The direct translation of the word polymath is ‘to have learned a lot’. That idea finally found its full expression in Renaissance Italy, with the noble notion best expressed by 15th-century humanist Leon Alberti, “man can do all things if he wants to.” Most of us work, pay the mortgage, stock the fridge, and perhaps occasionally indulge in a lottery ticket, harboring the vague hope that all the numbers add up, allowing us to proceed down a mythical marble corridor to Valhalla, forever. eating the fruits of fortune. That is not an expression of curiosity or passion for life, but simply the suggestion that wealth is enough. What seems to be becoming increasingly evident within the top level of business leaders is that this is as much a part of the journey as anything else. It’s not the end of the game.
The media have recently covered the high-profile philanthropic activities of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, and their attempt to get other billionaires to give away at least half of their fortunes, and it is proving to be an exciting and forward-thinking twist. These gentlemen have gone the extra mile to achieve their status and are now motivated, I imagine, by a desire to not only help people, but also to change the landscape around them for the better; restless spirits who always want to do more and accept new challenges, whether in the business field or not. Money, I imagine, was never the object of the likes of Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett. Creativity, resourcefulness, and desire should all be mentioned when celebrating an entrepreneur, and now, altruism can sit alongside those traits.
There are some interesting entrepreneurs in today’s landscape who have made their fortunes and, like those mentioned above, are now looking into other areas of interest, often with initial results. Per Wimmer’s biography reads like a character sketch from a Bond film and is certainly a case study in getting the most out of everyday life, or as Dylan Thomas put it, ‘rage against the dying of the light’. A ‘global financier, an entrepreneur, an adventurer, a pioneer and a philanthropist’ as the bio page for him states. In addition to beginning his career in law, he rose to fame through his own investment bank, Wimmer Financial, but also made history by completing the world’s first parachute jump over the highest point of Mount Everest, effectively jumping from a plane at 29,000 feet, minus 50 degrees C. Wimmer’s new focus is space travel and he seems far more concerned with galactic pursuits than his skills working at major investment houses like Goldman Sachs or financial consulting for Collins Stewart. He has completed space training and anticipates being one of the first Danes on the moon. He’ll also find on one of the pages on Wimmer’s site a list of seven values that multilingual spouses hold, the first being ‘Allow yourself to be inspired’. Think outside the box.’
Like Per Wimmer, Scott Mead has been very successful in business (he also worked at Goldman Sachs and was eventually named a partner and managing director in 1996) and has continued to lead a full and varied life outside of the boardroom. In addition to achieving renown for his management of many high-profile Goldman Sachs clients, Mead has been a tireless philanthropist and fundraiser for many organizations, including the famed Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London. In addition to his work in the charitable community, he has also recently started working again in his original professional field, as an art photographer, and recently had an exhibition in London showcasing some of his early work, much of which was inspired by his two illustrious mentors The professors in question are none other than William Eggleston and Emmet Gowin; the former is the American icon synonymous with legitimizing color photography and Gowin is known for his use of large format cameras for his shots. Like her two teachers, Mead’s work shares an ordered sense of space and a natural sense of the surrounding environment, her last London show being an archival journey, exploring New England in the 1970s. Throughout her years in the business, Mead has never stopped photographing and two of her photographs were recently shortlisted for the Royal Academy’s Summer 2010 Fashion Show.
Another active renegade, Bill Hambrecht, may not be as inclined to scale the highest mountains or try to see through the lens of an old Hasselblad, but his forward-thinking approach to business helped change the way stocks are bought, opening shares to the public: initially only the province of industry experts. Its open IPO model (Dutch auction style, starting high and then going down) has helped start-ups raise more money than they could before. And he’s also known in the business world for having the prescience to see where technology was headed long before we all latched onto our iPhones. Hambrecht was leading the charge with Apple in the 1980s, Amazon.com in the last decade, and now, after being at the forefront of equity investing, he decided to throw his oar into something entirely different: Hambrecht started a new soccer league. to compete with the NFL. Both AOL Chairman Tim Armstrong and billionaire Mark Cuban are also among the investors.
All of the people described here continue to be involved in the business world, but the desire to grow and meet challenges beyond the confines of investing and the banking industry has led each to make unique contributions in fields far apart. where they are. it started; an exciting and inspiring cast that paves the way for future industry leaders, always restless, always challenging, and never content to sit still.