The Most Famous

BUSINESSPEOPLE from Russia

This page contains a list of the greatest Russian Businesspeople. The pantheon dataset contains 847 Businesspeople, 29 of which were born in Russia. This makes Russia the birth place of the 7th most number of Businesspeople behind India, and Italy.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Russian Businesspeople of all time. This list of famous Russian Businesspeople is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Russian Businesspeople.

1. Boris Berezovsky (1946 - 2013)

With an HPI of 72.25, Boris Berezovsky is the most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 47 different languages on wikipedia.

Boris Abramovich Berezovsky (Russian: Борис Абрамович Березовский, Hebrew: בוריס ברזובסקי; 23 January 1946 – 23 March 2013), also known as Platon Elenin, was a Russian business oligarch, government official, engineer and mathematician and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He had the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation. Berezovsky had an estimated net worth of $3 billion in 1997, having made it via the privatization in Russia of state property in the early 1990s, primarily the main television channel, Channel One. However, by the time of his death in 2013, he was impoverished and severely depressed after losing legal battles against his former friend, Roman Abramovich, forced sales of his assets, and a large divorce settlement with his former wife. Berezovsky helped fund Unity, the political party that formed Vladimir Putin's first parliamentary base, and was elected to the State Duma in the 1999 Russian legislative election. However, following the 2000 Russian presidential election, Berezovsky went into opposition and resigned from the Duma. Berezovsky remained a vocal critic of Putin for the rest of his life. In late 2000, after the Russian Deputy Prosecutor General demanded that Berezovsky appear for questioning, he did not return from abroad and moved to the United Kingdom, which granted him political asylum in September 2003. After he moved to Britain, the Russian government took over his television assets, and he divested from other Russian holdings. In Russia, Berezovsky was convicted in 2007 via trial in absentia of fraud and embezzlement. The first charges had been brought during Yevgeny Primakov's government in 1999. Despite an Interpol Red Notice for Berezovsky's arrest, Russia repeatedly failed to obtain the extradition of Berezovsky from Britain; the situation became a major point of diplomatic tension between the two countries. In late 2011, an Israeli private investigator ordered the mercenary Indian hack-for-hire firm Appin to hack Berezovsky and his lawyers. In 2012, Berezovsky lost a London High Court case he brought over the ownership of the major oil producer Sibneft, against Roman Abramovich, in which he sought over £3 billion in damages. The court concluded that Berezovsky had never been a co-owner of Sibneft. Berezovsky was found dead in his home, Titness Park, at Sunninghill, near Ascot in Berkshire, on 23 March 2013. A post-mortem examination found that his death was consistent with hanging and that there were no signs of a violent struggle. However, the coroner at the inquest into Berezovsky's death later recorded an open verdict.

2. Sergei Diaghilev (1872 - 1929)

With an HPI of 71.68, Sergei Diaghilev is the 2nd most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 45 different languages.

Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( dee-AG-il-ef; Russian: Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, IPA: [sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf]; 31 March [O.S. 19 March] 1872 – 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise. Diaghilev's career can be divided into two periods: in Saint Petersburg (1898–1906) and while as an emigrant (1906–1929).

3. Roman Abramovich (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 68.68, Roman Abramovich is the 3rd most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 58 different languages.

Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (born 24 October 1966) is a Russian business oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the primary owner of the private investment company Millhouse. He has Russian, Portuguese and Israeli citizenship. He was formerly Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug from 2000 to 2008. According to Forbes, Abramovich's net worth was US$14.5 billion in 2021, making him the second-richest person in Israel, Since then, his wealth decreased to $6.9 billion (in 2022) before rising again to $9.2 billion in 2023. Abramovich enriched himself in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, obtaining Russian state-owned assets at prices far below market value in Russia's controversial loans-for-shares privatization program. Abramovich is considered to have a good relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin, an allegation Abramovich has denied.

4. Mikhail Khodorkovsky (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 68.08, Mikhail Khodorkovsky is the 4th most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 61 different languages.

Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (Russian: Михаил Борисович Ходорковский, IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil xədɐrˈkofskʲɪj]; born 26 June 1963), sometimes known by his initials MBK, is an exiled Russian businessman, oligarch, and opposition activist, now residing in London. In 2003, Khodorkovsky was believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia, with a fortune estimated to be worth $15 billion, and was ranked 16th on Forbes list of billionaires. He had worked his way up the Komsomol apparatus, during the Soviet years, and started several businesses during the period of glasnost and perestroika in the late 1980s. In 1989, he became Chairman of the Board of Bank Menatep, which he founded. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in the mid-1990s, he accumulated considerable wealth by obtaining control of a number of Siberian oil fields unified under the name Yukos, one of the major companies to emerge from the privatization of state assets during the 1990s (a scheme known as "Loans for Shares"). In 2001, Khodorkovsky founded Open Russia, a reform-minded organization intending to "build and strengthen civil society" in the country. In October 2003, he was arrested by Russian authorities and charged with fraud. The government of President Vladimir Putin then froze shares of Yukos shortly thereafter on tax charges. Putin's government took further actions against Yukos, leading to a collapse of the company's share price and the evaporation of much of Khodorkovsky's wealth. In May 2005, he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison. In December 2010, while he was still serving his sentence, Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev were further charged with and found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky's prison sentence was extended to 2014. After Hans-Dietrich Genscher lobbied for his release, Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky, releasing him from jail on 20 December 2013. There was widespread concern internationally that the trials and sentencing were politically motivated. The trial was criticized abroad for the lack of due process. Khodorkovsky lodged several applications with the European Court of Human Rights, seeking redress for alleged violations by Russia of his human rights. In response to his first application, which concerned events from 2003 to 2005, the court found that several violations were committed by the Russian authorities in their treatment of Khodorkovsky. Despite these findings, the court ultimately ruled that the trial was not politically motivated, but rather "that the charges against him were grounded in 'reasonable suspicion'". He was considered to be a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. On being pardoned by Putin and released from prison at the end of 2013, Khodorkovsky immediately left Russia and was granted residency in Switzerland. At the end of 2013, his personal estate was believed to be worth, as a rough estimate, $100–250 million. At the end of 2014, he was said to be worth about $500 million. In 2015, he moved to London. In December 2016, the Dublin District Court unfroze $100m of Khodorkovsky's assets that had been held in the Republic of Ireland. In 2014, Khodorkovsky re-launched Open Russia to promote several reforms to Russian civil society, including free and fair elections, political education, protection of journalists and activists, endorsing the rule of law, and ensuring media independence. He was described by The Economist as "the Kremlin's leading critic-in-exile".

5. Pavel Tretyakov (1832 - 1898)

With an HPI of 61.97, Pavel Tretyakov is the 5th most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov (Russian: Павел Михайлович Третьяков; 27 December 1832 – 16 December 1898) was a Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to the Tretyakov Gallery and Tretyakov Drive in Moscow. His brother Sergei Tretyakov was also a famous patron of art and a philanthropist.

6. Pavel Durov (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 60.74, Pavel Durov is the 6th most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 69 different languages.

Pavel Valeryevich Durov (Russian: Павел Валерьевич Дуров; born 10 October 1984) is a Russian technology entrepreneur best known as the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Telegram, a messaging platform launched in 2013. Durov was born in Russia, where he co-founded the social networking site VKontakte (VK) in 2006. He left VK in 2014 following disputes with the company's new owners and increased pressure from Russian authorities, which also led him to leave the country. In 2013, he and his older brother, Nikolai Durov, developed Telegram, and in 2017, they moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where its headquarters are now located. Durov was listed on Forbes's billionaires list in 2023, with a net worth of $11.5 billion. His fortune is largely driven by his ownership of Telegram. As of 25 August 2024, Durov was the 120th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $15.5 billion, according to Forbes. In 2022, he was recognized by Forbes as the richest expat in the United Arab Emirates. In February 2023 Arabian Business named him the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai. Durov publicly stands for Internet freedom and criticises the establishment that tries to restrict it. Since 2021, he has held citizenship in Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the United Arab Emirates, and France. On 24 August 2024, Durov was arrested by French police on criminal charges relating to an alleged lack of content moderation on Telegram and refusal to work with police, which allegedly allowed the spread of criminal activities.

7. Beate Uhse-Rotermund (1919 - 2001)

With an HPI of 60.63, Beate Uhse-Rotermund is the 7th most famous Russian Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Beate Uhse-Rotermund (German pronunciation: [beˈaːtə ˈʔuːzə ˈʁoːtɐmʊnt] ; born Beate Köstlin [ˈkœstliːn], 25 October 1919 – 16 July 2001) was a German pilot, entrepreneur and sex shop pioneer. She was one of the very few female stunt pilots in Germany in the 1930s. During World War II she ferried planes for the German Luftwaffe and after World War II she started a sex shop. The company she started, Beate Uhse AG, is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

8. Arkady Rotenberg (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 60.54, Arkady Rotenberg is the 8th most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Arkady Romanovich Rotenberg (Russian: Аркадий Романович Ротенберг; born 15 December 1951) is a Russian billionaire businessman and oligarch. With his brother Boris Rotenberg, he was co-owner of the Stroygazmontazh (S.G.M. group), the largest construction company for gas pipelines and electrical power supply lines in Russia. In 2023 Forbes estimated Rotenberg's wealth at $3.5 billion. He is a close confidant, business partner, and childhood friend of president Vladimir Putin. Rotenberg became a billionaire through lucrative state-sponsored construction projects and oil pipelines. The Pandora Papers leak implicated Rotenberg in facilitating and maintaining elaborate networks of offshore wealth for Russian political and economic elites. Since 2014, following the Russian annexation of Crimea, Arkady Rotenberg has been subject to sanctions by the United States government.

9. Sergei Shchukin (1854 - 1936)

With an HPI of 60.21, Sergei Shchukin is the 9th most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Sergei Ivanovich Shchukin (Russian: Сергей Иванович Щукин; 6 July [O.S. 24 June] 1854 – 10 January 1936) was a Russian businessman who became an art collector, mainly of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

10. Oleg Deripaska (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 59.55, Oleg Deripaska is the 10th most famous Russian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska (Russian: Олег Владимирович Дерипаска; born 2 January 1968) is a Russian oligarch and billionaire. Deripaska began his career as a metals trader after the breakup of the Soviet Union. He used accumulated funds from trading to acquire stakes in the Sayanogorsk aluminum smelter from a consortium of businessmen who privatized it in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Sayanogorsk aluminum smelter served as the foundation of what later became the world's largest aluminium company Rusal. Deripaska is the founder of Basic Element, one of Russia's largest industrial groups, and Volnoe Delo, Russia's largest charitable foundation. He was the president of En+ Group, a Russian energy company, and headed United Company Rusal, the second-largest aluminum company in the world, until he quit both roles in 2018. He has been characterized as a victor in the "aluminium wars" in Russia during the 1990s, which were frequently violent conflicts between businesspeople to obtain state-owned assets. In 2000, Deripaska founded Rusal, the result of a partnership between Sibirsky Aluminium and Roman Abramovich's Millhouse Capital. In 2007, Rusal merged with SUAL Group and Glencore International AG to form UC Rusal, with Deripaska as chairman. He was once Russia's richest man, but lost a substantial part of his fortune during the 2008 financial crisis. As of January 2025, his wealth was estimated by Forbes at $2.7 billion, making him the 1240th richest person in the world. In 2017, Deripaska obtained a Cypriot citizenship through the country's 'golden visa' program, which allows major investors in the economy to apply for a national passport. He was placed under U.S. sanctions in 2022 for reasons relating to the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia. Deripaska was one of seven oligarchs sanctioned by the British government over the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, including asset freezes and travel bans. As early as 2022 Deripaska was one of a handful Russian businessmen to openly denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After making his statements, he faced pressure from the Kremlin, leading to the seizure of a major asset he owned, valued at USD 1 billion. Nonetheless, he returned to the subject in early August 2024, when he characterized the invasion as "madness" and called for it to be stopped immediately. He came under strong fire from the pro-Putin camp in Russia for his statements, notably from the ultranationalist Alexander Dugin.

People

Pantheon has 29 people classified as Russian businesspeople born between 1832 and 1984. Of these 29, 21 (72.41%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Russian businesspeople include Roman Abramovich, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Pavel Durov. The most famous deceased Russian businesspeople include Boris Berezovsky, Sergei Diaghilev, and Pavel Tretyakov. As of April 2024, 29 new Russian businesspeople have been added to Pantheon including Boris Berezovsky, Sergei Diaghilev, and Roman Abramovich.