First things first… 10k is a long, long way. But the road, for the first time since the Miles for Smiles ‘fun run’ was announced several months ago, is at last behind and not ahead of me. Yesterday was just as tough as we all expected it to be and every bit as rewarding. It
Events
The man with the iron will
Following Monday’s powerful and emphatic ‘Force India’ speech at the TFWA World Exhibition Conference, one could have easily forgiven UB Group Chairman Dr Vijay Mallya for taking the evening off. The Indian entrepreneur, owner of Kingfisher Airlines, Kingfisher beer and drinks company Whyte & Mackay, had other ideas however – instead hosting an exclusive luxury party
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Events
An Indian tour de Force
Today in Cannes was one of those rare occasions at an industry conference when a speaker simply fills the room with his power of personality. I’m talking about Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman of the UB Group, the Indian entrepreneur who ranks as one of the world’s great businessmen. The owner of Kingfisher Airlines, Kingfisher beer, drinks company Whyte &
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Events
A man from Mars with a human heart
They’re coming from everywhere to participate in the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fund-raising run in Dubai on 22 November. There’s even a man from Mars taking part. Not the planet Mars though, even though his name is Martyn. We’re talking the confectionery house here, and in particular we’re talking one Martyn Westbury. Martyn has been given
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Events
Darkness at the edge of town
[All WWHQ pictures: Minox DC 8011] My training regime for the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fund-raising 10k run in Dubai on 22 November on behalf of cleft charity The Smile Train is about to get a whole lot harder. There are worrying signs of winter approaching down in the deep, dark recesses of the garden at Chez
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People
Helping a brave son of Ireland
Today I spoke to John Mangan, a lovely Irish guy who works as L’Oréal UK Luxury Fragrance Division Deputy General Manager. He used to work in the French beauty group’s travel retail division, and as a result played in the annual Cannes rugby ‘test’ between the rest of the world and the French on a
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Events
Medical breakthrough boosts Moodie morale as Boot camp is set up in Worldwide HQ
Lots of grape juice. And plenty of water. That’s The Moodie Blog’s secret formula for getting in shape for the ‘Miles for Smiles’ 10k run in Dubai on 22 November – to raise funds for cleft charity The Smile Train. This spartan diet sounds almost as bad as running 10 kilometers but after careful research
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Miscellaneous
Swarovski welcomes you to the giant’s lair
Things to do in travel retail before you die (1). Visit the Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds). Trust me, you’ll be amazed and enchanted. The attraction is set in Austria’s beautiful Tirol region in the town of Wattens, home also to the Swarovski production plant. Outside, the landscape is picture postcard beautiful. Sweeping expanses of lush green
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Events
The Nuance Group supports Publisher’s charity run but hedges bets as achilles heel strikes
My fateful decision to participate in the 10k ‘Miles for Smiles’ run in Dubai on 22 November is looking more foolhardy every day. The Moodie Blog has banned the use of the term ‘fun run’ because in our experience the two words simply do not belong in the same universe, let alone event. To survive this
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Airports
Case study of a changing India
If ever a picture told a story of a country in change it is this one. The scene is Bengaluru Airport near Bangalore, the new greenfield airport opened in late May. The facility, with its impressive emphasis on efficiency rather than glitz, is very much a new airport for a new India. That new India
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Events
Running Miles for Smiles… and a pint of milk
It was that last half mile that did for me, and the extra weight… The Moodie Report knows all about looming deadlines, we live under their guillotine-like effect every day of the week. But one has been looming rather more worryingly than all the others – despite, by our standards, being a long way off. It’s the
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People
Anji starts a new innings as The Smile Train lends the strength of love
Good news from Dr Mukunda Reddy, head of the cleft unit at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India, that is largely funded by cleft charity The Smile Train. Readers of The Moodie Blog will remember little Anji (above), the cheeky wee boy with deep brown eyes, a smile as wide as Hyderabad (especially when
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Airlines
Bravo British Airways as cabin crew show the value of a smile
One finds human kindness in the most unexpected places – even at 35,000 feet up in the sky. Flying back to London from Mumbai, India last Sunday on BA198, a kindly Scottish cabin crew member called Elaine McWilliams (pictured above right with her colleague Maria) stopped to ask me about The Smile Train wristband I was