Norman Peires is the founder of a massively successful luxury holiday provider. You may not have heard of him, but having met him, he is hard to forget. A wealthy business mogul, you’d be forgiven for assuming Peires is a hard-nosed and intimidating character. On the contrary, Peires is an extremely charismatic and likeable man who has his priorities in check and doesn’t take his success for granted.

Sitting comfortably in one of the living rooms of the Peires residence in Buckinghamshire, it’s apparent that he has led a successful life. However, as Peires continues to build his empires around the globe, he is obviously not preoccupied by wealth. Throughout our time with the mogul, as well as discussing his charity work, he frequently mentions his five children. It became very clear he is a very devoted father to all five.

As well as caring for the wellbeing of his children, Peires considers passing on his business knowledge a privilege. He tells us, “I have the joy of talking to my children about their businesses” – and that advice has paid off! All five of the children have become successful in their own rights.

“I feel so great that they come to me for business advice, if they need an injection of enthusiasm or direction,” he says.

His eldest son, Grant, has a major role in running the travel company that Peires founded, and has a hand in the business since he was a teenager. Guy, Peires’ second son, has worked all over America as a cinematographer and is the founder of Guy and a Girl Productions based in New York. His acute business acumen has also been passed down to daughter Jenna who opened her own clothes shop, Me & Moo, with her mother in Australia. Stepdaughter Maxine has a prosperous landscaping business in Malibu, and stepson Justin is the founder of a well-known property firm in London.

Even with children living all over the globe, Peires and his wife, Lorna, tells us “our lives revolve around our children”.

And the wealth and success hasn’t gone to Peires’ head. When we asked him what advice he gave to his children he told us: “Just live, be happy if you’ve got the money, and don’t make a nuisance of yourself. There’s nothing to prove, just be happy.”

The world of Norman Peires doesn’t revolve around financial success, but the happiness of his wife and children. Lorna is Norman’s third wife, and you can tell instantly that they are very much in love after nearly 25 years. The couple have been married for the length of Norman’s other marriages put together.
Norman’s eyes light up when he talks about Lorna: “We’re not together because of children; we want to be around each other. Lorna is the best thing that has ever happened to me”

Norman Peires completely contradicts the ruthless businessman stereotype that comes with running a global empire. From spending only a few hours with Peires, it’s clear that his family is the achievement he feels most proud of.