Mikhail Prokhorov - biography, photo, personal life, news 2020

Mikhail Prokhorov is a Russian entrepreneur, millionaire and politician, known throughout the world. He has assets in the insurance business, media, art, etc. Despite a number of regularly received news, compromising evidence and high-profile scandals associated with his name, he still remains one of the most closed domestic oligarchs. He rarely gives interviews, gives lectures, etc. The biography of the businessman contains a number of interesting information.

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Prokhorov is a native of the capital. Date of birth: May 3, 1965. His father was a native of Barnaul, Dmitry Ionovich Prokhorov, who worked as the head of the International Relations Department of the State Sports Committee of the Soviet Union. The mother of the future oligarch, Tamara Mikhailovna (nee Kumaritova) worked at the department of polymers at the capital’s Institute of Chemical Engineering. He has a sister, Irina, who is a literary critic and works as a publisher and editor at the New Literary Review magazine and a TV presenter on the RBC TV channel. His nationality is Jewish.

On his father's side, Prokhorov's ancestors were peasants in the Smolensk province. My grandfather at one time moved to Siberia and created a large farm there, but due to the threat of dispossession, he had to leave everything and run away. On the maternal side, the grandfather at one time headed the health commissariat of the Dagestan SSR, and in 1934−36. There he also served as head of the director of the local medical institute. My grandmother was also involved in science - she was a microbiologist and a student of Professor Lev Aleksandrovich Zilber. During the Second World War, she sent her daughter Tamara to be evacuated, while she remained in Moscow to produce vaccines.

The future entrepreneur's childhood years passed in the North-Eastern metropolitan area . In 1972−82. Misha studied at secondary specialized school No. 21 with in-depth study of English, which was located in the Dzerzhinsky district of the capital (today it is gymnasium No. 1531).

Studying was easy for the future entrepreneur; he got straight A's and was successful in sports. At the same time, he was not known as a nerd, he was a sociable guy, and enjoyed success with girls. Prokhorov finished it with a gold medal. At school, because of his height, he had the nickname “Giraffe” and he could not escape it.

In 1982, Prokhorov became a student at the Moscow Financial Institute, but in 1983, from the 1st year, he was drafted into the army in the strategic missile forces. Returning from there after two years, he continued his studies at his faculty, which he graduated with honors in 1989. The topic of his diploma was “Forecasting the exchange rate of the monetary system of capitalism.” By this time, Prokhorov’s father and mother had already died. They left within one year of each other. The cause of their deaths was heart disease.

His classmates and friends in his youth and adulthood were the future head of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Alexander Khloponin, and the deputy chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Andrei Kozlov, who was shot dead by assassins in Moscow in September 2006. In 1988, while studying in his last year at the institute, Prokhorov joined the ranks of the CPSU.

Mikhail Prokhorov

Mikhail Prokhorov is a famous Russian billionaire (his net worth is estimated at $11.2 billion as of April 7, 2020), political activist and founder of the Civic Platform party and former head of the Right Cause party. One of the favorites of the 2012 presidential elections.

Childhood

Mikhail Dmitrievich was born on May 3, 1965 in Moscow. Father, Dmitry Ionovich, was the head of the international relations department of the State Committee for Sports and Physical Education of the USSR. Mother, Tamara Mikhailovna Kumaritova, worked at the polymer department of the Moscow Institute of Chemical Engineering. He is the second child in the family; the eldest daughter, Irina, was born in 1956.

[more:1]The future oligarch grew up in the northeast of Moscow. He studied at special secondary school No. 21 of the Dzerzhinsky district with in-depth study of English. He stood out among his classmates for his basketball-like height (the guys called him Giraffe) and excellent grades. In 1982, he graduated from school with a gold medal and easily entered the Moscow Financial Institute.

Higher education and army years

He studied at the university for only a year, then he was drafted into the army. Served in the missile forces for two years. He calls this time unforgettable. “My opinion is that everyone should serve in the army. Until the children of the elite go there, there will be no order. It should become fashionable, cool and prestigious. A guy who cannot (does not want) to defend his country will not be able to defend his relatives - mother, wife, children,” he wrote in 2011 on his blog.

After service, he continued his studies at the Faculty of International Economic Relations. In 1989 he graduated from the MFI with honors. The topic of the final work is “Forecasting the exchange rate of the monetary system of capitalism.”

As a student, in 1988 he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, but soon, like many others, he joined the liberals.

Labor activity

His first job in banking was the International Bank for Economic Cooperation, where he worked until 1992. Moreover, he began his career path immediately from a leadership position.

After leaving this bank, he was the chairman of JSCB International Financial Company for about a year. In 1993, he headed the board of Onexim Bank and held this position for five years.

In 1998, he became president of the board of directors of the bank, and at the same time joined the boards of directors of the Interros holding, which was opened on the basis of the group of the same name, as well as the mining and metallurgical Norilsk Nickel and the oil company.

In 2000, he headed Rosbank as president, but a year later he left it and headed Norilsk Nickel - now as general director and chairman of the board.

In April 2007, he left his post at MMC, but back in September he owned a significant stake in Norilsk Nickel in the amount of 25%.

In 2006, he was elected to the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Polyus Gold, a position he held until 2010.

In May 2007, he founded and headed the private investment fund Onexim and worked there for four years. In June 2007, he joined the supervisory board of the state nanotechnology corporation Rosnanotech. In 2011, the state-owned company went through the process of corporatization and is now called JSC Rusnano (now it is a member of the management company of the same name).

In 2008, the ex-head of Norilsk Nickel was for some time a member of the governing body of the structure as a member of the board of directors.

In April 2008, he took a financial part in the development of the ZhV Media Group projects! ", which includes the well-known Snob, and in October replaced Alexander Tikhonov as president of the Russian Biathlon Union.

In the spring of 2009, he joined the commission for modernization and technological development of the country's economy and remained on it until 2011.

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In 2010, he was offered to acquire a controlling stake in the Nets basketball club of the NBA League. In the same year, he headed the Labor Markets Committee of the RSPP, but in November 2012 he left the union. At the end of 2010, he began working at Polyus Gold as general director, but remained in this post for only six months.

On June 25, 2011, the oligarch became the leader of the Right Cause party, but left it a few months later. On December 12, information appeared about Mikhail Dmitrievich’s intention to run for president, and in January his “Real Future” program was made public. In March (based on voting results) it took third place in the country and second in the Central region.

In October 2012, he left the business and founded the Civic Platform party.

2016:

In May 2016, the management of the RBC media holding, owned by the billionaire, resigned. The reasons for the dismissal of editor-in-chief Elizaveta Osetinskaya, as well as editor-in-chief of the RBC news agency Roman Badanin and editor-in-chief of the newspaper of the same name Maxim Solyus are not entirely clear.

2 months later, in July, information appeared in the media that the head of Onexim was selling all his Russian assets, including RBC. Vedomosti wrote about this, citing the words of two people from the group structure. The press does not rule out that the reason for this decision could have been the April searches carried out at the holding by the FSB. However, on the same day, TASS, citing the group’s general director Dmitry Razumov, reported that management had not made such a decision on the sale.

There was also talk about the sale of the energy company controlled by him (formerly TGK-4), acquired by his structures in the spring of 2008. The state corporation Inter RAO has been named as a possible buyer.

On December 14, 2020, it became known about the sale of the developer OPIN, owned by the Onexim group. This was discussed back in the summer, at which time the cost of the developer was estimated by experts to range from 4 to 8 billion rubles. The Vedomosti newspaper also reports that in February 2020, OPIN shareholders plan to discuss the exit of group representatives from the developer’s board of directors. The press mentions the structures of the head of the MKB, Roman Avdeev, as a buyer.

2017:

On April 11, Vedomosti wrote that the businessman had agreed with the owner of the ESN group of companies, Grigory Berezkin, to sell the RBC media holding. According to information published on the publication's website, sources close to the billionaire and VTB Capital (the latter is advising on the deal) reported the expected date of the deal - May 1.

On June 6, the media reported the start of filming the third part of the Russian comedy “What Men Talk About,” inspired by the members of “Quartet I.” In addition to the latter, a billionaire will also star in the film, who has already given his consent to participate. According to preliminary estimates, the film will premiere in February 2018.

On June 16, it became known that the RBC holding no longer belongs to the billionaire - it was bought by the owner of the ESN group, Grigory Berezkin.

On September 21, 2020, Onexim was left without Snob - the magazine was acquired by its general director (since 2012) Marina Gevorkyan, who has been working in the publication since 2009. The sale of the group's latest media asset, according to its representatives, was carried out as part of its investment strategy.

2018:

On April 10, 2020, the RIA Novosti agency reported that due to new US sanctions, the losses of Russian billionaires per day after their introduction exceeded $15 billion (based on data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI) rating). Thus, the businessman lost 95.7 million dollars.

2020:

As of April 2020, his capital consists of funds from the sale of assets ($9 billion) and the investment bank Renaissance Capital, writes Forbes.

Personal status and ratings

In 2007, he took 11th place in the list of 1000 most professional managers in Russia compiled by the Kommersant newspaper.

In May 2008, Forbes estimated his net worth at $22.6 billion and placed him fifth on the list of the richest Russian businessmen. After the 2009 crisis, this figure decreased to $9.5 billion. Despite this, the businessman was first on the list of Russian billionaires.

In 2011, his fortune was estimated by Forbes at $18 billion (third line), in 2013 - at $13 billion (tenth). In 2014, it dropped another step, but in 2015 it rose again to tenth.

On March 20, 2020, the names of those included in Forbes magazine’s annual rankings became known. This time, the businessman’s position has weakened by another three points; he is in 13th place among Russians and 145th in the world (his capital is $8.9 billion).

In the latest Forbes ranking in March 2018, with a mark of $9.6 billion, it took 158th place in the world and 13th in Russia. A month later, in April 2020, due to new US sanctions, he lost $95.7 million in a day.

In 2019, his fortune was estimated by Forbes at $9.8 billion (he was in 12th position among the richest businessmen in the Russian Federation).

According to the latest Forbes ranking, published on April 7, 2020, the businessman ranks 11th among the richest Russians with a fortune of $11.2 billion.

Charity and patronage

In 2004 he founded the Charitable Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, which is now headed by his sister Irina. The main goal of the foundation, indicated on its official page, is systematic support for the culture of Russian regions and their integration into the global cultural space.

Awards

He has received many awards as a public figure, philanthropist, economist and politician. In 2004, the Russian Orthodox Church awarded him the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, II degree. In 2006, he received the Order of Friendship for his contribution to the development of the economic potential of the Russian Federation. In 2011, he was declared a Knight of the Legion of Honor in France for his contribution to the expansion of cultural ties between Russia and France. In 2013, he won the “Theater Star” award in the “Patron of the Year” category, and in 2014, he received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st degree.

Hobbies

The entrepreneur loves basketball; for a long time he was the sole owner (100% of shares) of the American team Brooklyn Nets. Throughout his ownership of the club, there were many rumors about the sale of the Brooklyn Nets.

In 2019, a two-stage deal to sell the club and Barclays Center arena to Alibaba co-owner Joseph Tsai was completed. Transaction amount: $3.5 billion.

Travels, owns several yachts and a private jet. At one time he shocked journalists with the statement that he did not use a mobile phone. Doesn't waste time choosing clothes. He sews suits to order (with a height of 204 cm it is difficult to find ready-made ones), and buys shoes (size forty-eight) in stores for big people abroad. He appreciates good cuisine, does not smoke or drink strong alcohol.

Family status

He has never been married, but he regularly finds himself on the lists of the most eligible bachelors in Russia. According to official data, there are no children either. He has a positive attitude towards surrogacy, but believes that the child should have both parents.

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Information current as of 11/21/2017

Entrepreneurial career

Even while studying at the institute, Prokhorov managed not to get lost in the changing era and began to earn his first money by working as a loader. He was also already engaged in a form of commerce that was popular in the second half of the 1980s - he purchased jeans and boiled them in order to later sell them at a higher price. To do this, Prokhorov and his partner and comrade Alexander Khloponin had to register the Regina cooperative.

After graduating from the institute, Prokhorov was immediately accepted into the International Bank for Economic Cooperation as head of the department. However, he did not give up the denim business, which then brought him the lion's share of the profit. With his earnings, Prokhorov managed to buy himself a Lada, which was fashionable in that era.

In 1992, his entrepreneurial career took a new turn . Prokhorov makes acquaintance with Vladimir Potanin, his future commercial partner for a decade and a half. They will be connected not only by business, but also by a strong friendship, which later ended due to the fact that Prokhorov began to sell off shares in Norilsk Nickel.

It took both entrepreneurs several months to accumulate an initial capital of $300 million. To do this, they decided to write letters to IBEC depositors, asking them to transfer money to the new bank.

In 1993, Prokhorov and Potanin founded Onexim Bank, where Mikhail Dmitrievich worked until 2000. At first he headed the board of this organization, but later became president. When the period of hyperinflation began, the bank took part in the transfer of rubles into dollars and back. This allowed him to make huge profits in a short time. At the beginning of 1994, the bank's assets had a value exceeding $2 billion.

During the period of privatization of former state property, Onexim Bank made a deal, acquiring shares and becoming its owner. The purchase price was $170 million. Subsequently, another 300 million had to be added to the company, and for another 100 million they were bought out from minority shareholders. At this time, the company's debts had already exceeded $2 billion, so the owners were forced to take an unpopular measure - to lay off 80 thousand employees.

All these measures allowed Norilsk Nickel shares to rise in price from $7 at the turn of the millennium to $200 at the beginning of 2007. The company's capitalization increased 24 times (from 2.5 to 60 billion dollars in 2007). In less than 8 years, Norilsk Nickel, managed by Prokhorov's bank, managed to become an industry leader. In 2001−07 Prokhorov was the head of the board and general director at Norilsk Nickel.

Not limiting itself to Norilsk Nickel alone, Onexim Bank bought shares of other enterprises, in particular:

• Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant;
• ;
• North-Western Shipping Company.

In March 1998, the Interros holding was created on the basis of these organizations. Prokhorov and Potanin received a quarter of the shares plus one more on top.

In the fall of 2000, Prokhorov headed the board of directors of Rosbank and became its president. In 2006, it was founded, which was intended to concentrate all the gold mining assets of Norilsk Nickel. The post of head of the board of directors of this corporation was also occupied by Mikhail Dmitrievich.

On January 9, 2007, Prokhorov found himself at the center of an unpleasant scandal. In the French resort of Courchevel, popular among oligarchs, he was detained by local police. Law enforcement authorities have charged the entrepreneur with founding a prostitution network in several countries. Prokhorov arrived there surrounded by fifteen beautiful girls and in his defense he could only say that he liked communicating with smart and pleasant girls. Two years later, the charges against Mikhail Dmitrievich were dropped, and the Courchevel police apologized deeply to him.

In March 2007, Prokhorov decided to leave the posts of general director and president. In the fall of 2008, he and Potanin divided the fund that managed their assets.

The path to a billion dollar fortune

Mikhail Prokhorov began making his fortune in his third year at the institute. Together with their friend Alexander Khloponin (the current governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory), they developed a business producing and selling “boiled jeans,” which were very fashionable at that time. He brought partners 30,000 - 40,000 (translated at the current exchange rate) rubles monthly. Not bad for students, isn't it?

The period from the late eighties to the early nineties brought an excellent increase to Prokhorov’s fortune. During these years, he worked on 2 fronts: on the one hand, as the head of the department of the International Bank for Economic Cooperation, and on the other hand, together with Khloponin, he continued to control the business of selling “boiled” clothes. The businessman estimates his average monthly income in those years at 120-135 thousand rubles.

In 1993, a fateful meeting took place between Mikhail Prokhorov and Vladimir Potanin, who would later become influential figures in not only the Russian but also the world economy. Two brilliant mathematical minds decide to create an “International Financial Company”, which will later increase the wealth of each of them by $387,000,000. Financial stability gives impetus to Prokhorov and Potanin for new development: they create the ONEXIM banking structure and will strengthen it in the next 15 years in a harmonious tandem.

The beginning of the 2000s was difficult for Russia: an economic crisis struck. Life in the country was difficult, but not for business partners. They bought shares of such large enterprises for next to nothing as Norilsk Nickel, SIDANKO, Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant, Novorossiysk Shipping Company and many others. This made the fortune of entrepreneurs fabulous, and they themselves became famous throughout the country.

Prokhorov's fortune would become what it is now, in part because of the important step he would take in 2006: buying a controlling stake in Russia's largest gold mining company. In the same year, Prokhorov's fortune increased by almost $1,000,000,000.

Starting from 2009 and over the next few years, the entrepreneur will actively invest in the media business: here are film projects, glossy magazines, and individual media personalities. Mikhail's fortune continues to grow inexorably and in 2012 will approach $5,000,000,000. At the same time, the businessman will decide that he is already quite financially stable and will begin to run for President of the Russian Federation.

Video about the personal life of Mikhail Prokhorov

Political activity

Having achieved success in business, billionaire Prokhorov decided to try his hand at politics. In 2011, he began financing the Right Cause party and became its leader and was responsible for its promotion. But a few months later, the politician had a strong conflict with one of the regional leaders of the party’s branches and he had to leave its residency. A strong scandal broke out, thundering throughout Russia.

Prokhorov dropped out of federal politics for several months, but soon returned as a presidential candidate. Oddly enough, the then Prime Minister of the country, Vladimir Putin, suggested that he do this.

Prokhorov's political program included a number of non-standard proposals, in particular:

• financial amnesty aimed at legalizing current income earned in the past and acquired assets with payment of a tax of 13% of their value;
• increasing the amount of compensation in the event of death due to the fault of the state to 40 million rubles;
• modification of airports and transport networks in accordance with European standards;
• construction of new 50 thousand km of roads, 5 thousand km of railways and 10 airports by 2020;
• connecting regional centers with each other using transport networks, etc.

The oligarch proposed reducing spending on defense and the military-industrial complex, and using the freed-up funds for healthcare. From 2020, he proposed to abolish military conscription and transfer the army to a contract basis. The entrepreneur also offered fresh ideas to combat corruption. In the 2012 elections, 8% of voters voted for him, which allowed him to take third place. This is a good result for a novice politician.

After the elections, he founded the Civic Platform party and led it. Its main task was to create a full-fledged Duma faction. It was assumed that the party would enter the State Duma by 2020, and its members would become deputies, but in March 2020 Prokhorov left it.

Prokhorov and the presidential elections

Press conference of Russian presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov

In 2011, Mikhail Prokhorov was attracted to politics. He founded and became the head of the Right Cause , into which he invested about $100 million. However, after a couple of months, the billionaire had to leave this party due to disagreements with party members. Soon the oligarch decided to nominate his candidacy for the presidency. As a result of the presidential elections, Prokhorov took third place.

Mikhail Prokhorov - to help Russian elections

In 2012, Mikhail Prokhorov created and became the head of the Civic Platform party. However, in 2020, the oligarch decided to abandon his career in politics.

Mikhail and Irina Prokhorov leave the Civic Platform party

Prokhorov family

The personal life of Mikhail Prokhorov is no secret. He has never been married. He himself says that he still has not found the only woman who could love him, and not his condition. He is in no hurry to get married and become someone's husband, preferring instead to have fun at parties and other similar events with young and beautiful girlfriends. Officially, he has no children, but there is information that Mikhail Prokhorov has his daughter Natalya, whose photo is on the Internet. There are also photos with Mikhail Prokhorov’s wife, but they are fake.

He maintains a close relationship with his sister Irina, who is 9 years older than him. The biography of Irina Prokhorova, the sister of Mikhail Prokhorov, is largely connected with her brother. Together they conduct charitable activities with the help of a special fund. The Prokhorovs support various scientific, cultural and educational programs.

Wealth and assets

Since 2007, Prokhorov has had his own investment fund, Onexim LLC, whose assets, according to conservative estimates, are at least $25 billion. The company owns, in particular, the insurance organization Soglasie and the media group Zhivi. In 2010, the entrepreneur acquired the New Jersey Nets basketball club from the USA.

At one time, Prokhorov participated in the creation of the Yo-mobile hybrid car, but in 2014 the project was considered unpromising and was closed. Mikhail Dmitrievich owns a number of media assets, in particular, the RBC TV channel, whose employees are his sister Irina and niece. In general, according to 2020 data, Prokhorov’s fortune is estimated at $7.6 billion. As of 2020, he is in 13th place on the Forbes list for Russia.

Prokhorov's net worth and income for the last year

Almost every year this outstanding personality makes a fortune. In 2020, Prokhorov earned $1.79 billion.

Mikhail Prokhorov did a very good job - his fortune in 2020 only increased thanks to the sale of the NBA basketball club Brooklyn Nets for $1.23 billion.

Interesting facts about Prokhorov

The most remarkable facts from the life of an entrepreneur include the following:

1. Prokhorov's height is 204 cm, and his foot size is 47.
2. The formal residence of the entrepreneur is in a house in a small village near Krasnoyarsk.
3. Every year the oligarch pays about 500 thousand dollars in taxes.
4. Mikhail Dmitrievich has a beautiful voice and sings well, but only friends and acquaintances can appreciate his talent.
5. Prokhorov does not drink alcohol, but prefers to eat well and has several personal chefs.
6. According to the Israeli version of Forbes magazine, he occupies 16th position in the list of the richest Jews on the planet.
7. The entrepreneur loves to attend parties with young girls of model appearance.
8. The oligarch owns a mansion in Skolkovo, the area of ​​which exceeds two thousand square meters.
9. Prokhorov maintains a blog on LiveJournal, regularly leaving new entries and posts there.
10. He trains for two hours a day, and on weekends for five hours. His working day varies from 10 to 15 hours, and he sleeps about 6 hours a day.
11. He does not have personal pages on Vkontakte, Instagram or other social networks.
12. Among Mikhail Dmitrievich’s sports hobbies are kickboxing and surfing.
13. The entrepreneur owns several aircraft, the total value of which is approximately $76 million.
14. Prokhorov was a sponsor and admirer of the rock group “Zveri”.
15. The oligarch has his own luxury yacht, Solemar, which is 61.5 meters long.

Prokhorov is often awarded various awards for his entrepreneurial activities. The highest of them include the Order of Prince Daniil of Moscow and the Order of Friendship, awarded to Mikhail Dmitrievich in 2004 and 2006, respectively.

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Property of a successful businessman

It is known for sure that the dollar billionaire spent his fortune on the following fronts:

1. Yacht. The luxurious, hundred-meter beauty Palladium has been sailing the seas with Mikhail on board for more than eight years. Its current market value is $156 million. By the way, Prokhorov’s yacht “Palladium” ranks 11th in the ranking of the most luxurious yachts in the world.
2. Airbus A319 aircraft - $65,000,000. The pride of a businessman and the flagship of his entire air fleet.
3. Super jet Gulfstream GV-SP - $51,000,000.
4. Residence in Nemchinovo with a total area of ​​2300 square meters - 68,000,000 rubles ($1,089,615).
5. House in Skolkovo (Moscow region). The area is more than 20,000 square meters and the cost is 238,000,000 rubles ($3,813,653).
6. Apartment in New York - $16.5 million. The entrepreneur purchased this residence during his passion for the NBA.

Prokhorov's property, photo from above

Residence of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in Nemchinovo

Prokhorov near the house

The Airbus A319 is the pride of a businessman

The Palladium yacht with Mikhail on board has been around for over eight years

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