Asif Aziz

Asif Aziz
Born 1967
Limbe, Malawi
Education Emanuel School, Wandsworth
Alma mater American College, Kensington
Occupation businessman
Employer Criterion Capital
Title CEO

Asif Aziz is a London-based philanthropist and businessman. He is the founder and Chief Executive of Criterion Capital.

Early life

Born in Malawi in 1967, Aziz moved to London at the age of ten where he acquired his first London property, in the 1980s, whilst still at school. He graduated from the British American College London with a business baccalaureate.

Career

Later he worked for property investment company Morgan Grenfell Laurie before moving back to Angola, Africa in 1993 where he made his fortune through the setting up of two food manufacturing businesses, including Golfrate Angola, which he sold in 2005. That same year he returned to the UK and established Criterion Capital, which acquired the London Trocadero leisure complex and Piccadilly Hotel on Piccadilly Circus in London for £225m. As CEO of Criterion Capital he owns and manages a £2bn property portfolio across London and South East of England,including 15 commercial buildings in the West End of London, the Docklands[1] and Croydon.[2]

The London Trocadero bought by Asif Aziz in 2005

In 2005 The Evening Standard reported that he bought his first property at auction when he was sixteen by lying that he was actually aged 18. He bid £1.9m for building opposite in South Kensington tube station.[3][4]

Through Criterion Aziz has recently unveiled plans to turn the Trocadero into a 500 room pod hotel.[5] This year plans were also unveiled to open a TK Maxx retail store on the Trocadero site,[6] though the media are reporting there may be opposition from The Crown Estate.[7][8][9]

Reputed to Britain's seventh richest Muslim in the UK.[10] The Daily Telegraph ranked Asif Aziz as number 12 out of 40 in its list of successful entrepreneurs.[11]

Aziz has a number of charitable interests including supporting the Thokomala project in South Africa, which looks after orphans from the AIDS epidemic and supporting the Mosaic Future primary school mentoring programme through Criterion Capital. Seeing is Believing (organization), an charity that helps sight restorations as well as helping to prevent other causes of preventable blindness. Camfed the international organisation dedicated to eradicating poverty in Africa through the education of girls and the empowerment of young women. Unicef the international aid agency. The Olive Tree – a scholarship scheme aims to support outstanding young Palestinians and Israelis during their degree studies. The Next Step Diversity Mark – is a means for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to generating and supporting diversity at all levels.

References

  1. ↑ "Criterion Capital in Docklands prs play". Property-magazine.eu. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  2. ↑ Lloyd Davies (2014-06-20). "Criterion Capital Continues To Target Private Rented Sector". Gerald Eve. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/20140714135729/http://evening-standard.vlex.co.uk/vid/riches-trocadero-attractions-asif-aziz-61948610. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ "Asif Aziz property tycoon UK and RA - Related?". Jamiiforums.com. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  5. ↑ Ruth Bloomfield. "Trocadero centre to be turned into budget 500-room pod hotel | News | London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  6. ↑ Jonathan Prynn and Mira Bar-Hillel (2014-03-10). "TK Maxx to open Piccadilly superstore on Trocadero site five years after West End snub | London | News | London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  7. ↑ Deirdre Hipwell (2014-02-21). "Trocadero plan could cause royal row with Crown Estate". The Times. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  8. ↑ "London’s Trocadero in line for retail revamp". Property-magazine.eu. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  9. ↑ "Trocadero - London Trocadero to get retail revamp". Propertymall.com. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  10. ↑ Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster (2011-01-24). "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 24 Jan 2011 (pt 0004)". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  11. ↑ Finance (2006-12-13). "Made it by 40". Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
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