The Man Behind Proud Cabaret – Alex Proud

Alex Proud loves fast cars.

“I have a small collection of classic sports cars and have owned several British makes including Aston Martins and Jaguars. I loved that advert “It is good to be bad!” I think the British write the wittiest adverts: equal parts self-deprecation and humour.” says Alex Proud.

Alexander Proud admits he loves being British (“although I’m actually also half German”), “Except when we’re stuck up, boorish or priggish obviously, but we seem to get things done without showing off and we still lead the world in many areas of technology, creativity and science. I find it desperately boring when we moan about where we come from or sneer at our past achievements. We seem to be the only country that does that. Americans, French, Brazilians are all fiercely proud of their origins and yet we keep apologising for ourselves. Maybe that’s the one thing I don’t love about the British.”

“Or perhaps I am actually romanticising what it means to be British, like an American does and picking out all the brave, sardonic or hip parts. In my head being British basically means being James Bond or having the stiff upper lip of a soldier going into battle in one of the World Wars, or walking up the Kings Road in the 60s.”

Perhaps it would surprise people to know that London Club and Gallery owner, Alex Proud is also happiest living in the depths of the British countryside.

“I’m really not that bothered about holidays abroad. When I walk across the South Downs and look out across that verdant, bucolic landscape, I wonder why everyone is so desperate to jump on a plane and escape our ‘green and pleasant land’”

“I also love driving fast through the countryside. I have a long drive that I can race up and down with my sons, trying to avoid hitting hedgerows and small country animals which terrifies and excites all of us”

Alexander Proud says he loves spending time with his kids. “As they get older, they’re becoming some of my favourite people (except when they’re shouting, fighting or not doing their homework). I enjoy their curiosity and seeing their very different, individual characters develop. Watching them grow up is my greatest privilege.”

How does Alex Proud relax?

“I love reading in the sun. Sitting by the pool with a pile of Sunday papers or buried in a new historical or scientific study. Losing myself in a different period in time or place. It’s the best way to de-stress and switch off after a weekend in my Cabaret clubs.

I read mostly non-fiction because I love learning new things. In fact, I think that as you get older, you realise you’ve spent a lifetime learning what you don’t know. I’m fascinated by science, and adore days immersed in a history book. Understanding how we got here, and why we continue to make the same mistakes. History is a study of human nature really and science is an ongoing experiment in how we can improve our options and outcomes.”

“I also appreciate tea when stressed. Gosh, I really am an Englishman after all.”

Alexander Proud has often talked about his love of walking. “Not just the challenging hikes or rambles with friends, but an everyday perambulation. I take an hour at lunchtime to walk the streets of London. It’s my favourite City. Always changing and reinventing itself. The transformation even in the last few decades that I’ve owned and operated businesses in the Capital has been extraordinary. We are so lucky to have so much art, culture, theatre and history available to us, and so much of it for free.”

But Alexander Proud notes that: “You don’t get to enjoy the things you love if you don’t also work hard. I think that gets missed, particularly by young people. People who are successful don’t get there without working obsessively at something they’re passionate about and that is often born out of something that annoys, angers, infuriates or upsets them. As someone wiser than me said: Look for the pain, there’s the passion”. You fight to build something you’re proud of because you genuinely want to make a difference or to create something original.”

Proud Group – Alex’s other family.

“The truth is I actually love working. My company is like a family and I really care about everyone in it. I’m definitely a hands-on CEO and love getting involved in the design and build of our Proud venues, the technology behind the operational processes and the development of the Cabaret show itself. I’m really lucky; I genuinely have the best job in the world.”