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Day: 13 October 2020

Chefs launch campaign to feed storm victims

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/10/2020

A team of top chefs from Monaco and southern France are rallying together to treat the people of the Vésubie Valley – many of whom have lost everything but their appetites – to a proper meal, prepared from the heart.
Thirty of the finest chefs in south-eastern France and Monaco have banded together with the simple idea of feeding the victims and volunteers in the Vésubie Valley an estimated 3,000 meals in the coming days.
Under the moniker ‘The Heart of Chefs’, they will create 100 meals each consisting of a starter, main and dessert that will find their way to the people affected by the recent Storm Alex in a campaign not unlike a wartime operation.
Trucks, helicopters or possibly both will be used to transport the meals to the stricken areas, while food suppliers have pulled together to get necessary ingredients to the chefs in record time.
Three Michelin starred chefs Mauro Colagreco from Mirazur in Menton and Christophe Bacquié at the Hôtel du Castellet both called upon their friend Philippe Joannes, culinary events director at the Société des Bains de Mer in Monaco, to help with the complicated arrangements.
“They knew that I could lend a hand with logistics,” Philippe Joannes said. “There were three of us, we went out of our way, each called a friend and now we are 30. Suddenly, it becomes very complicated to organise in such a short time. We asked our suppliers to help us and they all played along, either for the products or for the transportation. We thanked them warmly, we could really count on them. And now I think we’re on the right track. It’s not going to be the whole pie, but we’ll get there.”
Dishes will be pre-packaged on trays and, on Thursday 15th October, trucks loaned from companies such as Balicco will leave from Aix-en-Provence and Nice to criss-cross the region. On Friday they will meet at the make-shift distribution centre at Palais-Nikaïa to deliver the prepared dishes so they can be sent to their final destinations on Saturday 16th October.

Photo courtesy Le Coeur des Chefs

The chefs, all united under one cause for this massive undertaking, have formed what they are calling a chain of chefs in an effort to relieve a bit of the suffering of the people hardest hit by Storm Alex.
“We just want to give people some comfort in this catastrophic time to tell them to keep heart,” Julien Roucheteau said on behalf of himself and his team at La Reserve.
The sentiment, it seems, is universal, considering the outpouring of support for the project and the willingness to undertake the endeavour in such a short span of time.
“We are totally in solidarity with the natural and human disaster in the Vésubie valley. Parts of villages razed to the ground, residents and rescuers missing, infrastructure destroyed and unusable. A whole part of the population cut off from the rest of the world: Solidarity and mutual aid must be a priority without borders,” said Chef Julian Diaz of the Michelin star restaurant Saisons in Marseilles.
It is not necessarily a new concept for organiser Mauro Colagreco, who offered 75 meals twice a week to caregivers at the height of the health crisis.
If this round of deliveries is a success, additional operations could take place in the coming days and weeks.
Participating local chefs, bakers and pastry chefs include SBM Pastry Chef Cédric Campanella, Café de Paris Chef Franck Lafon, Le Louis XV Chef Dominique Lory, L’Azzurra Kitchen Chef Frédéric Ramos, Blue Bay Chef Marcel Ravin, La Réserve de Beaulieu Chef Julien Roucheteau, Le Sporting Chef Richard Rubbini, SBM Pastry Chef Thomas Subrin, and SBM Pastry Chef Ken Thomas.
 
Top photo: Philippe Joannes, culinary events director at the Société des Bains de Mer, by Monaco Life – all rights reserved
 
 

Next stop: Sarajevo

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/10/2020

As part of a wider tour of Eastern Europe this month, Prince Albert has visited Sarajevo, where he was presented the Keys to the City and was made an honorary citizen.
The Prince was invited to the region on 8th and 9th October by Mayor of Sarajevo Abdulah Skaka and paid a courtesy visit under the theme of sport, attending the inauguration of the renovated Olympic Museum in Sarajevo and representing the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.
Officially opened on 8th February 1984 for the start of the XIV Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo, the museum today presents itself as a fusion of sport and art. Its basic concept is the enhancement of the spirit of Olympism, Olympic values, creativity and youth.
Prince Albert was also welcomed at the Town Hall by Mayor Skaka for a ceremony during which he received the Keys to the City of Sarajevo, granting him Honorary Citizenship.
The Prince and his delegation went on to visit the Old City of Sarajevo, including the typical Ottoman quarter of Baščaršija where the Kazandžiluk bazaar is located, the craftsmen’s street of Sarači, and the Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque built in 1531. He also toured the former Sephardic synagogue, now the Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina dating back to 1591, and the Orthodox Church of St. Michael and St. Gabriel in Sarajevo – all of which are included in the List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Photo © Gaetan Luci / Palais princier
 
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Climate change, Covid and ESG factors boost impact investing

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/10/2020

A new report has revealed that HNWIs, families, family offices, and foundations plan to increase their allocation to impact investing from 20% of their portfolios in 2019 to 35% by 2025.
The research report launched by Campden Wealth, Global Impact Solutions Today (GIST), and Barclays Private Bank documents the growth in leading private wealth holders and family offices investing for positive social and environment impact, with the average portfolio allocation set to almost double in the next five years.
“There has never been a better time to fast-track investment for sustainable progress and smart innovation to generate profound impact for people and planet,” said Gamil de Chadarevian, Founder, Global Impact Solutions Today (GIST). “We launched the report to catalyse and accelerate this transformation by serving as the leading knowledge platform to broaden understanding, identify trends, and provide a ‘peer-to-peer’ benchmark for investors in the field.”
‘Investing for global impact: A power for good’, now in its seventh year, provides unique insight into the attitudes and actions of a sample of the world’s wealthiest individuals, families, family offices, and their foundations when it comes to generating positive impact with their capital. As a leading global benchmark for those interested in impact investing and philanthropy, data for this study was collected from over 300 respondents from 41 countries, with an average net worth of $876 million and cumulative net worth estimated at $264 billion. Additionally, case studies with prominent investors and philanthropists also feature in the report.
Boost in impact investing
The proportion of the wealthy investors allocating more than 20% of their portfolio to impact investing is expected to increase from 27% to 39% as soon as next year, and a quarter (27%) are predicting to allocate more than 50% within five years from now. As such, the average portfolio allocation to impact investing amongst these investors is expected to increase from 20% in 2019 to 35% by 2025.
Driving this uplift is the belief of two-in-five respondents (38%) that they have a responsibility to make the world a better place. A quarter (24%) believe that this approach will lead to better returns and risk profiles, and 26% are looking to show that family wealth can create positive outcomes around the world.
Climate change considered greatest threat to the world 
The majority of investors (82%) feel a responsibility to support global social and environmental initiatives. Specifically, just over half (52%) believe that the long-term impacts of climate change pose the greatest threat to the world, and roughly four-in-five (83%) are already concerned with the effects of climate change seen globally. These concerns mean that nine-in-10 (87%) say that climate change plays a part in their investment choices.
While just over half (53%) of these wealthy investors say Europe is leading the world in carbon neutral initiatives, 86% want governments to do more, but at the same time, four-in-five (81%) recognise the role of private capital in addressing climate change.
With this in mind, two-in-five (39%) would like to know the carbon footprint of their portfolio to inform their investing, while roughly one-in-five (19%) already have this information.
Of those who do know their carbon footprint data, 13% consider it as they make further investments and 9% use it to actively reduce it towards a target, showing that more information around carbon emissions helps create greater positive impact.
Covid-19 a ‘wake-up call’
Covid-19 has made individuals increasingly aware of the world around them, with seven-in-10 (69%) respondents saying that it has affected their views of investing and the economy. Nearly half (49%) believe that investing will not return to ‘normal’, even after the crisis subsides, and one-in-five (22%) think that the impact investing market is about to ‘take off’.
“Globally, over $30 trillion is now being invested sustainably and this trend towards responsible investment is catching on rapidly within the private wealth community,” said Dr. Rebecca Gooch, Director of Research at Campden Wealth. “A notable proportion of wealth holders are now engaged and there are expectations, particularly since Covid-19, for a considerable hike in their investment over the coming years.”
In a sign that the implications for impact investing will be long lasting, two-thirds (66%) say that they are likely to broaden their risk assessment to include more ESG factors, while 64% insist that the crisis will force a deeper reconsideration of shareholder capitalism, and 69% agree that how companies behave during the crisis will determine their investment attractiveness afterwards.
Healthcare ranked the second most popular impact sector, and a notable 84% say that they plan to increase their investment to healthcare over the coming year, a proportion that outstrips all others.
“Investors are being challenged to safely pilot their family’s lives and their portfolios through the disruptions of 2020, and it means they are having more discussions about the future – how their family’s wealth can reflect more of their values and the role they want to play in society,” said Damian Payiatakis, Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing, Barclays Private Bank. “Families are considering the impact of their capital and then increasingly taking action, by allocating more towards solving our urgent global societal and environmental issues. We see that investors wanting to make this shift are looking for guidance to navigate the rapidly evolving field and to access high-quality opportunities that can deliver financially and with positive outcomes.”
 
 

Interview: Event organiser Gulshat Uzenbaeva

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/10/2020

Monaco Life speaks to Gulshat Uzenbaeva, founder of LuxPro, a Monaco-based company that organises invitation-only events for business owners, top managers, and High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI).
What is the philosophy behind LuxPro?
We are a Monaco-based company that organises conferences and business talks with business people, business owners, clients and interested parties.
We focus on three main subjects: real estate, wealth management and finance, and luxury goods and services. Our events are an excellent opportunity to hear in-depth case studies and to gain insight into the latest trends.
We stage events in Switzerland, UK, Russia, Germany, Monaco and Dubai.
What have been your biggest achievements to date in Monaco?
We are a small structure but we have gained a lot of credibility in Monaco. We have had the support of the Monaco Economic Board from the very beginning, and its direction board makes speeches and presentations at all of our events.
Last year, I received an award at the International Congress of Real Estate and Investment in Munich for achievements in the field of Investment in Europe. This year, I was awarded ‘Best organiser of business events’ by Berlin Capital Club, and I was also awarded ‘Business woman of the year UK’ in London.

Summer piano recital at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

How have you been forced to adapt your events business due to the Covid crisis?
It has affected us a lot, because we had planned events in Dubai during the World Expo, which was postponed. We also planned events in Monaco during the Rolex Tennis Masters and throughout summer, but all were cancelled. So, we decided to launch an online version of our conferences.
Personally, I believe that the future of events will be online, but I see in practical terms that people are not completely ready to switch to online, they still prefer the traditional way of business networking.
What events have you managed to organise this year?
Without the main conferences, we have oriented towards more cultural events, which is what I was actually doing before I created LuxPro.
Our first post-quarantine event was a beautiful evening at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in St. Jean Cap Ferrat – a piano recital followed by a cocktail. It is like the proverb: “If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second.” I believe people need to eat, but they also need some action and entertainment, and that is why I think it is important to continue with our events.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in St. Jean Cap Ferrat

A large part of your business is networking, so how do you manage the various companies who take part?
In our traditional LuxPro conferences, we accept only one representative per industry, for example one Monegasque real estate company and one foreign real estate company. There is never competition between companies because they deal in different markets, and the same applies for other industries as well – we have one private bank, one insurance company, one jewellery brand, etc.
Clients of a private bank are the same clients who are investing in the property business, or the same clients who need legal advice, so it is a small circle of clients. Companies are happy to meet potential clients during our events and also make partnerships with different companies.
How do you see the future of your business?
I see it being very international. We are already well represented in Europe, but there is a demand for events in the East, as well as in the Asian and US markets. The participating companies always come back to me and say they would like to continue, so it means the concept is working.
What makes LuxPro events different from other business networking events?
The difference is that we organise private events. We don’t sell tickets for our conferences. The only way to attend is if you are a company partner of the event, or if you are invited as a guest or client by the company who is taking part. This makes the guest list very selective.
What qualifies you to organise business networking events?
I have lived in Monaco for more than 10 years now and I have built up a strong network. I was previously in the private banking world and I also organised many large events with a number of high-profile guests during the official Year of Russia in Monaco.
Can you tell us about your next event coming up in October?
This Friday, 16th October, at the magnificent Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, we will organise another piano concert by talented Tatiana Smelova in a partnership with Mosaic Art and Music. Beethoven’s piano Sonata op.109 and selected works from Frank and Chopin will be followed by champagne and a special display of the dancing fountains. It will be a beautiful event for music lovers and social events admirers. I would like to be clear that we follow all of the required health protocols, so our clients can be safe but also enjoy this beautiful event.
Follow LuxPro on Instagram: @luxpromc @gulshatmonaco
 
Top photo: Gulshat Uzenbaeva (right) with guests at the summer piano recital
 
 

International Day of the Girl in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/10/2020

The National Council of Monaco and local organisation She Can He Can celebrated International Day of the Girl by inviting students to participate in a discussion about the future role of girls and women in society.
International Day of the Girl, though officially Sunday, 11th October, was commemorated on Monday by an assembly organised by the National Council and She Can He Can, where 12 high school students were asked by the Management of National Education to join in discussions about female roles in society and politics and what can be done to put more of them in leadership positions.
Director of She Can He Can Vibeke Thomsen has worked for nine years to “encourage young girls to take leadership roles” and for the past three years, female members of the National Council, as well as President Stephane Valeri, have joined in her cause by co-hosting this meeting to show support for the fight for gender equality and opportunities for girls and women.
Additionally, the National Council lights up its building in purple, the official colour of the Girl2Leader association, for the day.
“It is through education and thanks to your new generation that we will achieve perfect equality between women and men,” said Nathalie Blanc-Amoratti, President of the Committee on Women’s and Family Rights at the meeting. “It is essential that women and men do not suffer from any difference in terms of remuneration, the distribution of mental burdens or even equal opportunities for access to positions of high responsibility. This voice for equality is brought here, to the National Council, by our president and by women and men who are convinced, like you, that this equality is natural and that it must be manifested in practice.”
The theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl is ‘My voice: Our equal future’ and She Can He Can describes it as a chance to focus on the importance of including the voices of all members of society in decision-making. “At She Can He Can, we will celebrate tomorrow by taking high school students to the National Council in Monaco to give them a chance to meet their female MPs, learn more about the role and importance of women in politics.”
Since 2011, the United Nations has designated this day to showcase the particular challenges faced by girls around the world as well as to promote girl empowerment. With 1.1 billion girls under the age of 18 in the world, this population segment is “poised to become the largest generation of potential leaders, entrepreneurs and change-makers the world has ever seen,” as stated by the UN.
 
Photo: National Council President Stephane Valeri and Director of She Can He Can Vibeke Thomsen, courtesy Conseil National de Monaco