Kantor Vyacheslav Vladimirovich (Moshe)

Kantor Vyacheslav Vladimirovich (Moshe)

Vyacheslav Vladimirovich (Moshe) Kantor is a Russian businessman, international public figure and philanthropist.

Biography

Vyacheslav Kantor was born in Moscow on September 8, 1953.

Education

In 1967 he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute. S. Ordzhonikidze (MAI), having received the specialty of systems engineer. In the same place, at the Moscow Aviation Institute, he defended his dissertation on the topic "automatic control of space aircraft" (1981) and received the degree of candidate of technical sciences.

Career

The turning point from science to business for Vyacheslav Kantor was 1987, when his first business project started - the Composite commercial center, which was engaged in the sale and installation of computer equipment at industrial enterprises.

The same area of ​ ​ activity can be traced to his next place of work - as CEO Russian-American joint venture Intellmas (intellectual materials and systems) from 1989 to 1993.

In 1993, an environmental audit led Vyacheslav Kantor and his team to the Azot state-owned enterprise - the Novgorod plant for the production of mineral fertilizers. Seeing the prospects in a decadent enterprise, Kantor created Akron Joint Stock Company and took part in a regional checking auction, where he bought more than 31% of Nitrogen's shares. So Kantor laid the foundation for what will become Akron PJSC in the future - one of the world's largest producers and distributors of complex agricultural chemistry.

For four years, from 1996 to 2000, Vyacheslav Kantor acted as an adviser on issues economies for Yegor Stroev, at that time - chairman. of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

Akron, under the leadership of Vyacheslav Kantor, enters the international market, begins to engage in export supplies and becomes one of the largest exporters of fertilizers in the country. The cantor itself is actively developing the logistics network of the holding, taking aim at the complete independence of the company.

Since 2000, Vyacheslav Kantor has used his knowledge of the market economy and business to launch the National Institute for Corporate Reform (NICR), a non-profit and non-governmental institute whose work is aimed at developing economic relations between Russia and the world, improving the investment climate in the country and helping domestic producers to master international markets.

As of September 2019 - Chairman of the Coordination Council of Akron.

Social activities

In 2005, Vyacheslav Kantor, who has always actively participated in the life of the Jewish community in Russia, was elected president of the Russian Jewish Congress (REK), and also became the head of the World Holocaust Forum fund organized by him, which is engaged in holding international forums dedicated to preserving the memory of the historical events of the tragedy of the Jewish people and education in this area.

In 2006, the European Jewish Fund (EEF) was created to promote the development of Jewish life in all its manifestations in Europe, from educational programs to repatriation programs. Vyacheslav Kantor, who by that time in Europe was already known more as Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, acted as one of the founders of this fund.

In 2007, Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor was first - and first of the Russians - elected head of the European Jewish Congress (EJC). Since then, Moshe Kantor has been elected to this post four more times by a majority vote of representatives from more than 40 of the largest Jewish communities from different countries of Europe.

Also in 2007, Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor thoroughly immersed himself in issues of global international security. On his initiative, leading experts on the nuclear issue united in the International Luxembourg Forum on the Prevention of Nuclear Catastrophe. Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor himself took over as president.

In 2008, together with former President Poland Alexander Kwasniewski, Kantor founded the European Council for Tolerance and Reconciliation. Since then, Kwasniewski has been replaced as chairman by Tony Blair, while Moshe Kantor continues to serve as president.

Honorary Doctor of Tel Aviv University, where the Kantor Center for the Study of Modern Jewry was opened in May 2010.

State

According to 2019 data, Vyacheslav Kantor occupies 27th place in the Forbes rating "200 richest businessmen in Russia." The magazine estimates Kantor fortune at $3.8 billion.

Aktivs

Akron PJSC (more than 85% of the shares)

2022: Arrest of 11 villas

As it became known in early September 2022, the Italian authorities arrested 11 villas of the Russian billionaire Vyacheslav Kantor at once. These included those mansions that were acquired from the family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The Council of Europe ordered the arrest of the businessman's assets back in April 2022, when personal sanctions were imposed against him. But due to the complex ownership scheme, the process could not be completed until a few months later.

Vyacheslav Kantor

According to L'Union Sarda, the villas are located on the northeast coast of Sardinia, in Porto Rotondo. One of them borders on the summer residence of Berlusconi "Chertosa" itself. Among other things, some of the arrested villas were once bought from the family of a prominent Italian politician. For example, Primavera, which previously belonged to the mother of the ex-prime minister, or Dolce Drago, which belonged to his younger brother Paolo.

In early April 2022, the EU and the UK imposed personal sanctions against Kantor. At that time, he owned a controlling stake in Akron, a large producer of mineral fertilizers. In the early summer of 2022, the oligarch transferred a 45.1% stake to the management of three top managers. Kantor ranks 27th in the Forbes ranking of Russian billionaires this year. His fortune is estimated at $4.6 billion.

According to L'Union Sarda, the EU authorities believe that Kantor supports Russia's policy towards Ukraine, however, during discussions of possible sanctions, it became known that his wife is of Ukrainian origin, and citizens of Ukraine work in one of the villas, so the question arose about the need to impose restrictions. The European Jewish Congress opposed sanctions against the billionaire, calling for the measures to be lifted, calling Kantor "a respected leader who has devoted his life to the safety and well-being of European Jewish communities and the fight against anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia." ^[1]

Publications

In 1981, Vyacheslav Kantor co-authored the article "The Sun Shines at Night" along with the famous academician Joseph Alferov. Research in the field of space technology - and, in particular, the project of the solar satellite-reflector - Kantor was engaged until 1986, when he left the institute and scientific work. The project of Vyacheslav Kantor was implemented later, in 1993, and was called the Earth-2 reflector. Kantor himself watched the launch and tests of the reflector from the outside, however, by his own admission, "with interest and pride."

Awards and titles

Social work, charity, as well as business achievements brought Vyacheslav Kantor well-deserved recognition, including in the form of awards, prizes and honorary titles. In particular, as of September 2019, Moshe Kantor is the owner of the Order of the Legion of Honor (France), the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Romania), the Order of Friendship (Russia), and so on.

In 2011, Kantor was awarded an exceptionally respected award - the Medal of Merit in the Field of Tolerance from the Ecumenical Foundation Tolerance, and in 2012 he was awarded by the European Council of Jewish Communities, recognizing his achievements in the field of protecting the interests of Jews in Europe.

In 2016, Vyacheslav Kantor also won the Russian Order of Honor for many years of conscientious work in business and economics, as well as for serious achievements in improving the economic situation in the country as a whole.

Collecting

Vyacheslav Kantor is the owner of the most impressive collection of Russian avant-garde and works of emigrant artists from Russia, which he meticulously collected over the years. The cost of the collection is estimated by experts at $500 million, one of the most significant copies is the famous "Abduction of Europe" by Valentin Serov.

In 2001, Kantor created the Museum of Avant-garde Art (MAGMA) on the basis of his own collection.

In 2018, Vyacheslav Kantor became one of the 200 largest art collectors in the world, compiled by the international portal ARTnews.

Charity

In 2013, Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor donated 100 million rubles of his own funds for the construction of a residential complex for patients of the Oksochi neuropsychiatric dispensary in the Novgorod region, which was badly damaged by the fire. "Cantor's House," as this building was named, inaugurated in 2015 and was equipped with the most modern equipment and infrastructure necessary for the inhabitants of the boarding school.

In 2016, after a similar institution in the Voronezh region also suffered from a fire, Vyacheslav Kantor, on behalf of Akron PJSC, allocated 10 million rubles as a donation to the boarding house for restoration.

In 2019, in the Novgorod region, Vyacheslav Kantor came up with a charitable initiative: the creation and establishment of a full-fledged system of geriatric care, namely, the creation of a complex of institutions specializing in the rehabilitation and support of the health of senior citizens.

Family

Wife - Anna Kantor

As of September 2019, Vyacheslav Kantor and his wife are raising five children.