Farad Azima () 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 The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed ...

until 1972, where was an active alumnus. In 1976, he founded the British audio manufacturer, Mission Electronics, in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. 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 newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

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 Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...

CDs with the

Gramophone Magazine ''Gramophone'' (known as ''The Gramophone'' prior to 1970) is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continue ...

. Azima has also served on the Industrial Advisory Board of

Churchill College Churchill College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but retains a strong interest in the arts ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

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. Biography Lady Henrietta is the youngest child and only daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough by his first wife ...

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 A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

. 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 microbi ...

and the

clean energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and s ...

sectors. In 2004, he was invited to restructure Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

. 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 The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

Lieutenant-Colonel Denys Hope Molesworth, MC, of Rory Cottage, Forest Row, Sussex, descended from the politician and writer

Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth (7 September 1656 – 22 May 1725) was an Anglo-Irish politician and writer. Molesworth came from an old Northamptonshire family. He married Hon. Letitia Coote, daughter of Richard Coote, 1st Baron ...

. 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 Competition

Press 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 20th-century 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