Published in Hong Kong and distributed in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, Equestrio China is the fifth title in the Equestrio stable that includes magazines on three continents in five languages: Chinese, English, French, German and Italian.
Filled with reports from the world’s major equestrian events in all disciplines, and polo in all its incarnations – the modern day sport played on horseback, traditional mountain polo, elephant and camel polo – as well as reportage, adventure and luxury travel and lifestyle, art and photography features. Equestrio China is informed and adventurous.
The editorial team in Hong Kong is supported by an international team of freelance writers and photographers, each one of whom is a specialist in their field. Great value is placed on photography and we work with some of the world’s most renowned experts.
The team
Michael Lahyani, Group Publisher: Michael is the co-founder and CEO of Swiss Media Group, and the co-founder of the Equestrio stable of titles. Swiss Media Group publishes seven magazines, and their corresponding web-portals in Switzerland and the UAE. Michael is also the co-founder and CEO of the first international property portal in the UAE, Propertyfinder.ae. In 2007he sold 51 per cent of the company to the REA Group of Australia, which operates the world's only truly global real estate advertising company-with 18 websites in ten countries.
Earlier in his career he worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Geneva, his hometown. He received his MBA with a specialty in finance from HEC Lausanne and spent a year in UCLA California.
Gerard Belicha, Publisher and Managing Director: Gerard is the Publisher and Managing Director of Equestrio China Ltd. His love for horses began in childhood while he was growing up in Geneva.
Prior to moving into publishing, Gerard enjoyed an international career with Citi, based in Zurich, London and Hong Kong where he held roles ranging from Global Relationship Banking, Risk Management, Structured Corporate Finance and Fixed Income. His last appointment was as a Vice President in Fixed Income covering the whole of Asia. During his time at Citi, Gerard closed numerous structured and innovative financing, most of them ‘market firsts’ and some award-winning. Gerard holds a Masters degree from HEC Lausanne with a specialty in Finance and spent a year at Texas A&M.
Lucy Monro, Editor in Chief: Author of the definitive book on the Arabian horses of the UAE, Spirits of the Sands, Lucy has contributed to most of the world’s major international equestrian titles as both writer and photographer. She has consulted for CNN and reported in print and broadcast on current affairs from around the world. In 2004 she joined forces with Michael Lahyani, to launch Equestrio Arabia. She heads up the Swiss Media Group editorial operations.
A horsewoman as much as a journalist, Lucy learned to ride at the age of four and competed throughout childhood in the UK, moving to three-day eventing before qualifying as a British Horse Society instructor. She returned to competition in the Gulf, show jumping in Bahrain and the UAE, as well as riding HH The Ruler of Sharjah’s Mujahid (Crusader) to win the stallion ridden championships in Abu Dhabi, and riding on the Royal Stables Endurance Team for which she was second in the first international Ladies Championship riding Alandell Houdini.
Laura King, Deputy Editor: British-born Laura has been interested in horses and horseracing since the age of two, when she was first taken to a Point-to-Point by her father. She has ridden since the age of seven and once had what she describes as "probably the fattest Purebred Arabian ever".
A graduate of the British Horseracing Board's scholarship scheme, Laura moved to the UAE in 2005 after spending the summer on the Racing Post. To date she describes her best moment in racing as being just a few feet from Invasor after he won the Dubai World Cup in 2007.
Contributors
Dara Williams, Polo Correspondent: Dara is an international polo writer based in London. She is a regular contributor to Equestrio and has reported from Malaysia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Jordan, Dubai and Australia. As well as writing she also designs a range of polo accessories. A keen follower of polo for many years, Dara is a familiar face at polo matches around the world and has interviewed many of the sport’s leading figures - including the world’s best player, Adolfo Cambiaso.
Photographers
Tim Flach: International Fine Art Photographer of the Year in 2006, Tim is acclaimed for his uniquely perceptive fine art portrayals of animals, and moved into the genre of equestrian photography to instant acclaim in 2005. He has exhibited worldwide, as far afield as Shanghai, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas, the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, the KO University in Tokyo and at the FEI World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2006. His images are in the permanent collections of the City Hall and Citadel in Berlin and the Heng Dian in China. In addition to his prolific advertising work, Tim has recently completed work on his fine art photographic book, Equus, to be published in October 2008. Tim’s invaluable contributions to Equestrio include covers and regular portfolio collections.
www.timflach.com
Andrew Watkins: A man whose professional life has always revolved around racing, Andrew rode a winner on the flat for Her Majesty The Queen in 1985 at Ascot before moving to the United States and then to Dubai in 1995 to take up a position for HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
At the turn of the century Andrew took up photography with the aim of capturing the essence of the world that he was immersed in on film and has since become established as a renowned racing and sports photographer. His work is published worldwide. Our ‘man on the ground’ in the UAE, Andrew plays an key role in the Equestrio team contributing racing, polo and Arabian horse images as well as cover shots.
www.andrewwatkinsphoto.com
Pat Healy: The son of renowned photographer Liam Healy, Pat has specialised in racing photography for three decades. Based in Ireland he captures the best of the action on the track in his homeland and throughout the UK and Europe.
