CITY A.M.’S STUNNING STRIMPEL PROBES THE STRANGE MALE BRAIN
SUPER-GLAM Sketch last night played host to the debut book launch party of City A.M.’s very own lifestyle editor, Zoe Strimpel. Around 80 select guests were invited to celebrate the publication of What The Hell Is He Thinking?, Strimpel’s eighty-questions-and-answers guide to what goes on in the male brain. “Men are tough to figure out at the best of times,” said Strimpel, looking stunning in a sleek, black Preen dress, “but in the City they become even more inscrutable. This is a handbook for every woman who’s ever wondered why the guy she snogged last night is acting like an embarrassed teenager. City boys are the worst culprits.”
Naturally, being organised by the City’s most knowledgeable girl about town, the party was a classy affair, with the Laurent-Perrier and Pinky vodka flowing freely. Guests enjoyed the company of Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding (not to mention the scintillating conversation of The Capitalist) and took advantage of free manicures provided between sips of champagne.
The book, published by Penguin Books and available in bookstores from today, is based on interviews with hundreds of men about why they act the way they do. But Strimpel insists it is not about rejecting guys altogether: “This is not a man-bashing book. After all, what fun would life be without them?” We’ll say cheers to that!
MERRILL RALLIES
Many a brave soul has started out on the 900-mile silk route from Peking to Paris, but not many have done it in a vintage blue 1929 Ford Model – a Phaeton. Step up Merrill Lynch’s brand new vice-chairman Simon Mackenzie Smith, who is doing the drive with rally partner Rupert Marks to raise money for charities DebRA, which supports families of kids who have the debilitating condition epidermolyosis bullosa, and the Pioneer Sailing Trust, which takes disadvantaged children on sailing trips.
Some of the City’s top bankers were in attendance to hear the Rt Hon Michael Portillo give the send-off to the rally-drivers as they set out across the continent, a trip that Mackenzie Smith said he was a little “apprehensive” about: “If we get through Mongolia, we stand a chance,” he said. “The car was a bag of bones when we bought it on eBay.” The pair set off in September. Bon voyage!
SHARING SHARES
It’s been quite a week for activist investor Richard Bernstein. First, he rather publicly took on media heavyweight Michael Grade, challenging him to quit as chairman of movie studios Pinewood Shepperton after 10 years at the helm at the firm’s annual general meeting.
Then, on Wednesday evening, Bernstein scooped two awards at an inaugural Business Charity Awards function held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Bernstein was chosen by judges as Business Charity Champion for inventing “share gifting” and founding Share & Share Alike, a company that encourages publicly listed companies to donate shares to charitable causes. Bernstein also took home the Outstanding Individual award for innovation and the personal commitment he has shown to this cause.
Bernstein said when he collected his award: ‘This is about leadership, but it is also about following. To make things happen, we need people to follow our example.” Since setting up the scheme Bernstein has donated 9m shares in Eurovestech worth £1.75m to 85 charities.
CLEGGERON STRIKES
Another on the long list of London summer parties last night: the great and good of Westminster flooded over to St James’ for the Spectator Magazine’s famous annual bash, where the Prime Minister arrived alongside Nick Clegg for 15 minutes of glad-handing. Meanwhile, Danny Alexander tramped the grounds for the rest of the Liberal Democrats and Tory donor Lord Ashcroft made his first public appearance for a long time, expertly schmoozing his way through the urbane crowd. All round a spec-tacular gathering.
ON THE HUNT
Secretary of state for culture Jeremy Hunt was enjoying the attentions of ITV’s top lobbying talent this week at the ITV Parliamentary Reception, as the channel pulled out all the stops to entertain the minister in charge of TV regulation. He opened his speech on product placement with a joke that even The Capitalist deemed worthy of relaying: McDonalds’ PR supremo meets the Pope and makes an offer: “I’ll give you £50m if you change the line in the Lord’s Prayer to ‘give us this day our daily Big Mac’.” The Pope says he will consider the proposal. Back at the Vatican, he summons his cardinals: “Right guys,” he says. “I have good news and bad news. The good news is I can get us £50m. The bad news is we’ll have to cancel the contract with Hovis.” Meanwhile, ITV chairman began with his own kind of joke: “I’m sure you’re wondering how we can afford to host a party when we can’t even afford to pay our shareholders a dividend…” Yes, Archie… care to enlighten the world?
Victoria Bates is away.