THE FIXER
So you’ve avoided the banking crisis, your assets are sat somewhere comfortable in the Caymans
or perhaps your one of an 8000 strong royal family and money is no object. But what about time?
Photography: MANY TALENTED SOULS
STYLE: THE FIXER
London is a city like no other. According to Ledbury
Research, the increase in London in centa-millionaires is
likely to rise by 44% this year. It isn’t all about Brazil and
China. The total net-worth of the elite centa-millionaires
is around $39.9 trillion. London has always been a safe
haven to the rich and powerful, with lax corporate tax
law and a million fiscal loopholes. London has never
seen so many affluent characters reaching the banks of
the Thames.
So, you’re one of the 63,000 people worldwide with
$100m or more in assets, wedged into some ungodly
diamond-encrusted wallet or gold-plated purse. You’re
in central London. You have money to burn, but nowhere to turn. You need a fixer. Historically, a fixer was a
gent who worked for a law firm and was able to operate
in the interests of its clients, using underhand or illegal
methods. But, at the end of the day, if you’re sat in a pool
of someone else’s blood, are you really that bothered
about whether ‘the fixer’ uses fraudulent methods? No.
Today’s fixers are luckily not the rogues of old. Today’s
fixers are the men and women that simply ‘make it happen’.
In the words of James Lionel Price, Mr Vaughn’s character from 2004’s Layer Cake: “Details, details. Things to
do. Things to get done. Don’t bother me with details, just
tell me when they’re done.” And so back to my original
point: time. The one commodity that you can’t literally
trade in.
Should I have enough zeros on my bank balance, I
wouldn’t wish to queue for the latest iPhone or shop
around for a new Ferrari. I would just expect to awake
to the sound of a 458 Italia outside my window, engine
running with the new phone’s bluetooth connected and
sat in the holder ready and waiting. I would of course
need reservations for dinner at the Hotel Post in Zermatt and accommodation at the Heinz Julen Loft. That
sounds like a lot of phone calls and traipsing around.
Even then, would I be able to get half of it? Let’s assume
that the 458 is simple enough to acquire. But the phone?
Let’s assume it has just been released and I would like
to gloat to all and sundry. The hotel reservation might
be okay if they have space. The Loft, however, is most
likely to be booked by Robbie Williams for his usual
party. Then there are flights. Easy Jet is a thing of the
past, but how to find a private flight to Geneva or Zurich
at short notice? How do you gain the competitive edge to
get all this done, without spending two weeks on the dog
and bone chasing? The answer: a fixer. And not just any
fixer — the London fixer.
To be brutally honest, the city is littered with conciergestyle companies trying to offer a combination of luxury
lifestyle services. Few manage to come close to providing
a personal service. Sunseeker has one, for instance, on
the assumption that, if you are buying a boat, you will
need a slightly gregarious lackey to run around after you.
Many try and knit together a circle of likeminded partners to offer the appearance of a service, but usually fail
to find harmony. However, don’t dismay. We, of course,
have a solution for you.
The Envy Group is a Mayfair-based fixer. With plush
offices on Berkeley Street, it is evident that business
is good. Entrepreneur Alexander Martin is one of the
Envy Group of Directors. Discretion is key in this game,
so don’t look for his picture over the page; you won’t
find it. Alexander explains that the firm works on an
introductory-only basis, preferring to utilise the benefit
of recommendation from client to client. This ensures
that a specific type of client relationship is maintained.
Envy are effectively a luxury management specialist,
property investments or acquisitions, VIP and private
events, supercars, yachts, jets, luxury goods — you name
it, they can do it. They work similarly to a mini satellite
family office, looking after important family members
whilst they are away from home. We aren’t just talking
about a jack-of-all here either. The team knows its stuff
— and with clientele like theirs, they have to. Alexander
and the team prefer to acquire ‘friends’ rather than
clients. They regularly lend their Rolls Royce Phantoms
to friends, so it pays to keep a certain clique. The Envy
Group even arrange UK investor visa programmes, tailor
made to their friends’ requirements.
When money is no object, people assume that the world
is your oyster; that anything can be accomplished in the
swipe of a Centurion card. But the reality is a little different. With so many wealthy individuals transcending
to London, there is in-fighting. There are only so many
tables at The Hospital Club and very few signature Aspinal pieces from their private collection to go around.
So, your fixer must be better than the rest. Having
located some of the world’s most collectible and elusive
cars makes them the London go-to guys. Whilst making
sure their friends have access to all the newest and mostwanted supercars before anyone else.
We took the opportunity to put the Envy Group
to the test. We gave them a short itinerary for central
London and said “You do the rest”.
The Rolls Royce Phantom (who says it’s too big for central?), the suite at 11 Cadogan Gardens and tickets to the
launch of London’s newest rooftop bar, Radio, all came
in a flash. Needless to say that the team understands the
audience. For some, it is a classic car or antique watch,
a box at the O2, or to attend a premier. Others want to
meet their rock and roll heroes. And for some, it is all
about utilising the great team at Envy to give them back
some time.
BLACKBOOK:
T: 0207 016 8883
W: www.envygroup.co.uk
THE REVIEW 2013 44