ABOUT ME
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Born in Tehran in 1948, Farhad Hakimzadeh came from a privileged family with interests in the manufacturing industries. At the age of nine, he traveled to Germany to attend private elementary and high schools, and upon his graduation in 1967, he gained admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, Farhad Hakimzadeh studied electrical engineering and industrial management, in part to prepare for his family obligation in the running manufacturing plants in Iran. As part of his coursework, Hakimzadeh participated in the Limits to Growth research project, a yearlong effort to determine how population growth would affect sustainability and the Earth’s environment.
Farhad Hakimzadeh went on to attend Harvard Business School, and after earning his Master of Business Administration in 1973, he returned to Iran. In 1975, he took an active role in the factory organizations his family had operated since the 1960s. When his father retired in 1978, Farhad Hakimzadeh assumed the position of Chairman of the Board. However, by late 1978, the Islamic Revolution created new challenges for eminent business owners in Iran. Faced with daily death threats and a bleak outlook for business interests, Hakimzadeh fled Iran for Switzerland, eventually settling in the United Kingdom to care for his parents.
Farhad Hakimzadeh’s life in the U.K. was a mix of successful business ventures and a concerted effort to increase the Western world’s awareness of Iran’s rich culture, language, and history. In 1995, he established the Iran Heritage Foundation to support Persian-based cultural and artistic projects, largely through collaborative efforts with distinguished institutions. Hakimzadeh also served on the advisory boards of prominent cultural entities, including the British Institute of Persian Studies and the Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution.
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| Education |
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Harvard University
Masters - MBA from 1971 - 1973
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bachelors - Business from 1967 - 1971
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