The story of our founder isn't a mere chronological account of how he started the business. It's the journey of a man who dared to make his own road. It's the chronicle of accomplishment outlined by vision, innovation, design and operational excellence.
Mirwais was born in 1962 in Afghanistan where he studied law and worked at a law firm for several years. Due to the political upheavals in the region, he decided to leave the country to secure a safer future for his family. The move proved immensely rewarding as it sparked the entrepreneurial spirit within Mirwais and led him to work with a fellow Afghan and businessman to start a business in textile manufacturing in Uzbekistan.
As a young ambitious entrepreneur and businessman, Mirwais was always exploring new opportunities which introduced him to the world of the tobacco business, in Bulgaria. It was the first of its kind in the country during the Soviet Union and within a short period of time, Mirwais became an importer for the Russian Commonwealth countries and established a business network that had multiple offices in more than 20 countries.
The expansion of his trade and business led him to the United Arab Emirates. After visiting Dubai and Sharjah for the first time, he believed that the UAE presented a world of infinite opportunities and possibilities. Shortly afterward, he decided to relocate his business and family to the UAE and exited the tobacco business, turning his sights to the oil and gas sector.
It was 2006 when Mirwais established Azizi Bank, now the largest and strongest commercial financial institution in Afghanistan. Following this, Azizi Group acquired Al Bakhtar Bank which is one of the fastest growing banks in Afghanistan.
In 2007, Mirwais purchased his first plot of land in Dubai and established Azizi Developments with a mission to give back to the city that was so welcoming and generous to him and his family.
In 2008, Azizi Developments started selling off-plan properties in Dubai only to be temporarily stalled by the global financial crisis and its impact on Dubai. True to his word, Mirwais returned all payments to investors with due diligence, thus earning trust and goodwill in the real estate sector. In 2013, Azizi Developments resumed the construction of existing projects with great success and never looked back. Today, Azizi Developments is one of the most prominent and leading real-estate private developers in the UAE.
Never forgetting his roots, Mirwais gave back to Afghanistan by acts of philanthropy. He helped create 5,000 new jobs, contributed to the rebuilding of infrastructure and the development of 10,000 homes and new commercial areas.
Mirwais also believed that education is the only way to empower Afghans and was instrumental in establishing the first non-profit higher education institution in Afghanistan, the American University of Afghanistan. Today, thousands of students receive education through the university and go on to join the country’s workforce and grow its economy. Seeing children as the most vulnerable, he went on to establish the Azizi Foundation with the objective of helping underprivileged people and families to live better lives.
Mirwais Azizi draws inspiration from Dubai’s growth and success model over the last decade and strongly believe in replicating this strategy in the day to day functioning at Azizi Developments.
