The Rumi Foundation

Our Founder
& Trustees

Lord Rumi Verjee

Lord Rumi Verjee

Lord Rumi Verjee

 

As an immigrant from East Africa I arrived in the UK with little more than a desire for a good education and hungry for an opportunity to succeed. More than fifty years later, I feel very fortunate to be in a position where I can give something back to my adopted country and also give expression to the philanthropic spirit that has shaped my own family’s cultural DNA for generations.

From my earliest years there have been many people generous in their support of me, who have given me a break, a first step onto the ladder; and believed in my capacity to realise dreams that I was passionate about. I have also always believed in giving back. It is the mantra I live my life by. I am proud of the tradition of charitable giving that runs deep in my family, proud of the work we have done together and proud of those organisations and individuals that we have been able to support.

The Rumi Foundation is an essential expression of the Verjee family ethos and over the years, we have supported a vast portfolio of relationships and projects; not just in the UK, but in India and across the African sub-continent too.

There is a belief I hold very dear, that with success comes the personal responsibility to always act with generosity and compassion; and I look forward to seeing it evolve in the years and generations to come.

 

 

 

Lord Rumi Verjee

 

 

About Rumi Verjee

Lord Verjee is a highly successful entrepreneur and since September 2013 a member the House of Lords, the Upper House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

In business Rumi Verjee founded Domino’s Pizza in the United Kingdom and for over twenty years was Chairman of heritage British luxury brand Thomas Goode & Co. Today, he is the Chairman of The Rumi Endowment Company Limited – a real estate investment business investing in prime UK properties – and also Ipanema Properties in Brazil.

Lord Verjee’s success is entirely self-made: a fourth generation Indian born in Uganda, much of the Verjee family’s assets were seized by Idi Amin’s regime and after the expulsion of the Asian population from Uganda, he travelled to the UK and made it his home. Lord Rumi Verjee is now an Honorary Fellow of the University of Cambridge where, as a student, he had studied Law at Downing College.

Lord Verjee has always sought to share his success and experience through philanthropic work. He is Chairman of WE UK (formerly Free The Children) and co-hosts their annual signature event WE Day UK with Holly Branson. He is also a Member of the World Presidents’ Organization, the Global Leadership Foundation and was on the Advisory Board of the British Olympic Association for the London 2012 Olympic Games. In 2009 he was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for charitable services and in 2013 was appointed by HM The Queen to the United Kingdom House of Lords, as a Peer, where he sits as Lord Verjee of Portobello in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Passionate in his belief that young people should have access to opportunities to develop their ideas, capitalise on their talent and realise their potential, The Rumi Foundation was launched in 2006 and has supported a great number of projects over the years since.

The Rumi Foundation is Lord Verjee’s proudest achievement.

 

Jay Verjee

Advisor

Jay Verjee is an advisor to The Rumi Foundation helping with the management of the foundation’s endowment. He was born in Kenya and brought up in Canada.

After receiving a Double First in Law from the University of Cambridge, Jay went on to work for Linklaters, one of the world’s largest corporate law firms. Since then he has worked within the Verjee Family Office, managing an array of family real estate and other investments in the UK, Europe, North and South America and Africa. In 2011, Jay graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar. Jay is the founder of Addition Capital, through which he invests in British and European businesses that have a positive impact on society.

 

David Muriithi

Trustee

Based in Nairobi, David Muriithi is Managing Director of Creative Enterprise Centre, a regional capacity building initiative whose main focus is formulating and implementing various business capacity building strategies that enhance the creative industry within Africa. He is consulted widely across the continent on matters connected with trade and industry in creativity and creative products. A champion of private-public sector partnerships, David has also been contracted by both various Governments and NGOs to help them address long term sustainability issues. He also sits as a board member on The Kenya Copyright Board.

After graduating from University of Manchester with a B.A. Econ, he began his career as an auditor for Ernst & Young in London and later in Kenya. He subsequently joined and also currently heads up the family real estate business, which operates in East and South Africa.

 

Nadira Lalji

Advisor

Nadira serves as an Advisor to The Rumi Foundation. She has numerous personal and philanthropic interests, centred primarily around women’s rights and primary education. Nadira sits on the board of Building Tomorrow, an education non-profit that builds schools and trains teachers in rural communities in Uganda.

Nadira oversees Precis Advisory’s UK hotel group, a collection of hotels under the Montcalm, Park Grand and Shaftesbury brands. Additionally, she founded Inhabit Hotels, a lifestyle and wellness hotel brand that promotes mindfulness and healthy living amongst travellers.

After graduating summa cum laude in Government from Harvard University in 2009, Nadira was a John Eliot Scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge University. She previously worked for Monitor Group in New York and London and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in Toronto. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School.

 

Brent Pollard

Trustee

Brent Pollard has had a highly successful career as a consultant, businessman and entrepreneur. After a short stint as a cricketer he went into Corporate Finance specialising in distressed asset situations, with over 100 transactions collectively exceeding over USD1 billion that has seen him take on 46 board appointments both in Public and Private Companies mainly in the UK but also in several countries around the world. He left the banking world to set up his own consultancy and, over a number of years, acquired and successfully ran numerous  businesses that ranged from a chain of nursing homes to commercial real estate.

In 1997 he and his wife acquired Whitbread Hop Farm and turned it from a loss-making site to a prime visitor attraction and venue. Voted Kent Business of the year, Brent sold Whitbread Hop Farm in 2006.

Brent returned in 2015 after 8 years living in Perth Western Australia, where he had active interests in fine dining restaurants, wine wholesaling and property development, he settled with his family in Bath, Somerset. Today he owns several businesses in the Somerset area and has a number projects involving the rejuvenation of key Listed buildings.

 

Rehana Laljee

Advisor

Currently working at Goldman Sachs, Rehana is a highly regarded member of the firm’s Women’s Initiative; a programme focused towards promoting leadership skills for women performing at the highest level across all divisions of the business.

After graduating with a first in Accounting & Finance from Bath University and prior to her current position within the funding team supporting the EMEA Synthetics Products Group at Goldman Sachs, Rehana has gained experience as a qualified chartered accountant with both Morgan Stanley and Deloitte.

As well as being a keen sportswoman, playing badminton and distance running, Rehana is committed to the principles of giving back. Rehana has always embraced opportunities to volunteer her experience for a diverse mix of projects, not least by way of her passion for leading children’s camps where young people from many different backgrounds can come together and draw on the guidance and mentoring that she is able to offer; especially those that might have the greatest need of her support.

 

Stuart Malcolmson

Trustee

Stuart has many years of experience in financial accounting and business consulting. He established his own consultancy in 2005 and has with worked closely with his clients to help them grow their businesses. He has assisted Lord Verjee in his business and philanthropic endeavours for more than ten years.

Stuart is pleased to be in a position to help people as a Trustee of the Rumi Foundation. His personal belief in the power of philanthropy to improve individual lives and society as a whole are fully aligned with the aims of the foundation.