Aven Petr Olegovich with a new woman. Aven Pyotr Olegovich: biography, achievements and interesting facts

Forbes Life presents five unique student stories Russian billionaires occupying vetop lines in the list richest people Russia. These are first-person stories: their characters remember their studies,dfriends (some of whom became their business partners, others - competitors), hobbies and successes. The hero of the third story is the chairman of the board of directors of Alfa Bank, who graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University.

I studied at Moscow school No. 2. At that time it was the most interesting and best school in the city, essentially Mekhmatovskaya, the atmosphere is quite botanical. Entering it was a real culture shock for me.

I grew up in ordinary family the Moscow technical intelligentsia, which Solzhenitsyn quite rightly called “educated people.” In the USSR there was a gigantic cultural gap between humanists and technicians. And although my father had a doctor of sciences, and in general the family was quite intelligent, the gap between my family and the humanitarian families of some children from the Second School was huge. I had a classmate - the son of the greatest Soviet sociologist Leonid Gordon.

When I got into their kitchen, I had the feeling that I was just a dog.

A completely different humanitarian culture, a completely different outlook on life, very un-Soviet, free conversations.

I entered Moscow State University to study economic cybernetics, this mathematical methods economic analysis, something between mathematics and economics. And I did this despite the enormous pressure from school and family - I was being prepared for mechanical engineering. But I firmly determined that I was not a mathematical genius, and everything worked out very well for me in the humanities. My father liked to repeat the famous words of Academician Keldysh: sciences are divided into natural and unnatural. So economic cybernetics was a compromise between my desire to do humanitarian things, on the one hand, and my family and school, which pushed me to study mechanics and mathematics, on the other. I wrote the introductory math essay in 40 minutes. At that moment I still did not understand what economics was.

However, it turned out to be very interesting. In general, I am more interested in society than in the individual, so to speak. And economics is about society, about people in general. There was a lot of Marxism and Leninism, of course. On the other hand, in senior years, smart Soviet economists began to appear, not very educated, but smart, who understood a lot about our economic life. I was a student and later a graduate student of Academician Shatalin - outstanding person. In addition, at the Faculty of Economics there was any Western economic literature, absolutely everything. Actually, Gaidar’s team was subsequently created from economics students who read Western books.

I met Gaidar at the end of graduate school. We were both assigned to the All-Russian Research Institute of System Research in Shatalin’s department. I came there more as a mathematician - I was involved in processing large amounts of economic data, I had to calculate everything that economists collected. And Gaidar was a pure humanitarian.

We got along very quickly in person. At one time we had one table for two. He and I came from a similar environment, from successful Soviet families, socially quite close. We were the best students of our years. He was more advanced than me in economic reforms. Of course, he was extremely educated, he had a phenomenal historical library, inherited from his father’s stepfather. Yegor actually knew Russian history fantastically well. He generally saw himself in history, as a historical figure. As it turned out later, he became one.

And he was much more integrated into me Soviet life. He was an introvert, but he knew how to force himself to build relationships, he knew how to drink.

One of the things that amazed me was that he could easily drink a bottle of vodka. Such a strong manly beginning.

One day we went out of town to one of our colleagues to dismantle a burned-out dacha. Such a male team, a male environment with vodka and pickles after a working day. At that time it was not easy for me to communicate with unfamiliar people, but he had the ability and understanding of how it should be done, to communicate in a nomenclature manner, or something, he had the right tone of conversation. I was going to build a scientific and economic career, and he was going to make a more “complex” one and, of course, was thinking about it. As an intelligent person, I also practiced behavioral stereotypes that should contribute to this.

Andrey Nechaev was a year older than me in graduate school, a talented, brilliant student. Dubinin and Shokhin were a little older. A little younger - Slava Kuzminov, now rector High school economics, Elvira Nabiullina was even younger. Ulyukaev, today's Minister of Economics, and Sasha Zhukov studied a year younger than me. We played football with him, and by the way, he still does it. Also Andrey Kostin. They were on Gaidar's course. I knew Sasha Mamut from university, although he was somewhat younger, he studied at the law faculty, but we had general company for some time. And he also became lifelong friends with Alena Stanislavovna Doletskaya. We studied in the same course, but in different faculties - she, of course, in the philology department.

There were a lot of bright guys around. Not everyone is alive anymore. My closest friend was Khrushchev’s eldest grandson Nikita Adzhubey, the son of Alexei Ivanovich Adzhubey, the legendary editor-in-chief of Izvestia. Nikita died several years ago. Great tragedy. He was a very bright and talented guy. By the way, I remained at the department at the university. I worked there all my life.

I was preparing myself for a purely academic career. My father is a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences.

Science in the Soviet Union was the fastest and calmest social elevator.

Again, there was no need to engage in social work, for which I had a sincere aversion. At some point you had to join the party, this is understandable, but this was the maximum that was required of you. Career like Shatalin - economist, scientist, publications. And working with the authorities, because economics implies advice from the authorities. I was interested in giving recommendations and being a consultant. But I definitely didn’t have, unlike Yegor, the desire to go into power myself, I didn’t have such intentions.

I had a friend since childhood - Tema Maidanik. Subsequently, he became better known as Artemy Troitsky. I met Tema in the ninth grade, probably. He had one passion - music. His mother subscribed to Polish, I think, music magazines as part of her work. In general, he had access to Western music. He enlightened me, and then began to introduce me to his friends. In 1975, in my third year, we went with him to Tallinn to a music festival. This was the first large all-Union music festival of contemporary music. On the train I met Matetsky, with whom I am still very close friends, Stas Namin. We traveled on the same train, in the same company, and spent the night at the dacha of one of the musicians of the Orange group. This is life. Tema was a cult figure there, and he introduced me to this matter. It was, of course, very interesting. I have no ear for music, I couldn’t play anything, but I really liked this world. Girls, music, everything is wonderful.

At some point I had the idea to organize a club, because the most fashionable places were related to music. It was impossible to get to the concerts of the groups “Successful Acquisition”, “Time Machine”, “Leap Summer”, it was such a murder. And I organized a club together with the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” called “Soundtrack” - there was such a section in the newspaper. This was commanded by a man named Yura Filinov. We agreed with the trade union committee of Moscow State University that we have all sorts of concerts, let’s do it openly, let’s create a music club together with Moskovsky Komsomolets. And somehow they got approval for this. Starting from the end of 1976, we began to do concerts once a month, once every two months. First, in the Eighth Canteen of Moscow State University on the Lenin Hills, then the place became very popular and we were given a place on Mokhovaya, in the Moscow State University theater. We began to call all this “Musical Evenings”. I invited those whom I considered necessary, the same groups, Gradsky, I met him on this basis, then he was still married to Anastasia Vertinskaya. Since then I have been on good terms with Andrei Makarevich.

At the end of my first year of graduate school, it was already a wildly popular thing, it was impossible to get in, they broke pipes and windows in order to get to the concert.

This lasted about two and a half years - we only managed to hold 8-10 concerts, each one was a big event. At some point I was called to the trade union committee and told that the club had to be closed - there were a lot of complaints, letters, anonymous letters. The choice was simple - either to pursue a normal Soviet career as a graduate student, or to pursue this further. I made a choice in favor of a career.

By the way, when the investigation into the history of the club began - it was recognized as not entirely Soviet - I was completely saved by the fact that we did not have a financial component. The tickets were free, we distributed them. I didn't make a penny of money from this. Someone must have speculated on tickets, but I never touched it. That is, nothing could be done to me.

I had, of course, inner feeling that I can do business, that is, some kind of organizational business work. In particular, I studied economic practices; at some point I went to collective farms with Academician Zaslavskaya.

And I had no doubt that I could raise the lagging collective farm.

But I didn’t see such a career for myself. When I started leaving for Austria - under a contract, to do science, I had to join the party, and I headed the council of young scientists in the Oktyabrsky district. This is the high and low of my administrative career.

In principle, one could still think about an economic or Foreign Ministry career, but this did not happen. In Austria, I began to write various papers on economic reforms and, thanks to Shokhin, came to the attention of the Soviet leadership. Shokhin was Shevardnadze's assistant. He planted the papers that I wrote with Shevardnadze, so I became... Yes, important person. I wrote quickly and after some time I began to receive offers (back in Soviet time) to head one of the economic departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It would be gigantic Soviet career. But I refused.

Was I the most successful graduate of our course? How to define what success is? That's the thing.

Petr Aven is a representative of the galaxy of modern Russian entrepreneurs, co-owner of Alfa Group and shareholder of the LetterOne Holdings holding, which owns part of VimpelCom and Euroset. Now, perhaps, few people will remember him as statesman, but as a collector and philanthropist Aven is known quite widely.

Childhood and youth

The biography of the businessman began in March 1955 in Moscow. Peter's mother is Jewish by nationality; Russian and Latvian blood is mixed in his father's veins. Aven Sr. taught at Moscow State University and headed the laboratory of automated control systems at the USSR Academy of Sciences. The son graduated from physics and mathematics school No. 2, the teaching staff of which was called brilliant. Later educational institution closed because most of the teachers and graduates left the country.

In 1993, Aven created his own financial structure - consulting company Finance Peter Aven (“FinPA”), which provided consulting services, had no assets and did not buy anything. Among the clients was Alfa Bank, founded by Friedman. Soon Peter Olegovich became its co-owner.

Since then, the entrepreneur’s assets have only grown: car dealers, cellular communications and insurance companies, cinema and supermarket chains, TV channels, IT companies and oil and gas production enterprises. In 2019, Forbes published data on Aven’s condition. The Alfa Bank group headed by him received $1.32 billion in net profit in 2018. Peter himself, with $5.1 billion, took 21st place in the list of the richest people in Russia.

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Petr Aven at the presentation of his book "The Time of Berezovsky"

Aven has collected the largest collection of paintings by artists of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, sculptures, majolica, porcelain worth (and then approximately) $ 500 million. At the same time, the paintings and graphics are cataloged, and the owner does not keep the masterpieces locked up, on the contrary, with He enjoys donating to exhibitions and dreams of opening a private museum. He never turned to the help of so-called curators, but acquired things personally. The businessman has not parted with a single item - the collection is only growing.

In 2008, Peter and his wife Elena opened the “Generation” charity foundation, which supports children’s healthcare, cultural exchange between Russia and Latvia. Together with Roman Abramovich, he finances the Jewish Museum. In his care are the Russian School of Economics, whose graduates easily enter the best universities in the world, the Olympians Support Fund, the Named Museum and a dozen other institutions.

Personal life

Peter Aven is a widower. The cause of his wife’s death in August 2015 was a blood clot. By profession, Elena was a historian. The couple lived together for 30 happy years and raised two twin children.

The heirs were born in Austria, live in America, graduated from the English Catholic school St George's Weybridge and Yale University. Son Denis has a double degree with honors in mathematics and economics. Daughter Daria promotes the MAC brand at Estée Lauder.

In 2017, Aven began going out with his new companion Ekaterina Kozina. The banker did not divulge the details of his personal life to the press - practically nothing is known about the woman who gave him his son Philip.

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Peter Aven

Peter lives in Barvikha, in a house that belonged to the writer Alexei Tolstoy. There is an estate in England. He is interested in hunting, keeps himself in good shape (weight 80 kg, height 180 cm) with the help of alpine skiing, tennis and football.

The entrepreneur is a fan of Spartak, a member of the club’s board of directors, and has not missed a single Moscow match. In 2014, Aven and two partners were thinking about acquiring the “red-white” team, but abandoned the idea when one of the co-investors came under economic sanctions. Then Peter himself ended up on the blacklist of the American Ministry of Finance.

The banker is fluent in English, reads and explains himself in Spanish. IN in social networks Aven, according to rumors, does not see great benefit, although Instagram users publish photographs with comments on his books, thereby attracting the interest of potential readers.

Petr Aven is the chairman of the board of directors of the holding company of the Alfa-Bank banking group, a well-known collector and philanthropist. In the “200” rating richest businessmen Russia 2019” by Forbes magazine ranks 21st with a fortune of $5.2 billion.

Pyotr Olegovich was born on March 16, 1955 in Moscow into a family of teachers. My father, a computer technology specialist, taught at the Physics and Mathematics Department at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov.

Education

He graduated from the capital's physics and mathematics school No. 2. Then he entered the economics department of Moscow State University, where he completed his graduate studies in 1980, defended his dissertation and became a candidate economic sciences.

Labor activity

After graduation, he worked for seven years at the Institute of System Research of the State Committee for Science and Technology and the USSR Academy of Sciences together with Yegor Gaidar.

In 1989, he was appointed advisor to the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while remaining a research fellow at the International Institute of Applied Sciences. system analysis in Austria.

In 1991, he became the Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of the Russian Federation in the famous “government of young reformers” of Yegor Gaidar and the representative of the Russian President for relations with the G7 countries.

In July 1992, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Monetary and Economic Commission of the Russian government, but resigned six months later.

In 1993, he created and headed a financial consulting firm in the area valuable papers"FinPA". FinPA occupied a market segment in which at that time it had no competitors. At the same time, he was a member of the “Choice of Russia” party and entered the State Duma of the Russian Federation, but refused a deputy mandate.

In 1994, he took the post of president of Alfa-Bank and held this position until June 2011. From March 2015 to the present - Chairman of the Board of Directors of ABH Holdings S.A. Member of the board of directors of Alfa-Bank.

In October 2018, he took the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alfa-Bank.

Social activities

He is a professor at the Higher School of Economics.

He is a member of the trustees of many Russian and foreign organizations: NES, Center for Economic Policy in the UK, Russian Olympians Support Fund, State Museum inventive arts A. S. Pushkin.

He holds the post of Chairman of the Russian-Latvian Business Council.

Hobbies

The banker's main passion is fine art.

Owner of the country's largest collection of Russian paintings from the early 20th century. In 2012, at Christie’s auction, he purchased Wassily Kandinsky’s “Sketch for Improvisation No. 8” for a record $23 million for the artist. At the same time, at Sotheby’s he bought a pencil portrait of Vsevolod Meyerhold by Yuri Annenkov for $1.7 million.

Speaks English fluently. From sports games Football comes first. He is a fan of FC Spartak.

Awards

Knight of the Order of Honor and Three Stars, III degree.

Family status

In 1994, he and his first wife Elena (1958-2015) had two twin children - Daria and Denis.

In the family of the 60-year-old chairman of the board of directors of Alfa-Bank, Peter Aven great sorrow. His wife Elena Aven died on Tuesday, August 25.

According to media reports, the cause of death of Elena Aven is a detached blood clot.

The death of the oligarch's wife became known yesterday from a message in facebook friend of the deceased - lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky.

“A bright, wonderful, intelligent and kind woman, Lena Aven, has died. My friend, neighbor, wife of a close friend. My sincere condolences to Peter Aven and their children Dasha and Denis,” Dobrovinsky wrote.

A representative of Alfa-Bank confirmed this information to the media.

“The Board of Directors of the Alfa-Bank banking group, the board and the team of Alfa-Bank Russia express their deepest and sincere condolences in connection with the untimely death of Elena Vladimirovna Aven,” said a representative of the bank.

Farewell fast Family friend Alfred Koch also wrote - without mentioning her name: “I knew her well. She was happy. The children loved her. And she loved them deeply, passionately.

She loved her husband. And he loved her. Treasured her terribly. Shore, took care of her. Proud... A rare family. Rare happiness. May the kingdom of heaven rest with her. May she rest in peace."

In addition, Koch reports the cause of death of Elena Aven - a blood clot broke off in the woman.

Elena Aven was a co-founder charitable foundation“Generation”, founded by the couple in 2008 in Latvia, where Peter Aven’s ancestors are from. The foundation supported pediatric medicine, as well as scholarships and grants in the field of science.

Elena Aven is a historian by profession.

Peter and Elena Aven have been married for more than 25 years. During this time, we managed to raise twins Denis and Dasha (born in 1993), who are now studying at Yale University.

In 2011, in exclusive interview to the MixNews portal, Mrs. Aven told how easy it was for her to be the wife of such a famous person.

"I didn't start living with just some guy famous person, and with a junior researcher. And we lived a normal, ordinary life. We need to love each other, respect each other. And we also need to learn not to offend each other,” Elena Aven said then.

Farewell to Elena Aven will take place in the Ritual Hall Troekurovsky cemetery capital on Friday, August 28, at 10 a.m., the funeral will begin at 12 noon Moscow time.

It would be surprising when a person who initially had strong support remained in the shadows and did not achieve a high position in society. However, in the biography of Peter Aven main role it was not blat who played. Extraordinary internal potential, supported by hard work and carefully thought-out actions, provided him with fast career, made it possible to stand out in politics and business and made it possible to take a strong position among the richest people in Russia.

The first date in the biography of the current oligarch is March 16, 1955. Petya was born in the capital Soviet Union in a family associated with scientific and teaching activities. At that time, his father worked at one of the research institutes, where he headed a laboratory specializing in computer technology and telemechanics. Later, Oleg Ivanovich Aven defended his doctoral dissertation and received a professorship. Having become a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, he began teaching computer science at the Moscow State University. Peter Aven's mother was also a university teacher. Her specialty was Russian. In addition to parents, in raising a boy Active participation hosted by my grandmother, who survived repression and many years of imprisonment in the late 30s. The reason for this was her executed husband, who had previously been a member of the notorious Latvian Riflemen.

Education

Thanks to his abilities and the position of his parents, after five years of study in an ordinary school, Petya was transferred to the second physics and mathematics school, known in the capital as the “nursery of geniuses at Moscow State University.” This educational institution was famous for its teaching staff and was proud of its graduates. One of Aven's hobbies was music. In parallel with his studies, the young man was the head of the school music club.

Petr Olegovich Aven

Upon completion of his studies, the young man had a solid stock of knowledge and without any problems entered the university where his father worked. Receiving a diploma in economics in 1977 did not cool the young man interest in knowledge. Remaining at Moscow State University, Peter continued his studies in graduate school and after 3 years was listed as a candidate of economic sciences. Educational process brought Aven his first valuable connections and contacts. Among his acquaintances were Yegor Gaidar and Mikhail Fridman.

Career and business of Peter Aven

From 1981 to 1988, a young, promising specialist worked at the Institute for Systems Research. Here he goes through the ranks from junior to senior researcher. All these years, his colleague has been Yegor Gaidar, who later played a prominent role in political life countries. This acquaintance allows Peter Aven to also get closer to politics. Having become an adviser to the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1989, he undergoes an internship in the Austrian capital and for the next two years his place of work becomes the Vienna International Institute for Systems Analysis.

After returning home, Aven heads the Committee for Foreign Economic Relations of the RSFSR and is Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. His position is equivalent to a ministerial chair. In 1992, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations was formed and Pyotr Olegovich became its head. His work with Yeltsin is highly regarded in political circles.

The resignation of Gaidar in the winter of 1992 and the advent of the Chernomyrdin government forced Pyotr Olegovich to move away from politics and pursue a career in business.

His next boss is Berezovsky, the president of LogoVAZ, with whom Aven receives the position of adviser.

In 1993, fate brought Aven and Friedman together again. This time not as colleagues, but as partners. Having acquired his own advisory company “FinPA” and exchanging its assets for shares of Alfa Bank, Pyotr Olegovich acquires the post of president of this organization. His work strengthens the position of Alfa Group and allows it to overcome the economic crisis without losses.

In 1998, Aven's responsibilities in the holding expanded. Now he is on the boards of Aviakor, Alfa TV and STS. After 3 years, the businessman acquires a 43.6% stake in Golden Telecom and secures leadership of this company. A year later, Aven is a member of the management of STS Media and Latvijas Balzams.

Aven’s effective work and his reformist character do not go unnoticed by the authorities, and Pyotr Olegovich is again accepted into the Kremlin. In 2004, his photograph appeared in a prestigious financial publication, where Aven was announced as the best manager in the Russian Federation. The following year, the oligarch becomes a Knight of the Order of Honor. In 2006, Peta Aven began to lead the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and in 2007 he was a delegate and head of the Russian-Latvian Business Council.

Since 2011, Petra Aven has held a high position in the Presidium of the Russian International Affairs Council.

Now Petr Aven occupies fourth place in terms of influence and importance in the Alfa Group holding and continues to increase his share in this organization. My economic activity the businessman combines this with writing many scientific and journalistic works, in which he sets out his vision of the past and future of Russia.

Net worth of Peter Aven

According to his status as of 2018, Petr Aven is in 22nd position among the two hundred richest people Russian Federation. Its main assets are located in the international investment holding LetterOne. The businessman controls the telecommunications company VEON, owns more than half the shares of the German oil company DEA and has substantial investments in Turkcell and Vimpelcom. Aven's share in Alfa Bank exceeds 12%.

By studying the information provided by Forbes magazine, you can trace the dynamics of Aven’s enrichment by year (years - $, billion/place in Russia):

• 2011 – 4,5/28;
• 2012 – 4,3/27;
• 2013 – 5,4/25;
• 2014 – 6,1/22;
• 2015 – 5,1/20;
• 2016 – 4,6/19;
• 2017 – 4,6/24.

Entry into Alfa Group and closeness with upper echelons Russian authorities in 2018 turned out to be bad for Peter Aven financial losses caused by April sanctions against Russian businessmen.

Petr Aven is the owner of the largest private collection of paintings and art objects in Russia late XIX the beginning of the 20th century. According to the oligarch, he does not have expensive yachts, planes or foreign real estate. However, some media have repeatedly mentioned the British ownership of Aven. The billionaire's estate occupies 29 thousand m² in Surrey.

Being a passionate fan of the capital's FC Spartak, Petra Aven tried to buy the club from Fedun, but the latter rejected the offer.

Private life of Peter Aven

In 1985, the businessman started a family. Elena became his chosen one. This woman was the oligarch’s faithful companion for 30 years. Aven's personal life was overshadowed in 2015. The illness of his wife and her sudden death made Pyotr Olegovich a widower. From the marriage, the billionaire has two twin children: son Denis and daughter Daria. In an effort to provide them with a worthy fate for their descendants, the oligarch sent them to study at the prestigious Yale University.

One of the undeniable advantages in the biography of a billionaire is charity. In 2008, he and his wife created the Generation Foundation. This Charitable organization finances children's healthcare, promotes the development of cultural Russian-Latvian relations and allocates funds for bonuses for people who have distinguished themselves in science, mainly students. The foundation introduces Latvians to Russian art and allows Russians to get to know Latvian culture better.

Among the most significant acts of the foundation is the gift made to Raymond Pauls. In 2011, the maestro became the owner of a Steinway & Sons grand piano, the cost of which at that time reached €120 thousand.

The Latvian Madona Hospital is under the jurisdiction of the organization created by Aven. Thanks to "Generation" this children's medical institution is constantly supplied with the most modern and expensive equipment.

The oligarch is in charge of the Russian Higher Economic School, the Olympic Movement Support Fund, and the English Center for Economic Policy.

Elena Aven

Peter Aven does not forget his Jewish roots. Together with other well-known oligarchs, he participates in the financing of the Jewish Museum and constantly contributes funds to the Jewish community.

After his love of art, the most significant hobby for the billionaire is hunting. Pyotr Olegovich gets carried away alpine skiing and tennis, writes books and loves to read.

Peter Aven today

Currently, Peter Aven remains devoted to his endeavors and ideals. He has significant influence in financial sector Russian Federation, actively participates in public life Russia and Latvia. The billionaire continues to reform the Russian banking system, and is constantly involved in consultations on economic issues.

At the end of 2017, Pyotr Olegovich published his book “The Time of Berezovsky,” which contains Interesting Facts and an interview from the life of a famous and scandalous oligarch. According to the author, the hero of his next literary work should be Boris Yeltsin.