As founder of Skift, Rafat Ali has spent over a decade decoding how travel and culture shape one another. In conversation with Anant Sharma, he challenges the idea that globalisation made everything the same. The world may look uniform, but beneath the surface, centuries-old habits still shape what global brands…
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Behind the gloss of London Fashion Week lies a complex machinery of trade, taxation and soft power. David Leigh Pemberton sits at its centre — navigating the delicate relationship between creativity and government as Deputy Director of Policy & Engagement at the British Fashion Council. In this episode, he unpacks…
Behind the gloss of London Fashion Week lies a complex machinery of trade, taxation and soft power. David Leigh Pemberton sits at its centre — navigating the delicate relationship between creativity and government as Deputy Director of Policy & Engagement at the British Fashion Council. In this episode, he unpacks…
Luxury hospitality is evolving—dissolving the boundaries between home, hotel, and cultural space. Few designers navigate that shift more intuitively than Tatjana von Stein. As Founder and Creative Director, she leads a London and Mallorca-based studio reimagining how people experience place through narrative-led design that incentivises human behaviour. From award-winning members'…
Luxury hospitality is evolving—dissolving the boundaries between home, hotel, and cultural space. Few designers navigate that shift more intuitively than Tatjana von Stein. As Founder and Creative Director, she leads a London and Mallorca-based studio reimagining how people experience place through narrative-led design that incentivises human behaviour. From award-winning members'…
As Global Editorial Director of Condé Nast Traveller, Divia Thani is witnessing a profound shift in the balance of cultural influence. Once defined by Western ideals of taste and sophistication, luxury is increasingly shaped by perspectives from the East—by travellers who value meaning over display, connection over consumption. In conversation…
In this episode of What The Luxe, host Fred Moore sits down with Edwin Brenninkmeyer, Founder and CEO of Oriens Aviation, to unpack the mechanics, mindset, and meaning behind modern private aviation. A commercial and private pilot with more than two decades of experience, Edwin brings the precision of a…
Hinesh Shah, General Manager of Diageo Luxury Company, shares how heritage spirits brands like Johnnie Walker and Don Julio are evolving for today's luxury consumer. Recorded in July 2025, Fred Moore explores with Hinesh why luxury spirits require a fundamentally different approach—from cultural partnerships with Live Nation and Perfect Moment…
Rafat Ali has spent thirteen years building Skift into travel's most respected publication by prioritising original thinking over scale. The founder who coined the term "overtourism" joins What The Luxe to discuss why mainstream media is becoming obsolete, how AI will transform travel's backend operations, and what authentic hospitality really…
How a former hedonist built a non-alcoholic brand that refuses to apologise for pleasure. From high-end party origins serving Kate Moss and royal wedding guests to building credibility through Michelin-starred restaurants, Imme Ermgassen shares the story of how Botivo, the non-alcoholic botanical aperitivo brand, is rewriting category rules through radical…
Alejandro Bataller, Managing Partner at SHA Wellness, tells of how a family health crisis in 2002 led to building one of the world's most comprehensive wellness brands. SHA's "proactive healthcare" philosophy challenges conventional medicine's reactive approach, focusing on healthspan over lifespan. With host Fred Moore, Alejandro explores the evolution of…
Sven-Olof Lindblad on transitioning from CEO to co-chairman of Lindblad Expeditions, the evolution of adventure travel, and why conservation is a business investment rather than philanthropy. We explore the delicate balance of protecting remote destinations whilst providing access, the changing psychology of modern travellers, and how expedition travel became a…
Hugh Wahla's story reads like a modern parable about the hidden costs of conventional success. After building Urban Outfitters' European empire and revitalising The Conran Shop as CEO, executive burnout and panic attacks revealed what he calls "survival disguised as achievement." Through meditation, sobriety, and abandoning SMART goals for outrageous…
“Luxury is madness,” declares Alex Robertson, and he should know. With a career spanning Ogilvy, Dubai Tourism, Etihad and now Jumeirah, he’s spent years proving that the best hospitality experiences come from embracing that beautiful irrationality. Alex dismantles the tired luxury playbook. No corporate welcome rituals forced on jet-lagged families.…
Growing up during Zimbabwe’s Bush War, Deborah Calmeyer moved to New York at 24 and built ROAR AFRICA from a side project to help her zoologist father into a leading luxury safari operator. Now she runs 200+ trips annually across a continent where geography comprehension and operational logistics challenge even…
From Wall Street to aviation boardrooms, some career pivots reveal more about leadership evolution than industry mechanics. Leona Qi’s journey from finance to becoming President of VistaJet US offers insights into navigating male-dominated sectors, building operational excellence, and redefining what executive presence looks like in luxury industries. With women representing…
Anthony Costa has spent three decades at the pinnacle of luxury hospitality—from the Burj Al Arab to the flagship Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. Now Head of Hospitality and Lifestyle at Candy Capital, he's bringing world-class service to luxury residential living. In conversation with Anant Sharma, Anthony reveals how Japanese…
Most sensible people don't leave a partnership at WATG to start over. But Clint Nagata isn't most people. He's built BLINK Design Group into a $30M+ business by doing the opposite of what luxury hospitality expects—local stone over Italian marble, restraint over ostentation, stories over spectacle. His Six Senses Kyoto…
In this episode of What The Luxe, we sit down with Winston Chesterfield—founder of Barton and one of the most incisive minds in wealth intelligence and luxury brand consultancy. Together, we unpack the nuanced behaviours of high-net-worth individuals, and why understanding their motivations requires far more than just access. Winston…
While most of us anchor ourselves to addresses, Jessica Hoppe oversees something decidedly more fluid. As CEO of The World—the only privately-owned residential ship in constant motion—she manages a community of 300 residents who live aboard year-round, travelling to over 1,000 ports every three years. Unlike traditional cruising, this is…
George Broke, COO of The Soke, joins Fred Moore to discuss how mental healthcare is evolving beyond traditional clinical models toward a premium, hospitality-driven approach. From their unique client services team that acts as healthcare concierges to daily multidisciplinary meetings that ensure no practitioner works in isolation, George explains how…
Tom Barber, co-founder of Original Travel, joins special edition host Aditi Arora, Consultancy Director at Matter of Form, to discuss the evolution of luxury travel and the post-pandemic boom in three-generational trips that are reshaping how families experience the world together. From grandparents funding transformative journeys to parents seeking deeper…
Anant Sharma speaks with Celine Assimon, a seasoned luxury executive who has led brands like Cartier, Piaget, and De Beers London through both triumph and crisis. From navigating company bankruptcy to empowering teams across global markets, Celine shares the hard-won lessons of luxury leadership. Together, they explore what it really…