Roman Rotenberg - Russian entrepreneur and hockey functionary

The biography of billionaire Boris Rotenberg largely intersects with the life and activities of his older brother Arkady. The clan, which occupies a prominent position in the Russian oligarchy, is proud and enjoys its connections in the highest echelons of power, has solid assets in Russian industry and influences the country's economy.

Childhood and parents of Boris Rotenberg

Boris Rotenberg's childhood and teenage years are inextricably linked with the Northern capital of Russia. Here, in Leningrad, in early 1957, he was born. He became the second son in a Jewish family, which by that time was already raising Arkady, Bori’s older brother, born five years earlier.

The names and professions of the father and mother of the current oligarch do not appear in available sources, but it is often mentioned that the billionaire’s parents were intellectuals and made every effort to ensure that their heirs were not deprived of care and education.

As far as we know, at the age of five Boris was left without a mother. His father, his closest relatives and, of course, his older brother, who was always an indisputable authority for Boris Romanovich, played a big role in his upbringing.

Like Arkady, the younger Rotenberg became interested in wrestling and at the age of eleven began to train intensively in the judo section.

In addition to physical development and hardening, here he acquired connections that later played a huge role in his career, and his fate in general. One of the Rotenbergs’ regular sparring partners on the tatami was the current President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

The sporting achievements of the early period of Boris Romanovich’s biography include numerous victories in competitions on an all-Union scale. The talented wrestler was a member of the Leningrad national team and by 1980 became a master of sports in judo and sambo.

Hockey manager[ | ]

In 2007, Medvedev began to develop a plan for the Continental Hockey League (KHL) and entrusted the development of the project to the external communications department of Gazprom Export. A league was created to handle all commercial contracts; Roman Rotenberg became deputy general director[4]. On January 20, 2020, he joined the KHL board of directors[5].

In 2011, Gennady Timchenko, president of the St. Petersburg hockey club SKA, invited Roman Rotenberg to the position of vice president of the club.

On December 11, 2014, Rotenberg was appointed first vice-president of the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF). His responsibilities include issues of interaction between the FHR and the KHL, as well as the search for additional funding and the marketing strategy for the development of the Russian national team, including attracting new partners[3]. Roman Rotenberg is also the head of the headquarters of the Russian national hockey team, including the analytical and statistical departments.[2]

Since 2020, he has been a member of the IIHF management system reform committee[10].

In December 2020, he received a Letter of Gratitude from Russian President Vladimir Putin for his services in the field of physical education and sports and his great contribution to the development of domestic hockey.[11]

On May 24, 2020, he was awarded the Valentin Sych Prize as the best manager of a KHL club.[12]

On June 29, 2020, he was awarded the Order of Friendship “For the successful training of athletes who achieved high sporting achievements at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games 2020 in Pyeongchang (South Korea).”[13]

Education

After graduating from school, Boris Rotenberg, as a young, promising athlete, did not have to think long about choosing a university. The young man received his higher education at the Leningrad Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, as evidenced by the diploma received in 1978. Arkady Rotenberg previously graduated from the same educational institution.

Later, having become a businessman, the younger Rotenberg defended his Ph.D. thesis and received an academic degree in pedagogical sciences.

Rotenberg Roman Borisovich

Sports functionary. First Vice-President of the Russian Hockey Federation. Deputy Chairman of the KHL Board. Vice-president of the SKA hockey club.

Roman Rotenberg was born on April 7, 1981 in St. Petersburg. Mother Irina Kharanen had a good position in the city trade department, father Boris Rotenberg, master of sports and judo coach, taught self-defense at the police academy. Grandfather had Jewish roots, the director of the Leningrad plant for the production of telephone sets “Red Dawn”.

In 1991, the parents of Roman and younger brother Boris decided to emigrate from the city of Leningrad to the city of Helsinki along the line of Ingrian repatriates. There Roman, who had studied English and Finnish at school No. 204 near the Hermitage even before leaving, went to the third grade of a regular school and received Finnish citizenship. At the age of 11, Roman began training with a local hockey team. After school, he entered a sports college and planned a career as a professional hockey player.

In 1999, the father separated from his wife and returned to the city of St. Petersburg. By Roman’s own admission, building a sports career was risky, so the young man went to study in London. After a year of studying at the preparatory courses, Rotenberg entered the European Business School London at the Faculty of International Business and received a master's degree in entrepreneurial management. After graduation, my father offered to stay and work at Barclays Bank in London, but my mother invited me to Finland.

Rotenberg decided to return to Russia and find work outside the structures of his father and uncle Arkady, who at that time had already become well-known entrepreneurs and co-owners of SMP Bank. On the advice of his father, Roman chose Gazprom Export, where international connections and foreign languages ​​could be useful. At the interview, I met the General Director of Gazprom Export, Alexander Medvedev, also a keen hockey player.

In 2007, Medvedev began to develop a plan for the Continental Hockey League and entrusted the development of the project to the external communications department of Gazprom Export. A league was created to handle all commercial contracts; Roman Rotenberg became deputy general director.

In 2009, at the international economic forum in St. Petersburg, Rotenberg met representatives of Gazprombank, where Roman had an internship in London. To work at the bank, he had to go through a three-year procedure for returning Russian citizenship and receive a Russian financial education. Subsequently, Roman defended his dissertation on the topic “Strategy for the use of market instruments in the field of physical culture and sports” and received a Ph.D. in economics.

In the fall of 2010, a sports nutrition manufacturer was established. A year later, Gennady Timchenko, president of the St. Petersburg hockey club SKA, invited Roman Rotenberg to the position of vice president of the club. Later, Roman Borisovich Rotenberg was appointed to the position of advisor to the chairman of the board Andrei Akimov and is responsible for attracting large clients.

In the summer of 2013, the Rotenberg family and Gennady Timchenko bought 100% of the Finnish holding Arena Events OY, which owns and manages the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. In the fall of the same year, businessmen acquired 49% of the Jokerit hockey team, which moved to the KHL the following year. In October 2014, Roman Rotenberg bought out the shares of his father and uncle. The intermediary was Långvik Capital, which is now owned by Roman Rotenberg.

Rotenberg was appointed first vice-president of the Russian Hockey Federation on December 11, 2014. Roman’s responsibilities include issues of interaction between the FHR and the KHL. In the same year, it became known that Roman Rotenberg has a third citizenship - Great Britain.

In December, Roman Rotenberg acquired 80% of the Telesport marketing agency from Pyotr Makarenko. The latter remains the owner of 20% of Telesport. The entire team - 60 people - will continue to work. The agency became part of the group. In May 2020, it became known that the deal had not been finalized. The reason given was that there were serious disagreements between Telesport and the Russian Football Union.

Rotenberg joined the KHL board of directors on January 20, 2020. After half a year, Doctor Sport had more than 50 stores, which makes the company one of the largest players in the sports nutrition market in Russia. The company is a sponsor of the SKA club.

In July 2020, it was announced that Rotenberg intended to buy Rossport Sewing and Printing Production LLC, a manufacturer of sports uniforms and paraphernalia and the main supplier of Russian sports clubs. According to expert estimates, the cost of the share could be about 60 million rubles, with the entire business valued at 75-80 million rubles. At the end of July, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control expanded its sanctions list, including Roman Rotenberg and the Finnish Oy Langvik Capital Ltd.
08.08.2018

Career and business of Boris Rotenberg

After graduating from college, the young coach began his career. His first place of work was the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where Boris Romanovich taught self-defense techniques to employees.

The events of 1991 had their own impact on Boris’s biography. By that time he was already married to a native of Finland and had two children. Taking advantage of the opportunity to leave the collapsing Union, the entrepreneur and his family went to Finland and received citizenship of this country.

Boris Romanovich began his foreign business with the founding of the company Anirina Oy, which specialized in the export of Finnish goods to the Russian Federation. The entrepreneur remained outside of Russia until 1998. The businessman's return to his homeland was facilitated by his divorce from his wife.

Business in Russia

In the fall of 2010, a sports nutrition manufacturer was established. The founders of Doctor Sport were SMP Bank, which allocated a budget of $20 million for three years to finance the new project[12]. According to the company, it aims to provide high-quality, doping-free nutrition

.
The idea to create a Russian manufacturer of sports nutrition belongs to Alexander Medvedev, who in 2010 instructed Roman Rotenberg, together with the KHL medical center, to study the issue of import substitution. GNC[en]
, was taken as an example of a business model . A year after the launch, according to Rotenberg, Doctor Sport has already reached operating breakeven[4]. As of July 2020, Doctor Sport had more than 50 stores[13], which makes the company one of the largest players in the sports nutrition market in Russia[14]; the sole owner was SMP Bank[14]. The company is a sponsor of the SKA club[15].

In December 2014, Roman Rotenberg wanted to purchase 80% of the Telesport marketing agency from Pyotr Makarenko. The parties did not disclose the exact amount of the transaction, but reported that the company was valued at several billion rubles. Telesport is the largest player in the market of sports marketing, management of sports facilities and rights to broadcast sports competitions in Russia. In May 2020, it became known that the deal had not been finalized. The reason given was that there were serious disagreements between Telesport and the Russian Football Union[16]. In October 2020, a group of investors, in which Roman Rotenberg participated, withdrew from the deal to acquire the sports marketing agency Telesport[17].

In July 2020, it was announced that Rotenberg intends to buy Rossport Sewing and Printing Production LLC, a manufacturer of sports uniforms and paraphernalia and the main supplier of Russian sports clubs, including HC SKA. It is stated that the deal will include the company's factories in Kostroma and Dedovsk. According to expert estimates, the cost of the share could be about 60 million rubles. valuing the entire business at 75-80 million rubles[13].

The private life of Boris Rotenberg

Unlike many Russian oligarchs, Boris Rotenberg does not hide his personal life too much from the attention of the general public. At least the media does not skimp on information about the private affairs of the billionaire.

The businessman entered into legal marriage twice. His first wife, a native of Finland, Irina Haranen, gave the entrepreneur two sons, the eldest of whom, Roman, was involved in Gazprom structures until 2014, and is now vice-president of the St. Petersburg hockey club SKA and controls the Telesport marketing agency. .

The billionaire’s youngest son from his first marriage, Boris, plays in the Russian Premier League.

Boris Romanovich separated from his first wife in 1998. The oligarch met his next life partner in 2008. Karina, Rotenberg’s new darling, is 22 years younger than him. This woman was also born in Leningrad, but after her family moved to the United States for permanent residence, she became an American.

The marriage with Karina, which was officially registered in 2009, increased the number of Boris Romanovich’s heirs to five. Karina gave birth to Rotenberg Danya and Sofia (twins) and the youngest daughter Leona.

The current wife of the billionaire is a passionate admirer of horses, as a result of which Boris Rotenberg acquired a horse farm in Monaco. Karina Rotenberg heads the Moscow Equestrian Federation.

Having become an oligarch, Boris Rotenberg did not stay away from sports, with which many years of his biography were associated. In addition to martial arts, the entrepreneur is interested in football, although he classifies this sport as a business area. In 2013–2015, Boris Romanovich served as vice-president of FC Dynamo (Moscow).

Another hobby of the billionaire is motorsport. Here Boris Romanovich developed his hobby to a professional level. He is a participant in the multi-hour racing program SMP Racing.

Personal life

Boris Rotenberg met his first wife, Irina Kharanen, when he was vacationing in the village of Toksovo near St. Petersburg. Irina’s father is of Jewish origin; her mother’s family included Ingrian Finns. This allowed the couple to leave for Helsinki in 1991. At that time, they already had sons: Roman in 1981, Boris in 1986.

Karina and Boris Rotenberg

A few years after moving to Finland, the marriage began to crack. The couple divorced.

Boris Rotenberg's personal life changed in 2009. The businessman met 29-year-old native of St. Petersburg Karina, who at one time lived in America. There, the girl graduated from Atlanta University, where she received an education in international business and marketing. In the summer of the same year, the couple got married in the Transfiguration Cathedral.

Boris Rotenberg with his wife and children

In his second marriage, Boris Rotenberg had three children: twins Daniel and Sofia, as well as a daughter, Leona.

Karina Rotenberg is passionate about horses. The billionaire's wife is the head of the Moscow Equestrian Federation. In addition, the woman organizes help for homeless dogs. Karina maintains a personal microblog on Instagram, where she posts photos of four-legged pets.

Boris Rotenberg with his son Roman

Boris Rotenberg's eldest son, Roman, graduated from business school in London in 2005 and returned to Russia, where he is engaged in entrepreneurship. Rotenberg’s second son from his first marriage, Boris, is a football player.

Billionaire Boris Rotenberg received an order from Putin

IA SakhaNews. Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded businessman Boris Rotenberg the Order of Alexander Nevsky. A decree on this was published on the official Internet portal of legal information. The entrepreneur received an award for services to the development of physical culture and sports as the general director of the St. Petersburg martial arts society “Fatherland,” news.mail.ru reported on November 13.

Rotenberg is a master of sports of the USSR in judo and sambo wrestling, in 1974 he became a prize-winner of the USSR championship, and was a member of the country's youth judo team. The Fatherland Society was founded in St. Petersburg in 2001.

According to Forbes, Boris Rotenberg occupies 92nd place in the list of the richest people in Russia, his fortune is estimated at 1.1 billion . The Rotenberg family is the second richest family in Russia. Boris Rotenberg, his brother Arkady and nephews Igor and Liliya together own 5.18 billion .

The Order of Alexander Nevsky is awarded for special personal merits in state building, strengthening the international authority of Russia, the country's defense capability, economics, science, education, culture and other socially useful activities.

Reference:

Rotenberg Boris Romanovich was born on January 3, 1957 in Leningrad.

In 1978 he graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Physical Culture and Sports. P.F. Lesgaft.

In 1968, he enrolled in the sambo section of Anatoly Rakhlin, where his older brother Arkady and Vladimir Putin were already training.

In his youth, he played for the city team and was a multiple winner of the USSR Championships and USSR Cups among youth. In 1974 he became a master of sports in judo, in 1980 - a master of sports in sambo wrestling.

In 1992, he became a coach at the professional judo club “Chikara” in Helsinki.

In 1998 he returned to St. Petersburg.

In 2001, together with his brother, he founded SMP Bank (“Northern Sea Route”). Later, the brothers gained control over part of the assets of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosspirtprom.

Since 2001 - General Director of the Combat Sports Society "Fatherland".

In 2003, he registered two companies in Moscow at the same address in Kolomensky Proezd - “Baza-torg” and “Supply”.

In 2003-2004, he was a junior partner in the concern (25 percent through Baza-torg), through which pipes were purchased for Gazprom. The company's turnover was about one billion US dollars.

In 2008, together with his brother, he acquired 10 percent of the shares of the Novorossiysk sea trade port, bought five construction divisions from Gazprom (Volgogaz, Lenspetsstroygaz, Spetsgazremstroy, Volgogradneftemash and Krasnodargazstroy), creating the Stroygazmontazh corporation. .

Since October 2010, the Rotenberg brothers acquired 100 percent of the shares of the Open Joint-Stock Company “Thermal Energy Company Mosenergo” from Gazprom structures, after which the board of directors of the company was headed by Igor Rotenberg.

Since 2012, he has occasionally competed for his own team in touring car racing.

In 2014, he took part in the 24-hour car marathon in Daytona.

On July 17, 2013, he was appointed president of FC Dynamo (Moscow). Exactly two years later he announced his resignation.

Since January 2020, he has been a minority shareholder of Gazprom Burenie.