Simon Liebel
Founder of Entourage Collection
Founder, Collector, Adventure Travel Junkie, Father
INTERVIEW
What is your greatest extravagance?
SL: Skiing. I have been skiing for over 30 years, mostly in Austria (where I spent most of my summers and winters growing up) on a small resort essentially for locals. Now I try and get in 2-3 proper ski trips a year.
When and where were you happiest?
SL: I don’t have one single time as I hope to always fill my life with as many moments of happiness as possible. My happiest moments are when I hear my children laughing – truly laughing at something only they find hilarious – that sound of innocence is my happy tonic!
What is your most treasured possession?
SL: That’s a difficult one. I am a collector of everything from ancient African masks and Chinese ceramics to fossils. I would have to say though that my most treasured possession is a pair of First World War binoculars that belonged to my great-grandfather.
Who is your fiction hero?
SL: Atreyu and Bastian in The NeverEnding Story; they worked as a team to save Fantasia from The Nothing.
What is your motto?
SL: In adversis perseveramus – through adversity we persevere.
What was your inspiration behind Entourage Collection, and what are you excited about as you look to the future?
SL: The inspiration behind Entourage Collection was a desire to create a company that was truly personal, with unrivalled service that always goes above and beyond. Over the past 10 years, and especially now, everything seems to be moving away from human interaction to outsourced technology. Entourage Collection has always been about the personal touch, about a team of incredibly talented people creating unrivalled experiences. We certainly do embrace technology (we have an Entourage Collection app!), but in a way that does not lose the personal touch. While I have seen many companies in our space come and go, we have not only been able to weather some heavy storms but now, 13 years after our founding, are growing like never before. I am incredibly excited about launching our new office in New York this year, and we have plans to grow considerably over the next few years to create a truly global company, focused on lifestyle, travel, and luxury, that never loses that personal touch and sense of community.
Organizations Simon is especially passionate about:
Think Global School
The Old Vic Theatre
Serpentine Gallery