Asif Aziz

Asif Aziz is a London-based businessman. As the founder and Chief Executive of Criterion Capital, he is known for running companies that own key landmarks including the London Trocadero. Aziz is also the founder of the Aziz Foundation.

Asif Aziz
Born
Asif Haroon Aziz

1967
Limbe, Malawi
EducationEmanuel School, Wandsworth
Alma materAmerican College, Kensington
OccupationBusinessman, philanthropist
EmployerCriterion Capital
TitleCEO
Children4

Early life

Born in Malawi in 1967, Aziz moved to London at the age of six.[1] 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. Aziz married in Luanda, Angola in 1996 and moved back to London to go back into work in July 2003.

Career

Aziz 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 the South East of England, including 15 commercial buildings in the West End of London, the Docklands[2] and Croydon.[3]

The London Trocadero, bought by Asif Aziz in 2005

In 2005, the Evening Standard reported that he bought his first property aged 16 at an auction he visited with a relative. When asked his age, he exaggerated, saying he was 18. He bid £1.9m for the building opposite South Kensington tube station.[4][5]

Through Criterion, unveiled plans to turn the Trocadero into a 500-room pod hotel in 2009.[6] In 2014, plans were also unveiled to open a TK Maxx retail store on the Trocadero site,[7] though the media reported possible opposition from the Crown Estate.[8][9][10]

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

He received considerable media attention during his divorce proceedings in 2017. Aziz has a number of charitable interests, both internationally and domestically. Internationally this includes supporting the Thokomala project in South Africa, which looks after orphans from the AIDS epidemic; supporting the Mosaic Future primary school mentoring programme through Criterion Capital, Seeing is Believing; a 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; and The Next Step Diversity Mark, a means for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to generating and supporting diversity at all levels.

In the UK, he is the founder of the Aziz Foundation, which has supported community initiatives including Citizens UK, The Prince's Trust's Mosaic programme and Refugee Action.[13]

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See also

References
  1. "About Asif Aziz". About Asif Aziz. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  2. "Criterion Capital in Docklands prs play". Property-magazine.eu. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  3. Lloyd Davies (20 June 2014). "Criterion Capital Continues To Target Private Rented Sector". Gerald Eve. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  4. "Mr West End". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  5. "Asif Aziz property tycoon UK and RA – Related?". Jamiiforums.com. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  6. Ruth Bloomfield (11 August 2009). "Trocadero centre to be turned into budget 500-room pod hotel". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  7. Jonathan Prynn & Mira Bar-Hillel (10 March 2014). "TK Maxx to open Piccadilly superstore on Trocadero site five years after West End snub | London". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  8. Deirdre Hipwell (21 February 2014). "Trocadero plan could cause royal row with Crown Estate". The Times. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  9. "London's Trocadero in line for retail revamp". Property-magazine.eu. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  10. "Trocadero – London Trocadero to get retail revamp". Propertymall.com. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  11. Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster (24 January 2011). "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 24 Jan 2011 (pt 0004)". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 28 November 2015.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Finance (13 December 2006). "Made it by 40". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  13. "Our Grantees – The Aziz Foundation". azizfoundation.org.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
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