Fridman Mikhail Maratovich was born on April 21, 1964 in Lvov into a family of engineers. Father is a laureate of the USSR State Prize for the development of identification systems for military aviation.

Education

In 1986 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (MISiS).

Labor activity

In 1986-1988 he worked as a design engineer at the Elektrostal plant (Elektrostal city, Moscow region).

Then he began to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

In 1988, he organized the Courier cooperative, which specialized in window cleaning. In 1989, together with Mikhail Alfimov (the name “Alpha” comes from his last name), German Khan and Alexey Kuzmichev, he created and headed the Alfa-Photo company, which was engaged in the sales of photographic materials, computers and copying equipment.

A year later, he founded the Soviet-Swiss joint venture Alfa-Eco, which was engaged in the export of oil and metallurgical products, on the basis of which Alfa Group was later created.

In 1991, he became chairman of the board of directors of Alfa-Bank. Part of his capital is invested in Belarusian projects - Alfa-Bank, the operator Life, the retailers Belmarket and BelEvroset.

Later he was a member of the board of directors of the Public Russian Television (ORT) association, as well as the board of directors of the SIDANCO Oil Company and the Perekrestok trading house.

In January 1996, he became one of the founders of the Russian Jewish Congress, becoming its vice president and head of the RJC Culture Committee. Member of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress. Provides significant support to Jewish initiatives in Russia and Europe.

Video:

In 1995-1998, he was a member of the board of directors of the television company “Public Russian Television” (ZAO “ORT”).

Positions currently held:

Co-owner and chairman of the supervisory board of the Alfa Group consortium (which includes Alfa-Bank, Alfa Capital, AlfaStrakhovanie, Alfa-Eco, X5 Retail Group, Rosvodokanal, Altimo, etc.) and LetterOne Holdings. Owns the brands Beeline, Pyaterochka, and Perekrestok.

Member of the supervisory board of VimpelCom Ltd., member of the bureau of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, founder and member of the bureau of the presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress, member of the Public Chamber of the 2006 convocation, the National Council on Corporate Governance, the International Advisory Council on Foreign Relations (USA).

Awards

Winner of the V National Award “Director of the Year” (2010) in the category “Chairman of the Board of Directors: Contribution to the Development of Corporate Governance.”

In 2013 and 2017, Forbes magazine awarded him the title of “Businessman of the Year.”

One of the richest Russian businessmen, regularly included in the top richest people in Forbes magazine ratings. In Russia, he has repeatedly been among the top 3 richest businessmen in the country, with the exception of 2011 and 2012. During these years, he occupied the seventh and sixth lines of the rating with a mark of 15.1 and 13.4 billion dollars, respectively. From 2013 to 2016, he was in second place (16.5 / 17.6 / 14.6 / 13.3 - wealth in billions of dollars).

In 2018, he took 89th place among the world's billionaires and eighth in Russia. Over the course of a year, he increased his wealth to $15.1 billion, but already in April 2018, due to new US sanctions, he lost $445 million in a day.

On March 12, 2019, Forbes named the co-owner of Alfa Group the richest resident of London (his fortune is estimated at $15 billion). In the magazine’s latest ranking, he took 7th place among Russian businessmen (he lost $100 million in a year).

Interesting Facts

In 2000, his parents moved permanently to Cologne. He himself has Israeli citizenship and lives in London. Speaks Ukrainian.

In 2016, he purchased the Victorian-era Athlone House estate in the UK for $90 million.

Hobbies

The billionaire's favorite hobbies are cinema, music and chess.

Family status

Divorced, his ex-wife is Olga, she studied in the same course with him.

Mikhail Maratovich Fridman(born April 21, 1964 in Lvov) is a major Russian entrepreneur. Co-owner and chairman of the supervisory board of the consortium " Alfa Group", which includes " Alfa Bank», « Alfa Capital», « AlfaInsurance», « Alfa-Eco", 48% X5 Retail Group, Rosvodokanal, Altimo etc. Main owner of the group consortium Letter One(RWE Dea, 48% Vimpelcom, 13,22% Turkcell). Mikhail Fridman owns the brands Beeline, Pyaterochka, and Perekrestok.

Citizenship: State of Israel, lives in London. He speaks Ukrainian well.

Member of the Supervisory Board VimpelCom Ltd, member of the board of directors Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, founder and member of the Bureau of the Presidium, member of the Public Chamber of Convocation 2006, National Council on Corporate Governance, International Advisory Council on Foreign Relations (USA).

Possessing personal wealth 16.5 billion, in 2013 he took second place in the list of the richest businessmen in Russia (according to Forbes magazine). In May 2015, Mikhail Fridman took first place.
In 2007, his net worth was estimated at $13.5 billion(sixth place in terms of wealth among Russian entrepreneurs at the beginning of 2007). In 2012 he occupied 57th place in the list of world billionaires, having a fortune in $13.4 billion. One billion is a thousand million, and a million is a thousand thousand.

Biography of Mikhail Fridman

Was born April 21, 1964 years in a family of engineers. Father is a laureate of the USSR State Prize for the development of identification systems for military aviation.

In 1986 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys ( MISiS). According to Profile magazine, in his third year, Friedman organized an informal youth club, Strawberry Field, where discos were held, artists and bards performed. The events were held in the evenings in the hall of the MISiS student dormitory in Belyaevo. Friedman personally handed the musicians fees of 20-30 rubles. According to Friedman’s competitors, at this time he was also a “farmer.”

After graduating from the institute in 1986-1988, he worked as a design engineer at the Elektrostal plant (Elektrostal city, Moscow region). At this time Friedman started doing business.

In 1988, he organized the Courier cooperative, which specialized in window cleaning. In 1989, he, together with M.V. Alfimov (from whose surname the name appeared), G.B. Khan and A.V. Kuzmichev, created and headed the Alfa-Photo company, which was engaged in the sales of photographic materials, computers and copying equipment.

In 1989 he founded the Soviet-Swiss joint venture " Alfa-Eco", which was engaged export of oil and metallurgical products. On its basis, the “ Alfa Group».

In 1991 he headed Board of Directors of Alfa Bank. Part of his capital is invested in Belarusian projects - Alfa Bank, the Life operator, Belmarket and BelEvroset retailers.

Subsequently (1995-1998) he was a member of the board of directors of the television company "Public Russian Television" (CJSC " ORT"), as well as the board of directors of the Oil Company SIDANKO" and Trading House " Crossroads».

In January 1996 he was one of the founders Russian Jewish Congress, becoming its vice president and head of the culture committee REC. Member of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress.

Provides significant support to Jewish initiatives in Russia and Europe. Friedman in particular makes a great contribution to the activities European Jewish Fund, a non-governmental organization promoting development of European Jewry and promoting the ideas of tolerance and mutual respect in Europe.

Family of Mikhail Fridman

Mikhail Fridman is now divorced and has four children. Ex-wife - Olga Fridman from Irkutsk, also studied in MISiS on the same course with Friedman, in 2000 she graduated from design courses in Paris. In the first half of 2000, Friedman's parents moved permanently to Cologne.

Figures and Facts

$14 billion « Alfa Group» received in March 2013 from the sale of its stake in TNK-BP « Rosneft».

In March 2015 Letter One acquired the German oil and gas company RWE Dea for €5.1 billion. Friedman invited his longtime acquaintance, the former head of BP John Brown, to the position of manager of all LetterOne energy projects.

In 2013, Alfa Group created a special company for its foreign assets, LetterOne Holdings. In 2014, the group's shares in Vimpelсom were transferred to LetterOne.

Alfa Bank finances the Life Line charity foundation, which helps children with severe cardiac diseases.

Mikhail Fridman is interested in cinema, music and chess. In his free time from work, he flies by helicopter to his recreation center in the Tver region, where he not only relaxes, but also negotiates with partners.

Media files on Wikimedia Commons

Mikhail Maratovich Fridman(born April 21, 1964, Lvov, USSR) - Russian entrepreneur, billionaire. Co-owner and chairman of the supervisory board of the Alfa Group consortium, member of the supervisory board of VimpelCom Ltd. , member of the bureau of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, founder and member of the bureau of the presidium, member of the Public Chamber of Convocation 2006, National Council on Corporate Governance, International Advisory Council on Foreign Relations (USA).

One of the richest businessmen in the Russian Federation and residents of Great Britain, according to relevant ratings.

Biography

Born into a family of engineers. Father is a laureate of the USSR State Prize (as part of a team of authors) for the development of identification systems for military aviation.

After graduating from the institute in 1986-1988, he worked as a design engineer at the Elektrostal plant (Elektrostal city, Moscow region). At this time, Friedman began to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

In 1988, he organized the Courier cooperative, which specialized in window cleaning. In 1989, he, together with M.V. Alfimov (from whose surname the name appeared), G.B. Khan and A.V. Kuzmichev, created and headed the Alfa-Photo company, which was engaged in sales of photographic materials, computers and copying equipment.

Subsequently, he was a member of the board of directors of the "" (ORT) association, as well as the board of directors of the SIDANCO Oil Company and the Perekrestok Trading House.

In 2015, Friedman announced the acquisition of the Czech online bank " Zuno", which, having started its activities in 2010 in Slovakia, operated in the Czech Republic since 2011 as a branch of the banking group Raiffeisen Bank International and was completely unprofitable. Friedman intended to turn Zuno into an independent bank with headquarters in Vienna, but subsequently refused the deal.

In May 2016, he announced his intention to spend almost all of his fortune on charity. Friedman does not intend to involve his children in the management of Alfa Group, hoping that they will independently achieve career success.

In the summer of 2016, Spanish entrepreneur Javier Perez Dolset, head of the ZED corporation, specializing in the development of mobile applications, contacted the Spanish prosecutor's office with a demand to open a criminal case against Russian partners associated with VimpelCom Ltd., part of the Alfa Group. According to Perez Dolcet, they embezzled the capital of the joint venture and ruined its parent company. According to Friedman's lawyer, the investigation revealed that Dolceta himself illegally withdrew money from the company to offshore companies. The El Confidencial newspaper devoted a series of articles to the history of ZED's bankruptcy, in which Mikhail Fridman was accused of wanting to illegally take over the company, removing his Spanish partner from business and ruining him.

In January 2018, he was included in the “Kremlin list” of the US Treasury.

In November 2019, he was summoned for questioning by the Spanish National Court of Justice in the Zed WorldWide bankruptcy case as a suspect.

Social and political activities

In January 1996, he became one of the founders of the Russian Jewish Congress, becoming its vice president and head of the cultural committee.

Provides significant support to Jewish initiatives in Russia and Europe. Friedman in particular is a major contributor to the European Jewish Fund, a non-governmental organization promoting the development of European Jewry and the promotion of tolerance and mutual respect in Europe.

In 1995-1998, he was a member of the board of directors of the television company “Public Russian Television” (ZAO “ORT”).

Condition ratings

In 2007, his fortune was estimated at $13.5 billion (the sixth largest fortune among Russian entrepreneurs at the beginning of 2007).

In 2012, he ranked 57th on the list of world billionaires, with a fortune of $13.4 billion.

American version of the magazine Forbes in 2015, Friedman’s fortune was estimated at $14.6 billion (68th place in the world). In the same year, in the list of the 200 richest businessmen in Russia, compiled by the Russian version of Forbes magazine, Friedman took 2nd place.

Twice (in 2013 and 2017) called the magazine Forbes"Russian businessman of the year".

Based on the results of 2018, Forbes magazine estimated Friedman’s fortune at $15 billion. He took 7th place in the list of the richest businessmen in Russia. In 2018, his capital decreased by $100 million.

Index	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Net worth ($ billion)	10,4	13,5	20,5	6,3	12,7	15,1	13,4	16,5	17,6	14,6	13,3	14,4	15,1	15
Place (in the world)					42	43	57	41		68	63	75	93
Place (in Russia)	6	6	7	4	3	7	6	2	2	2	2	7	8	7

Criticism

Some Spanish media are critical of business methods and express distrust of Friedman, pointing out that a number of scandalous events are associated with his name:

Accusations of raider actions

In 2019, Mikhail Fridman found himself under investigation by the Spanish prosecutor's office, who accused him of an “economic siege” and an attempted “raider takeover” of the mobile telecom operator Zed World Wide (ZWW) in 2016.

Anti-corruption prosecutor Jose Grinda Gonzalez described Mr Friedman's attempt to take over ZWW as a "raid" in a court filing.

Court documents note that in 2016, a Russian billionaire tried to acquire ZWW “at a ridiculous price” of €20 million, which was “far below its market value.” Having been refused, Mr. Friedman, according to the prosecutor, launched an “economic siege” on ZWW and its parent company Zed+. To achieve this, the billionaire allegedly influenced VimpelCom’s decision to terminate cooperation with Zed+, which brought ZWW 40% of revenue. Mr. Fridman's LetterOne owns 47.85% of the voting rights in VimpelCom, which is now called Veon.

In addition, according to the prosecutor, Mikhail Fridman played a “key” role in the decision of one of ZWW’s potential creditors: the Russian billionaire has an indirect stake in Amsterdam Trade Bank (ATB), which was part of a syndicate of banks that refused to provide a loan to ZWW, after which the mobile operator was forced to declare insolvency.

On October 21, 2019, a court hearing was held in the case, to which Mikhail Fridman was summoned. The prosecution did not ask for any restrictive measures against Mr. Friedman, anti-corruption prosecutor Jose Grinda told reporters after a hearing that lasted three hours. At the same time, the prosecutor told reporters that Friedman “will remain in the status of an accused by the prosecutor’s office.” “That's for sure,” he emphasized.

A few days after the hearing in the ZWW case, a judge of the Spanish National Court began an investigation into another lawsuit against Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman and LetterOne in connection with the purchase of grocery retailer Dia.

The investigation began after the Supreme Court referred the case to the National Court. In his ruling, the judge ordered a preliminary investigation to begin: according to the procedure, this is a formal identification of the plaintiffs, as well as notification of the beginning of the investigation and the transfer of relevant documentation to Friedman and LetterOne.

In addition, the judge sent an official letter to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) to appoint experts. The lawsuit against Friedman alleges that he deliberately caused Dia shares to fall in order to buy it at a lower price, which is essentially consistent with raider actions.

At the end of 2019, already in Russia, public attention was drawn to a new high-profile case in which the A1 company is involved (Mikhail Fridman is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Alfa Group Consortium, the parent company of A1).

A1 acquired rights to claim debt in the amount of RUB 3.2 billion. to Viktor Baturin - entrepreneur, brother of the richest woman in Russia Elena Baturina.

Responding to reporters, a representative of A1 noted that the rights of claim are planned to be exercised as part of the bankruptcy process of Viktor Baturin and A1 expects that payments will be made by Viktor Nikolaevich’s sister, Elena Baturina, who, according to the company, has debts to her brother. Previously, A1 refused to participate in this case.

Representatives of Elena Baturina are confident that what is happening is a raider attack by A1 Mikhail Fridman. Their position is as follows: “Viktor Baturin lost all possible courts, but, having exhausted legal methods, he turned to the raiders from A1, counting on their resource. An illegal decision of a judge in Kalmykia (at the end of December, Elena Baturina became a defendant in a libel suit, which was initiated at the request of the financial manager in the bankruptcy case of Viktor Baturin), a dirty PR campaign against Elena Baturina, false statements in the media about the alleged non-involvement of A1 and Viktor Baturin to these actions and now A1’s new lie about Elena Baturina having some debt to Viktor Baturin, contrary to all existing legal decisions of the courts, are the stages of a raider attack on Ms. Baturina by Mikhail Fridman’s A1 structures, using her long-time opponent Viktor Baturin and his unreasonable demands."

Baturina’s representative also noted that the actions of her opponents are especially contemptuous, since the attack by A1 Mikhail Fridman and Viktor Baturin was planned precisely at the most tragic moment for Elena Baturina herself, a few days after the death of her husband, ex-mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov.

Corporate conflicts

On March 17, 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had a working meeting with Mikhail Fridman, which observers associated with the conflict between Alfa Group and Oleg Deripaska’s Basic Element holding.

Family

Awards and prizes

see also

Notes

1. Fridman Mikhail Maratovich - biography (Russian) (unavailable link). lpl.org.ua. Retrieved May 15, 2013. Archived July 12, 2012.
2. Mikhail Fridman. Alfabank's banking tentacles and multi-billion dollar income (Russian). lifexchange.ru. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013.
3. Fridman, Mikhail - Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Directors of the Alfa Group concern (Russian). Lenta.ru. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013.
4. Supervisory Board of VimpelCom Ltd. (unavailable link)
5. Composition of the Bureau of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
6. (undefined) (unavailable link). Retrieved January 5, 2012. Archived January 25, 2012.
7. List of members of the Public Chamber (2006)
8. Membership Roster of The Council on Foreign Relations
9. The Times. Mikhail Fridman was included in the ranking of the richest people in Great Britain for the first time according to The Times (Russian). Meduza (May 12, 2019). Retrieved May 12, 2019.
10. “Mikhail Maratovich Friedman. Biographical information". 01/30/2008
11. Rostovtseva I. “FREE(D)MAN”. “Profile”, No. 19 (191), 05/22/2000
12. Yu. Apel. Alexey Kuzmichev and raw materials "Alpha"
13. Top 10 rich people in the world with business in Belarus
14. The structure of entrepreneur Mikhail Fridman acquired the Czech bank Zuno from Raiffeisen (undefined) . Rambler News Service(SEPTEMBER 24, 2015). Retrieved October 19, 2019.
15. Ztrátová on-line banka Zuno mění majitele, kupuje ji ruský oligarcha (The unprofitable online bank Zuno changes owner, it is bought by a Russian oligarch)(Czech) . iDNES.cz(September 14, 2015). Retrieved October 19, 2019.
16. Mikhail Fridman decided to donate his fortune to charity “Kommersant.ru”, 05.20.2016
17. Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). Why Russian oligarch Friedman is disliked in Spain | DW | 08/11/2017(Russian) (undefined). DW.COM. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
18. Quién es Fridman, el magnate "ruso" con socios españoles investigado por el FBI
19. La Policía detiene a la mano derecha del millonario ruso vinculado a Putin y Trump(Spanish) . El Confidencial (29 December 2017). Retrieved October 6, 2019.
20. ING está siendo investigado por un caso de blanqueo relacionado con Fridman(Spanish) . El Confidencial (22 December 2017). Retrieved October 6, 2019.
21. Five unexpected faces in the "Kremlin dossier" (English) BBC Russian Service(2018). Retrieved February 7, 2018.
22. Last name, first name, friends of Putin: how did the meeting of the Madrid court with the participation of Mikhail Fridman go | Billionaires(English) (undefined). Forbes.ru (October 22, 2019). Retrieved October 22, 2019.
23. Alfa Bank called billboards with Givi and Motorola in Kyiv a provocation (undefined) . RBC. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
24. Alfa Bank. List of persons under control or significant influence of which is the credit institution Alfa-Bank (undefined) (April 27, 2018).
25. Structure of the Russian Jewish Congress Archived copy of February 24, 2017 on the Wayback Machine.
26. Bankers instead of farmers. Who joined the “golden hundred” of Forbes // Vedomosti, No. 70 (1844), April 19, 2007
27. Russian billionaires in the Forbes world ranking - 2012 // Forbes, March 7, 2012.
28. Mikhail Fridman(English) .

Mikhail Maratovich Fridman

In 2007, his fortune was estimated at $13.5 billion (the sixth largest fortune among Russian entrepreneurs at the beginning of 2007, according to Forbes).

According to Forbes magazine in 2010, he ranks 42nd on the list of the world's billionaires published in March 2010, with a net worth of $12.7 billion.

Mikhail Maratovich Fridmanborn on April 21, 1964 in Lviv, Jewish by nationality. He lived with his mother, father and grandmother; his mother had a decisive influence on his upbringing. He studied excellently at school, attended a piano class at a music school, and was the organizer of a youth vocal and instrumental ensemble.

After graduating from high school, he entered the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), but did not pass the competition. In 1982 he entered the faculty of non-ferrous and rare earth metals at the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (MISIS), from which he graduated in 1987. Mikhail Grushevsky (now an actor-parodist), Alexander Nikonov (writer and journalist), Alexander Kasyanenko (businessman) studied on the same course with him. Before M. Fridman, his cousin Dmitry Lvovich Fridman entered MISIS.

While studying at MISIS, he was a member of the Moscow student so-called. the "theater system" (or "theater mafia"), which was engaged in the purchase and resale of theater tickets. He was supposedly engaged in small-time blackmail (Profile, 05/22/2000).

On the way to the top

In the 3rd year of the institute under the auspices of the Komsomol organized the night youth club "Strawberry Glade", which functioned in the hall of the MISIS dormitory in Belyaevo. During my student years I met Peter Aven, who headed the Moscow State University Music Club.

After school, he worked for one year at the Lvov Institute of Physics and Mechanics as a laboratory assistant. After graduating from MISIS, he worked in 1986-88. Design engineer at the Elektrostal plant in Elektrostal, Moscow region.

In parallel with work at the factory founded and headed the cooperative "Courier", specializing in window cleaning. Together with Dmitry Fridman, he created the Helios and Orsk cooperatives, which sold computers.

Since 1988 - private entrepreneur (firms "Alfa-photo", "Alfa-Eco", "Alfa-Capital"). He worked at Alfa Photo and Alfa Eco together with Oleg Kiselev.

In 1991 he created Alfa Bank, and since its founding he has been chairman of the bank's board of directors.

In 1992, he brought cosmonaut Alexei Leonov into the leadership of Alfa Group, who took the post of vice president of Alfa Bank.

From 1995 to 1998 - member of the board of directors of CJSC Public Russian Television (ORT).

Fridman vs. Khodorkovsky (Banking sector)

November 26, 1995 Chairman of the Council " Alfa Bank" M. Friedman, President of Inkombank Vladimir Vinogradov and President of Rossiysky Credit Bank Anatoly Malkin made a statement "On the financial problems of privatization, the relationship between the MENATEP bank and some government structures." The statement was caused by suspicions that the outcome of the investment The competition and collateral auction for state-owned shares in the oil company YUKOS was predetermined in favor of Mikhail Khodorkovsky's MENATEP Bank. Inkombank, Russian Credit and Alfa Bank announced that they were ready to unite in a consortium and compete with Menatep.

On December 5, 1995, Menatep Bank, as the authorized bank of the State Property Committee of the Russian Federation to conduct an investment competition, refused to accept the application of the consortium consisting of Inkombank, Russian Credit and Alfa Bank. According to a representative of Menatep Bank, the consortium, instead of the $350 million required to participate in the investment competition, deposited $82 million and “provided a certificate showing where they have state bonds, their own and those of their clients.” The consortium then submitted an application for a loans-for-shares auction, which was also not registered, since only participants in the investment competition are allowed to participate in a loans-for-shares auction.

On December 8, 1995, two companies became participants in the auction - CJSC Laguna and CJSC Reagent. The third application came from Babaevskoye OJSC, which represented the interests of Inkombank, Alfa Bank and Russian Credit. The commission for holding the investment competition is chaired by the deputy. Chairman of the Russian Federal Property Fund (RFFI) Valery Fatikov rejected the application of Babaevskoye OJSC, since the company did not deposit funds equivalent to $350 million in a blocked account of the Ministry of Finance with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Considering the mandatory condition for participation in the investment competition, Babaevskoye OJSC, before the start of the competition, sent an official letter to the Commission with a request to withdraw their application.

The winner was the Laguna company, behind which was Menatep. The same company won the loans-for-shares auction, offering a loan of $159 million.

On January 26, 1996, the Moscow Arbitration Court satisfied the claim of Menatep Bank against Alfa Bank, Russian Credit and Inkombank for the protection of business reputation. The court ordered the defendants to rebut the information contained in their statement about the loans-for-shares auction of the Yukos Oil Company.

In June 1996, the appellate instance of the Moscow Arbitration Court rejected the complaint of JSC Babaevskoye to invalidate the results of an investment competition and a loans-for-shares auction for a block of shares in the Yukos Oil Company and to cancel the decisions of the court of first instance. In April 1996, the Moscow Arbitration Court considered the claim of Babaevskoye JSC and recognized the results of the auction as legitimate.

Fridman and TNK (Oil sector)

In 1996, M. Friedman decided to get into the oil business and, for this purpose, buy the state-owned Tyumen Oil Company ( TNK), the consolidated privatization plan of which the State Property Committee approved on October 2, 1995. M. Friedman’s intention encountered resistance from the “red” management of TNK, headed by the chairman of the board of directors of TNK, general director of Nizhnevatskneftegaz Viktor Paliy and company president Yuri Vershinin, who planned the privatization of TNK in the interests of management and in alliance with other Moscow commercial structures (Rosinvestneft JSC, Diamant Bank, Capital Savings Bank).

In July 1996, Viktor Paliy resigned as chairman of the Board of Directors of TNK. The new chairman of the Council was the former Minister of Fuel and Energy of the Russian Federation, Yuri Shafranik, who supported the plans of the Alpha group.

In December 1996, top officials of TNK (including Yu. Vershinin and V. Paliy) and its subsidiaries Nizhnevartovskneftegaz, Ryazan Oil Refinery, as well as the heads of Rosinvestneft JSC and the Capital Savings Bank sent a letter to Prime Minister V. Chernomyrdin with a request to extend for another three years the consolidation of the state block of shares in the amount of 91% of shares in federal ownership and for the same period to transfer it to the trust management of OJSC Rosinvestneft (Vitaly Mashitsky) with the right of subsequent redemption.

On July 1, 1997, V. Paliy, speaking to journalists, said that the situation with the privatization of TNKs “cannot be called anything other than state robbery in relation to a state company with the tacit consent of state leaders” and said that “the organizers of this dirty business” are Yuri Shafranik , Pyotr Mostovoy and ("unfortunately") Alfred Koch.

On July 18, 1997, at an investment competition, a 40 percent state stake in TNK was bought by the New Holding company, created by Alfa (M. Fridman) and the Acces/Renova group (Leonard Blavatnik and Viktor Vekselberg). The New Holding company committed itself in 1997-98. invest $810 million in TNCs, of which $755 million. during August 1997 (according to the terms of the competition, the minimum investment volume was $160 million). According to the statement of the Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy of the Russian Federation Sergei Kiriyenko, first of all, the funds received are supposed to be used to pay off the budget debt of TNC enterprises. On August 2, 1997, at an extraordinary meeting of TNK shareholders, a decision was made to liquidate the company’s Board of Directors and transfer its powers to the general meeting of shareholders.

After the investment competition, the New Holding company owned 40% of the shares of TNK, the State Property Committee - 50.98%, other legal entities and individuals - 9.02%.

Having won the competition, Alfa Group actively began to reorganize the company. The composition of the management of TNKs has almost completely changed, all commodity and cash flows of the enterprises included in the TNCs have been transferred under the control of the parent company. The solution to the issue of control over the economic activities of the company's largest production enterprise, Nizhnevartovskneftegaz JSC, was delayed, whose general director V. Paliy stubbornly did not want to cooperate with the new owners. On September 14, 1997, alternative meetings of shareholders of Nizhnevartovskneftegaz JSC (NIS) were held in Moscow and Nizhnevartovsk. A meeting of shareholders supporting TNK and Alfabank and Renova JV behind it was held in Moscow. In Nizhnevartovsk, supporters of NIS General Director V. Paliya (who was backed by such commercial structures as the Moscow Diamant Bank and Credit Investment Bank) took part in the shareholders' meeting. The meeting of shareholders in Moscow decided to transfer the powers of the executive body to the management organization - the Tyumen Oil Company. A new Board of Directors of the NIS company was elected. On December 11, 1997, the arbitration court of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug decided to introduce external management for a period of one year at Nizhnevartovskneftegaz JSC (NIS). Vice-President of TNK Fedor Marichev has been appointed external manager.

In 1998, New Holding bought the remaining 50.98% of TNK shares from the State Property Committee. M. Friedman, L. Blavatnik and V. Vekselberg joined the new board of directors of TNK. Semyon Kukes became the new president and chairman of the board of TNK, and German Khan became his deputy and executive director.

On June 5, 1998, together with a number of leading Russian entrepreneurs, M. Friedman signed the “Appeal from Representatives of Russian Business” regarding the economic situation in the Russian Federation.

In July 1998, after the merger of Alfa Bank and the Alfa Capital company, M. Fridman became chairman of the board of directors of OJSC ICB Alfa Bank.

Friedman against Sberbank

In October 2003, he spoke out against Sbebank, in a report “On some aspects of the current policy of Sberbank of the Russian Federation,” accusing Sberbank in a variety of violations of fair competition. At the end of May - beginning of June 2004, after the license was revoked from Sodbiznesbank and payments were stopped by Kredittrust Bank, a crisis broke out in the Russian interbank lending market. Due to liquidity problems that arose in connection with this, a number of banks stopped payments in June. The leader among Russian banks in reducing account balances of individuals in the period from June 1 to July 1, 2004 was Alfa Bank, which announced the introduction of a 10 percent commission for its depositors for early withdrawal of deposits. On October 6, 2004, Alfa Bank and Fridman won a lawsuit against the newspaper Moskovskaya Pravda in the Moscow Arbitration Court. The reason for the lawsuit was Konstantin Laskin’s article “The Bullet and the Feather,” published in the newspaper on July 21, 2004. It discussed versions of the murder of Paul Klebnikov, editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, including the version about the involvement of Alfa in this murder. Group" and Friedman. The newspaper appealed to the appeal court, but it upheld the arbitration court's decision. On October 20, 2004, the Moscow Arbitration Court upheld Alfa Bank's claim against the Kommersant publishing house and decided to recover 310.5 million rubles in compensation in favor of the bank. The reason for the bank's appeal to the court was an article in the Kommersant newspaper dated July 7, 2004, “The banking crisis has hit the streets,” which, according to the bank, caused it financial problems. Alfa Bank believed that the Kommersant article violated Article 51 of the Russian Law “On the Mass Media,” which prohibited “falsification of socially significant information and the spread of rumors under the guise of reliable reports.” (Interfax, October 20, 2004).

Friedman vs. Berezovsky

On March 31, 2005, Boris Berezovsky filed a defamation claim in a London court against Friedman in connection with his speech in the NTV channel program “To the Barrier,” during which Friedman accused Berezovsky of threatening him.

On April 21, 2005, the Civil Liberties Foundation, financed by Boris Berezovsky, sent an electronic file to the editorial offices of several media outlets entitled “Information on materials regarding Fridman M.M., Kuzmichev A.V., Khan G.B., Blavatnik L., Vekselberg V. .F." It said that in 1989 Fridman, Kuzmichev, Khan, Blavatnik and Vekselberg “conspired to create an organized group for the purpose of ... committing large-scale fraud.” Fridman and Co. are credited with “taking by fraud the shares of Russian enterprises...”, for example, the Tyumen Oil Company, “fraudulently establishing control” over Nizhnevartovskneftegaz, “violating currency, customs and tax legislation,” etc. In the Alfa press release The bank stated that the information contained in the “certificate” is untrue, and the authors of the document are trying to put pressure on the courts in the proceedings of Alfa Bank with Kommersant and Berezovsky with Fridman. (Vedomosti, April 22, 2005)

On May 26, 2006, the High Court of England completed its consideration of Boris Berezovsky's claim against Friedman for the protection of honor and dignity. In a recording of the TV show “To the Barrier,” Fridman, who argued with the ex-chief editor of the Kommersant Publishing House Andrei Vasiliev, stated that Berezovsky, allegedly dissatisfied with the competition in the purchase of publishing houses at one time, threatened him in a telephone conversation, uttering the phrase “We will kill you.” !". 10 out of 12 jurors confirmed that Friedman had caused damage to Berezovsky's reputation and believed that he should be compensated financially. Within three weeks, the defendant was obliged to transfer 50 thousand pounds sterling to the plaintiff. (Kommersant, May 27, 2006)

Own

Controls the Gibraltar company AB holdsindgs limited, which owns the Luxembourg company Alfa finance holdings SA established in May 1999 (authorized capital of 40 thousand dollars), which in turn owns Alfa Bank. Along with the Gibraltar company of M. Friedman, the co-founder of the Luxembourg "Alpha" is the company Shapburg limited of a certain Olivier Peters (British Virgin Islands), which owns one of the 20 thousand two-dollar shares of Alfa finance holdings SA; directorial functions in Luxembourg Alpha are assigned to one individual - manager Paul Joseph Williams, a British citizen, and two legal entities - Virginia firms Shapburg limited and Quenon investments limited.

He is a co-owner of the offshore companies TNK Industrial Holdings Ltd, TNK International Ltd (Virgin Islands), Sborsare (Cyprus) and through them the companies SIDANCO AND TNK.

In 2001, he purchased a mansion in the bohemian Parisian suburb of Neuilly, which previously belonged to the actress Mireille Darc, the ex-wife of Alain Delon. Neighbors - Mireille Mathieu, Belmondo, Sophie Marceau. (Profile, November 5, 2001).

In June 2001, Forbes Magazine mentioned Friedman as one of the richest Russians in its list of billionaires living on the planet. His fortune was estimated at $1.3 billion.

In February 2002, Forbes Magazine, in its annual ranking of the world's richest people, ranked Friedman third (after Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Roman Abramovich) in Russia and 191st in the world according to 2001 data. The magazine estimated his fortune at $2.2 billion. (Kommersant, March 2, 2002).

Based on the results of 2002, Forbes Magazine gave M. Friedman in February 2003 the same 3rd place in Russia and 68th in the world, estimating his fortune at $4.3 billion.

Since April 2003 - co-owner (through TNK - i.e., together with Vekselberg and Blavatnik) of Orenburgnefi.

In November 2005, European Business Magazine estimated Friedman's wealth at 8.3 billion euros.

In February 2006, Finance magazine assessed Friedman's wealth at $11.4 billion(third place in Russia after Abramovich and Deripaska).

In March 2006, another Forbes Magazine ranking appeared, in which Friedman is ranked 50th in the world (net worth - 9.7 billion).

In October 2005, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he said that his share in the Alpha group exceeded 40%. And all of Alpha’s assets were valued at $20 billion.

On November 23, 2005, as part of the road-show of its Eurobonds, Alfa Bank distributed a memorandum stating that more than 75% of its capital was controlled by members of the board of directors Mikhail Fridman, German Khan and Alexey Kuzmichev. The exact shares of the owners were not named in the document. It was noted that none of them owned more than 50% of the bank. (Kommersant, November 24, 2005)

In May 2006, the Pyaterochka trading house named the shares of the new beneficiaries that it was supposed to have after merging with the Perekrestok trading house. The head of Alfa Group, Mikhail Fridman, was to receive 21.9% of the shares of the merged company (in total, the co-owners of the group were to receive 47,8% ), Perekrestok managers Alexander Kosyanenko and Lev Khasis - 3.4% and 1.8%, respectively. The owner of about 1% was to become Alexey Reznikovich. (Vedomosti 05/04/2006)

CTF Holdings is “a company that Alfa Group calls its corporate center” (Vedomosti, August 25, 2004).

Mikhail Fridman started his business back in the late 80s, long before the era of privatization. He is one of the few who not only preserved it during the 25 years of “perestroika”, but turned it into the largest financial and industrial group significant for the Russian economy.

Mikhail Fridman is a Russian businessman, ranked second in the Russian Forbes ranking of billionaires in 2016. His fortune is estimated at $13.3 billion. In the Forbes world list, he is listed at number 63.

• Place and date of birth. April 21, 1964, Lvov
• Education. 1986, Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys
• Capital. The main shareholder of the Alfa Group consortium, which includes in Russia: Alfa-Bank, the chain of food stores X 5 Retail Group (Pyaterochka, Perekrestok), Rosvodokanal, investment company A 1. Owns a controlling stake in the international group LetterOne Holdings.

Mikhail Fridman is a private person, distinctly far from politics. He gives few interviews, does not appear on screens, and does not participate in public battles. Many business analysts, both Russian and foreign, call him a brilliant entrepreneur, and the transactions he completed are considered unique in scope and the size of the margin generated.

He says to himself: “I made mistakes, a lot of mistakes. But I would say this: statistically, the number of correct decisions exceeds the number of errors. Therefore, the overall balance is positive” (Snob interview, November 2015).

The beginning was simple: like everyone else

Fridman was born and graduated from high school in provincial Ukrainian Lvov. The family was simple, and even their nationality—Jews—was quite common there. The parents worked as engineers; the father, as part of the development team, was awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR. After graduating from school, I went to Moscow to enroll in physics and technology, and although I passed the exams with straight A's, I was not accepted. He still believes that the only reason is the “fifth column” in the passport. A year later he entered MISiS, from which he graduated in 1986.

I studied easily and managed to do everything in between. He worked part-time as a loader in a store, stood in line for theater tickets, which were exchanged for scarce goods and useful connections, and organized bard concerts in the student dormitory. He was assigned to Elektrostal, as he himself says, thanks to existing connections, gifts and services. In two years of work, I earned a one-room apartment there and exchanged it for a communal apartment in Moscow. He considers this deal the most successful in his life, and claims that it was more difficult to do this than to create the TNK-BP oil company.

So, Friedman showed energy, dexterity and the ability to make the necessary contacts from a young age. It is interesting that the degree of usefulness was determined not only by status; he also knew how to create strong friendships. Student comrades: Khan, Kuzmichev, Kosogov - later became his business partners, and shareholders of both the Russian Alfa Group and the international LetterOne Holdings.

During his student years, Friedman met many people, thanks to whose support he subsequently developed his business: Pyotr Aven (Minister of Foreign Economic Relations under the Gaidar government), Vladislav Surkov (Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration), Alexander Kasyanenko (Perekrestok Trading House). Friedman knows how to maintain connections over the years.

How the “business empire” was built

The holding invests in the energy and telecommunications sectors. In the spring of 2015, he acquired the German oil company Dea, and intends to create an international business, considering all oil and gas regions of the world, including America, the Middle East and Asia. According to Vedomosti, the company's profit for 2015 amounted to 15 billion dollars, which is 1.5 more than a year earlier. At the beginning of 2016, Friedman invested $200 million in the Uber taxi service. He is attracted to technically modern ideas.

The British Financial Times writes about him: “Some experts believe that Friedman will receive a cold reception in the West when he tries to diversify his assets outside of Russia. But Friedman has many friends in high places who will pave the way for him. Lord Brown, who heads Friedman's new oil and gas venture L1 Energy, praised him this week as "tenacious, hard-working and one of the most astute and driven businessmen I know."

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