Casey was born and grew up in Switzerland and attended Aiglon between 2000-2009. His father Sven was the Head of English and mother Lynden taught history and business. His sister, Kaja also attended Aiglon and was in Clairmont, she now lives in London with her husband and two children, Cleo and Elias. After Aiglon Casey studied philosophy at the University of St Andrews before working in strategic communications in London for ten years. He now runs a London-based strategic advisory firm with two partners and former colleagues. However he is now officially over British weather, and intends to spend more time in Switzerland and Greece.
- What was the most important lesson you learned during your nine years at Aiglon?
Hmm, that’s a tricky one. This is going to sound like a tarot card reading. Very different people can make very meaningful connections, and you will make the most meaningful connections when you don’t care what other people think about you. This is worth remembering as you get older and more self-conscious.
What comes to mind when you look back on your school experience?
Just how lucky I was to have the experience. It still feels like yesterday, but also like it was all a dream. Nobody could wish for a more beautiful environment - and I couldn’t have wished for a better group of friends and mentors. The imagery that comes to mind is the bright greenery in the summer and of course mountains and snow in the winter, and all the laughs.
You started your career at Vanity Fair, when did you know you wanted to pursue a career in communications?
By accident. I met my first public relations boss at a dinner. The journalist sitting between us got thrown out, so we had no choice but to sit next to each other. He made his firm’s work sound fun. They dealt with people across media, business and politics. I had always enjoyed writing but knew I didn’t want it to be the only thing I did. Vainly - I liked the idea of trying to solve problems for interesting and influential people. So I interviewed with him and somehow got a job. The truth is I had no idea what I was getting into, but it was definitely fun. I now run my own firm with two partners and we’re still just winging it.
What two books had the greatest impact on who you are today?
Although my Dad was an English teacher, at school I spent more time playing football than reading, but remember ‘Tender is the Night’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald and ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde waking me up to what literature could do. We had a great philosophy teacher - Alan Lawson - who taught us Plato’s Republic and that probably set me on the path towards studying philosophy at university.
Once at university I was obsessed with ‘The Closing of the American Mind’ by Allan Bloom and even started a journal named after him, which didn’t quite take off. Also ‘The War on Cliché’ by Martin Amis, and pretty much any collection of essays by Christopher Hitchens, will make you realise you never knew how to read in the first place.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
For non-fiction, try to say something new about how the world works. Definitely don’t ask me for fiction, I have no talent in that department.
You write for newspapers and magazines in the US and UK, what makes a great story?
Anything that is both big and relatable. Nobody really cares about something that happened in geopolitics, until you explain how it might affect what they can or can’t do tomorrow.
How would you describe your job in three words?
Random. Adventurous. Preposterous (Pretentious a close fourth).
‘Smart Money’ was featured as one of the Financial Times Best Books of 2024. Congratulations! What is the most surprising thing you learned while writing this book?
It’s surprising how difficult it is not to say the same thing twice over the course of 100,000 words. But I was also pleasantly surprised by the fact that it came together in the end. There were many days of quiet frustration.
What is the best way to connect with you?
You can email me or find me on instagram
@casey_larsen
Rapid fire questions
- Most memorable meditation? The last meditation that my father (Sven Larsen) gave. My family was in attendance and the students gave him a standing ovation, so it was a nice moment and memorable send off. Of course all of Mr. Maxwell’s meditations were epic. Short but epic. Biblical, almost.
- Best hangout spot in Villars? In town? TexMex on Wednesdays was fun, and Bowling on Saturdays. The better hangout spots were in Montreux in our day.
- Favourite Swiss dish? Fondue.
Comments0
Please log in to see or add a comment
Suggested Articles
