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Tracey Furniss

There is a strong family resemblance between Maximilian Johnson and his older half-brother, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris – though Max, as he introduces himself, is 22 years younger and laughs, “I’d like to think I am better looking.”
He first came to Hong Kong in 2012 to work at investment bank Goldman Sachs and found the family connection was more of a handicap than a help.
“I found it a bit of a hindrance, especially at Goldman Sachs, because whenever I would meet anybody in business, some people thought that I was where I am because of my family relation. And that’s always been something that I’ve had to deal with as I tried to forge my own path.”

The youngest of six siblings, Max followed in Boris’s footsteps and attended Eton College and then Oxford, graduating in Russian and Polish – he is also fluent in French, and speaks Mandarin. He became the first student from the UK to attend the MBA programme at Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing, and was the first Britain to run the Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea.
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In 2016, he opened investment and advisory firm MJ Capital in Hong Kong. “We work with private equity funds, investment management funds, and typically what clients want is Asian exposure and Chinese investors. I introduce them to joint venture partners or investors,” says Johnson, who is temporarily ensconced in Bali.
“I’m also on the board of a company called Reviv, which administers vitamin boosters, IV intravenous drips, DNA testing, and they tell you what you should or should not eat,” he says. “I’ve just been asked to join the China Britain Business Council, which is like the British Chamber of Commerce. I’m on their China committee, which feeds into my broader mission in business to improve relations between China and the UK.”

With all that going on, he still manages to fit family and downtime into his work schedule. “I wake up about 7am because our baby usually wakes me, ” he says. “The morning is spent having breakfast and making sure that the baby’s had breakfast. And then I will get onto my work. I’ll try and do a good chunk in the morning. After lunch, I take an hour to exercise. I like to play tennis, or I might hit the gym or swim, it breaks up the day. And then I do more work in the afternoon. But mainly things start for me after dinner, because that’s when Europe is in its daytime. Typically, I work from about 9pm until midnight.”
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The pandemic has made him realise how valuable time is. “Time is a precious resource and therefore I will be frugal with how I choose to spend it,” says Johnson. “It has improved my own approach to relationships and I will make the effort to be closer to people because, as we’ve seen, those people can be taken away from us very easily.”
He is looking forward to travelling back to China when the pandemic is over. “I’d like to get to China more to attend conferences and events where I’ve been invited to speak. Just getting in front of people would be great rather than getting in front of a computer screen.”
Max Johnson’s preferred watch – Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona

“I bought it when I first started as an investment banker in Hong Kong. It was the most expensive watch I had owned. I put it on with my cufflinks and my smart tie. I just thought that I looked incredible. And then as I got older, I realised that I was wearing the watch not because it was telling me the time but it was projecting a story about myself to other people.”
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Whisky investment advisor Charles Beamish on lessons distilled from single malt, finding time for family with a global business and his Tissot Bridgeport Powermatic 80

From luxury fashion buyer to wedding brand owner: Jacqueline Au worked for Celine, Givenchy and Lane Crawford, then founded bridal boutique Loft in Hong Kong

Meet Nathan Jones, the Royal Air Force pilot who co-founded mental fitness social enterprise Peak State and competed in Prince Harry’s Invictus Games after life-changing injuries

Yardbird founder Lindsay Jang on finding time for family, Hong Kong’s best restaurants, her wellness business and her Rolex Oyster Date Perpetual

XXIV 2021

Boris Johnson’s Asia-based brother Max on his investment banking and wellness work, what he realised because of the pandemic – and his favourite Rolex watch

Max Johnson, the youngest brother of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has lived in Hong Kong since 2012. Photo: Handout

Max Johnson in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Max Johnson enjoys playing tennis. Photo: @maxjohnsonofficial/Instagram

Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. Photo: Rolex

How Hollywood dancer Katya Virshilas is teaching ballroom to new generations – after appearing in Shall We Dance with Jennifer Lopez, she moved to Hong Kong and opened her own studio …

Dancer-choreographer Katya Virshilas at Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong, in September 2021. 
Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Dancer-choreographer Katya Virshilas at Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong, in September 2021. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Katya Virshilas' Rolex Oyster Perpetual and pieces of jewellery. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Princess Haya’s crazy rich Dubai life – before her US$728 million divorce settlement, the Jordanian royal owned 400 racehorses, a US$85 million designer wardrobe and hung out with Queen Elizabeth

Inside Princess Haya’s ultra-rich lifestyle before her divorce from Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed. Photos: privatejetcharter.com, @princesshayafan/Instagram, Yachtharbour.com

A family photo of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

An ultra-luxury yacht named Dubai. Photo: Yachtharbour.com

Princess Haya with her daughter at a derby. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and his family would go on trips to see racecourses. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and his son. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

Princess Haya and her two children. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

The interiors of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum’s jet. Photo: privatejetcharter.com

Princess Haya told a judge that her jewellery collection in Dubai was worth US$27 million. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

Princess Haya is a fan of precious stones and designer clothing. Photo: @princesshayafan/Instagram

Princes Haya was awarded thousands for a nanny, nurse and tutor for her children. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and his ex-wife Princess Haya bint al-Hussein. Photo: HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein/Facebook

Ex-couple Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya once splurged US$3 million on strawberries. Photo: @story.albania/Instagram

Meet Tiger Woods’ mini-me son, Charlie – the 12-year-old golf prodigy showed his talent at the PNC Championship and plays with the same clubs as PGA Tour winner Matthew Wolff

Tiger Woods and his mini-me son, Charlie. Photo: @charliewoods_fanclubpage/Instagram

Tiger Woods and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren, along with their children. Photo: @AhlainNews/Twitter

Elin Nordegren and her children. Photo: @the_fusion_bulletin/Instagram

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren. Photo: @garckarmen/Instagram

Charlie and Tiger Woods share a lot of similarities. Photo: @JonFlan/Twitter

Charlie Woods shows a promising future in golfing. Photo: @charliewoodstracking/Instagram

Grimaldis reunited: as Princess Charlene remains MIA, Monaco’s royal twins Gabriella and Jacques are bonding with their ‘illegitimate’ half-siblings, Jazmin and Alexandre

Jazmin Grimaldi posted an Instagram photo with her half-siblings, while Princess Charlene continues her health recovery. 
Photos: @hshprincesscharlene/Instagram, @jazmingrimaldi/Instagram

Monaco’s Prince Albert II waves as his children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, hold messages for their mother Princess Charlene during celebrations marking Monaco’s National Day, in November 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE

Prince Albert’s children: Prince Jacques, Princess Gabriella, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste. Photo: @jazmingrimaldi/Instagram

From left to right: Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella. Photos: @egoslr, @jazmingrimaldi, @hshprincesscharlene/Instagram

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi with her half-brother, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste. Photo: @jazmingrimaldi/Instagram

Prince Albert has officially recognised his illegitimate children. Photo: Christel Lautel/Facebook

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi with her father Prince Albert. Photo: Instagram / @jazmingrimaldi

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene with their twins. Photo: @hshprincesscharlene/Instagram

Does Elon Musk really have a doppelgänger in China? The Tesla CEO’s lookalike went viral and even the billionaire himself noticed – but some think it’s fake …

The “Chinese Elon Musk” (right), who recently went viral online, has earned nicknames like “Elon Mosaic” and “Yi Long Musk”. Photos: AP, @masikexiaomi/Douyin

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends the Axel Springer Award ceremony. Photo: Reuters 

 Elon Musk’s Chinese doppelgänger – whose name is unknown – went viral on social media. Photo: Douyin

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XXIV


Johnson – temporarily based in Bali – moved to Hong Kong in 2012 to work at Goldman Sachs, then opened his own firm MJ Capital, where clients want ‘Chinese investors’
A polyglot, he attended Oxford and Eton College, is on the board of wellness company Reviv, and keeps fit by swimming and playing tennis



Johnson moved to Hong Kong in 2012 to work at Goldman Sachs, then opened his own firm MJ Capital – but found his family connection ‘a hindrance’ as he ‘tried to forge [his] own path’
