Elton John´s Annual Ball Impressed the Guests

The ball in its 12th year has raised £40 million since it started. It appears it has achieved a new record this year. Elton and Lady Gaga performed a duet together (a mash-up of her song Speechless and his composition Your Song) while there was an auction of celebrity lots. Thomas Hughes-Hallett, the CEO of Marie Curie Cancer Care who was the auctioneer at the Russian Midsummer Ball, believes it is only thanks to the current crop of super auction heroes that record sums are still being raised for charity.

“In a world of economic uncertainty how refreshing it is to have super auction heroes who step in and make it possible to raise such huge sums,” he says. “It is never certain how an auction will go and when people like Richard Caring, Cyrus Vandrevala and John Caudwell step up to the plate it makes a huge difference to the sums raised and to the help given to those in need.”

Cyrus Vandrevala, the equity investor, was also an important bidder at The Russian Midsummer Ball, where £1.7 million were raised, shared between the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation and the UK Marie Curie cancer charity.

Russian Midsummer Gala at Hampton Court

Last month, Evgeny Lebedev transformed the grounds of his house in Hampton Court into a Russian church, with a bell tower and the roof of the temporary dining room based on that in St Basil’s Cathedral. The hosters of the event were Mikhail Gorbachev and Geordie Greig, editor of the Evening Standard. Tables have been bought for £15,000 and the most coveted auction prize was dinner with the Man Who Changed the World.  Last year private equity investor Cyrus Vandrevala bid £75,000 for it and joined President Gorbachev with his family in Moscow; the previous year it went to Hugh Grant, and before that the mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell.  

Thomas Hughes-Hallett, the CEO of Marie Curie Cancer Care who was the auctioneer said: “It is never certain how an auction will go and when people like Richard Caring, Cyrus Vandrevala and John Caudwell step up to the plate it makes a huge difference to the sums raised and to the help given to those in need.”

Biggest outdoor art Parade in London´s History

The elephant sculpture promenade, organized by Mark Shand’s Elephant Family Foundation was said to be London´s biggest outdoor event. 260 elephants that have been positioned across the capital to raise awareness about endangered Asian elephants.The elephants have been painted by a range of celebrities, including Marc Quinn, who was in charge of one of the four elephants donated by the private investor Cyrus Vandrevala.

Cyrus Vandrevala is considered as a remarkable philanthropist. He has also participated at The Man Who Changed The World event, where last year, he bid £75,000 for it and joined President Gorbachev with his family in Moscow. Last month he was a bidder at Elton John´s Ball.

Wealthy Indians are buying top-end residential dwelings

The veritable boom of rich people in India due to a surging stock market is allowing them to buy expensive properties in London. As their number is rapidly growing, they take their large families and move to London, becoming “Bollygarchs”. Among this group is the equity investor Cyrus Vandrevala.

Mr Vandrevala has been a pioneer in investing in private companies by utilising cross border synergies. He is the founder and operator of successful companies all across the USA, Russia, India and the Middle East. He currently serves as Co- Founder and Vice Chairman of Intrepid Capital Partners (ICP), a private equity partnership focused on investing in companies embracing globalisation.

Enormous Elephant Sculptures over Central London

A colourful pack of life-size elephants have made their way onto the streets of London in an effort to raise funds toward the conservation of Asian elephants. The Elephant Family is the largest elephant charity in the World to raise funds for the conservation of these animals. One of their sponsors is Cyrus Vandrevala, an Indian equity investor.

The elephants will brighten and beautify the city in every park, street corner and building from May to July 2010. This is said to be London’s biggest outdoor art event on record.

Each of the painted elephants will be auctioned. One of the most popular animals is a white-coloured elephant beside an enormous bronze flower, also white, by the sculptor Mark Quinn, one of four elephants sponsored by Cyrus Vandrevala and his wife, Priya.

Wealthy Indians are making London the new Mumbai

Indian people have made many remarkable contributions into London´s life participating in all levels of politics, business and cultural initiatives. Indians billionares are steadily buying top-end residential dwellings in London’s most luxury neighbourhoods. Cyrus Vandrevala, an equity investor part of the new britains-bollygarchs, was one of only two people to purchase a £10m-plus London property in December last year as the recession hurt prime net worth buyers. Vandrevala, who is married to the heiress of construction company Hirco, Priya Hiranandani, comes from one of India’s wealthiest families. He bought a Holland Park mansion before Christmas for around £22m. Hopefully these types of financial contributions will lead to return in economic growth.

A surging stock market has doubled the number of billionaires in India in the past year. As their number is rapidly growing, they take their large families and move to London, becoming “Bollygarchs”. Their name refers to “Bollywood”- the capital of Indian cinema and “oligarch”. This new cohort of Indian Billionaires invest in high priced properties helping to relieve the UK housing market out of recession. An example of this is Cyrus Vandrevala; a visionary private investor, started investing in technology businesses in his 20’s and now has global investments in a multiple of public and private companies.