Tonight:
4°c
Parties and stars for broker who was ‘living the dream’
Terry Kirby8 Jul 2009
Anjool Malde's page on a website for start-up companies lists his work status as “living the dream”. And to outsiders, it seemed he was.
Graduating from St Peter's College, Oxford, at 20, he seemed destined to become another successful British-Asian entrepreneur. Within four years of graduating in 2005, he had become a stockbroker with Deutsche Bank and co-founded a party organising business, AlphaParties.
He had a smart flat in the East End, a holiday apartment in Marbella and was frequently photographed in the company of attractive young women.
Tomorrow, he was due to host a “champagne and canapes” party to mark his 25th birthday which would have been yesterday. It would undoubtedly have been a celebration of what, to some, was an enviable lifestyle.
On the website YouNoodle, he claimed to have started “a number of online businesses” and had been co-editor of a business self-help book, Racing Towards Excellence.
He also includes a long list of his business skills, including “design, editing, entrepreneurship, event planning, graphic design, investment, leadership, management, marketing, public speaking, web design, writing”.
In an interview for a website for former Oxbridge students, Mr Malde gave some idea of his busy life, working during the day as a stockbroker and at night organising parties. “At times there is never a breathing space," he said.
He added: "AlphaParties can mean being called three to four nights a week with people wanting last-minute guestlists. However, with evenings and weekends free it is much more feasible to run a business along with a full-time career than many imagine.
“I always encourage graduates with an entrepreneurial bent who thrive on adrenaline to get involved in other projects alongside their job."
There was a cross-over between his activities, he said, because he was able to socialise in the evening with clients and colleagues and meet people keen to enter the financial world. Confident of financial success, his end-goal dream project" was philanthropy, possibly an educational charity.
In the past few days, Twitter feeds gave no clue as to his mental state and he was clearly relishing his lifestyle.
He wrote: “We have the host table with free drinks at Funky Buddha tonight.” He also mentioned being in the Spanish resort of Puerto Banus, near his Marbella flat, which he described as a penthouse. “It's 10pm and 28 degrees. Second life in the Mediterranean=best idea ever,” he said. He is believed to bought the two-bed, two-bath flat earlier this year.
Born in Yarm-on-Tees, near Middlesbrough, his mother is an arts teacher and his father a psychologist. While still in his teens at Oxford, he worked as a music and arts reviewer for the BBC, for Oxford's two students newspapers and student radio. He claimed to have had 100 articles published. Blessed with the self promotional skills of the typical entrepreneur, when he interviewed former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell for BBC Radio Oxford, he made sure he was photographed with her.
But he already had his eyes on a career in finance and secured valuable internships at City solicitors Slaughter and May and bankers ABN Amro.
Interviewed on the BBC website for a feature on graduates, he said that he had already paid off his student loan. After coming second in the UK Graduate of the Year awards in 2005, he told the Standard: “I have learnt that the sky is the limit since going to university, and that with successful time management skills one can achieve so much more.”
Reader views (4)
Jools was popular, kind, smart, and had everything going for him. Sadly, he didn't see what we all did.
As someone who has suffered from depression on and off for years, I know that there is sometimes no rational explanation for our actions, and that we don't hurt anyone deliberately.
RIP, Jools. You will be missed by everyone who knew you.
- Friend And Colleague Of Jools, London, UK, 08/07/2009 13:57
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Very tragic incident. No words to express myself. Really he was angle every one have good feeling about Anjool.
All due to financial crunch and unsecur jobs. Uncertainity in the community.Most of the families are upseet how to meet the daily life. Difficult for govt to handl it.
- Chishty, London, 08/07/2009 13:32
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EDITED by admin @ 15.08 on July 8 2009
Spirit/Tone
- Investment Banker, London, 08/07/2009 12:40
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Anjool did more in his short life than most people would be lucky to achieve in a lifetime.
A truly special human being - always generous to a fault with his time, his good fortune, and his kindness.
He will be much missed and our thoughts must be with his family at this time.
- Marcus, London, 08/07/2009 11:13
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