Each week Bristol Business News gives a prominent member of the city’s business community the last word on its weekly e-bulletin. This week Judith Levy, business mentor and chair of Vistage, Bristol and South West, answers our 10 questions
What was the LAST:
Film you watched? I moved to Spain in 1980 and lived through the transition from the Franco’s Fascist regime to the emerging democracy. Marshland, a gritty psychological crime thriller by Alberto Rodriguez, is set in the swamplands of Andalucia and gives insight into the political and social environment of that time. The protagonists are two detectives, one with a murky past and his younger more innocent partner. 
Book you read? Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. A dramatic tale of two women; the current mousy wife and the passionate, beautiful drowned first wife of Max de Winter. The real star of the story is nature. Max’s Cornish estate Manderley, is used as a metaphor to describe the divergent parts of the feminine which can be as fragrant as a rose garden yet as wild as the rhododendron-filled rocky woodlands stretching down to the sea.
Music you bought/downloaded? David Broza – East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem. David an Israeli musician and peace campaigner recorded this album in studios in East Jerusalem with a mix of Palestinian, Israeli and American musicians. The music is diverse and exciting and proceeds go towards promoting peace in the Middle East.
Concert or play you went to? The eclectic folk inspired musician with a beautiful voice, Suzanne Vega at the Colston Hall.
Sporting event you attended? I am not a great sporting fan but I spent a couple of hours at Fifteen in Newquay watching surfers attending Boardmasters in Newquay practising their moves and falling off their boards.
Holiday you went on? Ten days in Cornwall in July. We did a house swap and spent a very pleasant time in a lovely modern house near Newquay. Apart from the traffic jams and crowds we had a fab time, walking, exploring beaches only accessible at low tide, eating seafood and fish and chips.
Restaurant you ate in? Bauhinia in Clifton Village. We are regulars there and the food is tasty and good value and the service is always really good.
Thing that annoyed you? The (lack of) British Summer. Last year we travelled to the US West Coast and the weather was pretty cold whilst it was warm and sunny in the UK so we decided to stay here this year and enjoy the sunshine. We are still waiting!
Thing that made you laugh out loud? I just visited Dismaland, Bansky’s brilliant but depressing so-called ‘bemusement park’. The officious ‘security guards’ on the door greeted my husband by asking if that was his real hair and asking me if I had stolen my raincoat.
Piece of good advice you were given? “Mind the Gap” Marcus Child, one of Vistage’s most popular speakers visited my Bristol Business Leaders group recently and gave us this invaluable piece of advice. The gap he is referring to is the moment between something happening and choosing your reaction.
Judith Levy is a business speaker, mentor and coach to local business leaders. She also chairs Vistage, the CEO private advisory board, in Bristol and the South West. She is the former CEO of high street menswear chain High and Mighty and has expertise in creating strategy, building high performing teams and cultivating better relationships both in the workplace and the home.
