Alisher Usmanov

Founder of USM

• Alisher Usmanov is a successful entrepreneur and a renowned international investor. He is also one of the world's most generous philanthropists. Forbes and Bloomberg have ranked him among the most influential people globally.
• Mr. Usmanov is the founder of USM, a private holding company, bringing together highly successful businesses in the metals and mining, telecoms, technology and internet sectors. The Group owns a number of assets, including: Metalloinvest, a leading global supplier of merchant HBI and iron ore products; Baikal Mining Company, which holds an exploration licence for the largest copper deposit in Russia; MegaFon, a pan-Russian operator of digital opportunities; and Mail.Ru Group, the Russian-language internet market leader.
• Mr. Usmanov has gained international recognition as a visionary investor due to his highly profitable early-stage investments in some of the fastest-growing internet and high-tech companies, including Facebook, Alibaba, JD.com, Uber, Spotify, Zalando, Flipkart, Ola Cabs, Didi Chuxing, Zocdoc and Klarna. Mr. Usmanov's investment interests are currently focused on innovative sectors, including artificial intelligence, the internet of things, the sharing economy, big data and developments in medicine and biotechnology.
• Separately, Mr. Usmanov owns Kommersant Publishing House, the leading business media organisation in Russia, and Khimki Group, a prominent Russian real estate developer. He has also previously been a major shareholder in Arsenal Football Club in the United Kingdom.
• Alisher Usmanov attaches great significance to philanthropic activities. He was named the most charitable giver in Russia by Bloomberg, and has been ranked by The Sunday Times Giving List in the top hundred most generous philanthropists in the UK for several years in a row. Mr. Usmanov is the founder of the Art, Science and Sport Charity Foundation and a trustee for a range of social, educational and cultural organisations. His charitable efforts extend to 64 countries, and in 2017 alone, his contributions amounted to US$175.7 million. In the past ten years, donations and investments in social infrastructure by Mr. Usmanov and his companies exceeded US$1.5 billion.
• Alisher Usmanov devotes considerable attention to the development of sports in Russia and globally. He has been the president of the International Fencing Federation since 2008 and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Olympian Sportsmen Support Fund.
• Mr. Usmanov was awarded the Order for Service to the Fatherland III and IV class in recognition of his services to the state, as well as his community and charitable activities. He also received the Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Order of Honour of the Russian Federation for his professional achievements, the Medal for Contribution to International Cooperation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and the Order of Friendship (Dostyk) I Class from the Republic of Kazakhstan for contribution to the country and strengthening ties between the nations.
• Alisher Usmanov also received the Distinction for a Good Deed, for his considerable philanthropic and societal contributions, as well as the Al-Fakhr Order I Class, the highest award of the Russian Council of Muftis, for strengthening mutual understanding between people of different nationalities. Additionally, he became a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his contribution to relations between Russia and Italy, and as recognition of his participation in projects to preserve Italy's architectural heritage. Mr. Usmanov received the Order "Duslyk" (Friendship) for his meaningful cooperation with the Republic of Tatarstan and his active public and charitable work, and was also awarded the El-Yurt Hurmati Order (translated as "Respected by People and Homeland") for his significant contribution to strengthening links between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation, and for the realisation of large investment, spiritual education and sports projects in Uzbekistan.
• Mr. Usmanov is an active member of the executive bodies of a number of non-governmental organisations and companies that play key roles in the development of the Russian economy. Since 2006, he has been on the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
• Alisher Usmanov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with a degree in international law in 1976, and he received a degree in banking from the Finance Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation in 1997. He is fluent in English, French, Russian and Uzbek.