As advisor to several universities in the United States and the United Kingdom which have centers for the study of Persian history and culture, Farhad Hakimzadeh focuses on fundraising and planning major cultural events that introduce different aspects of Persian culture and history to audiences in both countries.

Farhad Hakimzadeh was born in Iran, moving to Germany in the late 1950s to complete his primary education. The son of a prominent industrial family, he studied industrial management and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1967 to 1971. Mr. Hakimzadeh subsequently pursued a Master’s degree in Business Administration at Harvard Business School, graduating in 1973. Returning to Iran in the early 1970s, Farhad Hakimzadeh established a long-range planning center for the organization National Iranian Radio and Television. Over a period of 18 months, he led a dedicated group in forecasting issues facing Iran’s mass communications sector. In 1975, Mr. Hakimzadeh joined the business organization his father had expanded significantly since the 1960s. With a total of 8,000 employees, the organization produced goods ranging from heavy appliances to industrial pumps. Farhad Hakimzadeh’s business pursuits in Iran were interrupted by the Islamic Revolution of late 1978, which entailed the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979. Mr. Hakimzadeh eventually found it necessary to relocate from his native land due to political instability and threats to his personal wellbeing. After being involved for 14 years in Houston venture capital and real estate projects, Mr. Hakimzadeh moved to London in 1995, where his parents already resided.

From 1995 on, Farhad Hakimzadeh shifted his focus to establishing the philanthropic Iran Heritage Foundation. As CEO, Mr. Hakimzadeh arranged numerous events, research projects, conferences, and exhibitions that kept the diversity of Persian history and culture alive. Before stepping down from this position in 2007, Farhad Hakimzadeh had put on some 45 conferences and seminars, arranged 20 museum and gallery exhibitions, and supported numerous Iran-focused fellowships and travel research projects.