix, the yacht show is one of the most celebrated events in the principality with visitors coming from all over the world to attend the luxurious event.

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M ANUFACTUR E DE H AU TE H OR LOGER IE

TONDA CHRONOR ANNIVERSAIRE

Rose gold case Rose gold openworked movement Integrated split second chronograph Big date at 12 h Hermès alligator strap Made in Switzerland parmigiani.ch

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XXXXX

The $245 million Porto Montenegro development is attracting a new generation of jet-setters

SAFE HARBOUR

Superyacht Marina developments have swayed foreign investors to Montenegro

BY AMANDA FISHER

t has only been independent for a decade. Yet the underdeveloped, resource-rich Balkan nation of Montenegro is already positioning itself as one of Europe’s prime investment spots.

The small coastal nation with a population of just 620,000 has recently acceded to NATO – a controversial move in some quarters given the damage suffered in the country during the NATO Yugoslavia bombing years – and is on a mission to join the European Union, 16 years after it adopted the euro as its currency.

The investment opportunities in the rapidly-growing tourism sector are being widely touted in particular and embraced by

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international investors, including governments from the GCC region.

Dubai-based businessman Romy Hawatt is one of those who have seen an opportunity in the new nation. He has an aviation charter and pilot-training business running in the country and has been investing “quite heavily” in property.

Hawatt says his love affair with Montenegro began when he visited as a teenager after inadvertently discovering it while venturing south from Croatia’s Dubrovnik.

“I thought, ‘What a beautiful place’. It was absolutely gorgeous and stunning but [at that time], there was not much any foreigner could do there,” he says.

INVESTMENT DESTINATION

Montengro was the one-time playground of the rich until former Yugoslav president and communist hardliner General Josep Tito closed the country to Westerners after the Iron Curtain came down.

Hawatt, who began investing in the country nearly three years ago, says its natural beauty is an impressive drawcard.

Montenegro is home to Europe’s southernmost fjord, the second largest canyon in the world and southern Europe’s biggest lake, “all in one small country”.

But there are other attractions like one of the world’s top superyacht marinas, the $315 million Porto Montenegro.

Hawatt says: “That was partly what caught my attention, looking at this amazing development.

“I decided I needed to be one of the first movers in the market so very quickly invested in some marine investments.”

The Australian national, who has business interests all over the globe, including in the digital media world, says he seized on other opportunities.

“I quickly worked out [Montenegro] needed transport solutions because the road and general infrastructure was in need of upgrading and will take years to get to the level where people would be able to move around really efficiently,” he says.

That led to him earning an air operator’s certificate before buying several helicopters and starting a pilot training school.

Airways Aviation now has two helicopters, four planes, the training school and a charter transfer business in its Montenegro portfolio, while having business interests in several other countries.

The country is small and easy to navigate by air, with a varied climate to attract tourists all year round.

“You can be at the seaside in spring and autumn yet you have still got snow on the mountains,” says Hawatt.

He is convinced Montenegro, whose city Kotor was listed as Lonely Planet’s number one destination to visit this year, has multiple factors to entice investors.

“They [the younger generation] are keen to assimilate with the rest of the world and create their own presence.”

But a look back in time might be enough to fuel concern for the more conservative investor. Montenegro is a small country with a GDP of less than $10 billion, still recovering from decades of hardship under the communist era, the friction of the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s and the more recent global economic crisis.

Is that something to be wary of? Hawatt says not, adding of all the Balkan countries, Montenegro was the only one not significantly embroiled in the brutal Balkan rift.

“I think that is an indication of the people in the region.

They really do not want trouble.”

This can be turned into an advantage, he says. Coming out of the cold means Montenegro should prove lucrative for early investors.

“It is in its infancy but therein lies the opportunities—it is new, fresh, they are open and want to grow and they have good models to benchmark against like Monaco, Switzerland, Singapore and Dubai.”

This investor confidence certainly seems to be mirrored by the UAE, which has a range of bilateral investment treaties with Montenegro, including double taxation agreements.

Dubai’s government investment arm (ICD) recently purchased an exclusive marina development in the region of $228 million. In May this year, the Dubai sovereign wealth fund bought Canadian billionaire Peter Munk’s majority stake in Porto Montenegro, one of the world’s largest super-yacht marinas.

While the Abu Dhabi Financial Group (ADFG) have previously invested about $141 million to create the Capital Plaza, a mixed-used project with offices, apartments and commercial shops that has become, according to Dark Uskokovic, Montenegro’s ambassador to the UAE, “a landmark in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica”.

It is the home of the first Hard Rock Cafe in the region and has become the “centre of social life” in Podgorica.

ADFG is due to open the H Hotel in the next few months in Podgorica and is currently developing a hotel resort in a small coastal village which would encompass villas and apartments. Construction is expected to begin next year, says Uskokovic. While details have not been finalised, it is a multimillion dollar project.

Other GCC countries are following the UAE’s lead.

“First investment came from the UAE but now we also have investment from Qatar and Kuwait,” he says.

Montenegro is positioning itself to become a high-end tourism destination with hotel developments worth $3 billion, including projects by the Hilton, Armani and Four Seasons chains. Uskokovic describes it as “Switzerland with the sea” but says there are more than just tourism offerings for investors.

“Energy, agriculture and tourism are the three most important sectors for the strategic development of Montenegro,” he says.

With rapid development, energy needs are becoming a high priority and tenders for hydropower plants and coal mines are on the horizon.

Uskokovic also points to opportunities for building factories to process the region’s flourishing fruit, vegetable and meat industries.

“Possibly the most important for this region is the opportunity in water bottling factories. We have eight water bottling factories looking for partners or who are ready to sell them.”

“We are able to adapt to all new circumstances and economic challenges”

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INVESTMENT DESTINATION

the necessary precautions” to establish the investor program.

“There is huge potential for Montenegro if it adopts a law on economic citizenship. The result should be a transparent model that will gain the credibility of the EU and other agencies, and allow [Montenegro] to start off on the right foot this time”, says Arton, who estimates that Montenegro could attract up to half a billion euros in the coming three years if the country can successfully position itself as a high-end tourism market on the doorstep of Europe.

Montenegro’s passport already provides visa-free mobility to Schengen with access to a total of 101 visa-free countries. It ranks at number 41 of the most powerful passport’s in the world

by Arton Capital’s Passport Index, the world’s most popular online interactive tool which collects, displays and ranks the passports of the world.

With accession to the European Union anticipated this year, Montenegro might be the case study the rest of the EU needs in an increasingly complicated and tense region.

Image courtesy of Getty Images

Uskokovic is optimistic about the country’s future.

“It has been a difficult economic time but we think being a small country, we are able to adapt to all new circumstances and economic challenges. “Since our independence in 2006, our GDP has had steady growth and has almost doubled in the last 10 years.

“This year we will have a growth in GDP of 4.3 per cent.

We hope this will continue and that we will manage all issues and challenges.”

The economy will be further boasted with the launch of a citizenship investment programme (CIP) expected in the coming year. While previous attempts to get the Immigrant Investment Program up and running have stalled, Armand Arton, President of Arton Capital, a global immigration advisory firm which has helped several EU governments set up Immigrant Investor Programs believes that the situation in Montenegro “is very different” to how it was just six years ago. Arton says the Montenegrins were previously “ill-advised” and “failed to take

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LEADERSHIP

THE NEW WAY TO WIN IN BUSINESS Bestselling author and CEO Robin Sharma gives his top tips on leading without a title

he old way of leading is dead. Many of our bestknown organisations have fallen and some of our most revered leaders have lost face. The global economy has now transformed and with all the new media ranging from Twitter to YouTube, everyone can now build a following and lead in their field.

We have just entered what I call “the decade of leadership”.

Leadership has become democratised. I am not at all suggesting that we do not need titles or people at the top of the organisations to set vision, manage the team and take overall responsibility for the ship. What I am suggesting is that we now work and live in a world where leadership is not just something executives do. It is something everyone needs to do for their organisations to survive, especially in this period of change. And just imagine if you inspired every one of the people who work with you to shift from being victims in any way to showing outright leadership in their work. Your firm would be unstoppable.

For the past 18 years, I have had a simple mission that has become my obsession: to help people in organisations to lead without a title and play their best in all that they do.

This mission has allowed me to serve as the private leadership advisor to many billionaires and celebrity entrepreneurs, helping them to create immense leaps in their business results while living lives they now adore.

I have distilled everything I have learned into a step-by-step formula that I have shared in my latest book, The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in Life, published by Simon and Schuster. Here are six smart moves that you can make today to start changing the game and create exceptional results:

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1. Remember that you can lead without a title Leadership has less to do with the size of your title than the depth of your commitment. I’ve seen front-line employees, taxi drivers, and carpet installers doing their work with the passion of Picasso. Leadership is not really about authority.

It is about a choice you can make to do your best work each and every day, regardless of where you are planted. Actually, leadership is less about a position and more about a mindset and behaviour and a way of navigating the world. It is about relentless optimisation, standing for world-class, being a merchant of wow, being graceful amid turmoil and making the world exponentially better because you were here.

2. Shift from victimhood to leadership No great career, business, or life was ever created on a platform of excuses. Too many people play victim at work. They blame the boss or the economy or the competition or the weather for their less than mediocre results. Leaders without a title are different.

They get that they have power: it may not be the power granted through a title like CEO or SVP. But they have power - and that is the power to see opportunity amid crises, drive positive change and encourage everyone on your team. And it is the power to step into the person you have always wanted to be.

3. Innovate or stagnate To lead without a title is to leave everything you touch better than you found it. Mediocrity happens when people refuse to change and improve all that they do. Look what happened to some of the big car companies when they slowed down their devotion to innovation. The competition ate them for breakfast

LEADERSHIP

Robin Sharma is the bestselling author of The Leader Who Had No Title

and put some out of business. The best leaders and the best enterprises have a hunger to improve. It is such a deep part of their culture, they know of no other way to be. And that is the edge that makes them great.

Please simply remember that the illusion of safety is always more dangerous than the threats of uncertainty and that all change is hard at first, messy in the middle and beautiful at the end.

4. Become a value creator versus a clock watcher Success comes from the value you add rather than from the “busy-ness” you show. What is the point of being really busy around the wrong things? Leadership is a game of focus. Focus on fewer but smarter activities, the ones that create real value for your teammates, customers and the world at large.

The best leaders on the planet are all about impact. Their dominant obsession is to create ridiculous amounts of value for as many people as possible. They get that the swiftest way to make $1 billion is to solve a problem that serves a billion people.

At my annual four-day leadership and elite performance event called the Titan Summit that I host every December, I walk participants through a game-changing methodology called “the 10 times value obsession” designed to make their companies become absolute market leaders. They shift from having customers to creating what I call fanatical followers.

This comes from focusing more on delivering awesome value and less on making the sale.

5. Put people first Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher famously said: “The business of business is people”. We have a ton of technology yet less and less humanity. Let us remember people do business with people they like, trust and respect. So build your team, meet your customers, deepen human connections, treat others with respect - and put people first.

6. Remember tough times build strong leaders Look at any exceptional leader and you will find they stepped into their leadership best during a period of crisis versus calmness. To lead without a title is to hunt for opportunity amid every adversity. Every setback has the seeds of an opportunity.

Companies like Apple, Google, GoPro, Facebook and Amazon were built because their people leveraged disruptive times into brilliant wins and refused to give up when faced with difficulty.

The Titan Summit 2016 will feature Robin Sharma and his faculty of global experts on exponential productivity, immortality, growing a world-class company and impacting the world. This year's event is at The Park Hyatt in Zurich, December 4-7. To get on the waiting list go to TheTitanSummit.com

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ENTREPRENEUR

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COVER

THE FIRST LADY Carla Bruni-Sarkozy brought a touch of glamour and elegance to French politics that hadn’t been seen since the days of Marie Antoinette, making her one of the most recognisable women in the world.

Guy Kelly / Telegraph Magazine / The Interview People

BY GUY KELLY

Every piece of jewellery a woman wears,’ Carla BruniSarkozy informs me, 'tells its own little story. Who has given it to them? For what reason? Was it a special celebration or did they buy it themselves? Jewels are like memories, you know, they’re pieces of your past…’

We are in a suite on the fifth floor of the Bulgari Hotel in west London. Bruni – dressed in a white silk shirt, high-waisted black trousers and ballet pumps – is draped across a quite preposterous cream leather sofa, looking like a modern-day Cleopatra. She seems to have only slightly fewer staff, too, the majority of whom are flitting here and there in preparation for tonight’s opening of Bulgari’s new flagship store on Bond Street. Bruni, an ambassador for the luxury Italian brand since 2013 and loyal customer for many years more, will be the guest of honour.

"I have stories about new and old jewels, given to me by people I love very much,’ she powers on, admirably unperturbed by the hubbub around her. "But I don’t wear much each day. I just like to add a little shine sometimes."

I’ve scarcely finished asking for an example when Bruni leaps toward me, cat-like, raising her left hand aloft and fluttering her fingers in a sort of backwards wave. A slim diamond-studded band glints in the light.

"This is my wedding ring, the most significant piece I've been given,’ she says, staring at it as if it were put on her finger only yesterday. "There’s nothing more meaningful. It’s just a simple design, with our names engraved on the inside, but a wedding ring is more than jewellery, it’s a commitment. And anyway, what’s the point of getting married if it’s not for the ring, right?"

Heiress, model, socialite, musician, philanthropist. For many years Carla Bruni could be defined in any number of ways, yet over the last decade it is the story attached to that very ring – of her wedding to French president Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysée Palace in 2008 after a frantic two-month courtship, and of her subsequent four-year stint as First Lady of her adopted nation – that has made her one of the most recognisable women in the world.

In person Bruni, 48, has none of the frosty aloofness one might expect of somebody blessed with such extreme helpings of wealth, beauty and (temporarily, at least) power. Wearing minimal make-up, she’s utterly natural: unguarded, gracious, thoughtful and as quick with a joke as she is with a song – which, for better or worse, is very quick indeed.

After more than 15 years away from modelling, appearing in recent campaigns for Bulgari – a brand she says she admires for its "patient and old-fashioned savoir faire that shows traditions can last even when life is fast" – has seen Bruni back where she started. Happily, the atmosphere on a fashion shoot now, she says, is just as she’d left it.

"It was all the same, which was so nice for me. I like designers, I like models, make-up artists, hairdressers, photographers,’ she says, her staccato accent lending itself particularly well to lists.

"Fashion is like a big funny family. Days are full of chat, and I’m Italian so I just talk, talk, talk. Music is a lonely job, but as a model you are always in the middle of a group. I like that."

The daughter of Alberto Bruni Tedeschi, a wealthy tyre industrialist and composer, and Marisa Borini, a concert pianist, Bruni was born in Turin. At seven she left for Paris with her brother, Virginio, who died of complications from HIV in 2006 aged just 46, and her sister, Valeria, an actress, in a move reportedly prompted by the threat of kidnapping by the Brigate Rossa, a far-left gang targeting the children of rich Italians in the 1970s. Heiress to the family fortune, Bruni then attended the prestigious Château Mont-Choisi finishing school in Lausanne, where, as well as learning fluent English, she remembers developing a talent for gentle disobedience.

"I used to like being the one elected by my friends to ask the teachers questions at school," she says, giggling. "Oh I asked the most dreadful questions, like, 'Sir, can we please smoke in the courtyard? Because it’s dangerous to be outside school and we want to smoke…'”

"I loved being young. Now the young people in France are going out in the street against the law, but they don’t even know

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Image courtesy of Getty Images

ENTREPRENEUR

Carla Bruni with husband Nicolas Sarkozy leaving the Elysee Palace

what they’re fighting against! I was the same – just angry. At that age you think rebellion is sexy, which it is, but then you realise it’s also quite useless."

At 19 she abandoned further education in art and architecture in Paris and quickly established herself as one of the most indemand models of the ’90s, working with every major fashion house and, at one point, earning over $7 million a year. It was also a decade in which she became a world-class heartbreaker, having a relationship with Eric Clapton and a seven-year affair with Mick Jagger. At one point she was even linked to Donald Trump, then merely a harmless property tycoon.

(Confronted with this particular rumour, proudly stoked by Trump himself, an exasperated Bruni said the billionaire was 'obviously a lunatic’.)

Bruni left fashion in 1997, a year after Alberto Bruni Tedeschi died. While seriously ill, he revealed to Bruni that her biological father was in fact a guitarist and grocery magnate named Maurizio Remmert, with whom she now has a close relationship.

Bruni misses the fun of her modelling years, she says, but has no desire to relive anything, or even talk about those days.

In fact, when I ask her what advice she might give her carefree 25-year-old self now, she responds cryptically in song, with a committed and lengthy two choruses of Guy Lombardo’s Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think). "…that’s the only thing I would say to anybody young. Enjoy

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yourself, because it is always later than you think, non?"

Trailing off, she pauses to light a Vogue super-slim cigarette, her trademark, and carefully places an ashtray on the cushion beside her.

Bruni’s singing voice is breathy and ethereal, to the extent that listening to her music is like having a particularly catchy secret whispered into your ear. She says she writes constantly, scribbling French rhymes down in a notebook she keeps in her handbag, and is never happier than when performing on stage, an adrenalin rush she can compare only to "the superior excitement of the first two months of love".

Her debut album, 2002’s Quelqu’un m’a dit, an acoustic, jazzy collection of chansons, which sold two million copies, was written during her relationship with the philosopher Raphaël Enthoven, whose father she previously dated, and with whom she had a son, Aurélien, in 2001. Four more acclaimed records followed over the next 13 years, the latter few’s lyrics mined for potential gossip by hungry French tabloids.

Looking back, the shock caused in France when Bruni and Sarkozy’s relationship went public seems almost quaint. At the time the press renounced the unlikely coupling as nothing more than a fling. She, they pointed out, was the bohemian femme fatale who had once declared that 'monogamy bores me’ and had albums to sell. He was the diminutive, teetotal, workaholic career politician, 12 years her senior and father to three sons from two previous marriages.

COVER

As it happened, though, Bruni turned out an exemplary First Lady, employing her good humour and the graces of her education to wow Britain (especially Prince Philip, so they say) on her first state visit in 2008, then throwing herself into philanthropic endeavours, among them an educational foundation, all the while continuing a respected career in music.

In 2011, while Sarkozy was still president, Bruni gave birth to her second child, a girl named Giulia. At 43, she hadn’t expected to become a mother again. "Having a daughter changed everything,’ she says, her clear blue eyes lighting up as she stubs out a cigarette. 'I was not [at] an age where you have children, so it was like a miracle. My husband and I have four boys, basically a small football team, but now I have another girl around the house and it’s fantastic."

Despite Giulia growing up in the full glare of the media, Bruni, who also became a step-grandmother six years ago when Sarkozy’s eldest, Jean, had a son, has no fears for her daughter’s independence. "Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, and I know her strength as I know my strength,’ she says. 'But for some reason I always thought that men were much more fragile, so I get more worried for Aurélien, who is 14, than for my daughter, who is four. You have to always protect them, of course." Protect them from what?

"From life! From death. From sorrow. From humiliation.

From despair. From depression. You have to give them a good life; you hope they’ll have a good life," she splutters.

Four years after moving out of the Elysée, Bruni’s life is again in a state of happy flux. She will continue as the face of Bulgari, helping to preserve what she calls its 'preciously made, classically modern pieces’. "This sort of work may not exist in 50 years," she warns. "One day these jewels could end up in museums.’

There are also constant charity commitments, and her sixth studio album is nearing completion. The release of that record and all other plans, however, may yet be put on hold if Sarkozy makes good on rumours he’ll run for a second term as president in next year’s general election. "I’ll see what my husband does with all this political thing,’ she says, slapping the question away with a nonchalant wave. "I just want to play my music in front of people, but I also like the quiet family life. It’s the complete end of freedom [when you have children], but it’s so nice. You get something else instead."

Upheaval and reinvention, though, have never appeared to bother Carla Bruni. In fact, I think she rather likes them.

"I passed from one country to another when I was seven, then I changed fathers when I was 28. When I was 30 I changed my career, then I had a child – the biggest change of all – then I got married while my husband was the president. I’m used to change, but it doesn’t affect the bottom of my life, just the surface," she says, throwing her hands up. "Visually it may appear completely different, but inside it’s the same me. I’m always the same person."

Bruni- Sarkozy as the face of Bulgari

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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FORTE-TUDE Legendary hotelier Sir Rocco Forte is expanding in the Middle East and aims to become the go-to name for luxury hotels in Italy

BY TAHIRA YAQOOB

When you get to my age, you have done most things so business is the most exciting thing. You are creating something that is your heritage,” says Sir Rocco Forte.

At the age of 71, the legendary British hotelier is showing no signs of slowing down and, with an expansion of his eponymous hotel empire underway, including his first site in Saudi Arabia, he is a long way from retiring. He is looking dapper in a sandcoloured suit and gold tie, which seem to be a nod to the desertand-glitz anomaly that is Dubai, works out with a personal trainer five times a week and cycles and runs regularly. He only gave up competing in triathlons five years ago.

But if he has a lot of running to do, it is to keep up with often precarious and tricky negotiations in many of the regions he hopes to branch into, the changes technology and new development have brought to his industry and, most importantly, to keep pace with his two young daughters, who have already joined the family business and will no doubt one day run his empire. Lydia Forte, 28, oversees the catering side of the hotel portfolio while her sister Irene, 26, looks after the

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Forte brand. They have already brought in new innovations inspired by their own lifestyles, such as improved spas, a Rocco Forte Nourish healthy menu and low-fat minibar snacks. Their recently graduated brother Charles, 23, is expected to join the fold within 18 months.

“It is the most exciting thing because they are an extension of yourself and have all the enthusiasm of youth, which adds a sort of zest to the company,” says Sir Rocco.

“Healthy living is an important factor and my children are very into that. I am not on all this social media stuff but they already have hundreds and thousands of followers.

“People are fed up of talking to me but they can talk to my daughters in a different way about other interests and on different types of media. From that point of view it is great.”

While his daughters bring a youthful vibrancy to the Rocco Forte Hotels group, the company founder is avowedly old school.

He grumbles when he cannot operate the iPad-controlled room settings in his suite in Dubai’s Armani Hotel—“I have an iPad but I never use it”—and prefers the old way of doing things,

FAMILY BUSINESS

when a gentleman’s handshake was as good as his word.

“It happens rather differently now. It is a shame actually,” he says over gnocchi, burrata and brandade in the salubrious Cipriani restaurant in Dubai International Financial Centre.

“Everything is so hard-nosed. Things are too much about money for the sake of money.

“A lot of investments are about 15 per cent IRRs [internal rates of return, used to measure profitability]. Merchant banks only care about the fees they are going to earn. They do not care if you do a good or a bad deal whereas in the old days they cared, there were long-term plans, they gave you the right advice. It might come back but I doubt it.”

He is pragmatic rather than cynical, though, particularly considering the Fortes have had their fingers burned more than once. His father, Baron Charles Forte, spent 60 years building the multibillion dollar hotel and leisure conglomerate Forte Group, only to have his legacy snatched away in 1995 with a $5.6 billion hostile takeover bid by the UK television production firm Granada. The portfolio of 800 hotels—including the George V and the Plaza Athenee in Paris and the Ritz in Madrid, as well as 1,000 restaurants—was unrivalled in its profitability but was broken up almost overnight and sold off, says Sir Rocco, for “less than they paid for it. It was a complete waste of time”.

For Sir Rocco, who had only succeeded his father as chairman four years earlier, it was a devastating blow but he immediately got to work seeing if he could buy back the four and five-star hotels amid rumours Granada planned to sell them. Left with $511 million from the takeover, he began fundraising. The $1.5 billion he raised over five months came too late to buy back the hotels but it was enough to get him started from scratch with his own luxury hotel brand in 1997. Four years later, he was allowed to use the Forte family trademark once again.

“I had a period of thinking, ‘what do I do?’ There were six or seven months when I could not do a deal and nothing materialised,” he says now.

“Eventually the Balmoral [hotel in Edinburgh] came along. It had been there for three or four months and I had not managed

to agree a price. Eventually I found a way of raising my price and went to see the bank. I gave the guy my spiel, he went upstairs, came down with the managing director and we shook hands there and then.”

His portfolio of 11 luxury hotels now includes the Assila in Jeddah, set to open in September. It is new turf for Sir Rocco after a failed attempt to expand into the Middle East with an Abu Dhabi site. He only lasted there for two years, pulling out in 2013 amid complaints it was in the wrong location and promised development nearby never happened. Before the Arab Spring, he toured Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria and had six Middle Eastern projects in his sights, including a refurbishment of Cairo’s Shepheard Hotel, but most are now on hold.

“Jeddah is the only hotel to remain,” he says. “Once the hotel opens, we will have a calling card in this part of the world.”

He is tempted by Oman’s “beautiful scenery—there is a lot you could do there” but does not have “a vision for what I would do in Dubai which is different to other hotels”.

Meanwhile, he has hired a development director for the first time to allow himself more time to act as an ambassador for the brand and reinvigorate the company, which was hard hit in the 2008 recession with sales dropping by 40 per cent year on year.

Sir Rocco also has his eye on New York and Marrakech but it is his father’s Italian roots which are proving the biggest lure. He wants Rocco Forte Hotels to become “the Italian luxury chain right across Italy” and take his portfolio up to 30 hotels with sites in Milan, Venice, the Amalfi coast and Sicily, where it already has a presence with his golf resort. In return for 23 per cent of the company, the sovereign wealth fund Fondo will invest an estimated $344 million in hotel acquisitions and renovations. After a lull in fortunes, it will come as a welcome return to expanding rather than simply treading water.

“I think I could still keep the existing ethos and have a really worthwhile company,” he says. “I have a strong sense of Italy and after the UK, know Italy as a country best. I am excited about it. I have no plans to retire. While I have got the energy, I want to keep busy.”

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FASHIONING PHILANTHROPY While his fellow New York Billionaire friends are battling over the White House, American designer Ralph Lauren is leading a different kind of battle; against cancer with the opening on a new hospital in London

BY DAMIAN WHITWORTH

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Damian Whitworth / The Times / The Interview People

Clemence de Limburg/ Contour/ Getty Images

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PROFILE

alph Lauren has dressed presidents and princesses, first ladies and film stars. Hillary Clinton is a friend, so was Diana, Princess of Wales. He was at Nancy Reagan’s funeral; one of his sons is married to a Bush. Lauren’s American Dream includes everyone, whatever dynasty you come from. “It doesn’t matter who you are, I have something for you,” he says. “I make clothes for all kinds of people.”

So does he dress The Donald? There is a pause as one New York billionaire assesses his relationship with another. “I don’t know if he wears my clothes or not.” (Melania, the third Mrs Trump, definitely does wear Ralph Lauren, I discover later.)

“He comes to my restaurant.”

Trump has been seen at Lauren’s Polo Bar in Manhattan, but what does Lauren think of him? “Well, you know, he’s a colourful character,” says the softly spoken designer carefully. “I like him. I know him personally. He’s a nice guy in person, you know. [But] I like Hillary a lot. I think she is very well equipped to do this job. It’s amazing how the world wants change in some way but you want the right people who really know their jobs to do good jobs.”

Could Trump be president? “I don’t know,” says the man who has not built a $5.5 billion fortune by shocking people, either with clothes or opinions.

“Hillary is trained for it. She has done the job. She knows what’s going on. If there is anyone that’s equipped she is equipped and I think that’s what you want. You don’t want to find yourself in four wars all at once.”

It’s been reported that several other American billionaires are preparing to plough millions into the Trump campaign but I think we can safely say that Lauren won’t be one of them. However, he doesn’t rule out the possibility that Trump could win the presidency. People are “laughing about this guy. Meanwhile this guy is getting popularity from very reputable people. So who knows?”

It is hard to imagine two more different billionaires than Ralph Lauren and Donald Trump. Where Trump is brash and divisive, Lauren is smooth and inclusive. Trump wants to make America great again; in Lauren’s world America is great, inhabited by people with beautiful hair and perfect skin, whether they are fulfilling a western fantasy in plaid and denim, or preppying-up the Ivy League college look in blazer and chinos.

Trump has had to deny stories that he had pursued Diana, Princess of Wales. He said he had met her only once. Lauren, whose clothes she wore, knew her rather better.

We are talking in Claridge’s, shortly before the opening of the Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. The centre was opened by the Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the hospital, a

position held previously by his mother.

Lauren met the princess at a lunch and suggested they meet at Claridge’s when he was next in London. “She came with her lady-in-waiting, I came with my son and we met here. I was wearing jeans and she said: ‘Who do you know that you can be wearing jeans? They don’t allow it in here.’ I said: ‘I know you.’ ” Lauren has designed gowns for Michelle Obama and his clothes are also worn by Robin Wright’s fictional first lady, Claire Underwood, in House of Cards. Plenty of designers, though, have brought their measuring tape to the White House.

It’s much harder to get the Windsor Castle invitation, which Lauren received two years ago when he sponsored a fundraising dinner there for the Royal Marsden hosted by Prince William.

“He has taken [the Royal Marsden role] and made it his own,” says Lauren. “I guess it’s important to him. He’s terrific. Very gentle, a very nice guy.”

Lauren’s decision to make a large donation to the centre is the latest chapter in an almost 30-year personal history of supporting cancer charities. It was instigated by his own illness and the death of a friend.

In 1987 Lauren was diagnosed with a brain tumour. It was removed and turned out to have been benign.

“But still, they opened up my head.

I have scars here and here. I was very successful, everything was going great and this comes up. Still to this day when I see someone who has that I choke up. I really became aware of life and felt like I got off and I could help someone else get off.”

After his operation his friend Nina Hyde, the fashion editor of The Washington Post, told him she had breast cancer. “I said, ‘I want to help. What can I do for you?’ She introduced me to a doctor in Washington, a very good cancer specialist, and he said to me that breast cancer would be cured in our lifetime. That’s 30 years ago and I thought at that time that I was going to help cure it.” He laughs wryly. “If he had said we are going to cure it in 100 years I would maybe not have got involved.”

Hyde spent time with Lauren at the designer’s ranch in Colorado. “There, with the big sky, you are closer to God. I didn’t think she would die but she did.” He and Katharine Graham, the late owner of The Washington Post, founded a breast cancer centre in Hyde’s name at Georgetown University.

Lauren has funded other cancer projects in the US and designed the first T-shirt for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign, which has been running for more than 20 years. He shrugs off his contribution. “You realise you have done nothing and there is a long way to go.”

Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz to first-generation Jewish

“Trump wants to make America great again; in Lauren’s world America is great, inhabited by people with beautiful hair and perfect skin”’

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immigrants from Belarus. His father was an artist, “but he struggled and painted houses sometimes because he couldn’t make a living. Life was a little tough.”

He changed his name at 16. After working at Brooks Brothers he started designing ties and next year it will be 50 years since he started selling ties under the Polo label. He followed up with a full menswear line and expanded into womenswear and eventually homeware, watches, fragrances and a range of clothing labels to suit different pockets. He once said he wasn’t designing clothes, he was “creating a world”.

Although his polo-player logo is known all over the globe, he has only ever played “cowboy polo, out west, where they use brooms. I like sports and I couldn’t call it baseball or basketball and I thought: ‘Polo.’ Although Americans didn’t know what polo was really, people who go to polo matches are stylish people. So I thought the name was really good and then I added my name.”

He started with clothes for men and he still finds them easier to design. “Menswear is more subtle than womenswear. Men don’t want to be fashion freaks. They want to look good but they don’t live for fashion. Women are much more fickle. They don’t care what brand it is, they want it. Women are more adventuresome; they are more experimental with dresses and skirts and shapes.”

What he regards as timeless English style has always been a key influence. “I have always loved England because of the

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‘non-fashion fashion’. English style was one of my inspirations because it was not about fashion. You wear a sweater when gardening and put a patch on it and it looks great.”

He is encouraged by the sense of style he sees in London these days, after a period when he worried about us. “When I first came to London I loved English clothes and I was shocked when I saw one time a lot of flashy clothes that didn’t look like England. England was trying to look like something else. Now England looks like England.”

One of the things this boy from the Bronx is particularly proud of is that for several years he has been designing the outfits for officials at Wimbledon. “Wimbledon is beautiful, it is traditional. I am a traditionalist. It’s not that I am backwards, it’s just that I love heritage, I love longevity. That’s been my philosophy, but you constantly update so that you look contemporary. You have to move with the times and update but understand that the past also has a wonderful sensibility.”

He has a museum-quality collection of classic cars and waxes mechanical about British marques, including Jaguar, Aston Martin and an old Morgan he once owned. What about RollsRoyce? “No, too flashy.” Then he adds quickly: “I love seeing the Queen in one.”

While he talks about heritage he doesn’t seem to dwell on his own. Of his parents he says: “They came from parts of Russia.

I opened a few shops in Russia but I couldn’t connect exactly where they were from.” I had read that they were from Belarus.

Images courtesy of Getty Images

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PROFILE

“You have more information than I do,” he says genially.

When I ask if he is astonished at how far he has come from his humble upbringing, he says matter-of-factly: “No, I don’t feel that way. I just keep going. I still work hard every day. I do the same thing I have always done. I’m not ready to stop. I like what I do.”

He concedes, however, that “I can’t do it for ever”. Last year he handed over the chief executive role to Stefan Larsson, who had been running the Gap-owned Old Navy. For now he will remain as executive chairman and chief creative officer. The challenge is to ensure that a brand that he embodies can one day survive without him. He says that Valentino and Givenchy have both retired and their companies live on.

Lauren has two sons and a daughter with Ricky, his wife of 51 years. She appears briefly at the start of the interview and is introduced as “my biker girl” because of the motorcycle jacket she is wearing. The whole family have always appeared in Ralph Lauren promotional material, playing at cowboys or hanging out on the beach. Ricky’s book about the family’s enviable summers in the Hamptons is on display in the store in Bond Street.

The Ricky bag is named after Lauren’s wife, but when I ask about her influence on the business he stresses that she has her own career as a therapist. His younger son, David — whose wife, Lauren Bush Lauren, is a niece of George W Bush — is a senior executive at the company. The older son, Andrew, is a film producer and his daughter, Dylan, owns what claims to

be the biggest sweet shop in the world, in New York.

“I don’t know if they would run the company,” he says of his children, but he hopes they will be involved. Right now, he insists, “I feel like I’m 42. I don’t feel my age. Maybe I will.”

He works out five days a week, but doesn’t find running easy because he has a pin in his ankle, the result of a car accident.

He works so hard at promoting the Ralph Lauren lifestyle.

Does he get the chance to enjoy that lifestyle? “Yeah, I have a good life. I have no complaints. I bought this ranch and turned it into a working ranch. I would like to spend more time there but I don’t have that much.”

He is dressed, of course, head to toe in Ralph Lauren: jacket, shirt, tie, grey flannel trousers, even a Ralph Lauren watch and signet ring. I am wearing my best suit, which was handmade for my wedding 16 years ago. “I like what you are wearing. It’s low key, it’s timeless. Looks good on you,” he says.

I know he’s just being charming, but I’m happy to hear it. I don’t get complimented on my dress sense by one of the world’s most-famous menswear designers all that often. I respond by asking how influenced he was by John F Kennedy’s impeccable style. Very influenced, he says. That’s interesting, I say, because I was looking at some photographs of JFK the other day and he looked like . . .

“Like you,” cuts in Lauren, suavely, indicating my old-school tailoring. This is clearly absurd flattery, but, hey, this is Ralph Lauren. His whole world is based on the rest of us dreaming his dream.

Ralph Lauren with close friend and Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton 2016 JULY / AUGUST

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PIONEER

Maximillion Cooper, founder of Gumball 3000

GETTING THE GUMBALL ROLLING Now in its 17th year, the Gumball 3000 rally brings together cars, fashion and celebrity in spectacular style

BY PHILL TROMANS

umball 3000 has been nothing short of a phenomenon.

Since the first rally in 1999, it has developed beyond a party-filled road trip for the wealthy and wellconnected to become a global brand. Today, the Gumball group has a fashion line, video games and a big-budget feature film in the works and the rally is still going strong, with over 100 cars racing in this year’s Dublin to Bucharest rally. Not bad for an event that was originally intended as a showcase of what its founder could do to organise a good time.

In the late 1990s, Maximillion Cooper was a 20-something fashion design graduate from the renowned Central St Martins College in London, where he had studied alongside Alexander

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McQueen and Stella McCartney. He had also worked as a model for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani, the proceeds from which funded his fondness for motor racing.

“I ended up racing for about eight years,” recalls Cooper. “By the mid-90s I was racing for Porsche and McLaren so you can imagine by the end of the decade I had friends in the fashion scene and lots of friends in the car racing world, including team owners and sponsors and some wealthy individuals. Gumball came about as my way of creating a brand that could bring all of that together. While I loved racing cars, the social side of that world is very corporate and boring. I wanted to bring the music and fashion scene into the car world.”

ENTREPRENEUR

After plans to take over the Tyrrell Formula One team failed at the last minute when his financial backer was outbid by a major tobacco firm, Cooper decided to create something new.

“That deal gave me confidence that something was possible and I had the right contacts and friends behind me,” he says.

“My gameplan changed and I decided to get these powerful friends of mine together. The plan developed to invite them on a road trip, give them an experience and show them that I can put something on, put on great parties each night and create something new.”

The first event in 1999 saw a guest list largely made up of Cooper’s friends and contacts, including Kate Moss, Chris Eubank, Jason Priestley and Billy Zane and 50 cars ranging from supercars and Rolls-Royces to trucks and an ambulance. Over five days, they drove from London to France, Monaco, Italy and Germany, partying in style each night.

“The rally was not a new concept. It was about who was on it and what that collective looked like,” says Cooper, who never intended the first Gumball to be anything other than a demonstration of his event-planning skills. “But by September that year we were in about 500 magazines

around the world. The famous faces on the rally had their own publicists and I reaped the benefits. That sheer demand really gave me the belief I should do it again.”

The Gumball had started rolling at an unstoppable pace and grew over the following years. As the new decade began, Cooper signed a series of lucrative licensing and sponsorship deals. “It was already creating a bit of a brand as opposed to just this rally,” he says. “We had a deal with Hasbro toys to do Gumball Top Trumps cards, which we still do now 16 years later. In 2006, we sold 15 million packs of Top Trumps in one year so it was totally game-changing.”

Cooper kept the guestlist fresh each year, ensuring current celebrities were invited to keep media interest high. A TV documentary won awards and MTV’s Jackass made a show on the rally that proved hugely popular around the world. In 2005, the rally launch in central London gathered a crowd of 400,000 people.

“That was the tipping point in terms of public awareness. Since that year, everywhere we go we get ridiculous crowds and the event changed from almost a private event for the entrants into [what is] very much a public event.”

“The rally was not a new concept. It was about who was on it and what that collective looked like”

Cooper at the starting line of last year's Gumball 3000 rally in Stockholm

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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ENTREPRENEUR

The path to success has not been entirely smooth. A 2007 accident on the rally in Macedonia left two members of the public dead, which for a time tarnished Gumball’s image, although Cooper points out the convoy was under supervision from a United Nations escort at the time. “There is always a risk with any event, especially on the roads,” he says. “As long as we drum it into everyone that we are driving normally on public roads, the risk is limited. Now the whole event is marshalled by police, which is great for us.

“People who have done the rally multiple times know it is a road trip, not about how fast you get somewhere. Every year you have a few people who think, ‘I’m going to win it’ but there isn’t any winning. We certainly have to tell them right after the first day.”

This year’s pit stop in London saw more than a million members of the public attend, with 2,500 staff working in a closed-off Regent Street – one of London’s busiest shopping areas – to prepare music concerts and a range of branded attractions.

“That audience allows us to get some quite significant sponsorship deals, as any major sports event would,” says Cooper. “The drivers and cars have not changed. It is still an invitation-type event, although numbers have grown—but for them it is still an escape, an adventure, something they want to do in their social time.”

A maximum of 120 cars are featured each year—half are alumni and half are new guests picked by Cooper to maximise

exposure and enjoyment for the participants.

“The premise is to make that 100-car grid as diverse as possible.

There are always between 30 or 40 different nationalities, different industries and different cars,” he says.

“Any car event will always be slightly swayed toward being male-orientated but there is as much of a mix as I can [organise] each year and the fashion and music side of things helps to counteract that.”

GCC entrants have been a regular feature on the rally over the years so could we see Gumball on UAE soil in the future?

Perhaps, says Cooper, although the country’s small size makes things difficult without flying visitors and cars in as part of a wider tour. “We can’t come to the UAE and drive around in circles for six days—but it is definitely in our plans. I’m surprised it is one of those places we have not been to yet.”

With a lucrative Gumball clothing line now in about 3,000 stores worldwide, Cooper has plans to open flagship outlets in cities like London, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Dubai. But no matter the success of offshoot ventures, the rally will always remain the most important focus.

“If we are just a brand like Levi’s then we have to take out traditional advertising and sponsor events and in a way the rally does all of that for us,” says Cooper. “It is the week of the year when celebrities are wearing the clothes and all eyes are looking at us and it is bigger than any magazine ad or billboard. The rally is our unique sales point for the brand.”

Some of the famous faces including David Hasselhoff that put Gumball 3000 on the party map 38

JULY / AUGUST 2016

TIMELESS PLEASURE IN GSTAAD

Visit us on Visit us on WWW.GRANDHOTELPARK.CH WWW.GRANDHOTELPARK.CH @grandhotelpark 2016 JULY / AUGUST

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

HUNGRY FOR GROWTH

In just three years, Hungary has become one of the most popular residency programs in Europe among wealthy foreign investors. GC finds out why

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and minor children, but also their parents and children over the age of 18.

In addition to receiving their Hungarian Permanent Residency Permit in only four weeks, investors also enjoy one of the unique benefits of this permit – visa-free movement across the Schengen member states for all family members with a single application. The new features of the program have positively affected Hungary’s score in the Arton Index with a total of 73, now ranking second in the list of countries observed by the Index.

In just three years, Hungary has become one of the most popular residency programs in Europe among wealthy foreign investors. A member of the European Union and the Schengen zone, Hungary is also among the 30 most-visited destinations on the planet. It boasts a rich and diverse culture – everything from music and film to food and literature, universal healthcare, and is perfectly located in the center of Europe.

According to Arton Capital’s latest edition of the Passport Index – a ranking system to reveal the benefits of each passport from around the world – Hungary takes the 7th position as the most powerful passport in the world with a visa-free score of 150.

So why has Hungary been so successful at attracting wealthy foreigners who are mainly from China and the Middle East?

Security The investment terms are simple. Investment is guaranteed by the government, through special residency bonds issued by the Government Debt Management Agency. The lock-up period for the investment is five years after which period the securities are 100 per cent redeemable. In comparison, other programs are based on donation or investment real estate, which can be very inflated.

Image courtesy of Getty Images

egislation introduced by the Hungarian government back in 2012 granted residency and ultimately a Hungarian passport to any foreign investor who invested at least €300,000 in special government residency bonds, allowing the holder to live and work anywhere in the European Union.

At the time, public debt in Hungary was equivalent to about 80 per cent of its annual economic output and households were also struggling with huge foreign-currency debt.

However, shortly after the program was officially launched in January 2013, Hungary’s economy exited its second recession and showed growth for the first time since 2011.

The residency program’s main purpose was to help the Hungarian government refinance its growing foreign currency and avoid bankruptcy.

In just three years, the Eastern European country has managed to entice 3,429 applicants, in comparison to the UK program, which has been operational since 1994 but attracted only 2,398 in the following decade. With an investment of €300,000 per family – into 0-coupon government guaranteed bonds for five years – the program has already attracted over 1 billion euro to the Hungarian economy since its launch in 2013.

The latest amendment to the legislation governing program, due to come into effect on July 1, 2016, now allows applicants to receive a Permanent Residence Permit in just four weeks, and in one single step.

Previously, the procedure consisted of two stages with a processing time of over 180 days. This required investors to initially apply for temporary residence, and to hold this permit for a mandatory period of six months, before they could apply for permanent residence.

The new regulation brings another benefit, which extends to qualifying family members. The investor may now include in their permanent residency application not only their spouse

Hungary ‘s capital city Budapest

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Exclusive Countries Covered by Arto Hungarian Investor Residency Bond Program

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Indones

Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia , Syria, Switzerland, Singapo

Exclusive Countries Covered by Arton Capital Hungarian Investor Residency Bond Program Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Vietnam, Yemen.

Exclusive countries covered by Arton Capital

Simplicity Hungarian Investor Residency Bond Program The process established by the authorities is efficient and allows for processing of applications within the officially prescribed terms. It takes three months for investors to obtain temporary residency, although some insignificant delays were experienced in the summer months of 2015 when many EU entry points such as Hungary were faced with the challenge of registering an overwhelming numbers of refugees.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Vietnam, Yemen.

Transparency All agents who are involved in the purchase of special residency bonds for the program are approved by the government and are assigned territories that they can exclusively operate in. It can be only one territory or as in the case of global immigrant investment specialists, Arton Capital Hungary – the only agent who has registered its business in Hungary and 28 other countries around the world. This makes it easier for the government to monitor and supervise their performance. The government has also created incentives for companies like Arton Capital who have chosen to register their business in Hungary. Such agents are allowed to process files of applicants from any nationality, even those who are under the territorial licence of another agent, as long as they are submitted from Hungary. This also brings additional benefits to the local economy, since applicants have to make at least one trip to Budapest.

Potential Hungary is in the process of devising additional changes to its program to attract even more wealthy migrants. One such stimulus is to waive the language requirement from qualified applicants and to reduce the time to obtain citizenship from eight to five years. This will make the program more competitive and allow it to be on a par with its European rivals.

Further changes including the introduction of a fast tracked path to citizenship if applicants invest more in the country have been proposed by Arton Capital Hungary Kft­—­one of four licensed companies who are exclusively authorised to represent the Hungarian bond program.

Immigrant investor programs are becoming more and more popular in Europe and while they are beneficial for the local population and economy, they can also be a means of expressing solidarity for those migrants who are less fortunate and are not in a position to relocate through an immigrant investor programme.

One such initiative that is gaining traction in Brussels in the

past few months is the idea of a global citizen contribution – to set a percentage of the total investment made by qualified applicants that will be redirected to a pan-European fund. The money accumulated in this fund will be used solely to combat the adverse effects of the refugee crisis in Europe and to help the victims of political and economic distress in the Middle East and North Africa who seek refuge in Europe.

Arton Capital Hungary has been granted exclusive rights to facilitate the investment and application process for applicants from the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi-Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Yemen. As of June 1, 2016 one more country – Vietnam, has been added to this extensive list, making the total of 30 countries. As the only agent who registered their operations in Hungary, Arton Capital can accept applicants from any country, provided applications are lodged in person within Hungary. All other applicants must make sure that their investment is made through the designated agent responsible for their specific region.

For further information visit www.artoncapital.com/industry-news/ fast-track-permanent-residency-eu-4-weeks/

Arton Index score:

73

Visa-free countries:

151

Passport Index rank:

8

Time to EU permanent residency:

30 days

Time to EU citizenship:

8 years

Investment amount:

€ 300,000

Investment guarantees: Main nationalities of applicants:

Yes China, Pakistan, Iran

Dependents (18+, parents) included: Residential address requirement:

Yes

None (starting July 1st )

Source: ArtonCapital.com

2016 JULY / AUGUST

41

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JULY / AUGUST 2016

EU permanent residence in less that 6 months. Lifetime of benefits.

Invest € 520,000 in a property development and qualify for permanent residence in Bulgaria.

Part of Grand Kanyon Sofia, a stunning mixed-use development by Garanti Koza, Swissotel Residences Sofia will include 200 luxurious rooms, 81 serviced residences, stylish dining outlets and state-of-the-art meeting spaces providing a wide range of executive services.

Exclusive financial product offered by Arton Capital.

Become a Global Citizen®

EMPOWERING GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP®

TORONTO | MONTREAL | PARIS | LONDON | BUDAPEST | SOFIA | ISTANBUL | LIMASSOL | BEIRUT | DUBAI | CAPE TOWN | SINGAPORE | BEIJING | ARTONCAPITAL.COM

T + 359 2 439 1464 | INFO@ARTONCAPITAL.COM

Arton Capital is a leading global financial advisory firm providing custom tailored services for immigrant investor programs to government agencies, certified partners and high net-worth individuals and families from around the world. Become a Global 2016 JULY / AUGUST 43 Citizen® and Empowering Global Citizenship® are registered trademarks of Arton Capital.

PORTUGAL’S GOLDEN TICKET ollowing a tough few years due to the Eurozone economic fallout, Portugal has bounced back and is revelling in its success, with record revenues in its tourism sector last year, bringing in €2.5 billion ($2.8 billion) in hotel revenues alone.

Since October 2012, wealthy foreign investors have flocked to one of Europe’s oldest countries to obtain a Portuguese residency permit to profit on a secure and fast developing market, with access to the entire 26-country Schengen zone.

The success story of a crushing economy Even for a country of such luminosity, radiance and culture, Portugal has had its fair share of dark times. After a crushing economic crisis, the Portuguese government is resurrecting its stagnant property market by initiating the golden visa program.

“Economic growth continues to accelerate with real estate investors reclaiming and renovating the unoccupied buildings that adorn the streets of Portugal and revitalising the blissfully elegant shores of the Atlantic ocean,” says Mario David, member of the board of advisors for Arton Capital, a global leader in

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JULY / AUGUST 2016

residency and citizenship solutions.

According to the Arton Index—the industry benchmark to compare and assess different investor immigration programs— Portugal’s scheme scores a total of 54 points and ranks the highest for global mobility and quality of life among Europe’s residency programs, such as those in the UK, Hungary and Bulgaria. The main benefits of the program are a low property investment level, fast processing and a minimal requirement for residency.

Portugal’s golden visa became so popular among third country nationals that legislators had to reorganise the scheme and introduce more investment options.

In July last year, the Portuguese government introduced a new and more streamlined investment solution to open doors for more investors. Portugal’s residency permit can now be acquired in exchange for an investment of just €350,000 ($396,000) in property more than 30 years old. This will allow for the regeneration of Lisbon and Porto's city centres, which are some of the most visited cities in the world.

Images courtesy of Getty Images

Portugal’s golden visa scheme offers EU residency and an attractive return on investment

PORTUGAL Golden Residency Permit

EU residency. Lifetime of benefits. Guaranteed return on investment.

Invest € 350,000 in a qualified historic restoration real estate project to qualify for European residency in under 3 months. Benefit from 4% annual rental return and a fully guaranteed investment. Limited time offer exclusively promoted by Arton Capital in the MENA region.

Qualify for citizenship of Portugal in 6 years.

Become a Global Citizen®

empOWeRiNG GlOBal CiTiZeNsHip®

TORONTO | mONTReal | paRis | lONdON | BUdapesT | sOFia | isTaNBUl | limassOl | BeiRUT | dUBai | Cape TOWN | siNGapORe | BeiJiNG | aRTONCapiTal.COm

T + 971 4 319 7665 | iNFO@aRTONCapiTal.COm

Arton Capital is a leading global financial advisory firm providing custom tailored services for immigrant investor programs to government agencies, certified partners and high net-worth individuals and families from around the world. Become a Global 2016 JULY / AUGUST 45 Citizen® and Empowering Global Citizenship® are registered trademarks of Arton Capital.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Track record Property investment with guaranteed returns According to the updated official data of SEF, since October 2012 Portugal has Casa de Campainha is the renovation of a palatial house located issued 3,165 residency permits for investors; 2,991 of these by the acquisition of in the heart of Porto’s ancient city centre and guarantees real estate, and more than 4,841 for their family members. investors a four per cent annual rental return with an easy The total amount of investmentsPORTUGAL has exceeded €1.9 billion with more than €1.7 and flexible exit strategy. Construction on the emblematic PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL billion by the purchase of real estate property; with most investors from China, building, which was built in the 18th century, is set to begin for investors; for investors; 2,991 of for these 2,991 investors; byofthe these for acquisition 2,991 investors; byfor the ofinvestors; for these acquisition of 2,991 investors; real by the 2,991 of estate, these of acquisition 2,991 real ofand these byestate, of the more these by acquisition ofthe for and than real byinvestors; acquisition more the estate, 4,841 acquisition of than for real and 2,991 their 4,841 ofestate, more real ofof family for these estate, than real and their estate, by 4,841 members. more and family the formore for than investors; acquisition andtheir members. more 4,841 than family than 2,991 4,841 for of their real 4,841 members. of forthese estate, family their forby their family and members. the formore family acquisition investors; members. than members.

4,841 2,991 of real for ofestate, these their family by and themore acquisition members. than 4,841 of real for estate, their family and more members. than 4,841 for The total The amount totalofamount investments The total of investments amount The has total exceeded The of investments amount has total The1.9 exceeded total amount billion of amount investments has 1.9 of euros investments exceeded billion ofwith investments has euros more 1.9 The exceeded billion has with total than exceeded has more amount euros 1.7 1.9 exceeded billion billion than with 1.9 of1.7 billion by investments more euros 1.9 billion the billion than euros purchase with by The euros 1.7 more the with has billion total purchase ofexceeded with more than amount by more 1.7 than the of billion 1.9 than purchase 1.7 ofbillion investments billion by 1.7the billion euros of by purchase the The with by has purchase the total more exceeded ofpurchase amount than of 1.9 1.7 of of billion billion investments euros by the with has purchase more exceeded than of 1.9 1.7 billion billioneuros by thewith purchase more than of 1.7 b Brazil, Russia, South Africa and Lebanon buying luxury second homes and in June to revamp the property as luxury residences containing real estatereal property; estate property; with real most estate with investors property; real most estate real investors from with estate real property; China, most estate property; from investors with Brazil, property; China, most with Russia, from Brazil, with investors mostChina, South real most investors Russia, estate from investors Brazil, Africa South China, from property; and Russia, from China, Africa Brazil, Lebanon with China, South and Brazil, Russia, most buying Lebanon Africa Brazil, Russia, real investors South luxury estate and Russia, buying South Africa Lebanon from property; South luxury Africa China, and buying Africa Lebanon with and Brazil, Lebanon luxury most andbuying Russia, Lebanon investors realbuying estate luxury South buying from property; luxury Africa China, luxury and with Brazil, Lebanon most Russia, investors buying South from luxury Africa China, andBrazil, Lebanon Russia, buying South luxury Africa a secondspa, homes second and homes summer second andhouses. summer homes second and houses. second homes summer second homes and houses. homes summer and summer and houses. summer houses. second houses. homes and summer houses. second homes and summer houses. second homes and summer houses. summer houses.

27 beautifully decorated suites, aMain health club and indoor Nationalities and outdoor swimming pools, bars, restaurants and a number of high-class facilities for guests.

Arton Capital is the exclusive agent in the Middle East offering Main Nationalities this historic project to investors. The capacity is limited to 32 investors, all of whom must be co-owners of the entire property and will not only have the right to become citizen 3,165aChina 3,165 3,165 3,165 3,165 2,991 3,165 2,991 2,991 3,165 2,991 2,991 4,841 2,991 4,8413,165 4,841 2,991 4,841 € 4,841 1 .94,841 € Billion 13,165 .9 Billion €2,991 1 .9 Billion €4,841 1€ .9€1Billion €.9 1 1.7Billion .9€ Billion Billion 12,991 .7 Billion €4,841 1 .7 € 1Billion €.91Billion € .7 1Billio €.71Bi .7 Residency Residency Permits Residency PermitsResidency Permits Residency Residency Residency Permits Residency Permits Permits Permits Residency Permits Residency Residency Permits Residency Residency Permits Residency Permits Residency Permits Permits Permits Residency Residency Permits Residency Permits Residency Permits Residency The Permits Residency Total Permits The Residency Permits Amount Total Permits Residency The Amount Permits of Total Residency of Permits The Amount Total ThePermits The Total Purchase of Amount Total Residency Amount Purchase Amount of Residency Real of Permits Purchase ofofReal ThePermits Total Purchase of Real Amount Purchase Purch ofRes R of of the EU but will also receive an ownership certificate.

All for Investors for Investors for Investors for Investors for for Acquisition Investors for Investors for Acquisition of for Acquisition of for for Investors Acquisition for of Acquisition for Acquisition of of for of Investors for Acquisition Investments of for Investments Investors for Acquisition Investments Investments of Investments Estate Investments for Property Estate Acquisition Property Estate of Investments Property Estate Estate Proper Esta Pr for family for family for family for family for family for family for family for family Nationalities 2457 Real EstateReal EstateReal EstateRealReal Estate Real Estate Estate Real Estate Real Estate Real Estate 32 shares can be sold individually at any time.

China Fast track to EU residency and citizenship After five years, investors and their family members become 2457 eligible for permanent residency in Portugal and qualify for Brazil EU citizenship one year later, making the golden visa one PORTUGAL China 140 of the fastest and most transparent residency-by-investment Main Nationalities 2457 Time to EU residence: programs in Europe.

Brazil With more than 300 years of history, Casa de Campainha Time to EU citizenship: 140wooden gates to guests in late 2017. will reopen its handcrafted China 2457 This new investment option proposes a rare and Main attractiveNationalities Investment type: Russia opportunity to non-EU nationals to obtain the residency Brazil Investment amount permit of an EU member state at an affordable price, 108 with an 140 Brazil China almost guaranteed profit. Main Nationalities 2457 Investment guarantees: 140 Main Nationalities Main Nationalities of Applicants

Russia 108

China 2457

Brazil

82

Russia 108

108

South Africa

82 Lebanon 48

Lebanon

Lebanon 48 82

48

Countries Infographic Option 2 Countries Infographic Option 2

Countries Infographic Option 2

JULY / AUGUST 2016

Countries Infographic Option 2

48

Lebanon

Countries 48 Infographic Option 1

46

82

48

Option 1

Countries Infographic Option 2

108

4% rental guaranteed

South Africa

82

Countries Infographic 48

ries Infographic Option 1

Russia Yes, 100%

Lebanon

Lebanon

n

€ 350,000

South Africa

108

Lebanon

South Africa

Lebanon82 48

140 Real Estate

Russia 108

Russia

72 months

Brazil

South Africa

Source: ArtonCapital.com

South Africa

82

2457 3 months

Russia

140

140 South Africa

South Africa

rica

Brazil

2457

Brazil

140

82

Annual Return on Investment:

China

Images courtesy of Getty Images

Russia 108 China

Main Nationalities

Where can your passport take you?

Discover the world of passports, sorted, compared and ranked.

Learn how you can improve your Global Mobility Score by investing in a second citizenship.

Become a Global Citizen® PASSPORTINDEX.ORG | INFO@ARTONCAPITAL.COM

EMPOWERING GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP® 2016 JULY / AUGUST

47

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

AN HONEST EYE GC meets Dan Wachtler, President and CEO of IPSA International to talk about the challenges of transparency post Panama documents and the growing trend amongst foreign governments to adopt citizenship by investment programmes

IPSA International provides financial crimes compliance support and investigations, as well as international due diligence services and cyber security to large corporates and governments. Which sector are you seeing the greatest growth in right now?

Our company is growing most quickly on the cyber security side, but a close second relates to our work providing due diligence services to countries involved in Immigration Investor Programs.

How has the release of the Panama documents impacted your industry?

The Panama Papers release has been a boost to our business, for sure. We educate our clients however and advise them that just because someone or some entity was listed in the documents, it does not suggest they were involved in something illicit. Having said that, it certainly raises the risk profile of said individual or entity, in most cases only slightly, but it does increase nonetheless.

We have been engaged by multiple clients – including governments - to investigate and perhaps provide additional due diligence on individuals and/or entities as a consequence of them being noted in the documents. The objective of the investigations are generally to use best practices to update

48

JULY / AUGUST 2016

the due diligence reports, especially given the change in risk profile. Additionally, some clients simply want to know if critical business partners, investors, etc. are listed and if so, what should they be thinking about.

Have you had to adopt new strategies for transparency post Panama?

While the Panama Papers have been quite the news event, it has not fundamentally changed anything with respect to how we operate our business. It has however provided a real world lesson learned for many people who did not perhaps understand or value the need for due diligence. Furthermore, I believe and hope people will spend more time doing due diligence on the professionals they decide to utilize and on the jurisdictions they decide to keep some of their assets in. Attorneys and accountants - licensed or otherwise - should be looked at closely to ensure they understand and will act according to your appetite for risk and public scrutiny. We have often found that just because someone is an attorney, a banker, people tend to trust more readily - this can be a dangerous assumption. Today, doing due diligence and asking questions of your advisors and even getting a second opinion - just as you would related to health concerns- should be considered a best practice.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Anti-money laundering is one of your most subscribed services, how has this fight evolved over the years?

We have been providing Know Your Customer (KYC) information to clients since 1993. The change in Anti Money Laundering (AML) laws and best practices has changed dramatically during that time. Obviously, the terrorist acts of 9/11 caused the majority of the changes. Two examples stand out - first, the increased information and expectation of banks and business in general to truly know who they are doing business with. The duty of care/best practice related to due diligence has increased dramatically. This requirement has caused a substantial increase in the number of database providers and investigative companies similar to IPSA to jump into the market.

Second - transaction monitoring has also dramatically increased and improved. The algorithms and thresholds utilized to identify suspicious activity are far better today than they were even five years ago, let alone 15. However, this improvement has brought with it, increased workload to the financial services industry. Major western governments tend to look at the large

The Panama Papers...provided a real world lesson learned for many people who did not perhaps understand or value the need for due diligence

banks as the first line of defense on the private side - if not even the public side - for finding signs of illicit activity.

While all of these changes have increased the cost of compliance and thereby increased the cost of doing business in general - especially cross-border business - the industry has certainly made it more difficult to utilize proceeds of crime within the legitimate business world. There is still more work to be done, however.

The widely debated issue related to true beneficial ownership is a substantial one, which comes to mind first. Examples such as the Panama Papers disclosures, in theory, fuel both sides of the beneficial ownership debate. On one side, the reality that without having true beneficial ownership information within a transaction decision, illicit finance has far more latitude to

operate - especially utilizing shell companies. The Panama Papers documents have and will undoubtedly continue to show more examples of bad actors utilizing shell companies to further criminal activity. On the other side, the right to privacy would suggest that because leaks such as this can take place, people who have legitimate reasons and desires to remain anonymous in fact need vehicles such as shell companies and foreign bank accounts to remain truly protected from prying eyes.

Is there ever a legitimate reason to have a secret foreign bank account and/or a shell company built to shield assets?

There are multiple reasons, but the most common and legitimate one in my opinion relates to instability in your home country.

If a person has concern that their home government is corrupt for example, there may be reason to ensure wealth is protected, and to some degree, hidden.

Citizenship by investment is an emerging trend for many countries. How do you assist governments in establishing these programmes for foreign investors?

Generally, IPSA provides due diligence services to countries offering citizenship by investment programs. Our advice tends to focus on two main themes - increase transparency and decrease conflicts of interest.

The government should demand transparency when it comes to applicant information and the government should provide it to their people related to how the programs funds are being utilized. Transparency breeds trust and good will, both of which are critical if these programs hope to continue growing in popularity.

Conflict of interest is another issue that in many cases is normal within a growing and immature industry. However, the immigrant investor program industry is now to the point where I believe the players, i.e. agents, service providers, governments, due diligence firms, advisors, etc, should take great care to ensure they don’t have conflicts of interest. Or at least where there is a conflict – i.e. represent a developer project where an applicant invests – be transparent about the conflict. For example – If an advisor represents an applicant and also represents a developer and receives a commission from the developer for introducing the applicant, there is a conflict of interest. That conflict can be reduced through transparency but it rests with the advisor to ensure the applicant is made aware of the relationship with the developer and in general terms about the commission.

2016 JULY / AUGUST

49

ENTREPRENEUR

Entrepeneur Daniele Kihlgren

RESTORING THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY Italian entrepreneur Daniele Kihlgren is on a mission to save Italy’s medieval ghost towns with authentic restorations to lure both locals and tourists

BY IVAN CARVALHO

t is no secret Italy is a cultural superpower. From the days of the Grand Tour, travellers have fallen in love with its impressive monuments and artworks. Yet if one ventures off the well-worn path trodden by visitors to Rome’s Colosseum or the Uffizi in Florence, another equally captivating world awaits, one untouched by vendors flogging souvenirs, maps and related tourist tat. These are the medieval hamlets, many in a state of disrepair, scattered across the countryside of the bel paese, or beautiful country.

Entrepreneur Daniele Kihlgren refers to them as Italy’s “second tier of cultural attractions” but argues they are just as deserving of attention as the frescoes one queues to see in the Sistine Chapel.

Part anthropologist, part philosopher, Italian entrepreneur Kihlgren, whose surname he inherited from his Genoa-born Swedish father, has taken the lead in drumming up interest for the borghi fantasma, abandoned or nearly uninhabited villages typically found in mountainous areas in the country’s poorer

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south. Waves of emigration moving north or abroad to seek work in the past century have decimated the population of hundreds of such settlements, leaving behind an ever-growing stock of ghost towns.

Born and raised in Milan, the 49-year-old first had contact with these neglected lands in 1999 during a solo expedition in the Abruzzo region aboard his BMW motorcycle. He stumbled upon the near-deserted hilltop village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park in the Apennines and was left speechless, not only by the outstanding beauty of the scenery but because almost everything was untouched.

“Time seemed to have stood perfectly still – no concrete buildings, no factories, no tourist infrastructure at all like you see elsewhere in the mountains with kitsch chalets. It was virgin,” says Kihlgren.

Soon after, he returned to Santo Stefano with plans to save the village from extinction. The inhabitants had dwindled from

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

1,400 in 1900 to a mere 70 a century later. Kihlgren invested nearly $5 million of his personal fortune, derived from a former family business making concrete for construction, to restore rundown buildings. His vision for the medieval hamlet was to create an albergo diffuso, or “dispersed hotel”, by cobbling together the existing housing stock and carving out a reception, restaurant and guestrooms in a series of unoccupied homes, stalls and workshops that stood next to each other for centuries.

After buying about 20 buildings at bargain prices – some owners had emigrated as far away as Canada decades earlier and had no desire to return – he undertook a careful renovation and opened his Sextantio Hotel.

To retain the original character of the hamlet, Kihlgren relied on local materials—primarily terracotta tiles, wood and limestone—and building practices to ensure the end result was not out of place. Scouring through old photos, he and his team recreated furniture once used by villagers and relied on the oral history of locals to uncover recipes that are now prepared in the hotel’s kitchen, such as bruschetta paired with a soup of mountain lentils. The only distinctly modern addition are the sleek, egg-white soaking tubs in the guestrooms.

“The kind of clients who understand what I am trying to do here are deeply interested in history,” he says.

“They consider authenticity to be a real value in today’s world. Italy is becoming more fake. That is why when I started this project, I began as if I was setting up a museum. We want a kinder, gentler concept of tourism.”

His efforts have boosted the local economy with suppliers for the restaurant and those offering nature hikes and related services to guests emerging. After Sextantio opened in 2004, business blossomed, reviving local crafts like textile-making.

It also attracted 21 new hotels, many of which followed suit and opened in disused spaces, ensuring the hamlet’s long-term survival.

To date, Kihlgren has earmarked about $43 million including Sextantio, the purchase of land in 10 other hamlets and his second hotel, an 18-room property in the ancient town of Matera in the instep of Italy’s boot-shaped peninsula. Set in a Unesco heritage site, his Sextantio Le Grotte hotel has carefully inserted accommodations inside the sassi, cave dwellings that sheltered locals for millennia until the Italian government moved residents out in the 1950s to more modern lodgings.

The rustic interiors in stone preserve the patina of these primitive dwellings. They are a far cry from chic villa-style hotels in ‘Chiantishire’—the nickname given to chi-chi Tuscan holiday haunts—with their infinity pools and modern spas.

And that is exactly the point, says Kihlgren.

“I am interested in these places as a cultural project. Too often we see in Tuscany places marketed for their folklore and history but there is no trace of the original charm. They are completely detached from the world of the local population.

I want to create something that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye but also preserves what makes Italy unique.”

The unique hotel in the old town of Matera has preserved its original features

The ancient town of Matera in Italy is being regenerated by Italian entrepeneur Daniele Kihlgren

2016 JULY / AUGUST

51

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

LUCKY MAN British entrepreneur Mark Weingard has encountered more tragedy in his life than most but that has not stopped him from creating a luxury global hotel brand and his own charitable foundation

BY CHANELLE TOURISH

epending on which way you look at it, Mark Weingard is either the unluckiest man in the world or the luckiest. The former city trader and philanthropist narrowly escaped the September 11 attacks in New York, followed by the Bali bombings in 2002 and the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand in 2004.

Weingard, 49, the founder of the Bali-based charitable foundation Inspirasia, prefers to look at it from a positive perspective. “Focus on what you can do, not what has happened,” he says from his home in Malta.

His ill-fated story began on September 11, 2001 when Weingard—a former trader at Chemical Bank in London, now JP Morgan Chase— was due to attend a business meeting in Manhattan in the South Tower of the World Trade Centre. Running late that day saved his life as Weingard just missed the second plane hitting the tower in the terrorist attack, which killed 23 employees in the office he was due to visit.

Just a year later, Weingard again found himself inadvertently caught up in another terrorist attack—the Bali nightclub bombing. At the time he was living in Singapore and it was an argument with his fiancee Annika Linden that prevented him from travelling with her to Bali, ultimately saving his life. Linden died in the blast, together with her group of friends celebrating a wedding. Only the bride Polly Brookes survived when terrorists bombed the Sari nightclub in Bali.

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JULY / AUGUST 2016

Still reeling from his fiancee’s death, Weingard again confronted his own mortality in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which claimed more than 230,000 lives. At the time Weingard was living in Phuket, Thailand and was at home with friends when the wave hit. They managed to take refuge on the roof of his house and survived. While some might have suffered the after-effects of so much tragedy in such a short space of time, Weingard chose to fight back.

“They are either going to make you or break you,” he says.

“Luckily I bounced back.

I don’t know why. I think maybe because my father died when I was 10 years old so I learned to deal with crisis in a strange way and try not to think backwards.”

Since then, Weingard has not looked back. To this day, he refuses to watch any footage of the disasters. Instead, he has used the tragedies as fuel for expanding his business and creating his own charitable foundation.

The loss of his fiancee inspired him to create the Bali-based Annika Linden Foundation since renamed Inspirasia - to help children of the city’s bombing victims.

“The mission at the outset was to recognise Annika’s spirit and to do something with my life,” he says. “It has all been one interesting adventure.”

Weingard’s new appreciation for life transpires through his work. After the tsunami destroyed his home in Phuket, he decided to rebuild using world-class designers but this time created a luxury hotel in its place and named it Iniala.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

“The whole idea was absolute madness,” he says. “I love hotels citizen. He says he is on a mission to make Valletta “a worldclass destination within the next seven years”. and I wanted to create something different and exciting. It is a beautiful project that is full of life and vitality.”

Admitting he is a serial risk-taker and likes nothing more Since then, the property has become one of Thailand’s most than a challenge, Weingard says he wants to become “part of sought-after hotels, with celebrities including the Kardashians a movement”. flocking to stay in one of its four private villas, which costs on “I want to make a change and do projects that make a average up to $2,000 per night. Although Iniala is a business difference. I am 50 this year and by the time I am 57, I want to venture for Weingard, it has a charitable arm which extends to stop doing active investment and go into passive investment, where I am a board member and just direct projects.” helping fund projects in education, health and rehabilitation. Five However, he is not throwing in the towel just yet and has per cent of revenue from Iniala (amounting to approximately $1 million per year) is donated to the Inspirasia foundation. several ventures in the pipeline, one of which is building “The foundation is the thing I am most proud of in my life,” three luxury houses in Barcelona worth between $11 million and $16 million each, with five per cent of the money being he says. “Philanthropy is a strange word. It is about helping donated to charity. Weingard’s latest projects include opening and looking for the root of problems rather than just giving. I want to teach people and be an inspiration. I want people to a second Iniala hotel next year. While still focusing on the understand that if they give just one per cent of their revenue “small and personal aspect” and exclusivity that Iniala has direct to charity, it would be a fortune." become known for, he says the new resort The foundation is dedicated to funding and will be more affordable, with rates ranging supporting projects in health and education from $200 to $2,250 per night. Other projects “I want people to for marginalised communities in Thailand, include building residential apartments, an Indonesia, India and Malta. It supports office block, multiple restaurants, shops and understand that if organisations financially and offers advice luxury homes. they give just one per “I have enjoyed travelling the world. I am a on how to make communities become more sustainable. Some of its latest projects have nomad,” says Weingard. “I hope to live until I cent of their revenue included helping children with cerebral palsy, am 76 because that means I am three-quarters direct to charity, it elderly stroke victims and those in need of through my life. The first quarter of my life I prosthetic limbs. was at school, the second I built my businesses, would be a fortune” Weingard says he never imagined being in a the third quarter I built a foundation and did position to help people. “I did not come from some fantastic projects. Hopefully the last a wealthy family. My father was a cab driver. I quarter I can [use to] travel the world teaching was a fairly normal kid who had fun with his friends. At the age charitable causes and just enjoy the last lap.”

For Weingard, it is not about being lucky or unlucky, it is of 18, I had never even opened a champagne bottle,” he says. about not giving up. “If someone throws a ball at you, hard, Weingard left his home in the UK at the age of 20 and is the best thing you can do is hold out a bat and that ball will go confident he will never return permanently. Today home is back a long way,” he says. “But some of it is luck.” in the city of Valletta in Malta, where he hopes to become a

Weingard's foundation Inspirasia helps disadvantaged communities in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Malta 2016 JULY / AUGUST

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L-R: Noella Coursaris Musunka and American rap artist Eve at the opening of a new library in Malaika's school project in the Congo

CREATING FUTURE LEADERS

oella Coursaris Musunka knows firsthand the power of a good education. Today the model and philanthropist lives in London with her husband and two young children but like the hundreds of girls whose lives she is helping transform, she was born into poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

However, Musunka’s childhood was a world away from other Congolese children, who typically live below the poverty line and have a one in five chance of seeing their fifth birthday. At the age of five, Musunka, who was a only child, was sent to live in Europe with her aunt and uncle shortly after her father died and her mother realised she could not afford to care for her anymore.

After being separated from her mother for more than a decade with only a few phone calls in between, Musunka went back to the Congo when she was 18. She described the meeting with her mother as “emotionally tough”.

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“You are meeting someone who is like a stranger to you but at the same time, she is your mum,” she says.

“Being a mum now myself, I know how important that bond is between a mother and child. No one can replace a mum or dad.”

While the separation from her mother at such a young age was traumatic for both mother and daughter, mother-of-two Musunka admits her mother made the “right choice” as growing up in Belgium and later moving to Switzerland in her early teens afforded her opportunities she would never have had otherwise.

She was a latecomer to modelling, preferring instead to finish her studies. “I was about 23 or 24 and my friends pushed me to enter a competition for Agent Provocateur in London where I was living at the time. I began modelling then in other campaigns and spent 10 years going between London and New York for work.”

In 2007, with the help of a handful of wealthy friends,

Photography by Remy Whiting and courtesy of Malaika

Noella Coursaris Musunka’s own difficult childhood led her to found the non-profit organisation Malaika, which provides free schooling to girls in Africa

Malaika school in Kalebuka provides free schooling to over 230 local girls

“We want to provide these girls with a quality education for free so they can become independent women and, if they want, the future leaders of our country”

Musunka founded her own nonprofit organisation Malaika in New York, to ensure that new generations of Congolese girls are educated for free at home and parents do not have to make the same tough choices as hers.

“Through our charity, we are creating an entire generation of agents of change, the leaders of tomorrow who will have a positive impact on the future of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” she says.

The Malaika School opened in 2011 in the town of Kalebuka, not far from where Musunka was born in Lubumbashi in the southeastern region of DRC. Before that, Kalebuka had only five educational centres for a population of 42,000 and none were free, which explains why the average girl in DRC only stays in school until the age of nine.

Today Malaika’s school has 231 local girls enrolled with modern facilities including a community football pitch, art and theatre classes and solar panel roofs sponsored by the Global Citizen Foundation, which allow the school to save money by generating their own reliable source of electricity. They also help power the school’s computers.

“I believe if my mother had been educated when my father [died], she could have kept me and supported herself without having to rely on a man,” says Musunka.

“My message is really to empower women by giving them an education. Traditionally, if a family had money they would send the boys to school first, so we want to provide these girls

with a quality education for free so they can become independent women and, if they want, the future leaders of our country.

“In a country like DRC, which is one of the richest countries in the world yet one of the poorest in terms of its healthcare system, infrastructure and education, we hope to help a generation to take control of their own country, their own destiny and the best way to do that is to give them an education.”

In March, American rap star and actress Eve visited the school with Musunka to open a new library after she read about the charity project in an online newsletter and contacted the foundation through Instagram.

Eve says: “I am hugely supportive of anything that helps young girls, whether it is going to talk to young girls or donating, I think a lot of our young women do not have an outlet to express themselves and I feel sometimes they can be looked over.”

Like Musunka, Eve is convinced the school project can contribute to real change in the country.

“I had great conversations with lots of people—some Congolese, some from other places, from all different backgrounds, political and business men and women—and they all felt strongly that supporting projects like Malaika and supporting these girls is the road to change. It will obviously take time but as long as people are dedicated then I'm sure it can happen.”

For more information visit malaika.org

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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PHILANTHROPY

A NEW DAWN The Amal project is plotting a new adventure that will bring hope to thousands of young refugees

eet Amal, an innocent Syrian refugee with inquisitive eyes and a wry smile. Like most young girls, Amal, has high hopes and soaring dreams for a happy and stable future - but this will be a challenge for her as she is growing up in a refugee camp. A victim of a shockingly brutal war, Amal is just one of the countless number of displaced Syrians forced to flee her country to find a new home.

Global Citizen Foundation, in collaboration with GlamOnYou, a Dubai-based fashion house have been deeply involved with the refugee crisis touched and inspired by Amal, meaning ‘hope’ in Arabic.

The AMAL Project brings recreational caravans to distressed regions to create an oasis for playing, dreaming, learning, and sharing moments of joy. The project’s mascot, Amal, symbolises a journey of a young refugee girl in a foreign place, without a real home and no safe spaces to grow and learn. Designed by GlamOnYou, the iconic handmade doll with apricot hair wears green ribbons, which are a symbol of childhood depression, missing children and environmental concerns.

Each caravan has been customised to offer optimum lighting with bright kitted-out interiors. The exterior is covered with joyful drawings with the participation of the children. Each new playroom offers a pathway to education and is filled with books, stationary and toys. With care at its core, the project has also created jobs for women refugees to maintain the caravans, teach and supervise the children.

These caravans are so much more than a safe haven away from 50 degree summers and minus 5 degree winters in Jordan; they are part of an ongoing rehabilitation process to help displaced children deal with the horrific experiences they have already witnessed in their young lives and to encourage them to express

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themselves and, essentially, be children.

“Being a mother myself, the Amal project is a cause which is very close to my heart. The children’s stories are absolutely harrowing. There is just nothing there at the camps. It’s a wasteland: no electricity, no shelter, no life. For just two hours each day, water drips from a tap to provide for over 150 children.

Even though we have already provided two caravans, some of the children simply couldn’t reach them as the walk is just too far,” says Nadine Arton, Founder of GlamOnYou and The AMAL Project.

The Global Citizen Foundation, which focuses on sustainable development and education projects in the Caribbean, Ethiopia, UAE and Jordan, has already donated over $40,000 to the AMAL Project and together they delivered the first set of recreational caravans to the Al Azraq camp in Jordan in 2015, with a further caravan in Zaatari; the largest camp in the country.

Inspired by the enormous impact the AMAL project has on children in Jordan so far, the project will expand to helping children all over the world, starting in India in September 2016.

“These projects will make a huge difference to bringing a sense of normality back to children’s lives to preserve their precious childhoods. We are extremely delighted to be a part of their future, and look to continue to support further educational initiatives for them, as the most important investment one can make is in education. The next generation will be the leaders of our economies, and by empowering citizens through education, we hope to help to build a more sustainable future for all,” explained Arton.

To donate or get involved in the AMAL project, please get in touch through www.global-citizen.org/project/amal-project. Nothing in this world is more pure than the joy in children’s eyes. Help us bring it to them.

The AMAL project founder Nadine Arton and Lina Boualwan with refugee children in the Arzaq camp, Jordan

The AMAL Project caravan in Arzaq camp

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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LIFESTYLE

TOYOTA SETSUNA Toyota’s latest concept car made its debut at Milan Design Week. This beautiful roadster is made almost entirely of wood — Japanese cedar and birch, to be specific — and was built using traditional Japanese carpentry techniques that do not involve nails or screws. Not just a work of art, the car is drivable up to a top speed of 45km but Toyota has not yet made it street legal nor available for sale.

All prices approximate

newsroom.toyota.co.jp

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GADGETS

ZEPPELIN WIRELESS Bowers & Wilkins launches the Zeppelin Wireless. With superlative audio performance, the single-speaker system is as beautiful as it is sonically capable.

Its sweeping contours command aesthetic appreciation while producing a reassuring room-filling sound. Whether perched on a bookshelf or placed in the centre of a room, the improved sound quality creates an acoustic experience that belies its size.

$699.99 bowers-wilkins.com

OCULUS RIFT The much-anticipated virtual reality system is finally on the market. The Oculus radically redefines digital entertainment, whether you are stepping into your favourite game, watching an immersive movie, jumping to a destination on the other side of the world, or just spending time with friends in VR. The Rift uses state-of-the-art displays and optics designed to ensure you feel like you are really there.

$599 Oculus.com

24-CARAT GOLD ANALOGUE NT Analogue is giving its 8-bit system an upgrade, both in materials and price. The limited edition 24-carat gold Analogue Nt has been made to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda video game, which first hit Nintendo's game catalogue in 1986.

The Analogue Nt will be limited to 10 units and will come with a gold-coloured Legend of Zelda cartridge as part of the deal.

$4,999 www.analogue.co

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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AUTO

TALES FROM THE AUTOBAHN

The Mercedes-Benz museum takes a ride through more than 130 years of automotive history

BY PHILL TROMANS

lenty of car manufacturers have what they call heritage fleets—collections of vehicles they have made in the past.

Brands like to bring them out at car shows and events to display their history and expertise over the years. Sometimes the vehicles are just stored in warehouses, other times they are housed in specially built museums.

When Mercedes-Benz decided to build a museum to show off its heritage fleet, it did not hold back. Rather than procure a few dusty corridors in a corner of a factory, Mercedes spent about $165 million on a purpose-built nine-storey museum near its Stuttgart headquarters. Designed by renowned Dutch architects UN Studio and opened in 2006, the striking edifice stores more

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than 160 vehicles of all shapes and sizes, along with about 1,500 other pieces of automobilia.

The museum has become the number one tourist attraction in Stuttgart, according to reviews website Trip Advisor and welcomes nearly a million people a year. It is easy to see the appeal. For anyone with a passing interest in cars, Mercedes is one of the landmark brands. Its founder, Karl Benz, created the first motorcar powered by an internal combustion engine within spitting distance of the museum in 1886 and naturally, a replica of the PatentMotorwagen is on display on the top floor.

Visitors descend through the helix-styled building but it becomes clear the exhibits are not just interesting to those with octane

Images courtesy of Mercedes

AUTO

The Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart

running through their veins. The curators of the museum have invested considerable time, research and expertise to ensure the cars reflect the social changes the world has seen over the past 130 years.

Enter the soaring atrium and the scale of the project is immediately apparent. The ceiling rises 33 metres high with exhibits peeking over the edge of each floor to tantalise. The tour, supported by audio guides, starts on the top floor after a futuristic ride in a bunker-like elevator and charts the events that led to the creation of the car, before moving through the development of Mercedes and its vehicles in the run up to the First World War. The pace of technological development is then shown against the backdrop of the two world wars but it is the post-war rise in Mercedes’ fortune that is the most fascinating section, particularly given Germany’s position in the world post-1945. Lower floors look at particular changes in safety and technology after 1960 and there is a focus on the present day and a future encompassing emission-free mobility.

Before visitors emerge in the atrium again, there is a floor dedicated to Mercedes’ considerable motorsport heritage, from early Grand Prix racing to modern-day Formula One and a tremendous display of record-breaking cars, including the 1938 W125 Rekordwagen – an experimental machine that set an asyet-unbroken speed record of 432kph on a public road.

All the exhibits are supported by wall displays, editorial and a fascinating amount of video footage collated from a range of archives. For petrolheads, it is a must-see but even those who cannot tell a C-Class from a 300 SLR will find plenty to entertain and inform. For Mercedes, the museum brings in revenue but perhaps more importantly, it is a tremendous boost to brand awareness. It is no surprise, once visitors have descended through several hours of fascinating automotive history, they are confronted with a gift shop, a sizeable new car showroom and even a section selling beautifully restored classic cars. So engaging and well executed is the museum though, it is not hard to forgive a bit of salesmanship.

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DESIGN ENTREPRENEUR

ONE TO WATCH Dario Spallone founded his start-up while still at university. Three years on, his edgy timepieces have found favour with celebrities

s a management student at Milan’s Bocconi University, Dario Spallone wrote his thesis on the marketing of a new watch brand. But he did not stop there. At the age of 20, he put his theory into practice when he set up his watch company D1 Milano with his sister Alessia and his two close friends, Alessandro Pedersoli and Mattia Bodini.

Three years on, the business has already garnered a steady following. Its trendy timepieces, which cost an average $170, are more fashion statement than heirlooms. The brand distinguishes itself with the use of inventive materials such as thermochromic paints, marble dials and soft touch polycarbon straps.

Last year, D1 launched the world’s first thermochromic watch, a limited edition piece that changes colour based on the temperature of the wearer. “We did one year of research,” says Spallone. “I am really into the trend of infusing technology with fashion right now.”

Last year Forbes named Spallone “one of the most promising young Italian fashion entrepreneurs”. This year the magazine ranked D1 among “the top 10 start-ups redefining Italian fashion”.

This type of recognition has been greater validation for the entrepreneur than profits, he says.

“I do not care about the monetary results as much as seeing the brand I co-founded being duly acknowledged.”

The brand has also generated a fair amount of celebrity interest, ranging from the likes of actor Tyrese Gibson and DJ Diplo to Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.

“We don’t call them celebrities but friends as they are not sponsored by the brand,” says Spallone.

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“I am just good at organising, paying attention to detail and I like working with people. I think that is what being an entrepreneur is” With all this success, Spallone now returns to Bocconi University to lecture students and budding entrepreneurs like himself. “I always tell [the students] the hardest part in the beginning is giving yourself structure. Even when there was nothing to do and we had no clients, I forced my partners and myself to be in the office. Sometimes we would just stare at a blank computer screen.

This is not a hobby. It is a constant battle with yourself,” he says.

Spallone adds the brand is “growing double digits everywhere”.

Italy, France and the UK are the main markets in Europe while east Asia has been gaining traction, with two flagship stores in Japan. In the Middle East, D1 has just opened a flagship store in Bahrain’s Al Aali shopping mall and is currently stocked in Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales in Dubai.

At just 23, Spallone’s passion and business know-how make him sound like a seasoned chief executive but he still remains humble: “I am an entrepreneur and not a creator. I know how to manage things and people. I tell people, I wish I could be an employee but I am not good at anything. I am just good at organising, paying attention to detail and I like working with people. I think that is what being an entrepreneur is.”

DESIGN ENTREPRENEUR

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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YACHT

THE BOAT FOR BILLIONAIRES Axioma is the superyacht of choice for the rich and famous

BY PETER ALLEN

t 72 metres long, Axioma is three times the minimum prerequisite for a superyacht and 12m wide. This makes her one of the most powerful and luxurious crafts in the world – one loved by billionaires, business executives and celebrities alike. Launched at the Monaco boat show in 2013 as Red Square, she has seen all sorts of big names on board, from F1 motor racing champion Lewis Hamilton to movie stars and models like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner.

Global Citizen put her to the test in January and found the hype to be absolutely justified. She has five decks that include a dozen staff cabins, six staterooms and acres of extra space for guests to enjoy themselves. The interiors are designed by the late Alberto Pinto, who said he deliberately used simple pastel colours and materials that were not too ornate. He aimed to create a summerhouse feel rather than that of a stuffy, old-fashioned hotel.

Some of the VIP cabins have marble bathtubs and private terraces and stretch across the entire width of the yacht while all are equipped with five-star hotel facilities, including wifi, air conditioning, adjustable lighting and power showers. White fluffy towels are delivered constantly, whether people were getting out of the jacuzzi, the swimming pool on deck or the sea (water onboard is provided by a reverse osmosis system that removes salt from seawater). Other shared facilities include the gym, bars, steam room and an eight-seater 3D cinema with a well-stocked library.

Beyond the glamour, the Axioma is ultimately an exquisite piece of ocean-going machinery. Her twin Caterpillar engines allow her to do 6,000 nautical miles at 14 knots, thanks to her 172,400-litre fuel tanks. Each year the Axioma runs up 20,000 nautical miles, split between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, as she chases the sun.

She comes equipped with numerous nautical toys, all of which are kept in a dedicated room on the waterline. It contains everything from top-of-the-range 50mph jet skis to sailing boats, diving equipment, paddleboards and bright yellow submersible Seabobs, propeller-driven bodyboards. When Jenner and Hadid holidayed on the Axioma, their videoed leap into the ocean from the top deck went viral on social media.

“It is your charter and you tell us exactly what you want to get the best out of it,” says Suzie Sawers, the yacht’s chief steward.

“We are here to work out exactly what you want. We are always happy to help with any request—however obscure.” There are up to 22 crew working at any one time, all keeping in regular contact via headpieces and microphones. They pop up from discreet entrances around the boat and then disappear again when they are no longer needed.

Chef Stephen Paskins, who has worked in numerous Michelinstarred restaurants on dry land, is responsible for the 24-hourgalley, along with a sous chef. Paskin’s range is exceptional.

He makes everything from scratch, including bread and cake.

Fresh ingredients are sourced from the Caribbean islands and if essentials are not available, they are flown in and couriered to the boat. This meant $1,500 pots of Beluga caviar, Japanese wagyu beef and Spanish cured meat were as ubiquitous as Cristal champagne (vintage and non-vintage, according to preference).

And if you have $70 million to spare, you could actually buy her.

The Axioma is now booking for its winter season in the Caribbean exclusively through Yachting Partners International (YPI), from $577,000 per week. For more information visit www.ypigroup.com or download the YPI Selection app.

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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DESIGN ENTREPRENEURS

Karl Lagerfeld and Pier Paolo Righi

IT’S ALL IN THE NAME The chief executive of Karl Lagerfeld’s own fashion line tells how the 82-year-old dynamo does it

BY NAUSHEEN NOOR

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DESIGN ENTREPRENEURS

arl Lagerfeld needs little introduction. He is a legend in the fashion business, currently working as the head designer and creative director of both Fendi and Chanel.

His off-duty persona is unabashedly controversial and his personal style has become as iconic as his creations – white ponytail, high collar, black tie. So it might come as a surprise that Lagerfeld’s eponymous fashion line does, in fact, need an introduction.

“This is the brand that is closest to what is important to him, what he stands for and his roots,” says Pier Paolo Righi, the chief executive of the Karl Lagerfeld line. “For the other brands, he has to interpret their DNA. With this line, he doesn’t have to be concerned with, for example, Coco Chanel’s legacy and how to interpret that.”

Launched in 2012, the label consists of men and women’s readyto-wear clothes and accessories. There are 23 Karl Lagerfeld stores globally, with one in Qatar and a soon-to-open site in City Walk, Dubai. The brand to date is most popular in France and Germany “because Karl is German but known in France,” says Righi. The brand also draws a number of spillover clients from Lagerfeld’s other labels. “This is affordable luxury so it does not compare to Chanel. However, it is amazing how many Chanel customers shop in Karl Lagerfeld, plus there are lots of fans because he is such a big persona.”

Next year there are plans to open the first American store in New York. Accessibility is key so the collection is priced in the mid-range and was launched online late last year. “He wants people to have access to his world,” says Righi.

The Lagerfeld name is drawing a number of potential collaborators but one of the biggest challenges has been keeping up with demand. “Usually with a young brand, you take things one step at a time. But with a name like [his], you have a global platform and you have to cater to that,” says Righi.

The designer did make time for Kim Kardashian recently when she asked if he would appear in her blockbuster video game.

There is now a Karl Lagerfeld store in the game and avatars wear his designs.

Next is the introduction of a children’s collection, inspired by his godson and runway regular, Hudson, as well as a jewellery line. There are also plans to build a Karl Lagerfeld hotel in Macau.

It seems impossible that at the age of 82, Lagerfeld manages three different fashion houses as well as an ever-growing list of projects. “He is extremely efficient,” says Righi. “He knows exactly what he wants and that makes him work very fast. He is super-disciplined. He goes to Chanel meetings, comes to our offices, then goes to fittings at Fendi. He works like a machine.

That distinguishes him from other designers.”

2016 JULY / AUGUST

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HOTELS

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HOTELS

LA DOLCE VITA

Surround yourself with history and beauty in equal measure in one of Rome's largest hotels

BOSCOLO EXEDRA ROME, ITALY While the Neoclassical Hotel Exedra is one of Rome’s largest hotels located on the site of the 3rd century Baths of Diocletian, its old-world charm and attentive service add a sense of intimacy to your stay. Set in a former 19th Century palace, guests can choose between classic splendor with rooms in the Clementino, named after the 16th Papal grain stores, with original exposed brick walls and wooden beams or for the more design savvy, there are contemporary chic rooms complete with high ceilings,

marble floors and faux-crocodile headboards.

For some of the best views of the city, including Michelangelo’s Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angelo, head upstairs to the hotel’s rooftop terrace, which also features a stunning blue mosaictiled swimming pool and casual seafood restaurant—perfect for unwinding in the summer evenings after a day of sight-seeing.

Double rooms from $580 boscolohotels.com

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TRAVEL

ADRIATIC ALLURE There are few better spots to moor your yacht come summertime than Hvar’s star-studded shores

achts bob idly on baby blue waters, sunlight drenches the harbour and the early risers sip espressos behind their morning papers, pausing only to glimpse the bronzed bodies beginning to saunter along the palm-lined promenade.

In Croatia’s port of Hvar, summer mornings are a late and lazy affair. Cruise in by nightfall and you’ll see why: from June, the harbour is rich with the well-known and well-heeled as swan-like yachts — fresh from island hopping across the Dalmatian Coast — slope in to soak up the party atmosphere and the Adriatic’s other ample delights.

Its newfound popularity is surprising when you consider just over a decade ago few had even heard of Hvar. War wreaked havoc across the six republics comprising the former Yugoslavia, leaving much of Croatia in a pitiful state of wreck and ruin. In its time, Croatia has had an influx of European invaders — the Romans, Slavs, French, Greeks and Ottomans among them — but, to its credit, has gleaned the best from each and every one and now presents jet setters with a rich tapestry of history, culture and cuisine — not to mention an insatiable appetite for celebration.

Today you’ll find Hvar populated by bikini-clad beauties and

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tanned men in pressed pastel shorts. During peak season, wellgroomed Italians dominate — having declared it the ‘new Amalfi’ — while on the water the most enviable vessel to spot is Beluga, a seriously glamorous, ebony-sailed Turkish gullet owned by actress-turned-hotelier and interior designer, Anouska Hempel.

Indeed, these shores are now very much on the mega-yacht itinerary. Roman Abromavich and Bill Gates have both cottoned on to the port’s charms, as have countless celebrities. Beyonce has holidayed here (a local tour guide says it is where she first saw a flower called blue ivy, the name later given to her daughter), Valentino sailed in — before sailing out again at the sight of the paparazzi — and Britain’s party-loving Prince Harry was photographed diving into a Hvar hotel pool, fully clothed.

Happily, there is more to Hvar than the size of your yacht: its paved chalk-white piazza, picture-perfect harbour and catwalk-like promenade open onto hip hotels, rooftop bars and chic waterside restaurants where the likes of Princess Caroline of Monaco, Eva Longoria and Kevin Spacey have been spotted dining. The local cuisine is superb and, unsurprisingly with shores like these, the most delectable dish is fish. Having only entered the European

Images courtesy of Getty Images

BY LAURA BINDER

TRAVEL

Union two years ago, Croatia’s waters have remained unspoilt by the rest of the continent’s greedy trawlers. There are thought to be some 400 sea creatures, from sizeable squid and giant hot pink langoustines to sea bass, bream and tender tuna.

Beyond the pleasures of the promenade, pebbled beaches and enchanting islets are ripe for exploring. If you don’t care to move the yacht (it is tricky enough getting a spot in the first place), a taxi boat can whisk you, wind in hair, to Palenki Otoci,

an archipelago of 16 untapped islets. On dry land, hire a scooter and head up to the hilltop villages you can see from the terracottaroofed dwellings below. A scenic drive takes you high above wavy coastlines, through tiny villages (with as few as four residents in Malo Grablje) on to Hvar’s least touristy town of Stari Grad, where you can escape the throngs.

With idyllic islets, authentic fare, beautiful people and high-end nightlife abound, you have to question why Valentino left so soon.

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TRAVEL

WHERE TO GO

STARI GRAD

GREBISCE AND UVALA DUBOVICA

BONJ LES BAINS BEACH CLUB

HVAR MARINA

Where better to top up your tan than Hvar’s hottest beach club?

Make for the Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort and you’ll find the 1920s white stone colonnade shaded under a pine grove on a small sandy bay. Kick off Havaianas to recline in a private stone cabana and have ice-cold bubbly brought to you by waitresses in crisp white miniskirts.

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Most of Hvar’s pretty beaches will have you balancing on a rock and attempting to step onto a pebbled seabed while maintaining some decorum. But not the silky-sand beach of Grebisce. Narrow and sun-drenched, you’ll find it four kilometres east of Jelsa, just off the Sucuraj road. If you are not opposed to a pebble or two, make for Uvala Dubovica instead. Arguably the most charming cove on the east and set beside an ancient manor house, it is a popular pick with the yachting crowd.

There is more to the marina than the promenade. It is nestled beneath a medieval castle, home to one of Europe’s most romantic piazzas and flanked by the continent’s oldest municipal theatre as well as a Benedictine convent. If you’re feeling generous, the harbour’s shops include several beautiful jewellery boutiques — be sure to step into Tanja Curin’s for stones combed from all corners of the globe.

Images courtesy of Getty Images

Founded by the ancient Greeks in 384 BC, not only is Stari Grad Hvar’s oldest town but also one of Europe’s most ancient. Despite such a claim to fame, you can meander here in relative solitude. Spend an idle day wandering its serene stone alleyways, punctuated by yellow, blue and green shutters, stop off at quaint street cafes for Dalmation nibbles and cool off with ice creams in the sleepy harbour.

TRAVEL

WHERE TO STAY PALMIZANA

Sveti Klement, the largest of the Palenki Otoci islets just a short boat ride from Hvar, is home to Palmizana. Enter this bohemian hideaway and you will find an oasis of lush fauna and bold blooms.

Owned by flame-haired artist Dagmar Meneghello, guests can stay in one of seven eclectic stone villas and six colourful bungalows. Do not leave without dining on its hot pink restaurant terrace.

The Hvarska gregarda, a Dalmation casserole swimming with lobster, potatoes and shellfish, is a must-try.

Rates from $263 per night in peak season

ADRIANA, HVAR SPA HOTEL

If you like your hotels to be in the heart of it, this is the place. A stylish, glossy bolthole set in Hvar’s pulsating heart and with spectacular vistas that stretch over the sea, beyond the marina and across the Old City. Make time for a dip in its rooftop seawater pool, spend a spell in its spa and enjoy a drink of something cool in its ever-popular marina-facing Top Bar. Rates from $341 in peak season

RIVA, HVAR YACHT HARBOUR HOTEL

First opened in 1927, this promenadesited hotel has long enticed a starstudded clientele, from Orson Welles to Jeanne Moreau and Sean Connery. Its monochrome and red rooms each pay homage to screen sirens with oversized portraits to the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn. The Riva marina suite is the best in the house. Check in and make the most of a glass-walled bathroom and private harbour-facing terrace.

Rates from $247 per night

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Images courtesy of Getty Images

TRAVEL

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TRAVEL

WHERE THE MOUNTAINS MEET THE SEA Montenegro makes its mark on the jet-set destination map

BY NAUSHEEN NOOR

he Montenegrin coastline is only 100 km long, but along its brief entirety, there is not a single vantage point that isn’t breathtaking. This is where rough-hewn mountains meets pure turquoise sea creating pink-pebbled beach coves and waterfront Medieval towns in its undulations.

Since the Roman Empire split in half 1600 years ago, Montenegro has straddled east and west. Many people have fought over these lands, its cultural history influenced by the Romans, Ottomans and Slavs ­­— a legacy that is visible in the ornate Catholic churches, the graceful minarets of mosques and the stalwart fortresses that spread across the verdant, mountainous landscape. In this century, the country spent 50 years as a communist state, but still independent of the Soviet Bloc.

It’s been two decades since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and 10 years since Montenegro’s independence from Serbia. The country is currently undergoing somewhat of a makeover, attracting significant foreign investment in the form of luxury developments and resorts forming along its pristine coastline. The new and sparkling Porto Montenegro is among the first of such developments. It is the brainchild of Peter Munk, the Canadian founder of mining company Barrick Gold. In 2007, he and a group of investors paid $26 million for a 99-year lease on a rundown, government-owned naval site close to Tivat airport.

Backed by a consortium that included Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, banking-family scions Nathaniel and Jacob Rothschild and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, he turned the site into a

luxury waterfront complex, complete with residences, shops, restaurants and an international boarding school. Just last month the Investment Corporation of Dubai acquired it for an undisclosed sum.

But Porto Montenegro is just the harbinger of things to come.

South Africa’s Kerzner International, Qatari Diar, American developer NorthStar and Egyptian Orascom Development Holding all have commenced plans for luxury developments in the young country. Simultaneously, this year alone, new direct flights have been launched from Manchester Airport and London Gatwick.

Tel Aviv, Amsterdam and Dubai are soon to follow. The country is poised for a tourist explosion akin to Croatia a decade ago.

But for the time being, the country is still unaccustomed to its new position on the international jet-set destination map. It is a place where locals will still invite travellers to their home for a meal of lamb stew slow-cooked in a wood-fire oven and accompanied by a glass of rakija, homemade schnapps. The cobblestone streets of ancient towns have become smooth over the centuries, and their paths lead through dimly-lit, maze-like streets lined with small cafes serving local wine, cured meat and cheese. The mountain air is crisp, fresh and deeply therapeutic; the water, crystal clear and rejuvenating. In the summer, the salty sea breeze is laced with the scent of wildflowers, pine and honeysuckle. Montenegro may be small, but it is perfectly formed, a magical place that will leave you yearning for it long after you have left.

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TRAVEL

WHERE TO GO BAY OF KOTOR

PORTO MONTENEGRO

SVETI STEFAN / BUDVA

DURMITOR NATIONAL PARK

This is where to moor your superyacht while you indulge in gourmet cuisine and high-end shopping. For those with spare millions, there are also luxury apartments to appease individuals who wish to make this a recurring holiday destination. Built upon a former naval shipyard, don’t miss the Naval Heritage Collection Museum with its authentic submarine and artefacts serving as a reminder of the area’s strategic maritime importance.

Images courtesy of Getty Images

The bay on the Adriatic, containing the well-preserved medieval towns of Kotor, Perast and Herceg Novi, has been inhabited since antiquity and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The best way to see this area is from the water on a speedboat as it cruises though the winding bay at thrilling speeds. During the day, cruise ships unload their human hordes on the towns, so the best time to explore is in the evening when the dimly-lit streets and medieval ruins take on a romantic quality.

A former medieval fishing village that is now an Aman resort.

Even if you are not one of the privileged few staying at the hotel, settle down for a meal al fresco at the Villa Milocer, the former summer palace of the Yugoslavian royal family, underneath the wisteria-canopied terrace. It is the perfect spot to watch the sunset over the spectacular bay.

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When you tire of city sightseeing, this is where to go. Montenegro is an incredibly preserved place of natural beauty. This park, with forty-eight peaks that soar to over 2000m, is popular for skiing in the winter and hiking and rafting in the summer. It is home to 163 species of birds, 50 types of mammals, and reportedly the greatest variety of butterflies in Europe. Bears and wolves are known to still roam these areas, though not often sighted.

TRAVEL

WHERE TO STAY

REGENT, PORTO MONTENEGRO

This grand marina front hotel was designed in reflection of the region’s centuries-old ties to Venice. It provides impeccable service and luxurious amenities that international jet-setters have grown accustomed to. Located in Boka Bay, the hotel provides easy access to historical sites with all the comforts to retire to when you return from sightseeing. The dining options are plentiful, with

some dishes offering twists on traditional Montenegrin cuisine.

The spectacular spa which uses Ligne St Barth products and contains experience showers and hammam rooms will leave you renewed for the next portion of your journey.

Double rooms from $340 per night

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FASHION

SUMMER SIZZLE This summer, add punch to your wardrobe with bold colour and patterns

Panama hat, Hackett, $245

Tee-shirt, Missoni, $245

Linen short, Hartford, $120

Hermes S/S 16

Espadrilles, Gucci, $435

Cotton terry polo shirt, Tom Ford, $650 Cord and silver-plated anchor wrap, Miansai, $65

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All prices approximate

Images courtesy of Getty Images

Camera, Leica M240, $10,232

FASHION

Wooden beach bat and ball set, Frescobol Carioca, $245

Nairobi square-frame acetate polarised sunglasses, L.G.R, $335

Polo shirt, Missoni, $568

Printed cotton shirt, Valentino, $695

Swim shorts, Tom Ford, $450

Richard James, S/S 16 Swim shorts, Orlebar Brown, $345

Rope-trimmed leather sandals, Bottega Veneta, $505

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HOROLOGY

SUMMER SHOWSTOPPERS GC's pick of the hottest timepieces

OMEGA GLOBEMASTER CHRONOMETER ANNUAL CALENDAR

Now in 41mm, this new annual calendar features each month of the year in the 12 facets of the trademark pie-pan dial. Then, a thin blue hand points towards the current month, which then instantly jumps at month's end.The case remains stainless steel while the polished, fluted bezel is made of scratch-proof tungsten carbide.

As with the other Globemasters, the annual calendar features a co-axial, master chronometer certification from METAS. BLANCPAIN THE GREAT WAVE, METIERS D’ART STUDIO

Inspired by the motion of the sea, this latest creation highlights a gemstone used for the first time by Blancpain, Mexican silver obsidian, semi-transparent volcanic rock known for its soothing qualities. This gem serves as a base for wave applique in white gold, which is inspired by the Great Wave of Kanagawa, a 19th century Japanese woodblock print by the artist Hokusai. Blancpain has modified the famous hand-wound 13R0 calibre, calling the progress a 13R3A movement. The power reserve display appears on the bridge side of the model so as to provide sufficient space and ensure optimal visibility to the engraving. The movement with its 8-day power reserve is equipped with three series-coupled mainspring barrels that successively wind and unwind.

HUBLOT BIG BANG MECA-10

With its plates, axles and gears, this watch if for the guy who spends hours building and dismantling technical constructions and experimenting in an engineer’s world. The watch is a transitional object that took two years to develop and refine a new manufacture movement with onboard mechanics. The skeleton mechanical movement with manual winding and a 10-day power reserve boasts 223 components, straight and curved perforated metallic strips, crown gears, racks, plates, axes and ratchet wheels.

HARRY WINSTON HISTOIRE DE TOURBILLON 7

The brand reveals its seventh edition of their most famous complication: the tourbillon. After having explored several variations, this watch boasts two biaxial tourbillons that dance with time. The right side of the dial features a pyramid-cut reading area that houses the hour and minute hands. It is surrounded by indexable inserts that form a tilted three-dimensional hour circle.

Extended by a long strip in either red aluminum or anthracite, depending on the version, perforated for a better view of the two bi-axial tourbillons, it overlooks a power reserve indicator in roll form that is flush with a domed sapphire crystal.

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