Ethnicity Persian Website NetScientific Group Citizenship British Name Farad Azima | Alma mater Leeds University Education University of Leeds Years active 1977–present Residence London, United Kingdom | |
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Occupation Entrepreneur & former CEO of NetScientific Group | ||
Farad Azima is an Industrialist, technology entrepreneur and philanthropist. His postgraduate studies were at Leeds University until 1972, where he is an active alumnus. He has numerous international Patents in diverse areas of engineering [1].
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Early life and business
In 1977 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 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 CDs with the Gramophone Magazine. Azima has also served on the Industrial Advisory Board of Churchill College, Cambridge University from 2001 to 2005.
More recently, Farad has 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 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 include the Menuhin International Violin Competition, of which he is a director. Azima also is 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 is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Azima’s recent interests have been in bio-medical and the clean energy sectors. In 2004 he was invited to restructure Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. of Stamford, Connecticut.
Since 2008 Farad’s principal business focus has been in the bio-medical and clean energy technologies, founding 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 [2].