COLLEAGUES
Igor Sagiryan - Partner Ping Pong RestaurantIgor Sagiryan is a Russian Businessman who serves as President of Troika Dialog Group (Troika Dialog). Mr.Sagiryan served as President and Member of Executive Committee at Renaissance Capital since 1999. Mr.Sagiryan was also a founding partner and the Managing Director of Bain-Link, one of the premier management consultancies in Russia. As head of Bain-Link for eight years, he participated in many major projects in a wide range of industries. Mr.Sagiryan was involved in negotiating and closing transactions for numerous Russian and foreign investors, and has long been active in privatisation and restructuring projects across the country.
Niclas Sellebråten - Art DirectorBrand designer NiclasSellebråten has been responsible for developing the corporate identity of several well-known companies, winning international renown for his work re-designing Swiss International Airlines and as head of the design team at the legendary pioneer of e-commerce, boo.com. Seeking a brand identity that would capture simultaneously both the traditional origin and modernreincarnation of Ping-Pong’s cuisine, Niclas came up with the idea of a spiralling cloud of vapour,which New York-based photographer Frederik Lieberath then brilliantly realised under Niclas’s art direction.
Jonathan Amar - DesignerFor Jonathan Amar, the roles of ‘Décorateur’ and designer, are both overlapping “as in love, it is about a marriage and it doesn't much matter about disciplines provided that it is about a happy union”. Jonathan underlines that happy, warm-hearted places are the emblematic face of ethno-chic and of modern oriental. Its simplicity and its kindness almost eclipses the passion that this prolific creator accomplishes and many of his creations become mythical. He lines up a catalogue of more than 300 objects in his mind for each design and he is undoubtedly one of the most important designers of the resurgence of Moroccan trade.
Andy Martin - DesignerAndy is an Australian Architect and Designer based in London. He has created a range of works from furniture and product through to restaurants and bars, to residential properties both in the United Kingdom and internationally. He is known for his use of light and dark space, natural light and playfulness with materials. He also lectures extensively on architecture and design, regularly serves as a university studio critic, and is a board member for civic institutions and jury awards programs.
Gordon Campbell Gray - HotelierGordon Campbell Gray is the founder and managing director of One Aldwych, the iconic boutique hotel that was hailed as the most innovative luxury hotel in London when it opened in 1998. Gordon is chairman of Campbell Gray Hotels which he set up in 2003 to develop a small collection of international luxury hotels. Its first new opening was the Carlisle Bay hotel on the Caribbean island of Antigua in late 2003. Carlisle Bay, Campbell Gray’s first overseas project, won the Tatler Travel Award’s Hotel of the Year within 12 months of opening.He has recently opened a luxury boutique hotel in the downtown Solidare district of Beirut, called Le Gray.
Hubert Boukobza - Les Bains Douches is the famous French restaurant-club owned by Claude Challe and Hubert Boukobza and is patronized by the international jet-set and onlookers alike. Hubert, known as the god-father of the night life scene in Paris now resides in Ibiza.
Elizabeth Crompton-Batt - Elizabeth is an industry veteran who launched restaurant and bar PR in the UK. She is the PR master for Nobu and Hakkasan and has been at the centre of the rise and rise of the high-octane celebrity restaurant phenomenon. Elizabeth brought a rock-and-roll formula to publicising to what used to be a stuffy business of running restaurants.
Ernst Malmsten – Redgreenzebra Creative Management TeamInitially a poetry critic, Ernst Malmsten took this literary streak online when he started Sweden’s answer to Amazon, Bokus, in 1996. Founded with schoolfriend and former model Kajsa Leander, it was within nine months valued at almost $50m (£31m).After selling the company in 1998, the two, joined by fellow Swede Patrick Hedelin, spotted a gap in the market for an online fashion and sportswear retailer. This became Boo.com.Even before its November 1999 launch at the height of the dotcom bubble, the site was hailed by Fortune magazine as one of Europe’s coolest companies. The hard-partying Swede has spent the last decade initially running his own consultancy, the enigmatically-named RedGreenZebra, before becoming involved in luxury goods brand Lara Bohinc in the last five years. Ernst became the company’s chief executive in 2008, investing his own money in the firm.
Joel Berg - Brand ConsultantAdvises companies on brand and communications strategy, but also enjoys an international reputation in magazine publishing. An independent consultant since 1995, he has been art director of some of the world's top fashion magazines, including Harper's Bazaar and Mirabella. He directed the advertising campaigns of H&M between 1997 and 2000, is currently responsible for the brand image of the United Colors of Benetton label, and acts as creative director of the fashion magazines D – La Repubblicadelle Donne and Velvet.
Alan Yau - Restaurateur Alan Yau born in Hong Kong is a London-based restaurateur best known for launching the Wagamama food chain in London. Alan was awarded the OBE in the 2006 New Year Honour's List for services to the restaurant industry, he is also the man behind the leading London Chinese restaurants Hakkasan and more recently Yauatcha, which have each been awarded a Michelin Star. In 2008, the British magazine Restaurant, unveiled its sixth annual global ranking of the 50 Best Restaurants in which Hakkasan was rated 18th. Alan is also a director of Thai restaurant Busaba Eathai, which has five branches in central London. His latest restaurant is a Chinese noodle bar named Cha Cha Moon, which opened in mid-2008. In 2009, Alan made his U.S. debut with the opening of Hakkasan in the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida.
David Marquardt - DesignerDavid Marquardt’s previous work has included creating a global store concept for Bally and devising the corporate design for the relaunched Swiss International Airlines. A notable feature of his approach has been the design of purpose-made furniture to be an integral part of the interior architecture. For Ping Pong, David devised a clean, open look that allows the nature of the restaurant to be appreciatedinstantly from the street.