#367: The CEO Shaping Tomorrow’s Dubai – Farhad Azizi on Wealth, Innovation & What Money Can’t Buy

This weeks guest is Farhad Azizi, CEO of Azizi Developments, the real estate arm of the Azizi Group in Dubai, where he also serves as Vice Chairman. Educated in the U.S. with a bachelor’s from the University of Tulsa and an MBA from Suffolk University, he later established ventures in Germany before returning to Dubai to lead Azizi Developments, founded in 2007. Under his leadership, the company has delivered thousands of homes across prime locations like MBR City, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Healthcare City, becoming one of the city’s leading developers. Named among Forbes Middle East’s “Most Impactful Real Estate Leaders” (2024) and credited with driving the firm to win “Middle East Property Developer of the Year” (2023), Azizi is recognised for a leadership style that emphasizes customer focus, transparency, and innovation. In this episode, Farhad Azizi, billionaire CEO of Azizi Developments, shares his remarkable journey from his upbringing in Afghanistan and Dubai to studying in the United States and building one of the UAE’s most successful real estate empires. The conversation explores both the challenges and opportunities of working within a family business, his experience taking over and driving the company’s growth, and the personal changes he made following the passing of his sister. Azizi reflects on life’s hardest lessons, the balance between wealth and fulfilment and his views on leadership, legacy and the role of innovation, AI and technology in shaping the future of real estate. He also opens up about his greatest accomplishments, biggest mistakes and whether his success could have been achieved outside Dubai. 2:10 – Farhad’s backstory: from his birthplace Afghanistan to attending university in Tulsa, USA 12:50 – Working in the family business 32:58 – What money can’t buy: life’s hardest lesson 56:02 – From humble beginnings 58:42 – Burj Azizi: building the second tallest building in the world 1:13:13 – Quick fire questions 1:18:05 – Innovations in real estate, technology and AI, adapting to younger buying habits 1:28:52 – Trends damaging Dubai’s reputation   Show Sponsors:   AYS Developers: A design-focused company dedicated to crafting exceptional homes, vibrant communities, and inspiring lifestyle experiences. https://bit.ly/AYS-Developers     Allsopp & Allsopp: Redefining real estate, through cutting-edge technology and setting new standards for seamless, elevated customer experience. Keep moving with Allsopp & Allsopp. https://bit.ly/Allsopp-and-Allsopp    Socials:   Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en  https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge  https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV  https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/    Follow Farhad Azizi on Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadazizi/?originalSubdomain=ae https://www.instagram.com/farhadaziziofficial/