10 On The Weekend is a weekly (-ish) feature in IMI, the concept of which is simple: Each time, we ask the same ten questions of a different IMI Pro, letting readers get to know the interviewee on a more personal and informal level than they might during the ordinary course of business.
Our guest this week is Lasha Azariashvili, Head of Business Development at Immigrant Invest
How do you spend your weekends?
Mostly enjoying some outdoor activities with the family. I try to disconnect from screens starting from Saturday morning.
What are your top three business goals this year?
My top three goals this year are:
- Expanding our referral partner network in the US, where HNW mobility demand is surging.
- Deepening our presence in the European Golden Visa market before more programmes close or tighten.
- And finally, improving client retention through post-residency advisory.
What’s your biggest business concern right now?
Programme instability. Governments close or restructure programmes and special tax regimes with little warning.
Portugal’s NHR reform, for example, was a significant disruption, to put it mildly.
Which book is on your nightstand right now?
The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age.
How and when did you get into the industry?
I got into the industry around three years ago.
I’ve been structuring go-to-market strategies for almost a decade, and joined Immigrant Invest to bring that experience into a market where it genuinely matters.
What has been your proudest moment as a service provider?
A family from a high-risk jurisdiction. Father had some serious health issues.
We fast-tracked their Portuguese residency so their children could access EU healthcare and universities. The father sent a handwritten note. No KPI captures that.
Which market development has surprised you the most in the last year?
The speed of Middle Eastern demand growth. We knew it was coming, but the scale has been genuinely surprising.
If you could go ten years back in time, what business decision would you change?
Building compliance infrastructure earlier. A decade ago, we were all focused on deal volume.
Firms that invested early in AML and Due Diligence are now untouchable. The ones that didn’t are being squeezed out or investigated. I’d have hired a compliance lead in year one.
What investment migration industry personality do you most admire?
I’d point to Rafael Cintron from Wealthy Expat. He’s built a genuinely distinctive position in the market. His content approach makes complex topics accessible in a way that most in the industry haven’t managed.
If all goes according to plan, what will you be doing five years from now?
Leading a team that’s become the default advisory partner for clients who need both mobility and wealth structuring in one conversation.
