STANLEY FINK TO BRING ARK GALA DINNER GLITZ OUT OF HEDGIE SHELL
WHAT a coup for former Man group boss Stanley Fink at the weekend, as he stepped into hedgie philanthropist Arki Busson’s shoes as the chairman of children’s charity Absolute Return for Kids (ARK).
Busson is best known for his engagement to actress Uma Thurman and his hefty contribution to the hedge fund social circuit with the annual Ark gala charity dinner, which was held last month in the old Eurostar terminal at Waterloo. So, I ask Fink, are there any big plans afoot to revamp the glittering evening?
First and foremost, of course, is the entertainment – and he’d love to get wrinkly crooner Bruce Springsteen on stage in the future (“I think it’s probably a sign of my age and some of my colleagues would prefer younger bands,” he chuckles).
But Fink is also keen to move away from exclusively hedge fund support and tap other sources of City wealth, he tells me, citing “banking and possibly property” as two of the next sectors to target. One thing’s for sure: if, as he says, Fink is determined to continue to produce the “wow” factor for which the ARK dinner has become a byword, he won’t encounter too much resistance.
SPORTING SPIRIT
Word reaches The Capitalist of some terribly unsporting happenings down on the Isle of Wight at the weekend, where the Stock Exchange Sailing Club was holding its annual regatta.
Nick Alexander from WH Ireland won the event, with Charles Stanley’s Magnus Wheatley in second place and JM Finn’s David Higham in third. But the achievements were overshadowed by the absence of the club’s commodore Nick Wardle, who was made redundant from the London Stock
Exchange last week and – as rumour would have it – was barred from attending the event by the LSE.
Still, the poor chap sent his apologies via vice-commodore Chris Evans from Charles Stanley and showed true sailor spirit by paying for the port at dinner. Shiver me timbers.
GONE A-COURTING
Spotted soaking up the Centre Court action at Wimbledon yesterday from the auspicious confines of the Royal box: none other than Bank of England governor Mervyn King.
Our Merv was nestled alongside the likes of actor Russell Crowe and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, while he also enjoyed a chinwag with former champion Pete Sampras – picking up hot tips on how to improve his backhand, no doubt…
TIPS FOR THE TOP
To Sandown Park on Friday for the annual Property Race Day, chaired by Parkwood Property Investments partner Derek Lucie-Smith. The great and the good of property – including British Land director Valentine Beresford, Helical Bar boss Mike Slade and Cushman & Wakefield’s David Irwin – raised around £60,000 for charity, including a £10,000 auction bid for a day on Slade’s record-breaking yacht and a £11,500 bid for a luxury trip to Hong Kong and Shanghai.
I’m told the profits taken by bookies Sunderland will also go to charity – of which there should be plenty, since jockey Frankie Dettori was also roped in to give the bigwigs some personal tips before the racing got going…