WE ARE ALL BORN ENTREPRENEURS – AJAZ AHMED

Great Breakfast at the RAC Club this morning with AKQA Founder and Chairman Ajaz Ahmed – Always a pleasure to host the humble yet hugely talented author of Velocity – The Seven New Laws for a World Gone Digital. Members and guests asks questions after Ajaz had taken them through the ideas and inspiration behind the book and his company’s work for the likes of Nike, Heineken and the World Wildlife Fund. One member thanked Ajaz for inspiring him to launch his own business (still going) ten years ago, which made us all a bit emotional. Proof if ever was needed that mixing printed books and digital ideas can work together for a better experience all round.

UNDER STARTER’S ORDERS..

You may only have a flutter on the National, but no-one can  deny the influence of horse racing on British and Irish culture. From the plumber popping in to the bookies in Ballymena, to Queen Elizabeth cheering on the royal nags at Aintree, the thrill of the turf touches every tier of society. In his book, Britain and Ireland’s Top 100 Racehorses of All Time, the avuncular broadcaster Robin Oakley takes you on a canter through his favourite winners, viewed from the perspective of a man with 20 years of racing journalism at the Spectator under his belt, not to mention the curious eye of the political editor of CNN, the BBC and The Times. I’m a complete novice in terms of equestrian knowledge, but even I recognised some of the names in the top 100… Red Rum, Desert Orchid, Best Mate and five times King George VI winner  Kauto Star the owner of whom, Clive Smith, was on our table at the RAC dinner on Thursday night.

Robin’s love of racing and racing people was clearly shared by those present, but there was also a hint that the golden days of the sport were behind us, the beginning of the end marked by the day the BBC lost / gave away the rights to televise racing to Channel 4.  Glancing through the panoramic windows at the fading light, I saw the endless rolling greens and browns of Woodcote park blending into shadows, and with them the ghosts of horse racing’s greatest heroes. Robin’s all-time favourite? Arkle “Himself.” the horse for whom the rules of racing had to change to “accommodate” his genius. Quoting John Lawrence, Robin concludes that Arkle was ” ‘A happy horse, who enjoyed every minute of his life.’ Of how many human beings can we say that?”

DEALS ON WHEELS

It’s been a busy seven days, starting with a masterclass in the art of negotiation with Clive Rich and THE YES BOOK at The Clubhouse London, delving into the dark side of BIG DATA with Kenneth Neil Cukier at Soho House on Friday, finally ending up on a (philosophical) train to ENTREPRENEUR COUNTRY with Julie Meyer at the Royal Automobile Club this morning (Thursday 28th March).

Julie’s Page in the Club Life Mag

I love the RAC. It’s a proper club where jacket and tie are compulsory, with an arcadian swimming pool in the basement and an olive green Bentley revolving in the foyer (seriously, there is), chrome bumpers catching the light like a glint in the eye of Mr Bond.

Into this fabulous formality glides Julie Meyer, with her entrepreneurial passion and her perfectly poised charm. The members welcomed her with open armchairs and listened intently to her views on investment, politics, technology, communications and what it takes to make a difference in business and life.

Julie doesn’t like with the way we give our data away to multinationals. Kenneth Neil Cukier, Data Editor of the Economist probably doesn’t like it either, but he sees the proliferation of information and “datafication of everything” as inevitable in a digitally powered society. He broke bread with the members and guests of

I like my data BIG in the morning

Soho House last Friday, predicting the emergence of “algorithmists” – a new breed of skilled worker who will succeed the data scientist as the industry “rock star” of the future.

Talking of real rock stars – IE ones that smash up hotels rooms rather than analyse their availability – Clive Rich has worked with a few in his thirty year career as a music lawyer and negotiator for “perpetual adolescents”. His book is packed with anecdotes about “tough guys” and how to work with them. The main tactic being to establish acceptable behaviour levels before discussing the content of a deal. It also works on six year olds, apparently.

Say Yes to Yellow

Coming up in April… Danny Wallace (Charlotte Street) and Tom Chatfield (Netymology).

Happy Easter!