Jack Mahfar

Jack Mahfar (born 1931) is a Swiss-Iranian businessman and philanthropist, who works in pharmaceuticals.^[2]

Jack Mahfar
Born	1931 (age 93–94) Jouybareh district, Isfahan, Imperial State of Iran
Occupations	Businessman Philanthropist Entrepreneur
Years active	1950s–present
Known for	Pharmaceutical ventures in Iran and philanthropy
Awards	President’s Award of Distinction (Israel, 2014)[1]
Website	jmahfar.com

Early life and education

Mahfar was born into a Jewish family in the Jouybareh district of Isfahan, an area historically known as a centre of Jewish life in Iran. He began his education at the Ayin School, a Christian missionary institution, before continuing at the Alliance High School and later enrolling in the School of Literature.^[3] His studies were disrupted in 1948 when his family relocated to Tehran.^[4]

Career

In Tehran, Mahfar worked at Rey Pharmacy, under Dr. Moussa Bral.^[5] He began his career as an apprentice in the pharmaceutical industry. He later established Mahfar Co., a pharmaceutical firm that represented several international companies, including Astra of Sweden, and produced medications under licences from European manufacturers.^[4]

Mahfar later proposed establishing a domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing facility to produce essential medicines locally, with the goal of reducing reliance on imports and improving affordability. Although the initiative gained support from foreign partners, it was ultimately abandoned following the Iranian Revolution of 1979.^[4]

Throughout his career, Mahfar contributed financially to the construction of schools, retirement homes, and employee housing. These philanthropic efforts were acknowledged by the Iranian Jewish representative in parliament and other government officials.^[6][7]

After relocating to Switzerland, Mahfar remained active in philanthropy. He contributed to the construction of synagogues in Israel, supported medical centres, and funded educational projects, including the Encyclopædia Iranica.^[8]

Following the revolution, his business was nationalized, prompting his move to Geneva. There, he launched a new pharmaceutical enterprise and continued his humanitarian work, including assisting in the release of imprisoned Iranian Jews in Shiraz.^[8]

He was presented the President's Award of Distinction from Israeli President Shimon Peres on January 30, 2014.^[1] In addition, he also received various letters of appreciation, insignias, and tablets of honor. He published an autobiography called From Laborer to Entrepreneur: Memoirs of Jack Mahfar, which narrates his life from the Jouybareh district of Esfahan to life in Tehran and later, Geneva, Switzerland.^[9]