Last week I had lunch with the founder of PizzaExpress, Peter Boizot, at his grand old club, the National Liberal. He is 84 and has just written an autobiography: Mr Pizza and All That Jazz. Peter is a typical founder – maverick, obsessive, extrovert, energetic, egotistical and relentless. In many respects he has led an impressive and exemplary life – inventing businesses, creating jobs, providing entertainment and donating almost his entire fortune to good causes. As he puts it in the final chapter of his memoir: “I will always be proud that at every stage of my life I have invested everything into the things I love – whether it was pizza, jazz, heritage, sport or the arts. I think my work has benefited all of my passions, which is a fine footprint to leave behind.” He stepped aside with grace from his restaurant company after almost 30 years in 1993 when we took over, and remains its life president.
上周我与PizzaExpress创始人彼得•布瓦佐(Peter Boizot)在他所属的古老气派的National Liberal会所共进午餐。布瓦佐今年84岁，刚刚写了一本自传：《Mr Pizza and All That Jazz》。彼得是一位典型的创始人：特立独行、专注、外向、精力充沛、自负和坚韧。从许多方面来说，他的人生堪称令人印象深刻的楷模——创办企业、创造就业、提供娱乐并将几乎所有财富捐赠出去做慈善。正如他在自传最后一章所言：“我将始终感到自豪的是，在人生的每一个阶段，我将一切投入自己钟爱的事业，无论它是比萨、爵士、文化传统、体育还是艺术。我认为我的工作造福于我的所有激情，这是我留下的美好印迹。”1993年我们收购PizzaExpress之后，布瓦佐体面地离开了自己创办近30年的餐饮公司，但留任公司的终身总裁至今。