Hossein Yassaie

Sir Hossein Yassaie FREng FIET is a British entrepreneur, global business leader and investor in technology sector. His work and focus have centred around new and transformational technologies and products. Among these were digital TV revolution, the enablement and rise of smart phones and more recently, next gen user interfaces/experiences and combating the new-age threat of internet mis/dis-information.

Currently he is actively involved in his portfolio of leading technology companies through board directorships, chairmanships, investments and advice. Among his portfolio companies are articulate.xyz.

Previously Yassaie was the chief executive officer of Imagination Technologies where he worked from 1992 to 2016 and created one of the leading and most impactful UK-based technology businesses with its technologies enabling and powering many iconic brands.

Prior to Imagination he worked in senior technology and executive roles at Inmos (often recognised as the original cradle of the modern UK technology industry) and the leading European semiconductor company STMicroelectronics. Yassaie also chairs the not-for-profit industry and community association TechWorks. In addition to the technology companies, Yassaie has a fine-dining experiential restaurant group in his portfolio operating under Crockers Restaurants.

Education and early life
Yassaie came to Britain in 1976 from Iran and became a United Kingdom national in 1984. He studied Electronics and Communications at the University of Birmingham gaining a first class honours Bachelor of Science degree in 1979. He stayed at Birmingham to complete a Doctor of Philosophy degree in signal processing on the application of Charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to Sonar.

Career
Following his PhD, Hossein was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Birmingham for several years.

Yassaie then spent eight years working at STMicroelectronics and Inmos. During this time he was involved in the development and marketing of microprocessors, signal and video processors including the first digital TV chip. These activities ultimately resulted in a multi billion dollar semiconductor business unit at STMicroelectronics. He joined Imagination Technologies in 1992, becoming its CEO in June 1998 focusing the business on advanced technology development using the semiconductor intellectual property business model and created the brand Pure.

Yassaie resigned his position as CEO of Imagination Technologies on 8 February 2016, amid board disagreement on future strategy at a time when global mobile phone market's slow-down started impacting short-term revenues. He was directing Imagination to build the next wave of technologies such as artificial intelligence and ray-tracing to ride out the short-term market conditions. However with pressure from some shareholders on short-term priorities and amidst strategic board disagreement he stepped down in February 2016. Yassaie's departure and the change of focus that followed over a few months triggered resignations of several other long-standing and experienced technology and business leaders from the company.

Yassaie now is chair/director/investor in several leading technology companies. His tech company portfolio includes articulate.xyz. His technology and business areas of interests span from next-gen user interfaces, artificial intelligence(AI)/machine learning(ML) & next generation computing architectures, through smart systems for health and education/learning to the new critical area of internet mis/dis- information.

Awards and honours
Yassaie received a knighthood in the 2013 New Year Honours in recognition of his services to technology and innovation.

He was awarded the honorary degree of DUniv by the University of Birmingham in 2013.

In September 2016 he was elected a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, FIET and also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, FREng

In March 2022 Sir Hossein receives the Sunday Time's NED of the Year Award for Private & Private Equity Category NED Award 2022

Personal life
Yassaie is married and has two daughters and two grandsons.