London’s biggest art Parade

This summer London will be the place to see a huge outdoor event, the elephant parade. “The Elephant Family” is the largest elephant charity in the World to raise funds for the conservation of Asian elephant. This year the parade was brought to London by trustees and patrons like  Priya and Cyrus Vandrevala.

The parade was launched in Trafalgar Square and sees over 250 brightly painted life-size elephants located over central London this summer, each decorated by a different artist or celebrity. The sculptor Mark Quinn was in charge of one of the four elephants sponsored by the Indian private equity investor Cyrus Vandrevala. 

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.

Summer Welfare Galas

Last week Elton’s charity ball targeted a new record. Last year, £2.5 million were raised for charity. The ball is in its 12th year and has raised £40 million since it started. There was an auction of celebrity lots: Damien Hirst has donated an Audi (the new A1 model) which has been turned into a spin painting, Anselm Kiefer has donated a sculpture and bidders had the chance to go on tour with Elton and David Furnish.

 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. He 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.” Others big charity donors include Sir Philip Green.

The Russian Midsummer Ball raised £1.7 million, shared between the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation and the UK Marie Curie cancer charity. It took placed at Hampton Court and Lebedev, President Mikhail Gorbachev and Geordie Greig, editor of the Evening Standard were the hosts. The most coveted auction prize is 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.

Last Russian Midsummer Fantasy Ball in Hampton Court

The past June 5, was held in Hampton Court the fifth Russian Midsummer Fantasy in aid of the Raisa Gorbechev Foundation, which fights childhood cancer.  The hosts of the evening were Evgeny Lebedev, Mikhail Gorbachev and Geordie Greig, editor of the Evening Standard. Tables have been bought for £15,000 and the Gala Committee includes Hugh Grant, David Hockney,the Indian investor Cyrus Vandrevala, Madonna and Baroness Thatcher.

“We are so delighted to have such generous donors who have bid for the chance of seeing President Gorbachev in private. This is a unique opportunity to see one of the great leaders of the 20th century who has chosen to dedicate his life to saving the lives of young people who suffer from cancer,” commented Geordie Greig.

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.

A surging stock market has doubled the number of tycoons in India

A surging stock market has allowed Indian investors to buy top-end residential property in London’s most exclusive neighborhoods. Billionaire Cyrus Vandrevala, an equity investor, was one of only two people to buy a £10m-plus London property in December last year as the recession hurt ultra-high net worth buyers. Vandrevala, who is married to the heiress of construction company Hirco, Priya Hiranandani, comes from one of India’s wealthiest families.

One of the advantages of foreign investment is that it helps in the economic progress of the country where the investment is being made. Cyrus Vandrevala is one of the people responsible for the recent financial and culture contribution in what it appears to be the New Mumbai; England.

Wealthy Indians Living in London

Indian billionaires are choosing London as their homes, turning the city into a New Mumbai. There has been a recent rise in the housing market due to the multimillionaire purchases of London properties by Indian investors. Among this group is Cyrus Vandrevala, a visionary private equity investor, started investing in technology businesses in his 20’s and now has global investments in a multiple of public and private companies ranging from Telecom, infrastructure, energy, real estate, food and cement.  

Mr. Vandrevala has made his mark as a man of style in London having lived at Claridge’s for six months before buying a house in Holland Park with his heiress wife Priya Hiranandani-Vandrevala for £20m.  An understated man; he has achieved billionaire status while maintaining a discreet social presence.

Colourful elephant parade in London

A colourful herd of “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 species. The 260 elephants on parade in London were brought by trustees and patrons like  Priya and Cyrus Vandrevala, the founders of a charitable social organization.                                                                                                     The painted elephants will brighten and beautify the city in every park, street corner and building from May to July 2010. This is considered as London’s biggest outdoor art event on record.                               To raise money, each of the elephants has been sponsored and will be auctioned. One of the most popular elephants is a white-coloured elephant beside an enormous bronze flower, also white, by the sculptor Mark Quinn, one of four elephants sponsored by the Indian private equity investor Cyrus Vandrevala and his wife, Priya.