- Mikhail Fridman
-
Mikhail Fridman 
Born 21 April 1964
Lviv, Ukraine, USSRNationality 
RussiaEthnicity Jewish[1] Occupation Businessman Net worth 
$15.1 billion (2011)[2]Children Divorced (2 children)[2] Not to be confused with Michael Freedman.Mikhail Maratovich Fridman (Russian: Михаи́л Мара́тович Фри́дман; born 21 April 1964 in Lviv, Ukraine) is a Jewish Russian businessman. Mr. Fridman graduated from Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys in 1986. In 1988 Fridman started his career in trading and financial services before founding Alfa Group Consortium in 1989. Fridman sits as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Alfa Group Consortium, which is now one of the Russia's largest privately owned investment groups. In 2011, Forbes assessed his wealth as $15.1 billion, making him the 7th richest man in Russia.[2]
Contents
Business Activities
Along with German Khan, Alexei Kuzmichov and several other partners, Fridman founded the Alfa Group Consortium, an investment group which today controls Alfa Bank (opened in 1991), Alfa Capital Management, Rosvodokanal Group, AlfaStrakhovanie Group and A1 Group. Alfa Group's portfolio includes stakes in oil and gas company TNK-BP, Russia's largest retailer in terms of sales X5 Retail Group, and several telecom companies: Vimpelcom Ltd., MegaFon and Turkcell.
Fridman serves as Chairman of Supervisory Board of Alfa Group Consortium, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TNK-BP and as a member of the Board of Directors of ABH Holdings S.A. (holding company of Alfa-Banking Group), Supervisory Board of Directors of VimpelCom Ltd. and X5 Retail Group N.V.
Public Activities
Since 2005, Fridman has been a Russian representative on the International Advisory Board of the Council of Foreign Relations.[3]
Since 2005 he has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia.
He has been an active supporter of Jewish initiatives in Russia and Europe. In 1996 Fridman was one of the founders of the Russian Jewish Congress, now sitting on the RJC Presidium. He makes large contribution to the work of the European Jewish Fund, a non-profit organization aimed at developing European Jewry and promoting tolerance and reconciliation on the continent.[4]
Mr. Fridman is a member of numerous public facing bodies, including the Board of Directors of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and National Council on Corporate Governance.
Fridman is an active supporter of the national literary award "Big Book" and a member of the board of the "Center support for native literature" focused on implementing cultural programs, promoting the ideals of humanism and respect for the values of Russian culture, supporting creative writing and book publishing in Russia. [5]
Ratings and awards
In 2011, Forbes assesed Fridman's wealth as US$ 15.1 billion, making him the 7th richest man in Russia and 43rd worldwide. [2]
Fridman was honored "For Creation of Successfull Russian Brand" by World Brand Academy in 2006. [6]
The annual GQ Man of the Year National Award, organized by the GQ magazine, named Mr. Fridman as Businessman of the Year for 2006. [7]
Fridman was included in the Financial Times list of "Leaders of the New Europe 2004".
He is one of the "Europe's Power 25" by Fortune in 2004.
In 2003, Mikhail Fridman was honored with the Golden Plate Award of the International Academy of Achievement in Washington, presented by former US President Bill Clinton.
2005 house privatization controversy
In July 2005, he was involved in a privatization scandal. Two luxury houses formerly owned by the government were sold in 2003 for a price significantly below market value to two companies, one of which is owned by Friedman and another by the former Russian prime-minister, Mikhail Kasyanov and Kasyanov's wife Irina. Friedman has said that he wasn't surprised at the low price of the house he bought because another company held a 49-year lease for that house at the time (however, that lease was bought out very cheaply a week after the auction for the houses), and that he's not aware of the details of the sale as it was handled by his corporation's legal department. According to later allegations made by the State Duma member and journalist Aleksandr Khinshtein, Kasyanov bought the company that owns one of the houses using a loan given to him by Friedman, and one of Friedman's companies won the government-conducted tender to manage the Sheremetyevo International Airport a week after the houses auction, allegedly with some Kasyanov's involvement. Friedman has dismissed those allegations and maintains that none of his companies ever gave any loans to Kasyanov.[8]
On 17 January 2006 the Moscow Court of Arbitration has ruled that the house bought by Friedman should be returned to the state as not all the appropriate procedures have been followed during the privatization.[9] However, the court also refused to call the privatization contract legally null and void (in that case Friedman's company wouldn't even get the money they paid for the house back), so it's unlikely that the prosecutors would have enough evidence of Friedman's involvement to indict him personally in the criminal court.
On 2 February 2006 the same court has made similar ruling about the house bought by Kasyanov, he would also have to return it.[10]
On 1 March 2006 two government officials who were responsible for the auction, former deputy minister of property relations of Russia, Nikolai Gusev, and the director of Federal State Unitary Enterprise "VPK-Invest" (who officially was managing the houses before the auction), Ramil Gaisin, were indicted for "appropriation of managed property committed by an organized group on particularly large scale". They weren't arrested, they are currently released on their own recognizance. According to the prosecution, they currently don't have enough evidence to indict Kasyanov.[11]
See also
- List of billionaires
References
- ^ Sher, Gilead (6 May 2011). "The world's 50 Richest Jews: 11–20". Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishFeatures/Article.aspx?id=187418. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Mikhail Fridman Forbes Profile". Forbes. 9 March 2011. http://www.forbes.com/profile/mikhail-fridman. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ Membership. Council of Foreign Relations. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ The world's 50 Richest Jews. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Big Book Award. BigBook.ru. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ National Program BRANDS of RUSSIA World Brand Academy Awards. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Mikhail Fridman biography. Silobreaker.com. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "Новости NEWSru.com :: Михаила Фридмана допросили в Генпрокуратуре по делу о госдачах". Newsru.com. http://www.newsru.com/russia/02aug2005/dachniki.html. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Ъ – Михаил Фридман лишился дачи по-хорошему". Kommersant.ru. 18 January 2006. http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.html?docId=641510. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "В России: У Касьянова отобрали дачу "Сосновка-1"". Lenta.ru. http://lenta.ru/news/2006/02/02/dacha/. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Новости NEWSru.com :: Предъявлены первые обвинения по делу о продаже элитных дач Касьянову и Фридману". Newsru.com. http://www.newsru.com/russia/01mar2006/sos.html. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
External links
- Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People
- TeliaSonera initiates legal action against Russian Alfa Group 28 November 2005
- Western Operators Warned to Beware Altimo's Business Record 14 December 2005
- Shareholder dispute could drive Kyivstar into technical default 11 April 2007
- Telenor steps up fight on Altimo 'propaganda' 30 March 2007
Categories:- 1964 births
- Living people
- People from Lviv
- Ukrainian Jews
- Alfa Group
- Russian businesspeople
- Russian Jews
- Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe)
- Russian oil industrialists
- Russian bankers
- Russian billionaires
- Russian politicians
- Privatization controversies
- Privatization in Russia
- Members of the Public Chamber
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