Aleksandra Melnichenko (née Nikolić; Serbian: Александра Мељниченко, née Николић, romanizedAleksandra Meljničenko; born 21 April 1977), also known as Sandra Meljničenko (Serbian Cyrillic: Сандра Мељниченко), is a Serbian [1] philanthropist and a former singer and model. She is married to the Russian billionaire entrepreneur Andrey Melnichenko.[2][3][4]

Aleksandra Melnichenko
Александра Мељниченко
Aleksandra Melnichenko
Born
Aleksandra Nikolić

(1977-04-21) 21 April 1977 (age 47)
Other namesSandra Meljničenko
Occupations
  • Singer
  • model
Spouse
(m. 2005)
Children2
Musical career
GenresPop
InstrumentVocals
Years active1997–2001
Labels

Early life

edit

Aleksandra "Sandra" Nikolić was born and grew up in Belgrade, the capital of former Yugoslavia, to a Serbian father and a Croatian mother. Her father was an architectural engineer and her mother was an artist.[3][5] Since the breakup of Yugoslavia, Aleksandra held both Serbian and Croatian citizenship.[2][6]

Sandra was educated at the 11th Belgrade Gymnasium, before enrolling in the Faculty of International Management in Belgrade.[3]

Career

edit

At the age of 15, while still in high school and before enrolling into Belgrade University's Faculty of Management, Aleksandra launched herself into a successful first career in fashion, winning international recognition as a model and, from 1996, regional fame as a member of the original cast of the Balkans' leading girl band Models. She returned to full-time modelling in 1998, working with leading international agencies while living in Europe's fashion capitals.[7][8][6][9]

Aleksandra Melnichenko has focused on philanthropy, mainly supporting children's education and the arts. Over time, the family's foundation and the companies the Melnichenko family invested in have donated nearly US$500 million to charity.[10]

Personal life

edit

In 2003, in France, Aleksandra met entrepreneur and investor Andrey Melnichenko.[11] The couple married two years after their first meeting, in September 2005, and started to spend an international life between different continents and countries.[12][6]

Aleksandra and Andrey have since welcomed a daughter (2012) and a son (2017).[13][6]

Aleksandra and Andrey Melnichenko own two superyachts designed by Philippe Starck: Sailing Yacht A and Motor Yacht A, which reportedly cost $500 million and $350 million to build, respectively,[11][14] and are considered to be "one of the most advanced superyachts on the water" with "environmentally-friendly innovations."[15]

In 2023, Serbian singer Sara Jo collaborated with Serbian rapper Mimi Mercedez on a track called "Sandra Meljničenko", after Aleksandra. The track was included on Jo's debut album Bez kontrole that was released on 21 June of the same year.[16]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Sandra Meljničenko: Modelsica koja je postala milijarderka – Ljudi – Dnevni list Danas" (in Serbian). 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  2. ^ a b "ONA je najbogatija Srpkinja na svetu! | Poznati". Direktno (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  3. ^ a b c "NAJBOGATIJA SRPKINJA ne štedi samo za OVU STVAR: Evo ZA ŠTA je Sandra Meljničenko izdvojila neverovatnih 110 MILIONA DOLARA". www.srbijadanas.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  4. ^ "Andrey Melnichenko". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  5. ^ Татьяна Якимова 20 Июля 2010 в 12:09. "Сандра Мельниченко: быть женой миллиардера | Интервью и фотосеты | Наши люди | Tatler – журнал о светской жизни". Tatler.ru. Archived from the original on 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2014-01-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c d "RODIO SE NAJBOGATIJI SRBIN NA SVETU! Porodila se Sandra Meljničenko, a kada saznate GDE..." espreso.co.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  7. ^ "Aleksandra Melnichenko Video | Interviews". Ovguide.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  8. ^ "Sandra Meljničenko Biografija". Biografija.org (in Serbian). 2017-05-08. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  9. ^ Tozev, Ljubomir. "NEZAMISLIVO JE KOLIKO PARA IMAJU, "KUPAJU" SE U NOVCU: Sandra Meljničenko je i zvanično NAJBOGATIJA SRPKINJA!". Blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  10. ^ "About the foundation". aimfoundation.info (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  11. ^ a b "Aleksandra Melnicheko Interview – Inside Aleksandra Melnicheko's Megayacht – Harper's BAZAAR Magazine". Harpersbazaar.com. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  12. ^ Derek Blasberg, Smooth sailing: Aleksandra Melnichenko, Harper's Bazaar, November 16, 2011
  13. ^ [https.www.glossy.espreso.co.rs/poznati/vesti/103635/na-ovo-se-cekalo-pet-meseci-otkriveno-ime-sina-sandre-i-andreja-meljnicenka].Glossy.rs, 23.8.2017.
  14. ^ "The world's most expensive superyachts come with helipads, movie theaters, and swimming pools — take a look". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  15. ^ Dobson, Jim. "World Superyacht Awards: The Best Motor And Sailing Yachts For 2018". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  16. ^ Jovović, Pero (2023-06-21). "Kakve veze imaju Sara Jo i Sandra Meljničenko? Pevačica snimila pesmu o bivšoj modelsici, a stihovi su totalni urnebes". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2023-06-21.