Dark spots in the biography of Andrei Bokarev often give rise to idle rumors and fiction. Some associate the oligarch with crime, according to others, his activities are supported by special services.
In fact, the businessman earned his billions himself – thanks to determination, perseverance and intelligence. And yet, his success in business would not have been so bright if in 1995 fate had not brought the young financier together with Iskander Makhmudov.
The early years of Andrei Bokarev
Andrei Bokarev avoids publicity and does not like to advertise his personal life. Therefore, nothing is known about the first twenty-four years of the billionaire, just as it is not known who the parents of the oligarch were. What is known for sure is that Andrey Removich was born on October 26, 1966, in Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, and there he spent his early years.
Education
In 1990, Bokarev became a student at the Moscow Financial Institute. At that time, entering this prestigious metropolitan university was associated with great difficulties, but for the future billionaire, solving this problem became a feasible task. In 1995, Andrey Removich received a diploma in finance and immediately began his career.
Career and business of Andrey Bokarev
After graduating, the young specialist served for two years as the head of the board of the National Investment Bank, which became Bokarev’s first place of work. At this stage, fate brought the future billionaire to Iskander Makhmudov, whose companion and shadow Bokarev remained for many years.
In 1997, Andrei Removich went to work in the Rosexportles joint-stock company as deputy general director.
Since 1998, in a similar position, he has been in charge of export deliveries in one of the largest Russian coal mining companies Kuzbassrazrezugol, owned by Makhmudov. At the same time, the entrepreneur became the head of Krutrade AG, an Austrian company owned by Makhmudov.
In 1999, Andrey Bokarev joined the board of directors of OJSC Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company and in the same year – the board of directors of Kuzbassrazrezugol, which he was a member of until 2000. At the same time, until 2004, the businessman served as deputy general director of the STIN Holding Management Company joint-stock company, and then, until 2005, he chaired the board of directors of Kuzbassrazrezugol OJSC. In the period from 2001 to 2006, Andrey Bokarev was also a member of the Management Board of OAO Altai-Koks.
In 2004, Makhmutov and Bokarev created Transmashholding, uniting fifteen disparate machine-building plants into a corporation. From 2008 to the present, Andrey Bokarev has been chairman of the board of directors of the holding.
In 2004, the assets of the partners were replenished with a half share of the Rodionov Publishing House. In 2005, participation in the management of the Novosibirskenergo joint-stock company was added to Bokarev’s duties.
In 2010, Makhmudov and Bokarev partnered to acquire a 25% stake in Aeroexpress.
Andrey Bokarev, expanding his and Makhmudov’s empire with the center in Transmashholding, earned himself the fame of a man who knows how to find large, profitable orders. So, in 2011, Andrey Removich signs a contract between Transmashholding and the German company Tognum AG. This agreement created a joint venture focused on innovative diesel engines for rail transport.
At the same time, Transmashholding and the French company Alstom Transport began to jointly produce high-speed trams with low floors, using the capacities of the Oktyabrsky Electric Car Repair Plant in St. Petersburg, which became part of Transashholding in 2005.
In the spring of 2014, Andrei Bokarev and Aleksey Krivoruchko bought out 49% of the shares of the Kalashnikov concern, the largest Russian arms manufacturer with world fame, in equal shares.
The deal cost the partners $1.3 billion, while under the contract they had to spend almost the same amount on the development of the enterprise over the next two years. The concern, thanks to the activities of Bokarev and Makhmudov, avoided bankruptcy and soon regained its lost positions in the arms market.
At the beginning of 2017, the Rostec State Corporation announced the sale to Bokarev, Makhmudov and Krivoruchko of the shares of the High-Precision Complexes holding, which is part of it. However, the deal did not take place, because in the fall of that year, Andrei Bokarev and Iskander Makhmudov announced the sale of their shares in Kalashnikov and left the arms business.
Now Andrey Bokarev and Iskander Makhmudov are called “Kings of state orders”. Their enterprises supply Russian Railways and the metropolitan metro with rolling stock. In addition, Metrovagonmash, which is part of the partner structures, provides Moscow with three-section trams. As co-owners of Aerozhkspress LLC, in which the partners own a 37% stake, Bokarev and Makhmudov provide a monopoly on rail communication between the center of Moscow and the capital’s airports.
Andrey Bokarev has established himself not only as a successful entrepreneur. His biography contains active social and political activities: since 2007, the businessman has been a member of the Council of Physical Education and Disputes under the President of the Russian Federation, in 2007-2010 he headed the Russian Ski Federation, since 2008 he has chaired the Federation of Russian Billiards for two years. In 2010, Bokarev became the head of the Freestyle Federation and the Ski Association of the Russian Federation.
Andrey Bokarev’s fortune
The photo of Andrey Bokarev first appeared in Forbes in 2006 and since then has not left the pages of prestigious financial publications. The businessman’s fixed capital is contained in the assets of Transmashholding, the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, in the shares of Kuzbassrazrezugol, Transgroup, and others.
Thanks to the Forbes magazine, which publishes a rating of the 200 richest businessmen in Russia, one can trace the dynamics of the change in the state of Andrei Bokarev over the past few years (a year, a fortune of $ (billion), a place in the ranking):
- 2011 – 0.8/120.
- 2012 – 0.9/109.
- 2013 – 1.35/74.
- 2014 – 1.5/65.
- 2015 – 0.9/104.
- 2016 – 0.95/79.
- 2017 – 1.7/52.
- 2018 – 2/48.
- 2019 – 1.5/62.
The billionaire has at his disposal a plot allegedly leased by him in Gorki-2 with an area of 2.4 hectares. The estate includes a house with an area of 800 m², a huge swimming pool and a man-made lake.
There is evidence that Bokarev has real estate in France, represented by two luxurious houses.
The media is silent about the oligarch’s yacht, but recently his name has been associated with the Princess Olga, a river cruise diesel-electric ship equipped with the latest technology and equipped with a helipad.
Private life of Andrey Bokarev
Regarding the personal life of Andrei Bokarev, conflicting biography facts are published in the media. According to one version, he is married and has a son. But more plausible information is voiced that the oligarch is legally married for the second time, and the spouses are raising three children – son Alex, daughter Liza, and the youngest member of the Bokarev family is Andrey.
As far as is known, the godfather of the children is an old friend of the oligarch – singer and composer Grigory Leps, one of whose songs – “The angel went into a binge” – is dedicated personally to Bokarev.
The billionaire’s wife Olga Syrovatskaya, a beauty and businesswoman, is the founder of Je T’Aime, a chain of boutiques selling jewelry.
The active participation of the oligarch in skiing organizations is not accidental. Andrey Removich is a passionate fan of alpine skiing, snowboarding and freestyle and, according to his friends and experts in this field, has achieved significant success in these sports.
Andrey Removich Bokarev is engaged in patronage and charitable activities.
The oligarch took part in organizing the Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Shayba ice arena was built at the expense of the billionaire, which was later transferred to the state.
In addition, the businessman organized the broadcast of the Olympic Games by the Russia-2 TV channel. These good deeds were worthily appreciated at the highest level: in 2014, Andrey Removich Bokarev was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, third degree.
In his activities, Andrei Removich repeatedly had to communicate with the highest ranks of the Russian Federation, thanks to which he was among the persons subject to US sanctions.
Andrey Bokarev today
Andrey Bokarev still leads an active business and social life. His name often appears on the pages of official sources, his life is discussed by the yellow press.
In May, Bokarev was again re-elected to the board of the International Ski Federation. In addition, the businessman participates and leads an all-Russian project aimed at improving the financial literacy and education of the population, because the correct handling of money, according to a professional financier, should be instilled from an early age, so the program largely covers children and youth audiences.