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René Gross Kærskov Masha Gordon Jonathan Harris PERFORMANCE DRIVEN Driven to succeed in business. Inspired to push the boundaries of adventure. POWERED BY Built for those who are driven by performance. LEARN MORE René Gross Kærskov When René Gross Kærskov told his wife that he wanted to try parachuting, she was not too keen on the idea—but understanding her husband’s stubborn nature, she conceded to let him do just one jump. René Gross Kærskov running a marathon at the North Pole. “I figured if I only get to do it once, it’s not going to be in Pasadena,” says the co-CEO of the Los Angeles–based design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), which conceived interiors for the Four Seasons Beijing, the Beverly Hills Hotel renovation, and dozens of other renowned properties worldwide. “I had to find a place that would be really different.” And that is how the 50-year-old Dane ended up in a helicopter with a small group of Russians over the North Pole. “It was really windy and the boss of the expedition was not going to fly up again and waste fuel, so he said, ‘It’s now or never.’ I remember freezing my butt off flying up, but when it came time to jump, the adrenaline made me pretty warm. Your mind detaches from your body in situations like that.” Kærskov at zero gravity for Virgin Galactic space training. Kærskov doesn’t pursue activities like parachuting over the North Pole simply for the adrenaline rush. He is driven by a die-hard competitive spirit. “But I’m not necessarily competing with others,” he says. “I like to compete with myself. Finding new personal limits is really what drives me.” When listening to Kærskov describe some of his pursuits, it becomes very clear that pushing boundaries is a big part of his everyday life—both in business and in his adventures. He started at HBA as an office clerk at its London branch 27 years ago, going on to become CFO and then COO. Now as co-CEO, he oversees HBA’s 25 international offices and has helped grow the company from 175 to 1,500 employees worldwide, and from $20 million to more than $127 million in annual revenue. Kærskov in a MiG-29 fighter jet for g -force traning. One of Kærskov’s grueling physical activities outside of work is running marathons—which he has done on all seven continents. When he was in Antarctica, where he also visited the South Pole, a snowstorm prevented him and a group of 20 others from running the marathon. But he wasn’t going to let that stop him. With the group’s escape plane just 8 hours away, Kærskov decided to run 1 mile from camp and back 13 times—the distance equivalent of a marathon. “The first time I came back, one Norwegian skier came out of the tent and took a picture of this silly guy going back and forth,” he recalls. “More and more people came out every time I came back. I did manage to run it, with about half an hour left before the plane arrived.” Kærskov has also broken the sound barrier in a MiG-29, crossed the barrier into North Korea, and experienced zero gravity—the latter as training for his eventual trip to space with Virgin Galactic. “I signed up 11 years ago as one of the first guys,” he says. “I think of it as the ultimate adventure.” Kærskov in North Korea. As Virgin Galactic is still flight testing its latest spacecraft, VSS Unity , Kærskov has begun planning his next adventure, which is not all that much less lofty than space travel. Next January, he will embark on a journey to climb the world’s seven tallest volcanoes, starting with Mount Sidley in Antarctica. “I can do it because it’s there,” he says. “When I was growing up, I would never say that I was the smartest kid in school or the most technical kid in sports, but I would always keep going, not stopping when others would get tired or bored or give up." "Once I set a goal for myself, I know I will make it happen.” —René Gross Kærskov RENÉ’S SPACE-TRAINING SCHEDULE AUGUST 2006: Van Nuys, Calif. L-39 jet flight experience; g -force training. JANUARY 2007: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. First weightlessness zero- g training. JUNE 2007: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Second weightlessness zero- g training. JULY 2007: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia MiG-29 jet flight, pulling 8 g s at Mach 2, breaking sound barrier. OCTOBER 2007: Philadelphia, Penn. NASTAR centrifuge training; medical testing and space-flight simulations at 6 g s. OCTOBER 2008: Van Nuys, Calif. L-39 jet flight experience;aerobatic and g -force training. MAY 2009: Mojave Desert, Calif. MiG-15 and L-39 jet flights; aerobatic flight training. SEPTEMBER 2011: Washington, D.C. Third weightlessness zero- g training. Fullerton, Calif. Pitts S-2C aerobatic flight training, pulling 6 g s and rolling more than 400 degrees per second. MAY 2014: Philadelphia, Penn NASTAR centrifuge training; three tours of space-flight simulators, pulling up to 6 g s. AUGUST 2006: Van Nuys, Calif. L-39 jet flight experience; g -force training. JANUARY 2007: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. First weightlessness zero- g training. JUNE 2007: Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Second weightlessness zero- g training. JULY 2007: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia MiG-29 jet flight, pulling 8 g s at Mach 2, breaking sound barrier. OCTOBER 2007: Philadelphia, Penn. NASTAR centrifuge training; medical testing and space-flight simulations at 6 g s. OCTOBER 2008: Van Nuys, Calif. L-39 jet flight experience;aerobatic and g -force training. MAY 2009: Mojave Desert, Calif. MiG-15 and L-39 jet flights; aerobatic flight training. SEPTEMBER 2011: Washington, D.C. Third weightlessness zero- g training. Fullerton, Calif. Pitts S-2C aerobatic flight training, pulling 6 g s and rolling more than 400 degrees per second. MAY 2014: Philadelphia, Penn NASTAR centrifuge training; three tours of space-flight simulators, pulling up to 6 g s. SEPTEMBER 2011: Washington, D.C. Third weightlessness zero- g training. Fullerton, Calif. Pitts S-2C aerobatic flight training, pulling 6 g s and rolling more than 400 degrees per second. MAY 2014: Philadelphia, Penn NASTAR centrifuge training; three tours of space-flight simulators, pulling up to 6 g s. Rene's Gear Essentials René Gross Kærskov “There are two things I always bring to these extreme places: my red bottle and my green bottle . I learned this while I was stuck in a tent in Antarctica during a snowstorm. The green bottle is for drinking and the red one is for relieving yourself. And you better not suffer from any color blindness.” Kærskov running a marathon at the North Pole. “For running, the key is to have the basic stuff. Don’t try to run in a cotton shirt in minus 40 degrees. You’ve got to run in stuff you can sweat in. It’s all about the layering in the cold climates. For shoes, I run in New Balance —two or three sizes too big so you can fit plenty of socks in there.” Kærskov at the South Pole. “At the Poles, Canada Goose jackets are a must. I think that’s pretty much my favorite thing for the cold climate: my big ol’ red Canada Goose jacket. And I always bring a knife. Even a small pocket Swiss Army knife is good.” René Gross Kærskov The 2017 BMW M760i xDrive is not just the sixth-generation BMW 7 Series; it is also the first in the line of full-size sedans to feature BMW’s unparalleled M Performance. That means it is driven beyond other high-performance sedans by the legendary M Performance Twin Power Turbo technology derived from BMW’s renowned Motorsports division. In the all-new M760i xDrive, that takes the form of a V-12 gasoline engine with an all-aluminum block and High Precision Injection for optimal combustion. Engineered to perform, the M760i xDrive achieves 601 hp at 5,500 rpm and a peak torque of 590 lbs. The 8-speed Steptronic Sport Automatic transmission with Launch Control enables the M760i xDrive to reach 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Combined with such standard features as the legendary M sport exhaust system, newly designed...