In our new ‘Meet the Mentor’ mini series we meet the senior leaders from the Walpole membership who are generously giving their time to support up-and-coming talents in the British luxury industry. Today we meet Alistair Hughes, Managing Director of extraordinary bedmakers Savoir, who has been a mentor on the Brands of Tomorrow programme for many years. Here Alistair shares what he has learnt through being a mentor, as well as his advice for budding entrepreneurs, and what he wish he knew when he started out.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR CAREER – HOW YOU FOUND YOURSELF WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I grew up in Ethiopia and Malawi. My father taught English for the British Council, and my mother was a nurse. I returned to the UK for secondary school and eventually graduated from Jesus College Cambridge with a degree in Economics. I then began a career as a strategy consultant with LEK in the UK, Australia and the Philippines. Having previously worked exclusively for large businesses, I wanted to try something hands-on and entrepreneurial. When my business partner and I heard about The Savoy’s Bedworks we were intrigued and quickly discovered it was a hidden gem. I couldn’t imagine a better heritage for a bed company, it had been created with the sole aim of providing the best night’s sleep to the most demanding clients in the world. Liza Minnelli had refused to leave The Savoy Hotel without one; Emma Thompson said the bed had cured her insomnia. The product had been lauded for over 100 years by the most demanding guests in the world, yet they were not available to the general public. The opportunity was too good to pass up. We purchased the Savoy Bedworks in 1997 with just three craftsmen and today we have over 60 staff based in our Bedworks in London and Wales. We currently have 15 showrooms around the world, including New York, Paris and Shanghai. We also recently opened a new 2,000 square foot flagship showroom in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square; it’s a sanctuary of serenity for our clients.
WHAT INTERESTS YOU IN THE LUXURY SECTOR PARTICULARLY?
What I love is being in a business where you have the freedom to simply make the best. I have always believed that clients will pay for something special if you can explain the value to them. This approach allows us to give free rein to a wonderful team of craftspeople, creatives and those vital people who make it all happen. The team and the promise of something new every day keeps me excited and captivated by the industry.
WHO ARE YOU MENTORING THIS YEAR AS PART OF THE BRANDS OF TOMORROW PROGRAMME?
I am mentoring Vicki Rothschild and Mark Bickers of the fabulous Rothschild & Bickers. They and their team of craftsmen and women skilfully blow the most amazing glass lighting.
HAVE YOU LEARNT ANYTHING UNEXPECTED FROM YOUR MENTEE?
I always learn from my mentees. I’m nosy, I like to see how people do things. I love seeing other craft businesses and their craftsmen and women at work. They are typically much more creative than me and certainly more savvy on say social media. But, just talking about sustainable packaging earlier this week with Mark Bickers prompted me to think about what we are currently doing in this area and what more we can do.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A MENTOR YOURSELF? IF SO TELL US A BIT ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE.
I’ve never had a formal mentor, but there are three or four people in particular who have at various times put plenty of time and effort into guiding and encouraging me. The key is that they have listened, questioned and leant their experience to my situation, giving me the confidence to get on, to off load and to worry less! Often times it is just nudging you to take a different perspective and making sure you have really thought things through. It is not so much about the mentor coming up with the big idea, as it is them helping you to come up with the way forward.
WHAT AND/OR WHO IS YOUR SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION?
There are so many people and things that inspire me, but because he was at the very start of the Savoir journey, I’d say Richard D’Oyly Carte. He was an exceptionally talented and successful empresario, with a couple of theatres and an international “circuit” in his role producing for Gilbert & Sullivan. He always stretched and innovated, and decided that he, as a showman, was going to create the most luxurious hotel in the world. And so, The Savoy was born … the first hotel in the world with all electric lights (and that required he build his own power station), the first with ensuite bathrooms with hot and cold running water, with “ascending rooms” (lifts to you and I) running all night. And, of course, finally The Savoy Bed, now the Iconic Savoir No.2 bed set. So good that after a stay the late King Hassan of Morocco bought 24 for his palace.
IF YOU COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY IN YOUR CAREER WHAT WOULD IT BE?
It is good to learn from your mistakes and I’ve made plenty, but best to look forward. Not much to be gained in should have, would have, could have. Just get on and do it now! So, for example, I realise that had I stayed in big business for longer I would have picked up some skills useful to Savoir, now it is a bit bigger. But, I also know that I can hire those people, who are excited by Savoir and add real value.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ANY BUDDING ENTREPRENEURS LOOKING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
It is easy to say, “just do it, get on”, but in truth it is worth a fair amount of testing too. Don’t keep it to yourself, test and see what people think. Then, when you decide the idea is worth pursuing, throw yourself at it 110%.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ENTREPRENEURS, BUT ARE LOOKING TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN THEIR CAREER?
Life is always better if you love what you do. You can plan a career to take you somewhere, but I don’t think it is worth spending your whole life focused on a future position. You need to enjoy today too. So, aim to be in a position you are passionate about, where you feel comfortable and which allows you to have a life beyond work too. I don’t think my generation were very good at that when they entered the workforce 30 odd years ago.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST LUXURY UNDER £10?
Nothing beats walking outside my place in Wales with a cup of coffee and sitting on the step watching the swallows. But for a commercial transaction, my online FT subscription is under £1 a day. I gladly pay for great journalism and writing from their excellent columnists.
