Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing 4x4s across different models: Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover was the original manufacturer of SUVs, Is it still among the best? We drive the slick new Velar, to find out

In the world where every car seems to be a large sport utility vehicle with four-wheel-drive, and enormous amounts of horizontal lateral and vertical space, it’s hard to believe that not that long ago there was really just one SUV you could buy.

The Range Rover was the preferred car for English countryside aristocrats, who used it to navigate the private lanes on their muddy estates. It had the height to avoid rural obstacles and the powerful V8 engine to get it out of mud holes. And quite a lot of comfort and style besides.

Velar, a Latin name that means “to veil”, “Velar” also could’ve been an acronym for “Vee-Eight Land Rover,” as the original prototypes all had eight-cylinder engines

That was then. But what about now? Presumably the tsunami of SUVs from every type of car manufacturer, from Lamborghini to Hyundai, means the original has been sidelined? What would a Range Rover’s USP be now?

Quite a lot, as it turns out, we discovered when driving the Velar.

Great cars always have a distinctive characteristic that is retained down the generations, regardless of evolution. The Mercedes-Benz S class has its own luxurious style distinctive and superior to all of its rivals. The Porsche 911 has a character and precision that it retains even though its current models are unrelated to the originals in the 1960s.

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Similarly, a driver of an original Range Rover from the 1970s would instantly recognise the current model – in a good way. Driving down a road – even a normal urban road – if you feel a sense of security, authority and comfort, as if driving your favourite armchair. The security also arises from the knowledge that this is a famously capable car off-road, even if you never venture down your own muddy farm track.

The Velar relies heavily on electronics and brake intervention for off-road control

Other powerful SUVs hurtle, the Range Rover Appears to waft, Jeeves like, even when it is going very fast.

The interior is British luxurious, that is to say not focused on design-function like some competitors, but all about comfort. While it is an extremely accommodating car for passengers, as a driver you felt like you had melded with it and simply never wanted to get out.

Read more: Rolls-Royce Presents Cullinan Series II In Ibiza

We doubt any Range Rover drivers will be taking their cars for a sports car style blast: they will have other cars for that. Still if you’re pressing on, it retains its composure and comfort, although if you are a super enthusiastic driver, you may well find more sharpness in some of its competitors.

Costumers can tailor their own Range Rover Velar: From different colours on the outside, wheel and roof options. The outside colours vary from Zadar Grey, Santorini Black to Fuji White and more

Some current SUVs work in certain markets, where flashy cars are applauded: however if you live somewhere where discretion is more the word, the Velar will probably suit you more. Although big, and imposing, it has an understated confidence to it that does not invite aggression from other drivers. A worthy successor to the original.

www.landrover.com/range-rover/range-rover-velar

The Clement Palo Alto is ranked #14 on the All-Inclusive Resorts list in the USA

The Clement Palo Alto offers a distinctive experience that stands out in a region known more for its tech giants than its hospitality. Candice Tucker reviews this luxury all-inclusive hotel and shares why it is the place to stay in Silicon Valley.

The moment you walk into The Clement, there is an instant sense of homeliness. Just a small minimalist reception area which leads through to a lounge, restaurant and 24-hour open kitchen area, the hotel has a residential charm that completely puts you at ease. With light brown wooden finishes and cream leather sofas, the hotel strikes the perfect balance of luxury without pretentiousness—ideal for those using it as a sophisticated retreat while attending meetings or visiting Stanford University, just across the road.

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Stepping into the bedroom feels like entering your own private sanctuary. The expansive space is thoughtfully divided, offering a cozy lounge area and a dedicated workspace with a separate guest loo. The bedroom area provides a tranquil retreat, while the enormous white marbled bathroom—complete with a double-sized shower and bath added a touch of spa-like luxury.

The generous space makes it feel more like a well-appointed apartment than a hotel room, creating a restful environment that feels like a home away from home. To no surprise, being in Silicon Valley, the technology was completely up to date with one simple machine controlling every function possible in the room.

The hotel is located downtown Palo Alto near the Stanford University campus with 23 residential-inspired suites

Later in the afternoon, feeling a bit peckish, I called reception to inquire about room service. While they were happy to send something up, they suggested I explore the 24-hour open kitchen instead. Right by the main restaurant, this brown wooden kitchen with dark marble tabletops resembles one you’d find in a luxury Beverly Hills mansion.

Read more: Shogun, Zermatt’s finest Japanese restaurant, reviewed

Complete with a double fridge, cabinets filled with perfectly arranged jars of biscuits, yogurt and fruit bowls, fresh juices, and an array of light snacks, I was browsing through as if it were my very own dream kitchen at home. It was a refreshingly personal touch, allowing guests to help themselves at any time, fostering an atmosphere of comfort and familiarity.

All meals and beverages are inclusive in the price of your room, thus no exchange of money is necessary

The next day I dined at the hotel’s restaurant for lunch which offers a curated seasonal menu that showcases local ingredients. I was also given the option to dine whenever and wherever I chose, which was not only convenient but added to the level of personalisation that the hotel seems to so easily provide. The tomato soup was flavoursome and light and left the perfect amount of room for the Dijon roasted salmon which was soft in the middle with a crispy tangy outer layer.

Read more: Chez Vrony, Zermatt, Switzerland review

The Clement Palo Alto excels at offering a luxury experience that never feels overwhelming. The hotel’s small size, combined with its attention to detail and personalised service, creates an intimate atmosphere that’s perfect for both business travellers and those visiting Stanford University. Every aspect of the stay is designed to cater to your needs, making it a place you’ll want to return to time and time again.

www.theclementpaloalto.com

A still from the short film Edifice, 2018, by Ash Thorp, a digital artist based in San Diego, California. Thorp’s works are frequently complex interplays and redesigns of human anatomy. His works have featured in Batman, 2022, and The Amazing Spider-Man, 2014, while his interdisciplinary initiatives feature collaborations with brands such as Richard Mille

We might take perfect care of ourselves – exercising body and soul, eating carefully and mindfully – but our bodies might have other ideas. Now the latest technology means we can literally see inside ourselves for diagnostic purposes with astonishing accuracy. Dare we take a look? One LUX editor did…

When I first started collecting cars, I asked a wise and experienced collector friend where I should get them serviced.

The choice was between franchised official dealers of these prestigious car brands, with their glossy, shiny showrooms, which, however, might lack detailed knowledge about the older cars I was acquiring; or specialist service shops often located in remote and inaccessible places, which might have more knowledge and expertise on classic models.

“If you want a quick look round, a thumbs up and a certificate, go to the official dealers,” my friend said. “If you really want to know what’s wrong, and what might go wrong that you can prevent, go to the specialist.”

I am not, in any way, comparing myself to a classic car (or not in so many ways), but this was an analogy that came to mind when I decided to go through a health check recently.

Humans are even more complicated than classic cars (although it may not seem so at times, if you own one). And while there are many things that can go wrong with us, we might be tempted not to worry about them until they happen.

Unfortunately, when these hidden conditions finally manifest themselves, they can have sudden, catastrophic, tragic results. Think of the unspotted tumours that have metastasised, or the almost completely obstructed blood vessel in a marathon runner that goes unspotted until they drop down dead one day.

Until recently, the technologies simply did not exist to diagnose thoroughly and preventively with a large degree of accuracy. Scans would miss things and pick up worrying false positives. So I was interested to read about the latest CT and MRI imaging technology, which allows highly accurate scans of every key part of the body.

Consulting medical friends, I was told by this usually cynical crowd that, yes, these could be extremely helpful, but with two caveats. First, CT involves radiation, so you don’t want to get this done too often. And second, it’s all about the interpretation of the results: you need somebody looking at each scan who specialises in the relevant part of the body and has done it thousands of times before, so they can interpret through experience.

A certain shape on the spleen does not necessarily mean the same thing as a certain shape on the liver. Or something like that. Then there’s the convenience factor. Who has time to make, understand and fulfil the multiple appointments required in different practices at different times to cover the body from scalp to toenail? The wrong type of mole on either could kill you just as effectively as a blocked aorta.

And then there’s receiving and making sense of the results. Doctor friends profess it’s all too much for them, even though they know preventive healthcare could save their life.

Enter Echelon, a central London-based company offering a one-day service that covers every imaginable test in one location, plus interpretation by specialists and delivery of results by one single medical director.

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Like having someone from the factory that built your car tell you what’s wrong with it. Or nearly. I took the plunge and enlisted for Echelon’s Platinum Assessment.

It involves MRIs, CTs and ultrasounds covering every conceivable body part – including a noninvasive scan of the bowel, a relief as the other way (a rectally entered camera) is not pleasant.

The in Harley Street located clinic, houses a suite of advanced equipment and is staffed with a number of radiographers and radiologists

There would also be a suite of blood tests and physical examinations of moles and anything else that needed investigating, all by relevant specialists.

Read more: Marcus Eriksen on keeping our oceans healthy

After booking myself in over the phone, I had a chat on Teams with an efficient coordinator who took some details, sent me a form online and said she would welcome me at 8am on an agreed date at the clinic in Harley Street, central London.

There was some preparatory work to do the previous day (fasting and ingesting a bitter liquid), but otherwise the convenience factor was supreme. The most remarkable thing about that day is that it didn’t seem remarkable at all.

What would otherwise have been 10 or 12 different appointments – at different clinics, on different dates and times with different specialists, the usual travel to and from, the waiting times and different results delivered on varying dates – all happened seamlessly in the space of a few hours.

Each appointment followed the last with perfect timing, even when we travelled between Harley Street buildings and separate specialisms. There was no waiting, I was accompanied at all times by my hyper-efficient coordinator who knew everyone and had them all responding to her instructions.

Read more: Zahida Fizza Kabir on why philanthropy needs programmes to achieve systemic change

The only time I sat down with nothing to do was at the end, when I was given a recovery suite and my chosen lunch of sushi, before I headed back to the office.

A week later, I met Medical Director Dr Paul Jenkins to go through the results. Each had been interpreted by a consultant in that field, and then reinterpreted by him.

I was fine, but that’s not the point: any one test could have found a potential killer lurking in some part of my body that I would have no idea about: a cancer, a disease of an internal organ, calcification of the cardiac arteries, abnormalities of the lungs.

The clinic offers health assessments packages including full body mole screens, digital mammograms, blood tests, ECG, CTs, MRIs and ultrasounds of all colours and creeds

Dr Jenkins said such discoveries were quite common, and, in each case, discovering it earlier was far preferable to waiting until it manifested itself. So, for less than the price of a secondhand city car, which would you prefer: to bury your head in the sand until, potentially, it’s too late; or to know whether there’s a potential catastrophic engine failure inside your body that you can avoid and treat? Seems like a no-brainer.

The modern health assessment, by Dr Paul Jenkins

“We all accept the concept that prevention is better than cure for so many aspects of our lives, yet so many people ignore this in relation to their most valuable possession – their health.

I have seen the devastating consequences of this approach so often and the desperate attempts to repair the damage when it is sadly too late. Now, modern imaging technology (CT, MRI and ultrasound scans) allows us to see inside the body in incredible detail and to detect the very earliest stages of so many diseases that, if left, would progress to cause serious ill health or death.

Echelon Health Founder and Director Dr. Paul Jenkins ensures clients are equipped with a detailed health analysis and a plan for future healthcare

Undergoing a three-yearly, high-quality preventive health assessment should be a routine for everyone over the age of 50. It amounts to a modest monthly cost that, for many people, is a small price for the life assurance it brings, along with enormous peace of mind”.

Dr Paul Jenkins is a Consultant Physician and Medical Director at Echelon Health, London 

www.echelon.health

ashthorp.art

Boutique hotel La Fiermontina Luxury Home is an homage to Antonia Fiermonte and the two artists who loved her. The garden shares its ancient city walls with Lecce

Lecce, the most celebrated city in Puglia, comes at you unexpectedly, like many of Italy’s gems. You drive past vineyards and olive groves, go through some unremarkable suburbs and then suddenly you are faced with a wall and gate of Roman origin. Once inside, the streets shrink and are cobbled; but what looks like a cluster of ancient buildings also houses more treasures within.

One of these is La Fiermontina Luxury Home, the city’s most celebrated hotel, set around a garden and olive grove within the ancient walls. The owners have just opened a new property, the Fiermonte Museum, 50 metres away down a quiet cobbled street.

All rooms and suites of La Fiermontina Luxury Home are inspired by traditional local buildings and are full of character, decorated with vintage and high-end antique pieces

Turn  right at the old lady who spends her days sewing, sitting on a chair on the cobbles, through a latticed iron gate, and you enter into a bijou courtyard, surrounded by lush trees – you could pick your own loquats certain times of the year.

Under a newly built staircase – the whole construction is new out of old sit two sculptures, and the art theme continues when you walk through the first floor terrace and slide the glass doors open, to be greeted by an array of sculptures and paintings.

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Our room had high, vaulted ceilings, showcase artworks and furnishings – the Fiermontina team are masters at creating contemporary art and design elegance out of historic landmarks.

The artworks around La Fiermontina Luxury Home are part of the carefully selected collection, and the architecture tells a story of the family’s ancestors and the country’s history

The Suite Nocturne of the Fiermonte Museum is covered in blue tones and music-themed

Ceilings and curtains were a deep blue, the window looking out onto a lush tropical treescape (all this within the old town). It was utterly peaceful, silent both at night and during the way, yet a couple of minutes stroll along the cobbles takes you into the heart of the old town.

Read more: Artists In Conversation: Michelangelo Pistoletto and Pascale Marthine Tayou with Maryam Eisler

The Fiermonte Museum consists of works from the Fiermonte family’s private collection, taking visitors on a kaleidoscopic journey through 20th-century art

This really is a Museum with rooms: you are given tickets, key card access and a lantern so you can access the museum in the same building at night. And then have breakfast in the courtyard, with an utterly bijou buffet served by your own staff – it feels like staying in a private home, more than a hotel.

We had dinner on our last night at the Zephyr restaurant.

www.lafiermontinacollection.com

In our latest print issue we covered the preview week of the world’s most celebrated art biennale, which brought artists, collectors, institutional leaders, philanthropists, curators and the merely curious for a whirlwind of parties across the ancient city. All photographed by Darius Sanai using a vintage Nikon Coolpix ultra-compact

Esben Weile Kjaer and Lucca Hue-Williams

Maria Sukkar and Emin Mammadov

Maryam Eisler

Yana Peel

Hans Ulrich Obrist, Eun-Me Ahn and Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo

Darius Sanai and Ralph Rugoff

Yamini Mehta and Nada Raza

Durjoy Rahman and Vinita Agarwal

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Samantha Welsh, Jessica Hartley and Lee Sharrock

Carolina Conforti, François-Laurent Renet and Hamlet the dog

Shaan Shahani

Read more: Armando Testa at the Venice Biennale 2024

Nick Chu and Marton Nemes

Read more: Artists In Conversation: Michelangelo Pistoletto and Pascale Marthine Tayou with Maryam Eisler

Oli Epp and Javier Martinez

Stefanie Sauska and Julia Mechtler

Bernardo Pereira and Djoser Botelho Braz

Ana Helena Pires, Sandra Hegedus, Maguy Etlin and Vanessa Tubino

Marie-Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre and Laure Martin

Roman Schramm, Petroc Sesti, Emilie Pugh and Tracey Ryans

Glicéria Tupinambá

Nadja Romain

Masha Nosova, Fabienne Amez-Droz, Isabella Fergusson

The original Cullinan, launched in 2018, was the world’s first super-luxury SUV. The new Cullinan Series II adapts to changes in codes of luxury

More than half a decade after the launch of Rolls-Royce’s original Cullinan, the Cullinan Series II has unveiled in Ibiza. Codes of luxury have changed. And so has the model’s design, engine and character. Fabienne Amez-Droz takes a spin

Think a cross between a sky-scraper, a boat, and a (strangely civilised) wild boar. The Cullinan Series II is an animal with all the hallmarks of a Rolls-Royce classic. It flaunts a handsome large snout, crisp edges and clean geometry. Its muscles, though lean, seem somehow monolithic.

When Cullinan was first launched, less than 70% were self-driven: today, almost every Cullinan is driven by its owner

A versatile 6.75 litre V12 engine provides agility. While it could handle Ibiza’s coastal roads and narrow village streets with ease, it was unable to begin to flex its muscles, under the tame Ibiza sun. It’s wilder capabilities include off-road handling, equal to the most dangerous and hostile environments. I couldn’t say I was complaining.

The bumper lines form a shallow ‘V’ from the lowest point of the daytime running lights to the motor car’s centre point, recalling the sharp bow lines of modern sports yachts

Calmer drives between lunches and dinners, across the island and from the Six Senses Hotel, to a private dinner hosted by the Rolls-Royce team in the villa of the six senses owner, were more to my preference. As was the coastal path to Casa Jondal, the beachside restaurant serving laid-back luxury not dissimilar to the backseat of a Cullinan Series II. Naturally, a bottle of champagne, out of the champagne compartment, pairing perfectly with view of the horizon.

Reflecting clients’ desires for bolder forms of self-expression, new decoration and detail have been added throughout the interior of Cullinan Series II

But let’s hop from the backseat to the front. Codes of luxury have changed. People are starting to drive their own cars. Back in 2018, at the launch of the first Cullinan, less than 70% were self-driven; today less than 10% of clients retain the services of a chauffeur, and the average age of Rolls-Royce clients has dropped from 56 in 2010 to 43 today. And the Cullinan Series II reflects this. As Anders Warming, Director of Design for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the ‘statement and flourish’ built in this second series is undeniable.

Adapting to the desire of many clients to escape into nature, the interior is comprised of a palette inspired by botanicals. Cullinan Series II introduces Grey Stained Ash, a richly grained natural open-pore wood with a light shimmer

Flourish is the word. A pattern on them – reportedly evoking clouds – is suggestive, too, of something hovering between Japanese ink drawing, khaki, botanicals and cartography. Quite a range, but then so are Rolls-Royce’s design inspirations, from nautical to architectural matter. Oh, and with 107,000 individual perforations into the leather to create them, because why not?

This is a modern-vintage nexus that Rolls-Royce has harnessed for its newfound younger generation of customers. See its classically geometrical, Art-Deco style wheels, for instance: one feels one might just see Jay Gatsby through the rear-view mirror, but then spot Daniel Craig in the side-view one.

The new Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet is set inside a vitrine that displays both an analogue timepiece and an up-lit Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. The figurine is constructed from solid stainless steel and placed on her own stage with a matte black back panel

If craft is all the rage at the moment, Rolls-Royce are not new to the game. After four years of development, Rolls-Royce’s trademark Spirit of Ecstasy sits not only on its bonnet but inside the car, lit up and enhanced. And it even shapeshifts to become a technological item ­– ‘SPIRIT’ – a digital interface linking to a private members app, Whispers. The minds of analogue and digital craftspeople are meticulously stitched together, unsurprisingly well. And at the unsurprising price of not far off half a million pounds. Why compromise on craft?

Read more: Rolls-Royce launches new Boat Tail at Lake Como 

Fitting it is to have unveiled this car at the Six Senses hotel ­– aptly-named in relation to a car with the instinct and power of a wild boar, and the grace of a mercurial, siren-like Spirit of Ecstasy. To borrow the CEO’s phrase, let ‘magic carpet ride’ begin.

www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

The Hato Restaurant is located in the heart of St. Moritz village, only a few minutes walk away from the well-known Badrutts Palace

In the heart of St Moritz, Hato is all about people watching, inside and out, DJ vibes, and some vibrant pan-Asian cuisine to match anything in Mayfair, as LUX discovers

Slip into a window table at Hato and you have a ringside seat of the high-rolling circus that is St Moritz in season. A slick, dark, club-bar of a restaurant, Hato is right in the heart of the village, slightly elevated from the street, so you can look out, chilling to the DJ tunes, and spot exactly who is in town with which of their lovers/dogs/families.

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The cuisine is Fine Asian and the menu references the Head Chef’s previous role at Sexy Fish in London, but that doesn’t really do justice to Hato: this is much more refined than Sexy Fish, both in concept and execution.

The restaurant with views on the lake of St. Moritz serves fine asian cuisine dishes that are displayed in a very extravagant style

Our Som Tam salad – not jam, coriander, green papaya, carrots, red onion and iceberg – was a dish surely never served before in St Moritz, and had a delicious vibrancy, matched well with our other sharing starter of steamed aubergine with chilli and coriander.

Read More: Roia’s fine-dining in Singapore’s Botanics

Hato started quiet that evening but quite late, as our mains arrived, troupes of young St Moritzians waltzed in, evidently familiar with the place, laughing, jogging over to their regular tables, chatting in the multilingual Esperanto of English, Italian, French and German that is the trademark of the Engadine.

Established in 2015, Hato is known for it’s range of asian foods, from rock shrimp tempura to Hamachi, a new style of yuzu truffle

Next up was handmade dim sum, which we had chosen over tempura, which seems to be everywhere these days. The siu mai and har gau were sufficiently al dente and definite, but it was the spinach and mushroom that caused delectations, likely due to the clarity of the local ingredients.

A main of black cod was originally, and highly successfully, served with saikio miso, truffle yuzu and fennel but the real standout of the whole meal was the whole butterfly seabass, with Thai spices. Zingy, buttery, thought provoking.

Grilled miso chicken, sashimi, nigiri, maki, handmade dim sum with ponzu sauce, shiitake mushrooms, tuna takaky: one doesn’t lack choice at HATO

We’re not sure if people go to Hato for the food or the vibe – both are high up the scale – or to spot their ex walking with someone new down below, to which the only answer is another bottle of Dom Perignon.

www.hato-restaurants.com

The Japanese restaurant Shogun in Zermatt offers sushi, and many other Japanese specialties such as ramen

Zermatt, the celebrated Swiss ski and mountain resort, has a little-known but powerful connection with Japan. Nowhere better to experience it than at Shogun, a properly authentic Japanese in the village centre

A perhaps little known fact about the high Alps is the Japanese connection. Zermatt, cradled by a ring of the most spectacular 4000m peaks in Europe, has a long-term connection with Japanese mountaineers who, like the English, were among the early-adopter climbers of peaks like the Matterhorn and (even more imposing, if less famous) Weisshorn. A significant number of Alpine books available in the village’s bookstores were authored or photographed by established Japanese climbers.

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In that context, it is not surprising that Zermatt has a Japanese restaurant which is quite different in feel from the current trend for Asian-fusion.

Walking into Shogun, you feel like you are entering an eatery in Hokkaido, the mountain and ski island of Japan: through a little garden and up some steps, everything is Zen, simple, wooden, careful, thoughtful.

Shogun prepares the Japanese food freshly and sells it at moderate prices

Menus are bilingual, also in Japanese. We chose a set menu, which featured a stunning, tastebud-reviving hamachi carpaccio with jalapeños, red onion, ponzu sauce and sesame oil, Swiss grilled beef which was tender, simple, almost liquid, and a yuzu cheesecake.

Read more: Mandarin Oriental, Zurich review

From the à la carte we had spicy tuna tartare, topped with quail’s egg, tori kaarage (chicken with soy, ginger and garlic), and grilled scallops and white fish with grilled vegetables.

Next to eating in the restaurant, you can also get the dishes delivered or you can get it at their take away station

A combination of quality of ingredients and care and craft of execution made the food utterly standout, even for someone used to eating at the world’s great Japanese restaurants.

The purity may come as a surprise to a generation reared on the easy-listening Japanese of Asian fusion restaurants, but Zermatt is, at heart, all about purity. Memorable for all the right reasons.

The two japanese chefs import the rice that they are using for the dishes directly from Japan

See More:

shogun-japan-restaurant-zermatt.ch

Switzerland: an effective place to do business, according to Javad Marandi

Javad Marandi is an international entrepreneur and philanthropist with investments in the UK and continental Europe. Here Marandi describes his work in Switzerland and how the nation retains investment appeal, and outlines his foundation’s philanthropic work in the UK

Javad Marandi is an eclectic international entrepreneur, based in London and Switzerland, with interests around the continent. Marandi focuses on hotels, commercial real estate, fast-growing retail companies, and blue chip companies in the manufacturing sector.

The Marandi Foundation, which he runs together with his wife Narmina, is a significant donor to one of the UK’s most prominent homelessness charities. A UK chartered accountant by training, Marandi is also known as a successful second-tier investor in fast-growing British fashion retailers and is the owner of Soho House group’s Soho Farmhouse hotel in Oxfordshire, England.

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Entrepreneur and philanthropist Javad Marandi was born in Iran and is now based in Europe

Key fact bio: Javad Marandi
Born: January 1968, Tehran, Iran
Education: Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Chartered Accountant
Lives: London and Switzerland
Nationality: British
Married to: Narmina Marandi, nee Narmina Alizadeh, daughter of Ali Alizadeh, a prominent oncologist in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Children: 3
Investment strategy: Looking for growth sectors within the more mature stable markets of Western Europe in the small to medium sized industries.

Investing in Switzerland

LUX: Which sectors did you choose to invest in, in Switzerland?

Javad Marandi: I am a major investor in one of the country’s best-regarded manufacturing companies. I also co-own commercial warehouses.

LUX: What attracts you about Switzerland as a place to invest?

JM: The country is renowned for its highly qualified workforce, excellent education, apprenticeship and training schemes and high-quality infrastructure. Its location at the heart of Europe means it will always be a commercial crossroads, and the highly developed nature of its economy mitigates risk. All of this makes it an attractive environment for the investor.

LUX: How closely correlated is the growth of your investments with the Swiss economy?

JM: Annual GDP growth in the country since 2010 has been between 1 and 3 per cent, in line with my expectations. Growth has slowed a little in the last year, but Switzerland is a mature, low-risk market and there are plenty of opportunities to grow our investments there regardless of the macroeconomic situation. Having said that, the overall economic climate is very positive.

LUX: Has the slowdown in other European countries affected your Swiss businesses?

JM: The sectors we invest in are not highly exposed to economic developments in the rest of the EU. The construction manufacturing business is focused on the Swiss market. The commercial real estate is located in the north of the country on the transport infrastructure hub and yields are exactly as projected by the executives of the businesses.

LUX: How has your construction manufacturing business performed over the past five years?

JM: It has seen compound annual growth of over 5% in both our turnover and EBITDA. This is extremely satisfying performance given the backdrop of the appreciating Swiss currency and the Country’s GDP growth. There are plenty of opportunities to preserve and grow investments in the country.

Switzerland: an effective place to do business, according to Javad Marandi

LUX: Has the recent appreciation of the Swiss Franc affected your investments?

JM: The tourism sector has been affected, as have manufacturers that rely on exports. My investments have not been adversely affected. I think the independence of the Swiss Franc is a positive for the investment climate.

Read more: Zahida Fizza Kabir on why philanthropy needs programmes to achieve systemic change

LUX: Do you personally enjoy visiting the country?

JM: I have visited Switzerland frequently over the past 20 years both for leisure and business. My first job was a multinational company near Geneva. I am first and foremost, a family man and the children, my wife and I love the mountains and the skiing! The investment climate down on the plateau, where my investments are based, is a contrast to the chocolate box image of the high mountains. The Swiss are sophisticated, cosmopolitan people who have been trading with their immediate neighbouring countries for centuries. They are multilingual and very adept at dealing with investors from all over the world.

LUX: Do you have any further plans for investment in the country?

JM: We are continually assessing potential investments in Switzerland and all over Europe, to complement our existing portfolio. However we base our decisions an analysis of potential return, rather than focussing on any specific country.

Philanthropy in the UK

LUX: The Marandi Foundation, which you created together with your wife Narmina, has committed to donate £1m to Centrepoint, a UK charity focussed on youth homelessness.

JM: Youth homelessness is an increasingly urgent issue across the world. If young people are homeless, through no fault of their own, as well as the obvious misery and physical and mental risk, they lack access to education, training, and opportunity and risk being “lost lives”.

Read more: YCAB’S Veronica Colondam on bringing hope and change to Indonesia’s youth through social entrepreneurship

LUX: You have said you would like to focus on four strands at Centrepoint: education and training, the refugee bursary programme, the apprenticeship academy, and the development of an online platform.

JM: It is important to provide young people with the opportunity to gain accredited qualifications and provided with support to find and secure employment opportunities. Young people who are refugees often need language and legal support, help locating their families, as well as education and training so they have a real chance to live happy lives and make contributions to society.

The Centrepoint Apprenticeship Academy is being developed to support young people with a diverse number of vocational routes for them to explore. The app and web portal will connect educators and employers with young people seeking opportunities and help develop a joined-up system.

Javad Marandi sold his stake in the Swiss construction manufacturing business in early 2021

www.themarandifoundation.org

centrepoint.org.uk