Alexander Malmaeus moved to London from Stockholm aged five and, without a word of English, was enrolled at St Christina’s Catholic school for girls in
St John’s Wood — the only time two girls have had a physical fight over him.
After King’s College School, Wimbledon, he read philosophy at the University of Toronto, gained a licence to set off explosives in Manitoba, and discovered that dynamite is even more fun than chainsaws. While working at the world’s largest lead-zinc mine in the Yukon, he was once ordered to use an axe to remove the heads of two dead bears to extract their teeth.
In his final year, he met Jackie, a beautiful but solemn 19-year-old ballerina. A few civilised and chaste dates followed, then a 16-year gap. The second time round, solemnity and chastity were cast aside: they now have two teenage children, Marcus and Madeleine.
Architectural studies in Canterbury and London led to a career beginning at Northacre in Chelsea, where he worked with future Paviors colleagues. He later co-founded A M Visualisation, an early pioneer of “radiosity” in computer-generated imaging, helping market over £4 billion of property.
Alexander is Chairman of the Anglo-Swedish Society and has spearheaded the digital transformation of the Worshipful Company of Paviors.