Page 44 - OBW Winter Ed 2018

UP AND COMING

Alexander

Gilkes

Paddle8

A Business with HeART

Aditya Julka, a Harvard Business School MBA savant, and
investment banker Osman Khan sought out Alexander
Gilkes for advice on how to buy art. That is how Paddle8
came about.

Paddle8 is an upscale online auction service which brings
“the process of art buying into the twenty-first century for
a new generation of collectors.” Khan oversees day-to-day
operations, Julka oversees strategy, but it is Gilkes who is in
the spotlight most often.

Gilkes is from London, and considered by some to be one
of the world’s most eligible bachelors. A graduate of the
prestigious Eton College, and the youngest executive in the
history of Krug Champagne, Gilkes’ friends count among
them royalty, including Prince William, Prince Harry, and
Princess Eugenie who worked for Paddle8 at his auctions.

Today, Gilkes’ Paddle8 is a team of 100 art and technology
experts, serving an audience of discerning collectors from
over 120 countries, with offices in New York, London and
Los Angeles. They have hosted over 1,200 benefit auctions
across the globe, raising more than $85 million for nonprofit
organizations and progressive causes.

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your
business, and your business in your heart.”
- Alexander Gilkes

Stefano Tonchi, Naomi Campbell
and Alexander Gilkes

Photos Courtesy Of: Frivolette, Daily Front Row
44 | www.OceanBlueWorld.com