Leonid Mikhelson | |
|---|---|
Леонид Михельсон | |
 Mikhelson in 2020 | |
| Born | (1955-08-11)11 August 1955 (age 69) |
| Citizenship | |
| Alma mater | Kuibyshev Civil Engineering InstituteMaster of Engineering |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Major Shareholder ofNovatek Richest Person inRussia |
| Title | Chairman & CEO,Novatek |
| Spouse | Married |
| Children | 2 |
Leonid Viktorovich Mikhelson (Russian:Леони́д Ви́кторович Михельсо́н; born 11 August 1955) is a Russian-Israelibillionaire oligarch, businessman, CEO, chairman and major shareholder of the Russian gas companyNovatek.[1]
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mikhelson obtained a stake in a privatized pipeline construction company out of which he formed Novatek.[2] He is a business partner of Russian billionaireGennady Timchenko, a close confidante of Russian leaderVladimir Putin.[2]
According toBloomberg Billionaires Index andForbes, he had a net worth of US$29.5 billion, as of 2025, making him the 64th richest person in the world and the second richest in Russia.[3] According to the 2023 Forbes annual rating, Mikhelson is ranked 4th among Russian billionaires with a net worth of $28.5 billion.[4]
Born to an Ashkenazi Jewish family,[5] Mikhelson began his career as an engineer after[6] graduating with a degree in Industrial Civil Engineering from the Samara Institute of Civil Engineering in 1977. He started working as a[7]foreman at a construction and assembling company in theTyumen area ofSiberia. One of his[8] initial projects was work on the Urengoi-Chelyabinsk gas pipeline. In 1985, he was[8] appointed as Chief Engineer ofRyazantruboprovodstroy. In 1987, he became General Director of Kuibishevtruboprovodstroy, which, in 1991, was one of the first companies to undergoprivatization after the dissolution of theSoviet Union.[citation needed]
Mikhelson continued as managing director at the company, which has been renamedNOVA, until October 1994. He then became General Director of its holding company,Novafinivest, which later became known as NOVATEK. From 2008 until 2010 Mikhelson was chairman of the board of directors for OAOStroytransgas and OOO Art Finance. He currently holds the position of chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAOSIBUR and serves on the supervisory board of OAORussian Regional Development Bank. SIBUR is a gas processing and petrochemicals company operating 26 production sites across Russia with headquarters inMoscow. Mikhelson owns 57.5% interest in Sibur. He also holds a 25% stake in Novatek.[9] He also owns a megayacht, Pacific.[10][11] He is considered to be one ofRussia's oligarchs.[12]
Mikhelson has a strong interest in art,[13] stating that “99 per cent” of his interest is inRussian andcontemporary art.[14] He also established his own foundation, theV-A-C Foundation, which promotes contemporary Russian art, and has international ties with theNew Museum inNew York, the Tate museums in the UK, and London's Whitechapel gallery.[15] In May 2017, the foundation also opened an exhibition space inVenice and work is underway to develop V-A-C's first major art centre in Moscow, whose main site is an historic power station on the banks of theMoskva River. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the new centre for contemporary arts and culture in Moscow is due to open in 2021.[16]
Mikhelson often partners with Russian billionaireGennady Timchenko[17] on business and investment projects. They are partners and majority shareholders in Novatek and Sibur. In 2013, Mikhelson and Timchenko sold 12% of Sibur to management partners. Both Mikhelson and Timchenko appear on theForbes list of billionaires.[18]
In 2012, he was listed as the second-richest Russian[19] in a number of articles including Bloomberg.[20] Mikhelson and Novatek are the main sponsors of theRussian Football Union.
Mikhelson is a recipient of the Russian Federation's Order of the Badge of Honor.[21][22]
Mikhelson is married, with two children, and lives in Moscow.[23][24] His daughter Victoria studied art history atNew York University and London'sCourtauld Institute.[25] His VAC Foundation Victoria, the Art of Being Contemporary, is named after her.[25] Mikhelson also holds Israeli citizenship.[26][27]
Mikhelson is one of many Russian "oligarchs" named in theCountering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, CAATSA, signed into law by PresidentDonald Trump in 2017.[28] He was sanctioned by the British government in 2022 in relation toRusso-Ukrainian War.[29]