I don’t normally mix with people from the film industry, but
this week was an exception. Yesterday I had coffee with a man who has managed
to forge a career investing in the somewhat quirky mix of blockbuster movies
and, separately, water technologies. Indeed, the meeting my friend was
having directly after our meeting was with Barbara Broccoli, daughter of Albert
Broccoli and the current producer of the James Bond films. One of the many
interesting facts I gleaned from him was that Idris Elba is ‘a shoe in’ for the
next 007 role. You heard it here first.
I couldn’t help but ask my new-found friend which gave the
best returns to him as an investor: water technology or films? Before sharing his
response I should tell you that his water technology investments include a
rather clever sensor for the water network that provides early warning signals
of contamination. It is very neat and has applications in a variety of
countries and industries.
In answering he looked me straight in the eyes and without
hesitation or embarrassment confidently asserted that he has ‘not made a penny’
out of his water investments. A little bit of me died.
Other celebrity moments from this week include me having breakfast
with David Beckham. And when I say ‘having breakfast’ what I actually mean is I
was sitting in a café having a breakfast meeting with the CEO of PA Consulting,
Alan Middleton when David entered the café behind me. Alan, quick as a flash,
got out his phone and managed to capture a picture of me with the sporting hero
(see attached). David might not remember meeting me, but I will never forget
our special moment together. Last night I shared the photo with the youngsters
in the scout group I help run. They already see me as a hero (obviously) and
this photo of my celebrity connections merely confirmed my status as someone
they would love to emulate. (As a complete aside, one of the children last
night guessed my age as 26. I felt superb for all of 10 minutes, until I
realised that if you are 13 then 26 is probably seen as positively ancient. It
was their way of simply saying ‘you are very very old’)
Back to my water/film investor friend, I asked him how his
film investments were going. He was more positive about these, saying he
typically made a 10-15% return. He then gazed into the distance and said,
somewhat wistfully ‘I have actually started writing a children’s book. I think
that is what will make me really happy’.
Personally, I am sticking with water technology.
