Lisin is an oligarch and his wives. Lisin became the richest Russian on the Forbes global list of billionaires. Biography facts

Started at the end of 2007, it is built according to the usual scenario in such cases. One of its participants, businessman Nikolai Maksimov, defends his legal rights as a co-owner of the company he founded back in 1994. The other side, represented by the managers of the NLMK plant, is engaged in the “development” of liquid assets, turning a successful enterprise into a classic “dummy”. According to the general opinion of experts, this episode of the redistribution of property may return us to the days of "wild capitalism". Already through the efforts of the owner of NLMK Vladimir Lisin the dispute between the owners of Maxi-Group resembles a classic "wiring" with the subsequent "squeezing" of the business from the dashing 90s.

The Ural businessman Nikolai Maksimov and the owner of the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant Vladimir Lisin were brought together by an urgent need. In 2007, his Maxi-Group holding launched an expansion program. To implement the ambitious plan to build a network of modern metallurgical mini-plants, investments of the appropriate scale were required. That is why in 2007 Nikolay Maksimov sold 50% plus 1 share of NLMK OJSC, setting the joint development of metallurgical assets as the main condition of the deal. NLMK owner Vladimir Lisin took the deal with Maximov seriously. True, he was more interested in the company's assets, rather than plans for its expansion. This circumstance became decisive. It was assumed that with the holding's value of $ 3 billion, taking into account the existing debt of $ 1.8 billion, Nikolai Maksimov received $ 600 million, which, as provided for in the agreement, was to be reinvested in the development of the company. The founder and co-owner of Maxi-Group received the first tranche of $ 300 million the next year after the deal was concluded. The head of NLMK promised to pay the second half of the amount in three months following the results of a financial audit of the holding. And then, presenting a report to the auditing company PricewaterhouseCoopers, he said that the value of Maxi-Group stipulated in the contract was overstated and therefore Nikolai Maksimov owes NLMK a significant amount of money.

Knock knock, who lives in the holding? ..

Any accountant can recognize the trick that made it possible to hang a billion-dollar debt on entrepreneur Maksimov: the PWC auditors, contrary to accounting standards, considered the debt to the company, the so-called accounts receivable, to be the company's debt. The PricewaterhouseCoopers report was duplicated by the conclusion of Gagarin & Partners, the founder of which, while serving on the NLMK Board of Directors, directly supervises the team of lawyers there. As a result, Nikolai Maksimov, who still owns a 50% minus 1 share in the holding, was completely removed from corporate governance. Following this, the so-called auctions were organized and held, as a result of which the production assets of Maxi-Group were transferred to the balance of NLMK structures. It turned out to be difficult to challenge NLMK's actions in court: people in robes, as if by agreement, invariably sided with Mr. Lisin. And if the position of the founder of Maxi-Group looked impregnable even from the point of view of the excessively flexible Russian justice, the courts denied Nikolai Maksimov the right to sue. It is likely that the defense of the once successful business will soon move from the Russian court to international arbitration. Nevertheless, even a positive verdict is unlikely to help defend the holding. It is known that NLMK has already initiated the Maxi-Group bankruptcy procedure, and therefore the company may simply not live to see the rescue. In addition, in his difficult biography, Vladimir Lisin faced not such difficulties as the rules of arbitration law.

The scale of authority in our country does not necessarily correspond to the level of reputation. The image of the only billionaire in Russia, a doctor of technical sciences, who amassed his own capital with his own hands, was the fruit of many years of efforts by a whole team of professional PR specialists. In reality, we believe that the main source of Vladimir Lisin's wealth was precisely those specific skills that the owner of the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant demonstrated in the conflict with Nikolai Maksimov. Moreover, the oligarch owes his current status to figures whose names became legendary even before the end of the bloody era of the dashing 90s. The former deputy director of the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant Lisin was introduced to the circle of entrepreneurs by his former boss Oleg Soskovets, the future first deputy prime minister of the government. The Soviet-Swiss company "TSK-Steel", which exported valuable metal under the guise of substandard products, became a breakthrough in the strength of the enterprising metallurgists. We can assume that the level of marriage at KMK with considerable benefit for himself was controlled by Lisin. And therefore, by 1991, at the time of moving after Soskovets to Moscow, the future oligarch had very solid funds. In addition, Lisin gained access to the vast connections of his boss. Namely, having introduced a brisk young man to the Cherny brothers, who were gaining strength, Soskovets built a scheme of interaction between the semi-criminal business and the authorities, remarkable in its effectiveness.

The slippery slope to wealth

The role of Vladimir Lisin could be called communicative. On the one hand, Cherny appointed him as a manager of a trader at Trans World Group (TWG) and made him a member of the boards of directors of the Sayansk, Novokuznetsk, Krasnoyarsk aluminum plants, as well as the Novolipetsk and Magnitogorsk metallurgical plants. In response, the aspiring billionaire settled all issues with the authorities, being on a short leg with the current government official Soskovets. We can only guess what problems Lisin had to solve. The time was turbulent, so every step of the Cherny brothers was accompanied by an echo of criminal scandals. Created by the Cherny brothers with the participation of the legendary thief in law Yaponchik, TWG was able to become one of the three largest players on the London Metal Exchange in a short time. But the place on the pedestal had to be cleared by force. Thus, during the "privatization" of the Krasnoyarsk aluminum smelter in May - June 1994, 10 people were killed. Shortly before that, Otari Kvantrishvili was killed by a hitman's bullet, trying to oust the brothers from the aluminum industry. A year later, during the "metallurgical" showdown, the vice-president of the Yugorsky bank Vadim Yafyasov, the banker Oleg Kantor and the representative of the American company AIOC Felix Lvov were killed.

In the meantime, Vladimir Lisin's career was going uphill. To begin with, the owners of the Trans World Group made the future oligarch their partner. And then they allocated him a "small share", entrusting the purchase of NLMK shares and control over the activities of the plant. By that time, Lisin had enough means and connections for this. True, few considered him an independent figure: behind many actions and decisions of an enterprising metallurgist, the shadow of Anton Malevsky, one of the leaders of the Izmailovo organized criminal group, loomed in certain circles. This man was not an accidental figure. Thief in law Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, better known as Taiwanchik, brought yesterday's racketeer into big business. One of the most cruel gangs in Moscow stood behind Malevsky. And Taiwanchik knew the Chernykh brothers from Tashkent. The acquaintance turned out to be successful for Malevsky: by the mid-90s, Anton became a co-owner of several large enterprises, entertainment establishments and commercial banks. Ambition prevented Malevsky from remaining in the status of a millionaire.

The stumbling block was the Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works. It was not difficult to “squeeze out” a promising enterprise from the Cherny brothers. It can be assumed that the "battering ram" was Vladimir Lisin, who was in charge of the plant. With a 13% stake in NLMK, he first transferred all of NLMK's financial flows to his own company, Worslade Trading, registered in Ireland. And then in 1998 he miraculously managed to find money to buy out from the structures of the American financier George Soros and entrepreneurs from Monaco Richard and Christopher Chandler a 50% stake in the plant. Analysts could only shrug their shoulders - how, where? Mr. Lisin himself has never revealed this main secret of his business. But people who know him point out that only one individual could have been the necessary "source of financing for the transaction" at that moment. The same Anton Izmailovsky.

One in the field raider

Better than others, Mr. Malevsky himself, who was in charge of the common fund of the Izmailovo criminal group, could tell about the origin of this money. It was he who could surely tell law enforcement agencies with what money they paid Soros and his colleagues from Monaco. But, alas, this legendary representative of the criminals is “out of reach” today. By a strange accident, Anton Malevsky crashed in 2001 under mysterious circumstances while jumping with a parachute in the north of South Africa. Some of the former associates of the "authority" claimed that Anton was settled by his enemies. The death of Mr. Malevsky really looked very suspicious: in the last months before the ill-fated jump, he lived in Israel, paying special attention to his personal safety. No showdowns in the criminal environment followed after his death - the Izmaylovskys' group by that time was almost defeated, and there was simply no one to avenge Don Anton. However, even despite this, Vladimir Lisin from that moment began to sharply dose his public appearances ...

Of course, not every oligarch can afford to be a part of society. But in connection with the circumstances from the past, the absolute closeness of the richest man in Russia, which is harmoniously combined with his passion for bullet shooting, looks quite understandable. Only a very "authoritative" person could make a multi-billion dollar fortune on the ruins of a foreign industrial empire - the skills of "quietly spinning" business are noticeable not only in the flaring up conflict with Maxi-Group.

Everyone who somehow crossed the path of the current "king of metallurgy" could feel the "business acumen" of the former partner of the Cherny brothers. True, to the great regret of many people from the dashing 90s, the criminal methods of resolving disputes that existed during the period of his work at TWG are considered unacceptable today. The last word in corporate conflicts now remains with the court. But this bastion, as the case of Nikolai Maksimov shows, only looks impregnable. Constant pressure and bribes erode the foundation of his authority. And when the efficiency of the court, as it was already in the 90s, drops to a minimum, killers will appear on the streets again ...

How NLMK "optimized" Maksimov's stake in Maxi-Group

Original of this material
© maxi-argument.com

Summary

Starting from scratch and developing his own business for 20 years, at the end of 2007 N. Maksimov was 100% owner of Maxi-Group - a group of companies engaged in the collection and processing of scrap metal and the production of long products (annual productivity - 2.2 million tons of steel per year). Fixed assets - ZAO NSMMZ, ZAO UZPS, Uralvtorchermet, Tsentrvtormet. The development strategy of the group provided for the construction of a network of mini-factories for the production of long products with a total capacity of up to 20 million tons. When negotiating a strategic partnership (and selling 50% + 1 share) with NLMK, the group was tentatively estimated by the parties at $ 1.2 billion.

Stages of "optimization" of the structure of "Maxi-group" by the new shareholder

Withdrawal of the main operating assets - NSMMZ, UZPS, Uralvtorchermet, by holding fictitious loans-for-shares auctions.

Refusal to implement the investment program (Appendix 5 of the Agreement).

Conclusion of the Kaluga plant and implementation of the project developed by Maxi-Group outside the ownership of Maxi-Group.

Failure to carry out the issue and non-repayment of the loan to Maksimov.

Somehow, absolutely imperceptibly, the first place in the list of Russian billionaires was taken by Vladimir Lisin - the owner of the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant NLMK. By the beginning of 2018, the extremely unobtrusive oligarch turned out to be the owner of $ 19.1 billion, leaving behind the hyped oil and gas producers, as well as metallurgical colleagues. Vladimir Lisin himself is a metallurgist to the roots of his hair. After graduating from the Siberian Metallurgical Institute in Novokuznetsk, he got to work at the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant. After the events of 1991, a huge plant found itself on the territory of sovereign Kazakhstan.

The chief engineer of the plant, Vladimir Lisin, did not want to stay in a foreign land that had suddenly arisen and moved to Russia. The same step was taken by the general director of the Karaganda plant, who later became part of the government of the reformers. Vladimir Lisin does not like to talk about their joint work in Karaganda. Moreover, he claims that after moving to Moscow, they met each other in passing and that a few times. It is unlikely, but everything can be. Although the invisible connection between the first and second main persons of the plant can be clearly traced.

Soskovets soon became an all-powerful deputy prime minister, a confidant of President Yeltsin, and Lisin had to start everything from scratch in his new place. An experienced metallurgist was noticed by the brothers, who, together with their American partner Sam Kislin, began to buy aluminum on the cheap in Russia and sell metal on the foreign market.

Vladimir Lisin became familiar with real commerce while still in Karaganda. A joint Soviet-Swiss enterprise "TSK-Steel" was organized at the plant, which was allowed to export substandard products abroad. As a result, in a matter of months, the percentage of rejects at the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant has increased sharply. As the chief engineer of the enterprise, Vladimir Lisin could not be aloof from this fact.

Trans World Group

Initially, the Cherny brothers considered the experienced metallurgist exclusively as a manager, but over time they allowed him to become a partnership. In a company with David Ruben and Oleg Deripaska, the Trans World Group, or TWG for short, was established. Very quickly, she took control of all the largest metallurgical plants in Russia. The profitable business did not go unnoticed by the Russian criminals. The Cherny brothers actively collaborated with the "thief in law" (Ivankov) and.

Criminals actively participated in the process of property redistribution, therefore the privatization of the Krasnoyarsk aluminum smelter alone claimed the lives of 10 people who showed excessive interest in the assets. Various groups tried in every possible way to seize attractive assets. Death of a Moscow authority from the same series. He seriously decided to start trading in non-ferrous metals. At about the same time, Vadim Yafyasov, the banker Oleg Kantor, and the owner of the American company AIOC, which traded in Russia, Felix Lvov, were killed because of the division of production.

At the same time, tolling flourished, obviously not without the approval of the government of the country, where the industry was supervised by the former metallurgist Oleg Soskovets. Tolling meant that raw materials were supplied to metallurgical plants. From it, metal was smelted, which went to the international market. Domestic metallurgists received only wages for their work, but in the conditions of the global economic crisis that gripped the country, they were very pleased with this too. Vladimir Lisin was among the pioneers of tolling. As soon as Soskovets fell into disgrace in June 1996, tolling immediately came under a wave of fierce criticism, and TWG's influence on the metallurgical industry began to rapidly diminish.

NLMK Vladimir Lisin

Vladimir Lisin increased the number of NLMK shares held by him personally from 13% to 50%. According to media reports, Oleg Deripaska and Vladimir Potanin also helped him own NLMK shares. The first did not allow Cherny to bankrupt the plant, and the second, possessing about 50% of TWG's shares, did not prevent the new owner from buying out the shares remaining in the hands of foreigners.

Having entered into the rights of the owner, Vladimir Lisin, however, repaid Potanin with black ingratitude, trying to wedge himself into the Norilsk business of his former partner. After a bit of conflict, the oligarchs have forever divided spheres of influence.

Lisin was still lucky. The Cherny brothers soon became persona non grata for Russia. The name of the retired Soskovets gradually disappeared from memory.

Vladimir Lisin in politics

Having cleared of the remnants of a dark past, the owner of NLMK decided to try himself in regional politics. He was expected to take part in the elections for governor of the Lipetsk region in 1998, but he considered such a step too premature. Lisin did not dare to try himself in a new quality even after 4 years. Finally, in 2008, he realized that his time had come. However, the incumbent governor Oleg Korolev and Moscow ill-wishers stood in his way, recalling the recent sale of the Stinol plant by him without repayment of the loan taken from the state.

Vladimir Kozhin, head of the presidential affairs department, with whom they studied together at the Higher Commercial School of the Academy of Foreign Trade, could not provide support to Lisin. Alexander Voloshin himself came to reason with the Lipetsk oligarch and offered him the post of senator, but the offended businessman refused. He was nevertheless “cajoled” with the Order of Honor and the promise that his word in regional affairs would be decisive.

Lisin had no chance of getting approval for his candidacy for the post of governor in Moscow. In the same year, his name was mentioned by Putin in connection with the "Mechel case." Coke produced in Russia was sold in the homeland at a much higher price than abroad. Putin's criticism was fair.

Vladimir Lisin's companies

In the 2000s, Vladimir Lisin decided to diversify his business somewhat. According to media reports, through the offshore Silener Management, he acquired a 14.5% stake in Bank Zenit, but most of all he began to pay attention to logistics. In 2011, he joined the board of directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. Interest in shipbuilding was caused by the fact that he took possession of OJSC Volzhsky Shipping Company, OJSC North-Western Shipping Company, OJSC Sea Port of St. Petersburg, OJSC Nevsky Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant, Okskaya Shipyard OJSC.

For the provision of logistics services, the fleet of ships required a significant increase and cardinal renovation. The transport theme drew his attention to the railways of Russia. The "Independent Transport Company" founded by him became the owner of JSC "First Freight Company", which made it possible to carry out more than a quarter of all cargo transportation carried out by rail.

Last year, Lisin managed to snatch out of his hands the subsidiary company of JSC Russian Railways "Transcontainer", which accounts for 47% of all domestic container traffic. In August 2017, she tried to put the carrier company under her control. Then the current problems of the Magomedov family began.

In everyday life, Vladimir Lisin does not like to boast of wealth, palaces and yachts, although he still bought a mansion in Scotland. He collects rare Kasli cast iron castings and loves cigars. Most of all, he enjoys trap shooting, and not the usual mountain skiing for Russian oligarchs. In the country residence of Vladimir Lisin, a cool shooting range has been built up, where he firing doublets on skeet. Every self-respecting billionaire goes crazy in his own way.

Vladimir Sergeevich Lisin is a tycoon in the Russian metallurgical industry. His biography is the secret of the success of a simple steelmaker who managed to earn a billionaire fortune. And this is not an empty phrase, since he really is one of the richest people in the Russian Federation.

Childhood and youth

In the spring of 1956, a boy was born in an ordinary Soviet family in the town of Ivanovo, whom his parents named Vladimir. Growing up, he did not show any outstanding ability or talent. During his school years he was withdrawn and shy, not standing out from other boys. Studying was not easy for a child, since he often listened not to teachers, but thought about something of his own. But, having an excellent memory, he could easily tell any school topic, getting good points for it.

In 1973, Vladimir was enrolled in the Siberian Metallurgical Institute at the Faculty of Engineering. Getting an education, the young man understood that his parents needed financial assistance. Therefore, at the age of 19, he already began his labor activity as an electrical fitter at the Kuzbass coal mine. After completing his studies, the young specialist went to work at the Tula Metallurgical Plant as a steelmaker. Showing remarkable diligence, Vladimir began to move up the career ladder. The head of the workshop appreciated the diligent young man and appointed him his deputy.

But Lisin decided not to stop there and took up scientific research, thanks to which he became a graduate student at the Kharkov Research Institute. After completing his postgraduate studies, he was appointed deputy leading engineer at the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant, where he worked for about 4 years. Here he also received his first experience in commercial activities, under the auspices of Oleg Soskovets, the director of the plant.

Business

Soskovets created "TSK-Steel" - a subsidiary of the plant, and appointed his deputy head of the company. This company had a turnover of $ 20-25 million. In 1991, Soskovets was appointed to the post of Minister of Metallurgy, and 10 months later he is already a member of the government. Having moved to the capital, Oleg did not abandon his deputy, taking him with him.

Here Lisin met Semyon Kislin, the owner of Trans Commodities, which supplies raw materials to domestic metallurgical plants. A friendly relationship began between the men, thanks to the fact that a novice businessman was able to help Kislin out in a difficult situation for his business. They started a joint business, where Lisin's connections were widely used. At the same time, Vladimir Sergeevich makes acquaintances with Chernov, Makhmudov and, who are not the last people in the metal industry.

A year later, V.S. Lisin is a member of the board of directors of the aluminum plant in Sayanogorsk and receives membership in the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant. And in 1993, the entrepreneur was finally accepted as a partner in the Trans World Group, which he had dreamed of for quite some time. The TWG company was already at its peak and was rolling in billions until 1995, when a wave of contract killings mowed management.

Also did not like this company and.

Vladimir Lisin and Dmitry Medvedev at NLMK

TWG began to disintegrate in 1996 when the entrepreneur brothers took over the business and their patron Soskovets was fired from the government in a huge scandal. But Lisin, foreseeing the sad end of TWG, managed to hedge himself and bought part of the shares of NLMK (Lipetsk Plant). Subsequently, having agreed with, he even seized control of this company, becoming the owner of NLMK. The entrepreneur created the offshore company Worslade Trading, through which he not only sold metal abroad, but was also able to take the remaining 50% of the shares of the Lipetsk plant.

In addition to developing financial schemes and earning capital, Vladimir Sergeevich successfully works in the field of science. It boasts many original designs in steel rolling and casting. An incredible mind and folk ingenuity allowed the future oligarch to receive a diploma from the RANEPA in 1994, and then a couple of years of study at the doctoral studies at the University of MISiS followed. His photos are adorned with many scientific journals and articles.

1997 was marked for the entrepreneur by membership in the board of the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works and by the presidency in the Russian Management Metallurgical Company. In 1998, when he became the head of HLMK, he sold his shares in TWG to Potanin. From that moment on, Lisin began to actively buy up shares of the country's largest metal rolling mills, taking control of the controlling stakes. And immediately begins an active confrontation between the two oligarchs - Lisin and Potanin. There was everything: civil strife, buying up other people's shares through intermediaries, and a lot of conflicts. But by 2001, they suddenly stopped conflicting and became interested only in their own factories, increasing their reputation and managerial efficiency.

Large investments of money

Having gained billions, Lisin continues to build momentum and invests in many industries.

1. Thus, in 2004, he acquired the Stoilensky Mining and Processing Plant, thereby providing NLMK with ore for many years to come.
2. In the autumn of the same year, he buys the Northern Oil and Gas Company, justifying this by the need for a platform for investment in the energy sector.
3. A year later, HLMK placed some of its own shares on the London stock exchange, receiving $ 600 million for the transaction. Then this money was used to invest in real estate in Moscow, in particular, to the Moscow City project.
4. In 2006, it acquired 2 seaports, thereby opening export channels to Asia, Africa, Europe and America, and reducing port costs.
5. In 2012, Vladimir bought shares in Freight One (Freight One), which includes rail, shipping and stevedoring services.
6. In 2013 Lisin becomes the owner of Universal Cargo Logistics.
7. Purchase of radio station Business FM.
8. Acquisition of a printing house and publication of the Gazeta newspaper. Lisin comments on this by the fact that he needed a print publication that did not depend on anyone.

State

Money must constantly work - this is Lisin's favorite motto, whose fortune by 2008 amounted to more than $ 20 billion. But then the global crisis intervened, and the oligarch's assets dropped to $ 5 billion. But a year later, the situation stabilized, and the amount grew to $ 16 billion. In 2011, Forbes magazine announced the figure of $ 24 billion, which is owned by Vladimir Sergeevich.

According to the latest estimates of the American edition of Forbes-2016, the head of NLMK is ranked 115th in the world and 7th among the richest Russians.

Personal life

Vladimir Sergeevich does not like to advertise his personal life and carefully hides it from the press. But it is known that he is happily married, having married his classmate Lyudmila. The couple raised three sons, who also prefer not to expose their lives. None of the businessman's family is on social networks.

The oligarch's wife loves the canvases of Russian artists and organizes their work in chronological order. She also heads the Seasons painting gallery, which periodically hosts closed exhibitions of paintings by private collectors. Lyudmila also became interested in collecting, but this happened at the suggestion of her husband, who presented her with the Petrov-Vodkin painting.

Vladimir Sergeevich loves to read, smoke noble cigars, relax in his mansion in Scotland. He is also fond of shooting and collecting samples of Kasli castings. According to the tycoon, he owes all his achievements to his children. He says that it was only for their sake that he strove to get back on his feet and make a fortune.

Now, when Vladimir is at the pinnacle of well-being, he can quite afford to do what is interesting for himself. He recently built a shooting complex for athletes. This club is located in the suburbs and is called "Fox Nora". Since the tycoon heads the Russian Shooting Union, he constantly pours his own funds into it. At the same time, claiming that this does not bother him at all. They say that he himself adored shooting sports in his youth.

Vladimir Lisin is actively involved in charity work. He donates a lot of money to the charity fund "Mercy", gives gifts to orphanages and the department. Lisin is the only philanthropist who began paying the Makariyev Prizes at the request of the Metropolitan of Voronezh. With the active support of HLMK, about 40 churches were restored in the region, and the patriarch himself presented the order to the head of the plant. You can ask for help and write an open letter to a businessman through his official website. This option is available to every citizen of the Russian Federation.

Now Vladimir Sergeevich is a member of the Committee of the Bureau of the Management Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, where he holds the position of Chairman of Tax Policy, and also is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Supporting the Olympians of Russia.

In 2016, several sources flashed information that an outstanding entrepreneur was sick with cancer. This information was not confirmed by anything.

In 1978 he graduated from the Siberian Metallurgical Institute with a degree in metallurgical engineering.

In 1990 he graduated from the Higher Commercial School at the Academy of Foreign Trade

In 1992 he graduated from the Academy of National Economy with a degree in Economics and Management.

He began his career in 1975 as an electrical fitter in the Yuzhkuzbassugol association. After graduation, he worked at NPO Tulachermet, where he rose from an assistant steelmaker to a deputy head of the shop.

Since 1986 - Deputy Chief Engineer, and since 1989 - Deputy General Director of the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant ON Soskovets.

Since 1993, he has been a member of the Boards of Directors of a number of leading Russian metallurgical enterprises.

Since 1996 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sayangorsk Aluminum Smelter, member of the Board of Directors of Novokuznetsk and Bratsk Aluminum Smelters, Magnitogorsk and Novolipetsk Metallurgical Combines.

Since 1998 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC NLMK.

In 2007, through the offshore company Silener Management, he acquired a 14.42% stake in Bank Zenit.

Titles and awards

Professor of the Department of Market Problems and the Economic Mechanism of the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation, author of 16 monographs and more than 150 scientific publications.

Laureate of the 1990 Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in the field of science and technology.

Honorary Metallurgist of the Russian Federation.

Chevalier of the Order of Honor,

President of the Russian Shooting Union. Master of Sport.

Honorary Citizen of Lipetsk (2009).

The main asset is a controlling stake in Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant. As of the beginning of 2010, he is the richest man in Russia (as of that date, according to the Finance magazine, it was estimated at $ 18.8 billion). Forbes magazine dated March 11, 2009 estimates Lisin's fortune at $ 5.2 billion (93rd in the world).

Fluent in English. He is passionate about shooting sports. Gathers a collection of pre-revolutionary Kasli iron casting (small sculptures, household items, interior furniture - more than 200 cataloged exhibits in total). Loves cigars. Married. He is raising three children.
Site "Business Directory"

Dossier:

For the first time, the name of Vladimir Lisin came to the attention of the media in the late 80s, when Lisin, being the deputy director of the Karaganda metallurgical plant Oleg Soskovets (later the minister of metallurgy of the USSR), established the Soviet-Swiss company TSK-Steel, which, taking advantage of loopholes in legislation and general chaos in the "rebuilt" country, drove the substandard metal of the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant abroad. The percentage of rejects at that time at the plant increased sharply, which allowed Lisin to earn his first big money.

In 1991, Oleg Soskovets moved to Moscow. Lisin followed him to the capital. True, Lisin always denied his friendship with Soskovets, saying that he crossed paths with him after moving only a few times. But be that as it may, it was thanks to Soskovets that the future oligarch met those who helped him organize his own business. Brothers Mikhail and Lev Cherny, Sam Kislin. In the first years of cooperation, Lisin helped his foreign partners, who bought cheap products from Krasnoyarsk, Novolipetsk, Magnitogorsk metallurgical plants, Sayan and Novokuznetsk aluminum plants. Then Lisin joined the boards of directors of these enterprises. In addition, he first began to use the practice of tolling - factories paid for raw materials with finished products (mainly ferrous metals), which Lisin and his partners sold for export, which is important, without paying customs duties. The turnover was hundreds of millions of dollars.

At the end of 1992, Lisin was already engaged in not only ferrous, but also non-ferrous metals. He was helped in this by a new partner - David Ruben, who, together with the Cherny brothers, created the Rans World Group (TWG). Later they were joined by Oleg Deripaska, who was just taking his first steps in business. In 1993 Lisin became a full partner of TWG. Most of the largest metallurgical enterprises in the country fell under the control of the group. At the same time, the same Oleg Soskovets, who by that time had become Deputy Prime Minister, was considered the main defender of tolling.

In 1995, several contract killings took place in the metallurgical industry. The heads of firms with interests in aluminum plants controlled by Lisin were killed. The commercial director of the Sayan aluminum plant, in which Lisin was a member of the board of directors, was almost killed.
(Lone Shooter - "Russian Forbes", December 2004)

But then he parted rather quietly (at least without shooting) with his former companions. By that time, TWG's position had fallen sharply. It is noteworthy that the fall of the group happened a few months after Oleg Soskovets left his post in the government of the Russian Federation with a scandal. The then head of the presidential administration Anatoly Chubais and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin did not intend to support Lisin's business. But Lisin did not miss his. During the division of the business, he took control of NLMK.

In November 2005, the Ruben brothers from Great Britain filed a lawsuit against Lisin, claiming that he gained control over NLMK, secretly transferring shares from the management of the nominee to the control of his own company. However, this judicial story quickly ended. Lisin managed to resolve the conflict peacefully, calling for help from Oleg Deripaska and Vladimir Potanin. The first one prevented the Cherny brothers from bankrupting the plant. The second did not prevent Lisin from buying out NLMK shares from foreigners (Potanin owned 50 percent of TWG's shares).

However, they still say that Lisin is only the nominal owner of all "factories, factories, ships". Allegedly, behind him is still the patron saint of Soskovets, the Cherny brothers, and with them the Izmaylovo organized criminal group, which in the 90s "covered" and "milked" NLMK. It is believed that Lisin, in the interests of the Izmailovo bandits, acquired the Moscow plant "Rubin" and the House of Culture im. Gorbunova, better known as "Gorbushka". Izmailovsky authority Anton Malevsky received income up to 15 million dollars. The shares of the Izmaylovskys were also looked after by a certain Aksen, who, after the death of Malevsky (who was fond of exotic sports), headed the organized criminal group.
("This is how steel was bought. Metallurgical oligarch Vladimir Lisin knows how to shoot in every sense" - Stringer, 03/13/2002; "Lipetsk rigging" - Interlocutor, 10/15/2008)

Lisin does not like high-profile public scandals, preferring to resolve all disputes quietly. The history of relations between Lisin and Vladimir Potanin is indicative here. Having agreed at the beginning, seemingly about cooperation, the partners quickly became bitter rivals. Potanin broke off relations on his own, immediately going on the offensive - he challenged the sale of NLMK's non-core asset - the Stinol refrigerator plant - in court, and set auditors against the plant. Lisin, in turn, bought up the securities of Norilsk Nickel. But then the oligarchs agreed, dividing the spheres of interest.

Lisin had conflicts with the Lipetsk governor more than once. The last conflict happened in 2008, when Lisin applied for the governor's post. By the way, Lisin has been striving for the governor's chair since 1998, when his candidacy was considered for the post of head of the Lipetsk region administration, but then Lisin himself refused to be nominated and supported the alternative candidacy of Mikhail Narolin. In 2002, everyone expected that Lisin would again nominate his candidacy for the gubernatorial elections, but the businessman backtracked - according to Kommersant, Lisin felt that the Kremlin would support Oleg Korolyov. The parties even signed an amicable agreement. Korolev pledged to end the information war against NLMK, Lisin - not to be nominated for governor.
("Kommersant", February 19, 2002)

But in 2008, the oligarch decided to make up for lost time. However, it was not only about unfulfilled ambitions. They said that Lisin, having gone to the gubernatorial elections, tried to get out of the control of the Izmaylovskys, who, after the death of their leader Malevsky, began to behave especially arrogantly. It was even said that brothers in jeeps came to Lisin, as in the "good old" days, demanding to leave the plant, as well as to surrender the leadership of the Rumelko company (Russian Metallurgical Company), in which the shares of criminal authorities were placed.

The main rival of the head of NLMK in the elections was the current governor of the region, Oleg Korolev, a well-known protector of workers. Lisin conducted his election campaign on the verge of a foul. One of the episodes of the pre-election struggle nearly cost the Governor Korolyov an armchair. On November 7, during a rally in the central square of Lipetsk, two unknown persons began to trample the Russian flag with their feet. Directly opposite the tribune on which Korolyov stood, the flag was burned. The governor's amazed face was shown all over the country. There was only one comment - Korolev has no control over the situation in his area. As it turned out later, the vandals who outraged the flag turned out to be NLMK employees, who acted on behalf of some of Lisin's image makers. Alexander Voloshin had to intervene in the conflict between the oligarch and the governor. Lisin was then offered the post of a senator, but he considered that this position was too small for him ... They even said that Lisin achieved an audience with Putin, proving that he was ripe for regional politics. But the then president recalled to the businessman the story of the sale of the Stinol plant (Lisin sold the enterprise profitably, but did not pay off the loans to the state). As a result, the billionaire confined himself to the role of the "gray cardinal" of the region.

Lisin never went to confrontation with the authorities - Putin even presented him with the Order of Honor. They say that the billionaire has close ties with the Kremlin, in particular with the presidential administration Vladimir Kozhin. Their friendship began at the Higher Commercial School of the Academy of Foreign Trade, where Kozhin and Lisin studied back in Soviet times.

Vladimir Lisin is credited with the "authorship" of the "Mechel case", which caused a real panic in the stock markets. Then Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the Mechel metallurgical plant, which sold coking coal to domestic enterprises at a higher price than abroad. Russian shares began to fall in price rapidly. Many believed that the main client of Mechel, the head of NLMK, had complained to the president.
("Lipetsk rigging" - Interlocutor, 10/15/2008; "Tears and Mechel" - "Kommersant", 07/24/08)

Lisin Vladimir Sergeevich was born on May 7, 1956 in Ivanovo.

In 1978 he graduated from the Siberian Metallurgical Institute in Novokuznetsk with a degree in Foundry of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

In 1984 he completed his postgraduate studies at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Metallurgy.

In 1990 he graduated from the Higher Commercial School at the Academy of Foreign Trade.

In 1992 he completed a course in Economics and Management at the Academy of National Economy.

In 1996 he graduated from doctoral studies. Doctor of Technical Sciences, Doctor of Economics.

Professor of the Department of Market Problems and the Economic Mechanism of the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation.

In 1975 he worked as an electrical fitter at a coal mine in the Yuzhkuzbassugol association.

In 1978 he worked as an assistant of a steelmaker, deputy head of the workshop at NPO Tulachermet.

1986: Deputy general director of the Karaganda metallurgical plant

Since 1986 he worked as Deputy Chief Engineer, Deputy General Director of the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant (Kazakhstan).

1990: Business for the supply of medical equipment from Italy

In the early 1990s, he opened an independent business for the supply of medical equipment from Italy to Russia.

1993: Member of the Board of Directors of a number of metallurgical enterprises

In 1993, he became a member of the boards of directors of a number of Russian metallurgical enterprises:

• Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant (since 1996).

In 1993 he received the status of a partner of the Trans World Group (TWG), which controlled the largest enterprises of the Russian ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy.

1996: Purchase of 13% of NLMK

2000: Member of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

In 2000 he was elected to the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).

In 2001, he signed an agreement with Alexander Abramov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nizhniy Tagil Metallurgical Plant (NTMK, which includes Evrazholding), on the creation of the Russian Steel Consortium, a non-profit partnership.

2001: Start of the newspaper "Gazeta"

2007: Purchase of 14% in Zenit bank

In 2007, Igor Avanesyan, a member of the board of directors of Zenit Bank, acquired 14.42% of its shares. The deal was carried out between two offshore companies - Silener Management (represented the interests of Lisin) and Haltmar Financial (represented the interests of Avanesyan), the latter withdrew from the shareholders of Zenit. Judging by the bank's capitalization on the RTS ($ 1.75 billion), this package could cost Lisin $ 250 million.

2008: Creation of the transport holding UCL

Since 2008, the owner of the Dutch-registered transport holding Universal Cargo Logistics Holding, which includes more than 40 enterprises in 16 cities of Russia, including the seaports of St. Petersburg, Taganrog and Tuapse.

2009: Purchase of "United Media" for 23.5 million dollars

In 2009, Mr. Lisin's structures completed the acquisition from Arkady Gaidamak and top managers of 100% of Rindek Group Ltd, which is the sole owner of the United Media LLC holding (the main asset is Business FM radio). The purchase price is set at $ 23.5 million. Vladimir Lisin also owns the Rumedia group, which includes radio and television stations in