Mikhail Fridman
Born in Ukraine, Mikhail Fridman moved to Russia to study when he was seventeen.
He would become one of Russia’s most successful entrepreneurs, earning respect throughout the world as a leading businessman, investor and philanthropist.
At age twenty-six he co-founded Alfa Bank, which became Russia’s largest private banking group.
In 2015, after disposing of a successful joint venture that he originally created in 2003 with British Petroleum (BP), he moved to London and founded the international investment corporation LetterOne, which he led until 2022.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which prompted Mikhail to call immediately for the war to end – the European Union imposed sanctions on him, which resulted in him stepping down from his roles at LetterOne.
He has since sought to have the sanctions lifted, and in 2024, The General Court of the European Union ruled that he should now be removed from the initial EU sanctions list.
In 2017 Forbes ranked him as Russia’s second-wealthiest citizen.
Mikhail has been an active supporter of various cultural initiatives and co-founded the Russian Jewish Congress and the Genesis Philanthropy Group.
‘For young people, I think it’s very important to search constantly and tirelessly until you find the thing that interests you, that you can develop a passion for and makes you happy.
In my case, I’m happy and I’m successful because for me my job is really my passion. I love starting work on Monday, and when Friday is finished I’m already looking forward to the next week with great enthusiasm.
If you are 100 per cent focused on your work or career, with no balance, you are taking a big risk that if something goes wrong, you will have nothing else around you to support you. One needs to build other areas of support or stability in your life – family, friends, hobbies and so on.
The fundamental values that we can give to our children today may help them maintain a true path through this changing world. But it’s also important that we give our children room to make their own decisions and be responsible for what they decide to do.
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Read more from Mikhail Fridman and the other 21 exceptional contributors to this book
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