Torbakhov Alexander Yuryevich

Torbakhov Alexander Yuryevich

Biography

Born on August 22, 1971 in Moscow.

In 1994 he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute. S. Ordzhonikidze with a degree in "Gyroscopic instruments and orientation, navigation and stabilization systems." Along with his studies at the Moscow Aviation Institute, he entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, which he graduated in 1997 with a degree in economics in international economic relations.

In 2005, he studied in the MBA program at the University of Chicago (USA).

1995-2001

He began his career in 1995 as an expert in banking management at the Moscow branch of the international audit company Deloitte & Touche.

In 1997-1998 - Head of the Risk Management Department of the Rinako Plus investment company.

In November 1999, he moved to the Nikoil brokerage company as CFO.

In June 2001, he was transferred to the bank "Investment and Banking Group of NIKoil" for a similar position. He led the finance and accounting unit.

2002-2005

Since February 2002 - Chief Executive Officer for Financial Management. In August 2002, he became Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the NIKoil Investment Banking Group.

In 2005, he worked as vice president of the holding company Rosgosstrakh"," head of the life insurance unit.

2008-2010

In February 2008, he was appointed general director of the Rosgosstrakh-Life insurance company.

From April 2009 to June 2010 he worked as General Director of OJSC VimpelCom"."

Since September 2010, he worked Sberbank Russia as an adviser to the president.

Since October 2010, he took the post of member of the board, deputy chairman of the board of Sberbank. He oversaw the work of the Retail Business block.

2018: Departure from Sberbank

On November 13, 2018, the Kommersant newspaper, citing its own sources, announced the imminent departure of the deputy chairman of the board, curator of the retail business of Sberbank, Alexander Torbakhov, from the credit institution. The departure from the company was caused by his own initiative - Torbakhov considered the prospects for his career growth at Sberbank exhausted. The top manager has not yet decided on a new place of work on November 13, 2018.

According to Kommersant's sources, Alexander Torbakhov expected that he would be able to get the post of first deputy chairman of the board, which as a result went to the senior vice president, curator of risks, in June 2018. Alexandru Vedyakhin Mr. Vedyakhin paid a lot of attention robotizations to the processes, artificial intelligence which was close to the head of Sberbank, Hermann Gref while Alexander Torbakhov adhered to a more classical approach. Sberbank refrained from commenting. It was not possible to contact the top manager of Kommersant himself.

Maria Yankovskaya, head of financial practice at Morgan Hunt Executive Serch, drew the publication's attention to the contribution of a top manager to "the formation of an updated retail of Sberbank, to turning it into an actively selling network using many of the latest technologies." The head of the board of directors of TopContact Artur Shamilov, in turn, noted that under Alexander Torbakhov, credit cards, Sberbank-online, digital services appeared in the bank, "branches and quality of service have changed significantly."^[1]

2019: Nomination to head the Innovation and Technology Committee

On January 29, 2019, Russian  retailer X5 Retail Group nominated Alexander Torbakhov as a candidate for joining the group's supervisory board.

As reported on the X5 website, Torbakhov's candidacy was approved by the company's supervisory board itself on January 25, 2019, and on May 10 it was to be considered at a shareholder meeting. The former curator of Sberbank's retail business could become chairman of the innovation and technology committee. 

Alexander Torbakhov nominated as a candidate for joining the supervisory board of X5 Retail Group

The main tasks of the new structure were to be the analysis and presentation to the supervisory board of recommendations on digital transformation, innovation and technologies, the company said.

Torbakhov has significant experience in the field of digital transformation, which he received, in particular, at Sberbank, where until recently he served as deputy chairman of the board and head of the retail block, X5 explained the choice of candidate.

As noted by Vedomosti, Kh5 in the fall of 2018 presented investors with a new strategy, within the framework of which the company decided to adapt to the next generation of retail. Then the chief executive officer  of X5Igori Shechterman said that offline retail would remain the largest market for the group.

But gradually the consumer begins to choose new ways of shopping, and the Kh5 must adapt to this. Thus, the retailer's plans included the development of online sales, infrastructure for e-commerce^[2]

In 2018, X5 Retail Group opened the X5 Lab store for rapid technical testing, research and development of new technologies. In the room adjacent to the Pyaterochka trading hall, there was a laboratory office for developers, service engineers, support staff, analysts and IT specialists who can see testing directly in the store.

  Technologies tested at X5 Lab, including electronic price tags and self-service cash desks, according to plans, were supposed to save large amounts of the company. Electricity consumption and climate monitoring technology alone was designed to reduce energy costs by 15%.

2020: Appointment as CEO of VimpelCom

Alexander Torbakhov has been appointed General Director of VimpelCom (Beeline brand). The new head of the company will begin his duties on April 6, 2020. This was reported in VimpelCom on April 3, 2020.

As CEO, Torbakhov will report to the co-directors of Veon, the parent company of Beeline, Sergi Herrero and Kaan Terzioglu.

In their opinion, Torbakhov's experience and leadership will play a key role in the transformation of operational and financial indicators. "VimpelCom

Heading the company, I undertake to put the interests of our clients at the center of Beeline's future strategy, "said Alexander Torbakhov.

2022: Top managers of VimpelCom buy the operator from Veon

On November 24, 2022, VimpelCom announced the sale of the company to its leaders, including CEO Alexander Torbakhov. Under the terms of the agreement, Veon holding will gain 130 billion rubles from the sale of the Russian asset. Read more here.

2025

Seizure of assets worth ₽1,6 billion

On June 7, 2025, it became known that the Arbitration Court of the Bryansk Region seized the assets of Alexander Torbakhov, chairman of the board of directors of VimpelCom, in the amount of ₽1,6 billion. This decision was made in the framework of the bankruptcy case of the Unechsky refractory metals plant.

According to RBC, the judicial measure was applied at the request of the bankruptcy manager of the plant Oleg Prida to collect the debts of the enterprise, which was declared bankrupt in 2021. The property of the plant was sold, but the proceeds were not enough to cover the debt to creditors.

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Фото: Gennady Gulyaev/Kommersant

In the court decision, Torbakhov was named one of the beneficiaries of the Unechsky refractory metal plant along with Efim Pletenev, Mikhail and Denis Gorbachev. The seizure is imposed on the assets of all beneficiaries of the plant within the outstanding size of the creditors' claims. The exception is money in the amount of the monthly subsistence minimum, taking into account the family members of each of the responsible persons.

The assets of the Topas company, whose founders are Torbakhov and Denis Gorbachev, also came under arrest. The director of the enterprise is Efim Pletenev. The court measures affected the property of the Experimental Plant of Refractory Metals and Hard Alloys, associated with the non-profit partnership "Tungsten."

The largest Russian manufacturer of tungsten products Wolfram Company, Wolfram-Invest and other related structures have been brought to subsidiary liability for the obligations of the Unechsky Plant.

Torbakhov, Pletenev and the Gorbachev brothers are business partners in the production of refractory metals. Pletenev heads Zabaykalsky Wolfram and previously led Wolfram Invest. Denis Gorbachev owned a 50% stake in Trans-Baikal Tungsten and Topaz^[3]

Withdrawal from the number of co-owners of VimpelCom

Former CEO VimpelCom Alexander Torbakhov has lost the status of owner of a controlling stake in a telecommunications operator known under the brand. Beeline He is no longer the beneficiary of the company "," Copernicus-Invest 3 which owns the mobile operator, and is excluded from the board of directors. Information about the change of ownership became known in July 2025.

According to RBC, the changes in the ownership structure were confirmed by an investment banker aware of the reshuffle among shareholders, a source close to the company, and an interlocutor associated with the co-owners of VimpelCom. According to one of the sources, Torbakhov's share in the capital of Copernicus-Invest 3 was redistributed between the rest of the co-owners of the telecommunications holding.

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Фото: Gleb Shchelkunov/Kommersant

At the end of May 2025, Torbakhov resigned as CEO of Copernicus-Invest 3, as well as the companies Copernicus-Invest and Copernicus-Invest 2 he created. The management of VimpelCom refrained from commenting on the ongoing organizational changes in the ownership structure.

In the quarterly reporting of VimpelCom for the first three months of 2025, Torbakhov appeared as the beneficial owner of Copernicus-Invest 3. He also served as chairman of the board of directors of the telecommunications company and made key strategic decisions to develop the business.

Torbakhov became a co-owner of VimpelCom in November 2022 together with a group of top managers of the operator. The new owners included Executive Vice President for Retail Business Svetlana Kirsanova, Executive Vice President for Corporate Business Development Maxim Zaikov, Vice President for Technology Valery Shorzhin and Vice President for Corporate Development, Mergers and Acquisitions Renat Nasretdinov.^[4]

Notes