Luxury Leaders

Our regular series interviewing top figures in the luxury industry, including owners, CEOs, creative directors and fund principals.

Plaza Premium Group’s Founder Song Hoi-see on airport luxury

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Plaza Premium Group is one of the world’s leading premium airport services companies. The group provides luxury airport lounges, transit hotels, meet & greet services and dining in over 42 international airports with plans for...

Smeg’s CEO Vittorio Bertazzoni on the Italian design ethos

Originally established as an enamelling plant in 1948 by the Bertazzoni family, Smeg is now globally renowned for making stylish kitchen appliances. Here, the brand’s third generation family member and CEO Vittorio Bertazzoni speaks to LUX’s...

Pedro Rodriguez of Sierra Blanca Estates on Málaga’s luxury future

Picasso Towers is Málaga’s latest luxury residential development, featuring 213 apartments on the seafront. Conceived by Sierra Blanca Estates in collaboration with Metrovacesa – and with endorsement from Antonio Banderas – the project aims to...

Jetcraft’s owner & chairman Jahid Fazal-Karim on global trading

Jahid Fazal-Karim joined Jetcraft in 2008, and has since transformed the company from a primarily US-based organisation to a global trading platform. LUX Editor-in-Chief speaks to the Dubai-based businessman about the private jet market, why buying pre-owned makes...

OMM’s Creative Director Idil Tabanca on creating an art institution

This September will see the opening of Odunpazari Modern Museum (OMM), a major new art museum in Eskişehir, Turkey. Designed by architects Kengo Kuma and Associates, the museum is the brainchild of art collector Erol Tabanca, whose collection will provide the...

Savoir Beds’ MD Alistair Hughes on the value of craftsmanship

In 1905 The Savoy Hotel decided to create a bespoke bed for its guests, and so began the legacy of what’s now known as Savoir Beds. Every Savoir bed is crafted from chemical-free natural materials, carefully selected to provide the optimum sleeping environment....

Sir Rocco Forte on building his empire of luxury hotels

Since he created it in 1996, Sir Rocco Forte has grown his eponymous luxury hotel group to include multiple properties in key destinations across Europe, with a major expansion this year within his family’s native Italy. And there are plans for the boutique...

Lightstone’s President Mitchell Hochberg on lifestyle hospitality

President of Lightstone Mitchell Hochberg has put his stamp on New York with multiple real-estate developments, including luxury residences 130 William Street and 40 East End Avenue. In partnership with Marriott International, Lightstone are also developing lifestyle...

Knight Frank’s Chairman Alistair Elliott on research and tech

Alistair Elliott is Group Chairman and Senior Partner of Knight Frank, the London-based global commercial and residential real estate group. He started in the company as a graduate trainee, with no family background in property, in 1983. Knight Frank, which is still...

President of LEMA Angelo Meroni on business with a soul

Founded in 1970, LEMA still remains family-owned and true to its ‘Made in Italy’ philosophy. The group collaborates with famed architects and designers to produce elegant, modern furniture and made-to-measure interior fittings for residential and...

BASTIAN gallery director Aeneas Bastian on the global art world

Established in 1989 by Celine and Heiner Bastian, BASTIAN opened its first gallery in 2007 in Berlin. Now, the gallery has placed itself on the global art map with the grand opening of a new space in Mayfair. LUX speaks to the founders’ son and gallery director...

Canary Wharf Group’s MD Camille Waxer on urban transformation

Once an industrial dockyard, Canary Wharf Estate is now home to London’s most famous skyline of angular glass towers, but thanks to the vision of property developer Canary Wharf Group, it’s also a highly desirable residential area with a thriving Arts +...

Founder of Corinthia Hotels Alfred Pisani on going global

Under the leadership of Alfred Pisani, Corinthia Hotels has grown from a single family-owned banquet hall in Malta to a global luxury brand with properties in 9 destinations and forthcoming openings in Dubai and Brussels. LUX speaks to the Maltese businessman about...

Luxury watch designer Richard Mille on creativity and supercars

Richard Mille is the name adorning some of the world’s most expensive – and outrageous – timepieces. But the eponymous founder is a thoughtful, passionate creative who dreamed of creating a racing car company as much as a watch brand. Darius Sanai meets him Richard...

Entrepreneur John Caudwell on luxury property & philanthropy

In 2006 British entrepreneur John Caudwell sold his pioneering telecommunications company, the Caudwell Group, which included high-street mobile phone retail giant Phones4U, and turned his attention to property and philanthropy. His luxury residential development...

Parisian designer Jacques Garcia on creating spaces for seduction

Jacques Garcia is the master of decadent design. His portfolio includes the likes of Hôtel Costes in Paris, La Mamounia in Marrakech and NYC’s NoMad. Now the French designer is bringing a touch of Parisian style to London with luxury boutique hotel,...

Bruno Schöpfer, Managing Director of the Bürgenstock Selection, on the future of luxury hospitality

Bürgenstock is the most ambitious resort development in European history, a spectacular complex of luxury hotels, spas, contemporary restaurants and a high-end medical clinic perched on top of a mountain overlooking Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, on the site of a...

Northacre CEO Niccolò Barattieri di San Pietro on creating dream homes

Luxury real estate developer Northacre was founded in 1977 by German architect Klas Nilsson. Owner of The Lancasters, a luxe development of 77 apartments in Bayswater, the company is currently developing No. 1 Palace Street, a Grade II listed building featuring 72...

Co-founder & CEO of Spring Francesco Costa on creative co-working

Co-working spaces are already well integrated into our urban landscapes. Companies like WeWork provide communal offices for start-ups and self-employed workers whilst the likes of Soho House invite members to use their residences for wining, dining and the occasional...

British Polo Day’s Tom Hudson on polo’s international appeal

British Polo Day’s unique approach to an international, invitation only, global polo platform has cemented the brand as one of the most sought after events on the social calendar. Partnering with the likes of Bentley, VistaJet and Chelsea Barracks, the events see some...

andBeyond CEO Joss Kent on creating luxury in the wilderness

Joss Kent is a born adventurer. Son of LUX columnist and Abercrombie & Kent CEO Geoffrey Kent, Joss left behind the family legacy to run luxury travel company, andBeyond. With safari camps all over Africa, and hotels and lodges in select locations across Asia and...

Founder of photo basel Sven Eisenhut on the art of photography

photo basel is Switzerland’s first and only international art fair dedicated to photography, showcasing works from both contemporary and classic photographers. Galleries from around the world come together for five days in June, during Art Basel, to showcase...

URWERK Co-Founder, Felix Baumgartner on modern watchmaking

URWERK’s unique approach to high horology has established it as one of the most creative and desirable brands in the industry. URWERK’s watches are like nothing else on the market, reinventing the design of a timepiece to put function and artistry above conventional...

Global businessman Johnny Hon on promoting global exchange

Johnny Hon, founder of venture capital and investment company Global Group, is on a mission to lower cultural and trade barriers between east and west to encourage commerce, charity and cultural exchange. The entrepreneur and philanthropist, based in London and Hong...

Simon de Pury on artistic philanthropy

Charity art auctions are taking off around the world, and for the best and worst of reasons, says Simon de Pury, himself the world’s leading philanthropic auctioneer In times past, the main philanthropic efforts in the art world used to be confined to the US, for a...

Bain & Company partner Claudia D’Arpizio on the luxury consumer

Fashion and luxury brands need to transform they way they work, think and create to thrive in a new era of luxury consumers, where creativity is king – but just not in the way it was Touchpoints are becoming more important for the luxury industry. In fact, consumers...

Jean-Claude Biver on why luxury watches are about the experience

The luxury industry needs to adapt to the biggest generational change in retail history. How? By going back to the future, says our columnist Jean-Claude Biver Two, three, or five hundred years ago, luxury was a real experience. Luxury, when it originated, involved...

Photographer Maryam Eisler on East London and the power of art

Maryam Eisler is a busy woman; co-chair of the Tate’s MENAAC Acquisitions Committee, member of the Tate International Council, trustee of the Whitechapel Gallery and Advisory Council member of Photo London are to name just a few of her roles in the art world, but...

Ulysse Nardin watch CEO Patrick Pruniaux on why creativity gets the results in the luxury watch market

The venerable Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin, known for its elaborate and striking timepieces, was purchased by luxury group Kering (owner of Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Stella McCartney) in 2014 and recently appointed Patrick Pruniaux as its CEO. Hailing from...

Superchef Thomas Keller on the evolution of fine dining

Ever since legendary chef Thomas Keller opened his restaurant The French Laundry in California’s Napa Valley more than twenty years ago, he has been inspiring diners – and chefs – with his forward-thinking food. Keller tells Emma Love about his latest plans for fine...

Art auctioneer Simon de Pury on the rise of the online art market

The time is right for the art auction world to embrace the new digital technologies and take auctions online. That is the way to tap the vast reserves of potential new buyers, says our columnist Simon de Pury Conceptually, I find myself fascinated by what is happening...

Luca Solca, head of luxury goods research at Exane BNP Paribas on the rise of big luxury

The nature of luxury is evolving fast. Producers and consumers should wise up to the emerging multi-level landscape and never forget the power of the right kind of celebrity, says our columnist Luca Solca True luxury is about projecting the impression, or even the...

President of LVMH Watch Brands and chairman of Hublot Jean-Claude Biver on the popularisation of luxury culture

Jean-Claude Biver was celebrated as the saviour of the luxury mechanical watch industry when it was threatened 40 years ago with virtual annihilation by the rise of battery-powered watches. Now head of watches at the world’s biggest luxury group, he explains how the...

Visionary designer Bill Bensley on creating new luxury worlds

Bill Bensley is the go-to designer for one-of-a-kind luxury hotels. The Bangkok-based architect has masterminded over 200 properties in 30-plus countries, including the world’s first edible golf course at Belle Mont Farm, St. Kitts, the art-deco inspired...

The Cliveden Literary Festival: Britain’s newest and greatest intellectual jamboree in a house made famous by a political scandal

This weekend, Cliveden house hotel just outside London will reverberate to the musings and debates generated by the world’s newest literary party. Speakers and panel moderators read like a who’s who of modern historical, literary and political writing: Simon Schama,...

CEO & President of Acqua di Parma Laura Burdese on the beauty of imperfection

As famous for its striking yellow Art Deco packaging as its ‘colonias’, Acqua di Parma has developed over the years into a lifestyle brand that embodies the romance and artistry of Italian culture. Now under the leadership of new CEO & President, Laura...

Marie-Claire Daveu, Francois-Henri Pinault’s sustainability guru, on how much luxury cares

Plenty, if you listen to Marie-Claire Daveu. She is in charge of Kering’s 2025 sustainability strategy, the broadest plan of its kind ever created by the fashion and luxury sector. LUX Editor-in-Chief Darius Sanai sat down with her at Kering’s spectacular new offices...

Luxury hotel owner and greeting card magnate Andrew Brownsword on first-class hospitality and the British sense of humour

In an era of parallel entrepreneurs, who start several businesses at once, Andrew Brownsword is a serial entrepreneur, in two very different businesses. He is currently chairman and owner of Andrew Brownsword Hotels, which owns a group of luxury country house hotels...

Global entrepreneur Wendy Yu on sustainable investment, the fashion business, and the London-Hong Kong commute

Wendy Yu is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, and the founder and CEO of Yu Capital. With investments in China and Europe in fields as diverse as transportation and sustainable fashion, Yu is a visionary – with a penchant for dresses. As the youngest member of...

Luxury hospitality entrepreneur Priya Paul on balancing heritage and innovation

Priya Paul, one of India’s most prominent entrepreneurs, is chairperson of the design conscious, luxury five-star boutique hotel group ‘The Park Hotels’. She is heir to the Apeejay Surrendra Group, owners of Typhoo Tea, and her determination, spirit for hospitality...

Joe Sitt, America’s luxury retail property king, on why Mexico is the hottest place in luxury

Joseph Sitt, President and CEO of Thor Equities, sits atop a luxury property, retail and advisory empire that straddles the western hemisphere. His company owns and develops prime retail property throughout the US, as well as Latin America and Europe. The portfolio...

Byblos owner Antoine Chevanne on why the legendary St Tropez hotel is hotter than ever on its 50th anniversary

Hotel Byblos and its nightclub Les Caves du Roy are French Riviera legends, hosting celebrities, old wealth, young Bohemians and new wealth for rest, play and partying since the Swinging Sixties. As the Byblos celebrates its 50th anniversary, Antoine Chevanne, CEO of...

Patrick Derham on how to be headmaster of the best school in the world

Westminster School in London is probably the best school in the world. From Beijing to Buenos Aires, the global elite crave a place at the institution, dating back to 12th century, for their children. At the school’s heart is the pursuit of knowledge and the fuelling...

Super-chef, Massimo Bottura on his Michelin-starred restaurant and ‘Food for Soul’ project

Massimo Bottura has the world at his feet: his three Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, achieved the ultimate award in 2016, being voted best restaurant in the world in the prestigious San Pellegrino awards. And yet, rather than open multiple...

Fraser CEO, Raphael Sauleau on adventurous luxury and ethical yachting

More and more luxury brands are pledging their commitment to protecting our planet by valuing environmental concerns as highly as their customer’s expectations. Leading the way in the luxury yachting industry, Fraser announced a partnership with Plastic Oceans...

New York’s hottest interior designer, Ryan Korban on creating alluring interiors

New York interior designer Ryan Korban has designed retail spaces for the biggest names in fashion – most recently the Aquazzura‘s opulent flagship on Madison Avenue – and counts Nicole Richie and Behati Prinsloo amongst his best friends, but...

CEO of Tourism at Pierre & Vacances, Martine Balouka-Valette on luxury alpine and holiday trends

Ski season is in full swing, and there’s nothing like nestling around a dining table in your own apartment on the slopes, sipping at your own magnum of Brunello di Montlcino in privacy with your nearest and dearest, exchanging tales of the day’s adventures. However, until recently, the casual Alpine skier without the good fortune to own a home in St Moritz or Zermatt, would risk suffering for their hobby. In contrast to North America, ski apartments in Europe were patchy at best, cramped and devoid of service – and still expensive – at worst.

Collector and patron, Anita Zabludowicz on the true value of art

Super-collector Anita Zabludowicz founded the Zabludowicz Collection in the early 1990s with her husband, Poju, to support the works of emerging contemporary artists across the globe.
With over 5,000 works by 500 artists, the Zabludowicz Collection moved to a permanent home in a former Methodist church in Camden, London, when husband and wife ran out of space on their walls at home; it holds regular exhibitions and live shows. She also creates initiatives for artists without commercial gallery representation, and funds art education programs. In the latest of our Luxury Leaders series Zabludowicz, a regular star in the Art Review Power 100 list of the most powerful people in the art world, speaks to Kitty Harris about nurturing artists, whether art has to be beautiful, and what her desert island artwork would be.

Founder of de Grisogono, Fawaz Gruosi on luxury’s need for experimentation

Florence-born Fawaz Gruosi spent years working with diamond expert Harry Winston in Saudi Arabia, learning the intricacies of the industry from within. In 1993 he launched his own brand, de Grisgono in fine jewellery’s capital, Geneva. Despite his lack of formal training, Gruosi is now widely considered one of the most creatively daring, sales savvy and charming jewellery designers on the modern market. He speaks to LUX about black diamonds, celebrity endorsements and the need for experimentation.

Salvatore Ferragamo on Tuscan indulgence, family prestige and winemaking

Salvatore Ferragamo has been an Italian luxury legend ever since its footwear was adopted by Hollywood sirens in the 1920s. Recently, Ferruccio Ferragamo, son of the eponymous founder and currently president of the company, and his own son Salvatore, have ventured into the world of fine wine and hospitality (following in the footsteps of Ferruccio’s younger brother Massimo, who owns the Castiglion del Bosco wine estate and luxury hotel). As part of our Luxury Leaders series, Salvatore Ferragamo speaks to LUX about restoring the medieval Tuscan village of Il Borro, ponders luxury’s demand for authenticity, and reveals his favourite Italian dish.

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