A Celebration of British Polo Day’s 50th Global Event

Press Release

British Polo Day’s 50th global event – presented by RJI Capital – will be a suitably prestigious celebration of what has become a powerful global platform on which its partners have earned access to the world’s movers and shakers in emerging markets.

The achievements made to date have been underlined this year by RJI Capital’s increased involvement. Recognising the opportunity to maximise global business connections, this international strategic advisory and merchant banking firm have stepped forward as official title partner and represent the ‘iron fist within the velvet glove’ of British Polo Day.

Ron Wahid, Chairman and CEO of RJI Capital states: “In a year that marks RJI Capital’s 20th anniversary, our company’s success is founded on its excellent, long-standing relationships with decision-makers in government and among industries; I believe that British Polo Day understands the value of relationships, and we look forward to expanding our respective networks together.”
The event is expected to be attended by RJI Capital Chairman and CEO Ron Wahid, Keith Bristow, former Director-General of the UK’s National Crime Agency and current Senior Adviser to the RJI Capital Chairman and CEO, and UK Member of Parliament Lord David Evans of Watford, current Senior Adviser to the RJI Capital Chairman and CEO, as well as other notable individuals from the government, business and innovation sectors.

Appropriately on home turf, British Polo Day Great Britain will be graciously hosted by the Schwarzenbach family at Black Bears River Field, Henley-on-Thames. The truly British affair will see guests arriving on the beautiful grounds to be treated to a reception of “The finest english sparkling wine” provided by Nyetimber. An outstanding display of Bentley Motors will offer an
opportunity to experience the recently launched Bentayga along with the Mulsanne and Continental GT. The expertise, experience and hand-built craftsmanship behind each Bentley emulates perfectly the British Polo Day passion for British heritage.

Guests will be led through the now iconic Harrods arch, by the Harrods Green Man himself, to the quintessential British summer festivities. A potting shed themed picnic by West London chef Cicely Violet with garden drinks from Chase Vodka, Williams Gin and the world’s first nonalcoholic spirits by Seedlip.

An opportunity to experience luxury brands within the British Luxury Emporium will see the beauty and brains behind the likes of Ethan K, Desmond & Dempsey, Fairfax and Favor, Beaufort & Blake and Taylor Morris Eyewear whilst also enjoying an invigorating fresh juice in the South Kensington Club oasis.

Pitch action will kick off with Brompton Bicycle Polo which promises to be an entertaining experience for both players and the crowd alike. Lunch commences in the marquee, where all eyes will be drawn to the centrepiece provided by esteemed sculptor, Hamish Mackie. The talented family team behind Chateau Marmot, Theo and Zoe Cooper, are creating a fine dining experience for our guests, with the majority of food sourced within Henley. Wine is being generously provided by Justerini & Brooks, who have an esteemed presence in the world of polo with their continuing partnership between the royal warrant holding fine wine merchant, and the sport of kings. The lunch will be concluded by a traditional Quaich experience with Royal Salute 21 Year Old whisky as hosted by Peter Prentice and Torquhil Campbell, The Duke of Argyll.

Following on from the lunch, the much anticipated British Polo Day Live Auction will commence.

The event will see British Polo Day’s philanthropic fundraising efforts hit the US$2 million mark, and who better than the enigmatic Jonathan Benson to get the marquee howling and in bidding wars for the likes of a week on Necker Island and 3 nights on the 45m luxury yacht, Tugatsu, in Ibiza.

The afternoon’s polo kicks off with an impressive high-goal match between RJI Capital’s Britannia El Remanso and Black Bears in their bid for the beautifully crafted Bentley Cronan Cup.

Following the excitement of the first match, the chance to pause for afternoon tea before the second game unfolds. The final encounter of the day sees the visiting US team ‘The London’ Will Rogers Polo Club take to the field against the ‘Jaeger-LeCoultre ’ British Schools team, with all eyes on the much coveted RJI Capital River Field Plate, a fine display of the superior
craftsmanship by British Silverware.

Marking the end of the day, the prize giving will commence with the crowd coming together to celebrate the triumphant teams and awards going to the highly sought-after Royal Salute ‘Most Valuable Player’ and the Justerini & Brooks ‘Best Playing Pony’.

As the summer evening draws in, guests will be treated to a traditional asado and sundowners in the Harrods Rosebery bus, a 1966 converted Routemaster beautifully restored into the unique bar and lounge area decked in antique wood and leather.

As with all of British Polo Day experiences, through True Luxury Travel – British Polo Day’s official travel partner – guests will have the opportunity to make use of their expert advice and personal service to enjoy a trip to the stunning Thyme, an English countryside destination in the heart of the Cotswolds, where they will be treated to a stunning exhibition with the likes of Chris Levine, Mark Evans, Anthony Turner and Sophie Ryder.

For further information please visit www.britishpoloday.com and www.rjicapital.com.

British Polo Day Great Britain
Saturday 18th June 2016
The River Field, Black Bears Polo Club,
Henley-on-Thames

Official Partner List for British Polo Day GB 2016

RJI Capital, Harrods, Royal Salute, Bentley, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Charles Russell Speechlys, Justerini & Brooks, Thyme, Emsworth Consulting, Billionaire Magazine, British Silverware, Charles McDowell Properties, Clinova, Randle Siddeley, Global Partnership Family Office, Nyetimber, True Luxury Travel, Globe-Trotter, Taylor Morris, D.R. Harris, Floris, Cassabo, Brompton, Barnard & Westwood Stationary, South Kensington Club, Walpole British Luxury, Alive Made This

About British Polo Day

British Polo Day is a celebration of British luxury heritage – Over the past five years the British Polo Day calendar has grown to encapsulate a network of 10 global experiences per year including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, USA, Marrakech, Great Britain, China, St.Tropez, Singapore, Nihiwatu, Mexico, Jodhpur and Jaipur. Partnering with a selected group of partners with a combined heritage of over 2500 years, British Polo Day brings together a global network of over 28,000 eminent entrepreneurs, government officials, philanthropists and not to mention members of 12 Royal Families. This distinctive platform provides our partners and guests elite engagement in emerging and interesting markets whilst sharing in unique experiences across the globe.

About RJI Capital

RJI Capital is a wholly owned subsidiary of Magellan Investment Holdings, Limited, an Anglo-American investment holding company with investments in energy and natural resources, aerospace and defence, real estate, and technology. RJI Capital is a strategic advisory and merchant banking firm with a premium track record in new market entry and international transactions, having closed deals worth billions of dollars in value. RJI’s industry-leading services and expertise are delivered from its headquarters in London, and supported by offices in Dubai, Hong Kong, New York, Paris, Washington, D.C., and Zurich. RJI Capital’s sister company, Arcanum, is a global intelligence company that provides services to sovereign governments, large multinational corporations and financial institutions, to help address some of their most pressing challenges and complex strategic issues.