The Izmirlian Foundation was established in 1990 by Dikran Izmirlian in honor of his parents, Sarkis and Marie Izmirlian, and his heritage, with the simple aim of “helping to preserve a nation.” Over more than 35 years of activity in Armenia, the Foundation has launched and implemented a wide range of initiatives across education, healthcare, tourism, and economic development, as well as in culture, the Armenian language, artificial intelligence, high technology, and innovation.
DIKRAN SARKIS IZMIRLIAN
Dikran Sarkis Izmirlian is an accomplished global investor and philanthropist with more than 65 years of experience in international financial markets and the management of diverse business enterprises.
Education
Mr. Izmirlian is a graduate of Victoria College in Alexandria, Egypt, holds a BS in Economics with high honors from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Career highlights
Mr. Izmirlian has been integrally involved with the ongoing building and growth of the Izmirlian family businesses which date back to 1902 in the Sudan. These original businesses included cotton farming, cotton and oil seed exports, the importation and distribution of agricultural machinery including for John Deere, manufacturing of air conditioning equipment under license to Carrier International, and contracting. After the 1970 nationalization by the Sudanese government, Mr. Izmirlian formed a new base of business operations from Geneva, Switzerland.
Over the next five decades, Mr. Izmirlian successfully established a wide-ranging group of businesses․ Mr. Izmirlian broadened the Izmirlian group’s business presence into substantial commercial and agricultural real estate holdings in Europe and the United States․
Global leader
The largest processor and exporter of peanuts in the world with processing plants in the United States, Africa, and Latin America.
Global leader in cotton ginning and oil seed processing equipment.
More London- a thirteen (13) acre office complex directly fronting London’s River Thames and Tower Bridge with 3 million square feet of offices (with London’s iconic City Hall, Ernst & Young, and PWC amongst its many other prestigious tenants) and the Hilton London Tower Bridge.
For Armenia
Projects implemented by the Izmirlian Foundation in Armenia deliver a wide range of both short- and long-term benefits. These include improved health outcomes, strengthened knowledge and skills, enhanced healthcare management systems, expanded access to quality education and talent identification programs, and targeted support for vulnerable populations and children with special needs.
The Foundation also supports Armenian entrepreneurs from Artsakh, nurtures future innovators in artificial intelligence, promotes the development of a digitized and technologically advanced Armenian language ecosystem, and strengthens the learning, teaching, assessment, and evaluation of Armenian for non-native speakers. In addition, it contributes to agricultural development, rural employment, and other priority sectors.
Overall, several hundred thousand people have directly benefited from the Izmirlian Foundation’s projects since it began operating in Armenia in 1990.
NATIONAL HERO OF ARMENIA
Dikran Sarkis Izmirlian is the recipient of the highest title of Armenia – the National Hero, and the highest award of the country – the Medal of the Fatherland.
Mr. Izmirlian passed away peacefully in 2024 at the age of 98.