Matthew David Leeming (22 September 1964 – 29 November 2022) was a British adventurer and writer.
Biography
Leeming was born in Winchester to David Leeming, an
industrialist
A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
, and Veronica Leeming (née Lyons).
He spent his childhood in Winchester and Old Alresford.
He attended Bradfield School before studying theology at
Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...
, where he graduated with second-class honors.
After university, Leeming initiated several business ventures, including an English language school during his Oxford years and later enterprises in the tile and printing industries.
He completed an MBA at
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Flemin ...
, in 1999.
Following employment challenges during the dotcom bust, he traveled extensively in countries including
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, and
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
.
In Afghanistan, Leeming became involved in the tourism and energy sectors. He founded a tourism company that encountered initial setbacks related to local conflicts before achieving some success. He also contributed to journalism by writing for ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'' and authoring a guidebook on Afghanistan; some of his other literary works remained unpublished due to editorial disputes.
In later years, Leeming encountered financial and personal difficulties, which resulted in periods of homelessness. He engaged in community service by contributing to initiatives for the homeless and other local projects in Winchester.
Books
*2005: ''Afghanistan: A Companion and Guide''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeming, Matthew
1964 births
2022 deaths