The dastardly Mr Deedes
When not managing one of the world’s largest investment firms, Blackstone boss Stephen Schwarzman, 70, who’s worth over £8bn, also chairs Donald Trump’s Policy Forum. But he won’t be hanging around for the President’s big speech on Friday. Speaking to a colleague in the Kongresszentrum yesterday, he muttered: ‘I mean, it will all be in the media.’ He added haughtily: ‘The guy was at my house in December after all.’
Sir Elton John sprinkled some muchneeded fairy dust on Monday’s proceedings when he arrived to collect a human rights award. Delegates whooped with delight when Sir Elt, 70, decreed inequality in the world was ‘a disgrace’. Do you think the sycophantic drones were aware the old dear one year blew £290,000 on flowers?
Those ‘only in Davos’ sights: Ex-Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, dressed-up like a dog’s dinner, hauling her suitcase up the ice-covered hill after the road was cut off; George Osborne’s shouty ex-spin doctor Thea Rogers, now an executive at Deliveroo, ignoring her lunch companions at Scala restaurant by stuffing headphones in her ears; Aberdeen Standard boss Martin Gilbert’s mad piper, who makes his annual pilgrimage up the mountain, tootling away outside Aberdeen’s concession in full Highland regalia while defying the sub-zero temperatures.
Advertising mogul Sir Martin Sorrell’s status as the ultimate ‘Davos Man’ remains unsurpassed. He was interviewed by CNBC at 6am yesterday morning, hurrying off to host a breakfast panel with foreign dignitaries before moderating another discussion involving Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi. If eggheads could only bottle the giddy excitement with which the great man, 72, bounces down the snow-flecked main promenade each year we may yet solve the energy crisis.
They’re selling Davos air. Winterthurbased company Swissbreeze are compressing the stuff and flogging it to anyone willing to pay £17 for a can, which promises to ‘clear up your mind and let you feel a breeze of Swiss serenity’. Ridiculous, but then whoever got poor underestimating the gullibility of people around here?