Before they were famous…
He may only be 27, but entrepreneur and EG Rising Star Reza Merchant was hitting the big time long before he shot to fame as founder of lifestyle-led property developer The Collective. In this day and age everyone knows you haven’t made it until you have worked your way up from a role in a reality TV show. And Diary must admit it was not entirely shocked when it caught a glimpse of the fresh-faced Reza appearing in an early episode of Made In Chelsea. But being sold off as lot number one in a man auction? That we weren’t expecting. Let’s just hope the highest bidder got a decent return on her investment…
Too much data to doze
Diary is sure that when Colliers International issued fitness trackers to some of its directors it had only their best interests at heart. But one such individual has confided that so disconcerting was the feedback revealing the poor quality of sleep this person was getting that it has exacerbated the restless nights. Maybe the gadgets should come with a poster of sheep and a Horlicks.
Energy efficiency? WICKED!
Who says academics are out of touch? Researchers into energy strategy development at the University of Oxford have shown an admirable grasp of youth slang – from 1990. With all the linguistic skill one would expect (and a little bit of anti-establishment anarchy when it comes to the usual rules), they have managed to conjugate the official name of their two-year project into one totally awesome acronym: “WICKED” (Working with Infrastructure, Creation of Knowledge and Energy-strategy Development, in case you wondered). Instead of being down with the kids, maybe with WICKED they were going for the complete opposite: defying gravity.
Out on the street, drifting
In a cruel twist of fate Exemplar Properties co-founder Dan Van Gelder has been made homeless. Well, kind of. The chairman of the Westminster Property Association is based on the South Coast but has been renting a flat in the West End near Fitzroy Place, its mixed-use development with Aviva Investors in Fitzrovia, until it is completed. However, he has been kicked out by his landlord, who has taken a disliking to Van Gelder’s 65kg Great Dane. Van Gelder has now decided to embark on a tour of the West End’s hotels rather than renting a new flat before his own abode at Fitzroy Place is completed.
Lipstick, hairbrush, spray
The contents of a lady’s handbag are always a mystery to the opposite sex. But two intrepid female industrial agents carry one item that might come as a particular surprise – WD40. Two of Savills’ finest – Bonnie Minshull and Bridget Outtrim – admitted to Diary this week that the well-known oil and water-displacing spray was an essential tool, one that comes in handy if they come up against troublesome locks when inspecting sheds. Useful.
