Do you paint yourself? Or…sing in a choir maybe? John Studzinski looks at me anxiously from the other side of a conference table, in a sleek little office belonging to his firm, Blackstone, the American private equity giant.
He’s normally a confident man; outspoken on the subject of leadership, networking and England’s art scene (which he generously props up). But getting him to answer a personal question is like trying to flip a cat on to its back.
Every time I think he’s about to reveal the underbelly of a personal life, a hobby or habit, he swivels in the air and lands on safe ground again, discussing the nature of philanthropy or the importance of art. So come on then, John, what do you do for fun? Watercolours? The flute?
‘Well…I probably spend most of my time on the art of listening,’ says Studzinski. ‘The art of listening relates not just to the arts, but to people and being open to whatever they have to say.’ And with that he assumes an intense ‘listening’ face, and also a lean-forward, ‘listening’ posture. The ball is back in my court again. Drat.
It’s not just a prurient interest in how such a rich chap spends his time and dosh — though, of course, there is that. He’s an interesting phenomenon John Studzinski, and an unusual one. He’s a banker who gives away millions; a millionaire who spends Christmas with the homeless; an American who supports great British institutions. If we can work out what makes him tick, perhaps we can persuade other fat cats to tick that way, too.
What we do know about John Studzinski is that he was brought up in Peabody, Massachusetts, the son of first-generation Polish immigrants. They must have been proud of their boy because from a very early age Studzinski was a whirlwind of ethics and enterprise, doing good and making good from the get-go.
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