BORN in Uganda in 1957 into an Ismaili Muslim family, Lord Rumi Verjee’s journey from exile to influence has become one of the quieter success stories of modern Britain.
The Verjee family lost much of their wealth during the 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda. Britain offered a reset. Verjee attended Haileybury College in Hertfordshire before winning a place at Downing College, Cambridge, where he read Law and was later called to the Bar at Middle Temple. Cambridge would remain a touchstone in his life; he now serves as an Honorary Fellow of Downing.
When he delivered his maiden speech in the House of Lords in December 2013, the arc of that journey was never far from his mind. “My family were dispossessed by Idi Amin because we were Asians, yet I was able to come here and prosper in this country,” he told peers. “This country gave me the opportunity to thrive, and I truly hope I can help many more people to have that very same opportunity.”
His business career began with an audacious gamble. At just 27, Verjee approached Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan at a conference in the US and persuaded him to sell the UK franchising rights to the fast-growing pizza chain. The first outlet opened in Luton in 1985. By the time Verjee sold his stake, Domino’s had grown into a nationwide operation employing more than 20,000 people across Britain.
Entrepreneurial curiosity carried him into other ventures. He co-owned Watford Football Club with Elton John between 1993 and 1997, a period that saw the club achieve promotion to the Premier League. In retail, he acquired the historic Mayfair luxury brand Thomas Goode & Co in 1995 and chaired the firm for more than two decades, preserving its reputation as a supplier of fine china, glass and silverware under two Royal Warrants. His property investments have also included the redevelopment of the former Royal Brompton Hospital site in Chelsea into luxury apartments.
Yet wealth, for Verjee, has never been the end of the story. In 2006 he established the Rumi Foundation, a charity supporting education, innovation and entrepreneurship, with projects stretching from the UK to India, East Africa and South America. The philosophy behind it is simple and deeply personal. “Mum and dad taught me that you don't mess with education. Because with it comes knowledge, responsibility, and that basically, anything is possible,” he once reflected.
That belief in possibility continues to shape his work. Through initiatives such as the Creator Fund, where he is a founding partner, Verjee backs deep-technology ventures emerging from leading European universities, helping early-stage ideas find the capital and networks they need to grow.
His contributions to philanthropy were recognised with a CBE in 2009. In politics, meanwhile, he has been an advocate for greater diversity in public life, helping develop programmes that encourage candidates from under-represented communities to enter politics.
