Andrey Melnichenko

Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko (Russian: Андрей Игоревич Мельниченко Belarusian: Андрэй Мельнічэнка; born 8 March 1972) is a Russian billionaire industrialist and philanthropist.

He is the main beneficiary of fertilizer producer EuroChem Group and coal energy company SUEK. He is a member of the Board of Directors (non-executive director) in both companies. According to Forbes, as 12 June 2021, Melnichenko's net worth is estimated at $19.8 billion (95th in the world, 7th in Russia). While, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as of 11 May 2021, Melnichenko's net worth is estimated at $17.7 billion (121st in the world, 10th in Russia).

As Bloomberg reports, Melnichenko was “too young to gain from the 1990s privatizations that made many oligarchs fortunes”. After the Soviet Union fell, he began trading currency with two friends while a physics student at Moscow State University, and then registered a bank, MDM Bank. Melnichenko took an interest in the commodities market and began buying assets in coal and fertilizers, with the acquisition of plants and mines, many of which were distressed. He sold his banking interests in 2007, before the global financial crisis, allowing him to focus on industrial investments. As Bloomberg reports, Melnichenko "consolidated fragmented assets in risky and then-derelict industries and created leading international blue chips" noting that "these industries were not considered to be ‘strategic’ for Russia and were not subject to the political influence that dominated other sectors, like oil and gas, diamond and gold mining." The investments led to the creation of EuroChem, a Russian fertilizers manufacturer and global fertilizers exporter, and SUEK, a coal energy company.

According to Forbes, Melnichenko's companies reportedly invested more than $23 billion in the industries in the last 15 years.

Melnichenko is one of the main social investors and philanthropists in Russia. Apart from his companies' own charitable and social investment programs, the Andrey Melnichenko Foundation runs projects in science and education, supporting gifted children from the regions where his companies operate aiming to create social mobility in Russia. Melnichenko's companies reportedly spent over $500 million on social and charitable projects in Russia.

Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko (Russian: Андрей Игоревич Мельниченко Belarusian: Андрэй Мельнічэнка; born 8 March 1972) is a Russian billionaire industrialist and philanthropist.

He is the main beneficiary of fertilizer producer EuroChem Group and coal energy company SUEK. He is a member of the Board of Directors (non-executive director) in both companies. According to Forbes, as 12 June 2021, Melnichenko's net worth is estimated at $19.8 billion (95th in the world, 7th in Russia). While, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as of 11 May 2021, Melnichenko's net worth is estimated at $17.7 billion (121st in the world, 10th in Russia).

As Bloomberg reports, Melnichenko was “too young to gain from the 1990s privatizations that made many oligarchs fortunes”. After the Soviet Union fell, he began trading currency with two friends while a physics student at Moscow State University, and then registered a bank, MDM Bank. Melnichenko took an interest in the commodities market and began buying assets in coal and fertilizers, with the acquisition of plants and mines, many of which were distressed. He sold his banking interests in 2007, before the global financial crisis, allowing him to focus on industrial investments. As Bloomberg reports, Melnichenko "consolidated fragmented assets in risky and then-derelict industries and created leading international blue chips" noting that "these industries were not considered to be ‘strategic’ for Russia and were not subject to the political influence that dominated other sectors, like oil and gas, diamond and gold mining." The investments led to the creation of EuroChem, a Russian fertilizers manufacturer and global fertilizers exporter, and SUEK, a coal energy company.

According to Forbes, Melnichenko's companies reportedly invested more than $23 billion in the industries in the last 15 years.

Melnichenko is one of the main social investors and philanthropists in Russia. Apart from his companies' own charitable and social investment programs, the Andrey Melnichenko Foundation runs projects in science and education, supporting gifted children from the regions where his companies operate aiming to create social mobility in Russia. Melnichenko's companies reportedly spent over $500 million on social and charitable projects in Russia.