10 Things You Didn’t Know about Babylon Health CEO Ali Parsa
Technology is evolving at a fast rate and is spreading its tentacles to many sectors; one of them being the medicine. A good evidence of the relationship between technological and medical strands is Babylon Health. It is a startup that focuses on remote medical consultation, with a combined effort of artificial intelligence and human medical expertise. With its application or by subscribing to its text alerts, you get a variety of services ranging from professional advice, to alerting you of your medication doses. At the helm of Babylon Health is Ali Parsa, who founded the company in 2013. So who exactly is Ali Parsa? To know more about the company’s founder, stick to this article as we go through ten things you probably did not know about him.
1. Early Life
Ali Parsadoust was born on the 24th of January 1965 in Rasht, Iran, and is 55 years presently. He spent a significant part of his childhood in Iran, and describes his family as middle class as he never grew up lacking in anything. Not much is available about his parents and his family.
2. The Iran Revolution Factor
According to the Insider, Ali made a move to England in 1981, when he was only 16. The push factor was the Iranian revolution. The event’s aftermath had a variety of effects on the country, which was experiencing a power shift with a new ruler taking the helm of the country’s leadership. He made a move to England, probably for new beginnings hence he considers himself as a refugee, despite the fact that he presently has British citizenship.
3. His Education
For him to be able to set up and run a company of Babylon Health’s level, education played a significant role. As per reports, it is hinted that he taught himself in both O and A levels, which dictates the British educational system. He then joined the University College of London, where he pursued civil and environmental engineering in 1984 and graduated three years later. After completing his undergraduate studies, he followed up with a doctorate at the same institution, earning a Ph.D. in engineering physics in 1995.
4. His Early Startups
When he was in college for a doctorate, he made his first venture into the world of commerce. The company was Victoria and Gilan, a media company which he co-founded. His efforts paid off, and he even won the 1993 Royal Award for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He sold the company two years later and went into the banking sector.
5. His Stint In Banking
A look at his LinkedIn profile indicates that he ventured into the banking sector after he sold the media production company. Despite having a physics and engineering background, he fared quite well in the industry as an investment banker. He started with Credit Suisse, where he was present in both their London and New York offices – in telecom and engineering investment banking. He, later on, moved to Merrill Lynch and called it home for the next two years. There, he specialized in technology and UK investment banking. Goldman Sachs was the next hub, and he was the executive director in European technology investment banking.
6. The Next Set Up
After a lengthy stint as an investment banker, he set his eyes on starting a company, his second. It was in 2004 when he co-founded Circle Health limited together with Ophthalmologist Massoud Fouladi. Circle Health is a healthcare company that builds hospitals in different parts of the world with a good number in the United Kingdom and some coming up in China. He stepped down as the chief executive officer of Circle Health in December 2012.
7. His Views On The Trump Ban On Refugees
As earlier hinted, Ali Parsa considers himself to be a refugee after immigrating to the United Kingdom when he was 16. The United States president, Donald Trump, rode on a campaign wave that sought to ban immigrants from several countries, mostly the Middle East. Such sentiments did not sit well with many in the technological field, including Ali, who is originally from this region. He opines that we should look at the heart of the person rather than where he or she comes from. He saw Trump’s actions being more on the divisive side, both politically and socially.
8. His Views On The Public Medical Sector
As he is in the medical field courtesy of his company, he believes in the increased involvement of the private sector. The main area of concern is the British National Health Service, where he sees the participation of private entities will help in boosting profitability and also the quality of services offered. Such sentiments are valid when you put the aspect of privatization of firms as a benchmark.
9. Recognition
His efforts in the business, medical, and technological fields have brought him some recognition from various publications. In 2012, he was on the list of 100 influential people to watch in the United Kingdom. He also made the cut on the Health Service Journal list of 100 most influential people in the United Kingdom Healthcare sector. A look at his hard work and progress, you can see that he deserved the recognition.
10. Significance Of His Physics Background
In school, he studied physics in his postgraduate level. The knowledge he acquired in this discipline did not go to waste as he opines in an Institute of Physics transcribed interview. With a background in the discipline, he has a broader world view that no problem is either too big or too small – With the right mindset, you can conquer it all.
Final Word
In the United Kingdom healthcare scene, two companies punctuate its landscape. The companies are Babylon Health and Circle Health, with a common factor being their founder, Ali Parsa. Above are some of the facts about him for you to appreciate his effort in the medical care sector.
