Aussie tech guru Alex Hartman has quickly found his feet after walking away from the digital media company he founded, Newzulu.
According to his LinkedIn profile, the brother of convicted insider trader John Hartman now finds himself somewhere in the vicinity of Geneva, Switzerland, in his new role as a "representative director" of the MS Office.
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A link to a website clarifies what the MS refers to: formula one legend Michael Schumacher. It appears Hartman is now running his private office.
Schumacher has been recovering at his home near Lake Geneva from a skiing accident in 2013 that nearly took his life.
The interesting link is that Newzulu's biggest success was selling images of Schumacher being airlifted from the French Alps following the accident. It fetched €150,000 (now $214,700).
Given Hartman's new role, we can only assume there was more to the deal than we knew at the time.
Hartman resigned from Newzulu in August, following its rescue – with a $5 million cash injection – by Kerry Stokes' Seven West Media and Alex Waislitz's Thorney Investment Group.
Newzulu still plans to change the world by making everyone with a smartphone a potential journalist, which means Hartman will have to watch out on behalf of the new boss.
Packer's House
James Packer's career as a pop groupie might be over, but his political influence is growing with one of his Hollywood business partners, Steven Mnuchin, announced as Donald Trump's pick for the job of US Treasury secretary.
Despite Trump's anti-Wall Street rhetoric, Mnuchin would become the third Goldman Sachs alumnus to head the US Treasury since the 1990s – and it's the same firm that produced our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull.
Mnuchin and other cabinet appointees will face Senate hearings in the weeks following the January 20 presidential inauguration.
It was not a surprise choice by Trump. Mnuchin was in charge of fundraising for Trump's election campaign.
But it has not always been a smooth relationship. In 2008 a Mnuchin company was among a group that Trump sued over a luxury hotel and condominium tower he was developing in Chicago. The case was settled out of court.
But Mnuchin's most recent career has been as one of Packer's business partners in Hollywood.
In 2013 Mnuchin merged his company Dune Entertainment with Packer's RatPac Entertainment, a joint venture with film maker Brett Ratner.
RatPac-Dune announced plans to finance up to $US400 million worth of Warner films that year, having already scored a big hit with Gravity, which starred George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.
The connection now spreads Packer's political influence across three continents. He has close ties to the family of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Packer's private company has not responded to reports from Israel about the extent of those ties, which apparently include the Israeli PM using Packer's neighbouring home for meetings, Mariah Carey concert tickets and joint holidays.
There also was a report that Packer has been seeking permanent residency in Israel.
Ho tell
James Packer may have stepped back from his role at Melco Crown, but it hasn't stopped his business partner Lawrence Ho from steaming ahead with plans for world domination.
Ho announced plans this week for global hotel brand Morpheus, which will plant its first roots on Macau's Cotai strip in 2018.
He told Bloomberg that the brand is aimed at "the most sophisticated international travellers".
What is not clear is what role gambling will play at the luxury hotel group. After all, Packer famously contended that a luxury resort like Crown Sydney would not be financially possible without casinos to help pay the bills.
Maybe Ho is just a better businessman than Jamie.
As for all that trouble in China with Packer's Crown employees under arrest, Ho sees a silver lining for Macau operators like Melco Crown.
"The view in Macau right now is China is trying to crack down on the foreign casinos trying to poach their players to go overseas," Ho said.
"At the end of the day, Macau is a part of China. The reason for Macau's success is China. Our hope is that, for home-grown Macau operators, we would be safe."
And CBD is sure that if Packer has any issue with what the Melco Crown chairman has said he can fly over to Macau and tell him personally. Can't he?
Got a tip? ckruger@fairfaxmedia.com.au
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