Iranian to rappel Shard with prince

with Prince Andrew as part of a fund-raising stunt for charity.

Mahjoor, Prince Andrew (the younger son of Queen Elizabeth) and a handful other brave souls will go onto the outside wall of The Shard September 3 at an altitude of 1,056 feet (322 meters) and rappel down the side, presumably being very careful where they place their feet since the building is entirely clad in glass.

The Shard is the tallest building in Europe, not quite as tall as the Empire State Building, which has a roof height of 1,250 feet.  The Shard just opened in July.

Mahjoor started as an architect with degrees from the University of Manchester and the University of Southern California.

But he later became the founder and CEO of Phenom-enex, a technology firm that pursues analytical chemistry solutions  that purify and separate out components that help industrial, food and pharmaceutical development.

The goal of the rappelling stunt is to raise funds for The Outward Bound Trust, which is chaired by Prince Andrew.

Outward Bound helps underprivileged youth participate in challenging outdoor programs in an effort to provide lessons in responsibility, teamwork and leadership, and to promote a sense of pride and self-worth.

Mahjoor’s goal is to raise $230,000 for the charity.  He donated the initial $32,000.

Mahjoor explaind what he was thinking: “Some may think I’ve gone a bit mad to undertake this challenge. But being that it’s for such a wonderful cause that I so very much believe in, I couldn’t possibly turn down the opportunity.  To raise money to ensure that this program continues to impact the lives of many more young people for years to come is simply a privilege.”