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Javad Marandi OBE

Entrepreneur, Investor & Philanthropist

London, UK


Javad Marandi
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IBM Services
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Javad Marandi’s Biography

Javad Marandi OBE is a British entrepreneur, philanthropist and investor with over 25 years of experience in business, both nationally and internationally.

Javad’s investment portfolio consists of a varied set of assets across retail, real estate, hospitality and construction including: a number of residential developments throughout the UK and premium British brands such as Emilia Wickstead, Anya Hindmarch, The Conran Shop and Wed2B, the UK wedding apparel retailer. Javad’s portfolio also includes several hotels and restaurants around the UK, including Soho Farmhouse, located in Oxfordshire, and a number of commercial real estate properties throughout Europe.

In 2017, Javad co-founded The Marandi Foundation with his wife, Narmina. The foundation supports disadvantaged children, families and communities as well as art and cultural initiatives in the UK. It is the core funder of The Royal Foundation for TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their primary philanthropic and charitable vehicle. The foundation is also the founder and sole funder of The Watercolour World, where HRH The...
Javad Marandi OBE is a British entrepreneur, philanthropist and investor with over 25 years of experience in business, both nationally and internationally.

Javad’s investment portfolio consists of a varied set of assets across retail, real estate, hospitality and construction including: a number of residential developments throughout the UK and premium British brands such as Emilia Wickstead, Anya Hindmarch, The Conran Shop and Wed2B, the UK wedding apparel retailer. Javad’s portfolio also includes several hotels and restaurants around the UK, including Soho Farmhouse, located in Oxfordshire, and a number of commercial real estate properties throughout Europe.

In 2017, Javad co-founded The Marandi Foundation with his wife, Narmina. The foundation supports disadvantaged children, families and communities as well as art and cultural initiatives in the UK. It is the core funder of The Royal Foundation for TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their primary philanthropic and charitable vehicle. The foundation is also the founder and sole funder of The Watercolour World, where HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall are joint patrons. Javad is Co-Chair of the Growth Board of homelessness charity, Centrepoint and Narmina is Co-Chair of the British Fashion Council Foundation and the Serpentine Cultural Committee. In 2021, the foundation sponsored the inaugural ‘The Conran Shop and Marandi Foundation Award for Designer of the Future’ at the prestigious New Designers Awards.

Born in Tehran, Javad came to Britain as a child and grew up in London. He has a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Cardiff University and is a chartered accountant. Prior to his solo career, he worked for PwC, Coca-Cola International and Philip Morris International. He was awarded an OBE in the 2020 New Year Honours List for services to business and philanthropy.
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Javad Marandi’s Newsfeed

A profile of an influential entrepreneur and philanthropist

The journey of Javad Marandi, from a child forced to flee revolutionary Iran with his parents to becoming one of the UK’s leading businessmen, is nothing short of remarkable.

Javad Marandi: A beacon of hope for underprivileged communities

Javad Marandi and his wife Narmina have demonstrated how success and societal influence can act as catalysts for making a meaningful difference.

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Javad Marandi’s Background

Alitas Group logo Alitas Group logo
Alitas Group
Investment Portfolio | Entrepreneur & Investor
Oct 1998 - Present
London, UK
Alitas Group is a high-end investment portfolio encompassing art, real estate, strategic land regeneration projects, hotels and restaurants.
 
FMCG Distribution Companies logo FMCG Distribution Companies logo
FMCG Distribution Companies
Shareholder
Sep 1998 - Present
Baku, AZ
Javad is an investor and shareholder in several Azerbaijan FMCG distribution companies. His companies are exclusive distributors of British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco and several other large corporations.
 
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Philanthropy

The Marandi Foundation
Co-Chair
London, UK
Javad is the Co-Chair of The Marandi Foundation, which he founded in 2017 with his wife. The foundation provides disadvantaged young people with access to education and wellbeing and mental health support services. The foundation also focuses on funding public art institutions and major cultural initiatives while also showing support for young, talented designers.
 
Centrepoint
Co-Chair of Growth Board
London, UK
One of the UK's leading charitable organisations combatting homelessness among the youth. Centrepoint successfully houses and finds employment for the UK's youth on a daily basis.
 
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Interviews

Saving the world’s watercolours one byte at a time
Interviewee
London, UK
Javad speaks of his new art venture, The Watercolour World, a foundation that is dedicated to digitising watercolours across the world.
 
Javad Marandi: From Immigrant Child To Global Entrepreneur - The Making Of A British Success Story
Interviewee
Oct 2020
London, UK
Javad reflects on his journey from immigrant child to global entrepreneur as he describes the triumphs of his success and his resilient business drive.
 
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Features

Following in Sir Terence Conran's footsteps: how the pandemic has inspired a bold new era of design
Featured
Sep 2021
London, UK
Javad is mentioned in an article by International Business Times regarding The Conran Shop's dedication to furthering their commitment of using environmentally friendly and alternative materials which will benefit both consumers and the planet.
 
BFC Charity Appoints Co-Chairs to Help Meet Target of £2,000,000 to Support British Creative Talent
Featured
Apr 2021
London, UK
Javad Marandi's wife, Narmina Marandi is featured in this British Fashion Council article regarding her appointment as Co-Chair of the British Fashion Council (BFC) Foundation. Her role is to draw together an International Advisory Committee which will support the foundation as well as the development of its Patronage Programme.
 
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Publications

We've launched a revolutionary scheme to combat the cost of living crisis
Author
May 2022
Javad discusses the cost of living crisis and the Centrepoint Independent Living Programme, which is aimed at alleviating the crisis in this article for The Telegraph. Javad explains this ground-breaking scheme which offers inexpensive accommodation for young people who are employed or enrolled in an apprenticeship.
 
We must boost wages to fill staff vacancies
Author
Sep 2021
In an article written for The Telegraph, Javad argues that other business leaders need to start recognising the fact that Britain's low-wage and low-status model is not working.
 
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Awards & Recognition

New Year Honours
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Jan 2020
London, UK
Javad was awarded an OBE, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for his services to Business and Philanthropy in HM The Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2020.
 

Javad Marandi’s Education

Cardiff University
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
1985 - 1988

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