Farad Azima ( fa, فرهاد عظیما ) was an industrialist, technology entrepreneur and philanthropist. He had numerous international patents in diverse areas of engineering.

Early life and business

Azima undertook postgraduate studies at Leeds University until 1972, where was an active alumnus. In 1976 he founded the British audio manufacturer, Mission Electronics in Cambridge. This was followed by other well-known startups, notably Cyrus Electronics and later, NXT plc together with Sir Gordon Brunton. The Company licensed patented technologies to multinationals in consumer electronics. Cyrus Electronics manufactures specialist equipment with a serious following among the audiophile community. In 1997, together with

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

newspapers, Verity Group Plc., of which Farad was the CEO, founded Eastern Counties Radio. During this period he also co-produced a series of

Baroque Music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...

CDs with the Gramophone Magazine. Azima has also served on the Industrial Advisory Board of

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

, Cambridge University from 2001 to 2005. Later in life, Farad devoted time to philanthropy and, together with his two children; Artemis and Cyrus has founded a UK registered charity, The Azima Foundation of which

Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill Lady Henrietta Mary Spencer-Churchill (born 7 October 1958) is an English interior decorator and founder of Woodstock Designs. Her name has been more than once included in a list of 100 Leading Interior Designers by '' House & Garden'' magazine. S ...

is the President. The Foundation supports good causes in medicine and culture. The Foundation is also a supporter of Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights.

Other interests

Azima's wide cultural interests included the Menuhin International Violin Competition, of which he was a director. Azima also was a member of the 2010 Art & Illustration Fundraising Committee of the Natural History Museum. In 2010 he was appointed an honorary member of Asia House in London. He was a Fellow of The

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

of Great Britain. Azima's later interests included the

bio-medical Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbio ...

and the clean energy sectors. In 2004 he was invited to restructure Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

. Azima founded the NetScientific Group where he was Chief executive until January 2015, with Sir Richard Sykes as the chairman. The Group supports industry-driven research projects at leading universities in Britain and the United States. Farad Azima parted company with NetScientific in January 2015, and established FrontierBio in March 2015. FrontierBio pursues closely targeted, strategic investments in the life sciences sector. It is engaged in a number of advanced scientific research programmes in diagnostics and genomics with major European research institutions. Additionally, its recently formed sister company, CetroMed Limited, is investing in drug development joint ventures in Europe.

Personal life

In 1984, Azima married Jennifer Margaret, daughter of Royal Artillery Lieutenant-Colonel Denys Hope Molesworth, MC, of Rory Cottage, Forest Row, Sussex, descended from the politician and writer Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth. They had a son, Cyrus (born 1985) and daughter Artemis (born 1986). He also had a son, Edward ("Teddy"). Azima died on August 29, 2020.

References

External links

Bloomberg ProfileFarad Azima PatentsThe trust of Menuhin CompetitionPress Release Regarding Cetromed and FrontierBioNetScientific Group WebsiteMenuhin International Violin CompetitionBritish Museum Director on the Cyrus CylinderThe Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human RightsBurke's Peerage entry for the familyThe Cyrus Cylinder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azima, Farad 1943 births 2020 deaths Businesspeople from Tehran British businesspeople Iranian businesspeople British philanthropists Iranian philanthropists Alumni of the University of Leeds British people of Iranian descent

Early life and business

Other interests

Personal life

Further reading

References

External links