Sir Nicholas Serota
Sir Nicholas joined us following the end of his time as the Director of Tate Galleries, and the start of his new position as Chair of the Arts Council England. During his talk, Sir Nicholas looked back on the two and a half decades he spent at Tate, which included the founding of […]
Jimmy Carr
https://youtu.be/pRTMnJ6y14Y Jimmy Carr started his Prudential Talk by speaking about his early career – he said that in terms of starting out London is the best place to be. He had initially worked in marketing in the oil industry, but hadn’t enjoyed it. Being a comedian, he said, is “a joyful thing to […]
Andrew Marr
In his sixty minutes at China Exchange, Andrew Marr touched on everything from the decline of print media, to his novels, to the biggest challenges facing modern government. Andrew said the time he spent working on the Independent newspaper was the happiest of his life, but that he was fired several times. He […]
Viscount and Viscountess Weymouth
The Viscount and Viscountess Weymouth shared their experiences of running Longleat House and Safari Park. The Viscount mentioned how his past experience in hospitality industry had been valuable in helping to turn the business around, with the couple working to add new experiences to the existing offering. The Viscount said that branding was […]
Mario Testino
Mario Testino spent a joyful evening at China Exchange, sharing stories and advice from his stellar career. He said that he is motivated by the pursuit of excellence and attributed his success to his perseverance, as well as some lucky breaks. He described how in the early stages of his career, he would […]
Lord Fellowes
Lord Fellowes spent his sixty minutes at China Exchange reflecting on his career as an actor, writer and producer. He described how his signature “fly-on-the-wall” style of screenwriting came from his experience growing up slightly apart from society; his parents had come from different backgrounds, and this detachment from society ultimately helped him […]
Sir Antony Gormley
Sir Antony Gormley’s evening in Chinatown gave us time for reflection, with discussions on the purpose of art and human beings’ relationship with the environment. Sir Antony stated that at its core, the purpose of art is to “change the way people think”. He said this is what he loves about sculpture; that’s it’s not […]
Hannah Rothschild
Hannah Rothschild joined us to talk about her role as Chair of the National Gallery, her views on the art world, philanthropic giving and her work as a novelist and biographer. Of the National Gallery she said she feels “enormous pride” to be involved in a team that delivers “absolutely stellar exhibitions” but […]
Richard E Grant
We spent an evening with actor Richard E Grant, thirty years on from his break-through role in the cult-classic film Withnail and I. Richard talked about his career diverse and the inspiring people he has worked with, including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and recently Lena Dunham. He described how, on meeting Dunham, […]
Dame Judi Dench
Dame Judi Dench showed she’s full of surprises during her sold-out 60 Minutes at China Exchange, discussing everything from her extensive career and sharing anecdotes about working with Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and revealing for the first time her regret at not accepting the role of Shirley Valentine. Dame Judi gave glimpses into […]