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Vagit Alekperov

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Vagit Yusufovich Alekperov (Azerbaijani: Vahid Yusifoviç Ələkbərov, Russian: Вагит Юсуфович Алекперов; born 1 September 1950) is an Azerbaijani oligarch. He was the President of the oil company Lukoil from 1993 until 2022.[1][2] As of September 2024, according to Forbes billionaires list by Forbes magazine, Alekperov has an estimated net worth of US$27.6 billion, making him the 3rd wealthiest person in Russia and the fifty-ninth in the world.[3] Alekperov previously owned a 36.8% stake in football club Spartak Moscow.[4] Fellow former Spartak owner Leonid Fedun is Alekperov's close associate. Alekperov also owned superyacht builder Heesen Yachts until 2022.[5]

Vagit Alekperov
Vahid Ələkbərov
Alekperov in 2013
Born (1950-09-01) 1 September 1950 (age 74)
Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityAzerbaijani
Citizenship Russia
Alma materAzerbaijan State Oil and Industry University , Master of Engineering
OccupationChairman of the supervisory board of Basic Element Company
SpouseLarisa Victorovna Alekperova
Children1
Awards

As part of the international governmental responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have imposed sanctions against Alekperov.[6][7][8][9]

Biography

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Alekperov was born on 1 September 1950, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, one of the earliest centers of the international petroleum industry. His father, who died when Vagit was a boy, worked in the oilfields all his life and inspired Alekperov to follow in his footsteps. Alekperov's father was an Azerbaijani Muslim and his mother, Russian Orthodox. Alekperov is religious, but does not define himself as either Muslim or Orthodox.[10]

In 1974, Alekperov graduated from the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute with a Master of Science in Engineering.[11]

Western Siberia

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Alekperov moved to Western Siberia in 1979 and worked at Surgutneftegaz between 1979 and 1985, earning his reputation as an industry expert. He was ascending positions and by 1985 became first deputy general director of Bashneft production company. In 1987, he became general director of the newly created production company Kogalymneftegaz.[11]

Moscow

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In 1990, Alekperov was appointed deputy minister of the Oil and Gas Industry of the Soviet Union and became the youngest deputy energy minister in Soviet history.[11] At that time, Alekperov promoted the establishment of vertically integrated state-owned energy companies, which would bring together the wide range of organizations in the energy sector that were, at the time, reporting to different Soviet bureaucratic institutions.[12]

Just at this time Western oil companies began to actively look for partners in Russia. During a visit to British Petroleum facilities in the United Kingdom in 1990 Alekperov personally headed the Russian delegation at the negotiations. Rondo Fehlberg, an executive at BP, told NY Times that Alekperov took control of the agenda during that 1990 trip, sternly asking the BP executives to explain how a modern oil company should be set up.[13]

LUKoil

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In April 1993, Langepas-Uray-Kogalymneft became the joint-stock company LUKOIL, and Alekperov became its president and chairman of the board. By 2002 Alekperov owned 10.4% of the company.[13]

In 2000, Alekperov resigned as head of the board of directors of Lukoil, but retained his position as president of the company. In May 2008, Alekperov bought 11.13 million shares (1.3%) in Lukoil, thereby increasing his stake to 20.4% and becoming the company's largest shareholder.[14][a]

LUKoil was the first Russian company to acquire an American company. In November 2000, LUKoil acquired Getty Petroleum Marketing and its 1,300 gas stations in the United States[19] Like many other Russian oligarchs, Alekperov has also moved into banking and media. In May 2006 Alekperov was one of the two main owners of IFD Kapital Group.[20]

During at least three meetings in Turkey and London in 2014 and 2015, executives associated with Alekperov's firm Lukoil allegedly questioned persons at the Alexander Nix associated firms SCL Group, which is closely associated with Aleksandr Kogan, and Cambridge Analytica, which is closely associated with Steve Bannon, who supported Donald Trump's 2016 campaign for President of the United States, and Robert Mercer, who supported Ted Cruz's campaign for President of the United States, about how United States election data about American voters could be used to target them according to Christopher Wylie.[21][22][23][24]

In 2018, Alekperov first said in an interview that he was looking for a successor to his position, a staff reshuffle, he said, could take place at the company in 2023.[25]

Alekperov is on the 2017 list of Russian "oligarchs" named in the CAATSA unclassified report to the U.S. Congress.[26]

International sanctions

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In April 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Alekperov was sanctioned by Australia and the United Kingdom.[6][7] On 21 April, Lukoil issued a statement saying that Alekperov had stepped down and resigned from the board of directors after 29 years.[2]

In May 2022, Canada also imposed sanctions on Alekperov.[8] In October 2022, New Zealand sanctioned Alekperov.[27]

Personal life

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Alekperov is married to Larisa Victorovna Alekperova and has a son Yusuf born in 1990.[28] In 2023 he founded the WellTech company, which is engaged in the repair of LUKOIL wells.[29]

Alekperov's hobby is numismatics. The exact composition of his collection is unknown, but according to some reports, it is one of the three largest private collections in Russia. According to Forbes, Alekperov's private Museum of Numismatics has more than 700 coins on display, which is about a quarter of the entire collection. It consists mainly of gold coins, from antiquity to modern Russia, some silver coins, as well as a few platinum coins of the Russian Empire.[30]

Philanthropy

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In 2007 Alekperov founded The Foundation "Our Future" to promote social entrepreneurship in Russia.[31]

Alekperov has repeatedly stated publicly and has confirmed that, according to his will, his stake in Lukoil (over 20% of the company) will be transferred to a specially created charitable foundation.[32]

In 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Lukoil has donated more than RUB 652 million in 22 Russian regions and almost $900 000 dollars in its operation countries abroad.[33] Alekperov also donated RUB 50 million of personal finances to fight coronavirus in the Republic of Komi.[34]

Awards and honorary titles

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Alekperov was the first Russian citizen who received the Woodrow Wilson Award. He was honored in 2005 for achievements in corporate citizenship.[35]

On 31 August 2020, ahead of Vagit Alekperov's 70th jubilee, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev awarded him with the "Dostlug" Order for his special services rendered to the development of mutual relations between Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.[36]

On 4 May 2022, Alekperov received the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" of the first degree for "great contribution to the development of the fuel and energy complex and many years of diligent work".[37]

Vagit Alekperov is also a full member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.[38]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ During at least three meetings in Turkey and London in 2014 and 2015, executives associated with Alekperov's firm Lukoil allegedly questioned persons at the Alexander Nix associated firms SCL Group, which is closely associated with Aleksandr Kogan, and Cambridge Analytica, which is closely associated with Steve Bannon, who supported Donald Trump's 2016 campaign for President of the United States, and Robert Mercer, who supported Ted Cruz's campaign for President of the United States, about how United States election data about American voters could be used to target them according to Christopher Wylie.[15][16][17][18]

References

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  1. ^ "Vagit Yu. Alekperov, President of OAO LUKOIL". Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Russia's Lukoil Says Longtime CEO Alekperov Resigns". The Moscow Times. 21 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Vagit Alekperov". Forbes. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ^ Burgen, Stephen (26 February 2022). "Could sanctions leave oligarchs' super yachts high and dry in Spain?". The Observer.
  5. ^ "Heesen Yachts is weer 100% Nederlands na verkoop aandelen". schuttevaer.nl (in Dutch). 19 May 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Australia goes further than others with personal sanctions, adds Nabiullina, Lisin and Alekperov to list". interfax.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b "U.K. Hits More Russian Billionaires in Latest Sanctions Salvo". Bloomberg.com. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Canada blacklists 40 Russian individuals - PM's press service". TASS. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  9. ^ "New Zealand sanctions 75 individuals and 2 Russian companies".
  10. ^ Maass, Peter (2 August 2004). "The Triumph of the Quiet Tycoon". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  11. ^ a b c Vassiliou, Marius S. (24 September 2009). The A to Z of the Petroleum Industry. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7066-6.
  12. ^ "Vagit Y. Alekperov 1950— Biography".
  13. ^ a b Maass, Peter (1 August 2004). "The Triumph of the Quiet Tycoon". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Бизнес-активы Вагита Алекперова. Справка". РИА Новости (in Russian). 12 March 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  15. ^ Hakim, Danny; Rosenberg, Matthew (17 March 2018). "Data Firm Tied to Trump Campaign Talked Business With Russians". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Cambridge Analytica: компания, которая научилась «взламывать» выборы через Facebook Считается, что в 2016 году она помогла выиграть Дональду Трампу" [Cambridge Analytica: the company that learned how to “hack” elections through Facebook It is believed that it helped Donald Trump win in 2016]. Meduza (in Russian). 19 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2023. archive
  17. ^ Cadwalladr, Carole; Graham-Harrison, Emma (17 March 2018). "Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach: Whistleblower describes how firm linked to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon compiled user data to target American voters". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  18. ^ Бенюмов, Константин (Benyumov, Konstantin); Кузьменкова, Ольга (Kuzmenkova, Olga) (12 December 2016). "Donald Trump really won because of advertising on Facebook? Medusa studied an article about the influence of "big data" on elections and tells what's wrong with it" [Дональд Трамп правда победил из-за рекламы в фейсбуке? «Медуза» изучила статью о влиянии «больших данных» на выборы и рассказывает, что с ней не так]. Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 16 December 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Lukoil Americas Corporation website". Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  20. ^ Teagarden, Michael (1 March 2006). "Lukoil Executives Alekperov and Fedun Own Russia's IFD Kapital". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  21. ^ Hakim, Danny; Rosenberg, Matthew (17 March 2018). "Data Firm Tied to Trump Campaign Talked Business With Russians". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Cambridge Analytica: компания, которая научилась «взламывать» выборы через Facebook Считается, что в 2016 году она помогла выиграть Дональду Трампу" [Cambridge Analytica: the company that learned how to “hack” elections through Facebook It is believed that it helped Donald Trump win in 2016]. Meduza (in Russian). 19 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2023. archive
  23. ^ Cadwalladr, Carole; Graham-Harrison, Emma (17 March 2018). "Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach: Whistleblower describes how firm linked to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon compiled user data to target American voters". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  24. ^ Бенюмов, Константин (Benyumov, Konstantin); Кузьменкова, Ольга (Kuzmenkova, Olga) (12 December 2016). "Donald Trump really won because of advertising on Facebook? Medusa studied an article about the influence of "big data" on elections and tells what's wrong with it" [Дональд Трамп правда победил из-за рекламы в фейсбуке? «Медуза» изучила статью о влиянии «больших данных» на выборы и рассказывает, что с ней не так]. Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 16 December 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Глава ЛУКОЙЛа сообщил об изучении потенциальных преемников". РБК (in Russian). 30 October 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 241 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 Regarding Senior Foreign Political Figures and Oligarchs in the Russian Federation and Russian Parastatal Entities" (PDF). 29 January 2018.
  27. ^ "New Zealand sanctions 75 individuals and 2 Russian companies". Interfax. 11 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Вагит Юсуфович Алекперов. Биографическая справка". РИА Новости. 12 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  29. ^ "Сын владельца ЛУКОЙЛа получил компанию по ремонту скважин в Сибири". РБК (in Russian). 15 June 2023.
  30. ^ "В Москве открыли первый частный музей нумизматики / / Независимая газета". www.ng.ru. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  31. ^ Nielsen, Rachel (28 November 2012). "Alekperov's Social Enterprise Invests $4.8M Over 5 Years". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Алекперов передаст акции "Лукойла" в благотворительный фонд". Forbes.ru. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  33. ^ "Lukoil delivered new consignment of medical equipment to Usinsk hospital". neftegazru.com. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Vagit Alekperov donates RUB 50 million of personal finances to fight coronavirus in the Republic of Komi". neftegazru.com. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Wilson Center to Honor Pickering and Alekperov for Contributions to U.S.-Russian Relations | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  36. ^ President Ilham Aliyev awards Lukoil CEO, AzerNews, 31 August 2020, Retrieved 4 September 2020
  37. ^ "Предвыборная ситуация в Кемерове" (in Russian). publication.pravo.gov.ru. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  38. ^ "Вагит Юсуфович Алекперов. Биографическая справка". РИА Новости (in Russian). 12 March 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
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