Millionaires and oligarchs can only appear in a market economy. Any state is based on private ownership of land and means of production. According to some news agencies, Petr Kellner is the richest man in the Czech Republic.
Unexpected debut
In recent years, some publicists have been trying to convince gullible ordinary people that under the socialist system no one was engaged in entrepreneurship. This is a superficial view, far from the truth. In fact, there were such people. Among them is Peter Kellner, who was born in the small Czech town of Ceska Lipa. An event of little significance for the country took place on May 20, 1964. The family in which the future business tycoon grew up and was brought up was not distinguished by great wealth. However, she did not live in poverty either. The Kellner family lived in exactly the same way as most citizens in the countries of the socialist camp.
According to the established rules, at the age of seven, Peter went to a secondary school with an economic bias. In the early 70s, an energy crisis broke out in the world. The governments of all civilized countries began to feverishly seek a way out of this situation. In order to make meaningful management decisions, appropriately trained specialists were required. Assessing the situation in this context, it is not at all surprising that after school, Kellner received an economic education at the famous Prague University.
Some piquancy of the situation lies in the fact that the same, no less "advanced" young people were sitting on the student bench with Peter. The difference between them lies in the fact that some “rubbed their pants”, while others learned the theoretical foundations of the investment economy and the practical methods of doing business. In 1986, Kellner graduated and began working as a producer for a major film company. Cinematic creativity did not captivate him, but he applied the experience gained in the formation of financial flows very competently.
A distinguished career in business began when Kellner created a small company, Impromat. The income scheme was simple, if not primitive. A young but quick-witted entrepreneur established cooperation with a company from Japan. Copiers and computers were supplied to the Czech Republic from the Land of the Rising Sun. It is interesting to note that the Japanese partners were also young and poor by their standards. The margin from the sale of equipment on the European market reached 500%. It took Peter only a year to put together the initial capital.
Investor by vocation
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the restructuring of the economic system began in the Czech Republic. With solid financial resources at his disposal, already in 1991, Kellner established his "First Privatization Fund". By this time, he was one of the few who clearly understood how capital "works" and what mechanisms operate in the world economy. At the first stage of privatization, the future billionaire acquired a controlling stake in the largest insurance company in the Czech Republic. A year later, on the basis of this company, an investment and financial group was formed, which began to operate on the international market.
The practice of recent decades has shown that the population in Eastern Europe does not yet have the skill of handling money as a resource for generating income. The cognitive process develops very slowly. Kellner is famous for what he always keeps up with the times. And even, sometimes, half a step forward. None of the competitors and partners knows exactly what considerations the investor is guided by when making this or that decision.
On Russian soil
He made his first investments in metallurgical and energy enterprises in Russia and Ukraine. In 1998, a month before the August default, Peter urgently pulled his assets out of the Russian economy. Experts say the move saved the company from financial ruin. After a while, Kellner's company returned to the Russian market. For more than fifteen years in large Russian cities there has been a chain of stores selling electronic equipment "Eldorado". In 2016, by decision of the board of directors, this brand was sold. But they bought the Nevsky Center shopping mall in St. Petersburg.
The Kellner Investment Fund owns a majority stake in Home Credit Bank. For more than ten years, the Ingosstrakh insurance company has been owned by an investor from the Czech Republic. Since 2015, the company has been focusing on investments in the non-financial sector. It has not yet been possible to enter the Russian oil market. However, control over some metallurgical enterprises is already being carried out. In particular, a substantial stake in Polymetal was acquired. The company is engaged in the extraction of gold and other precious metals.
Charity
The investment company of Peter Kellner has systematically donated large sums of money to charitable projects. One of the directions of this activity is to support talented children who find themselves in a difficult financial situation. Grants are distributed in all countries where the company operates, including Russia.
There is very little information about the billionaire's personal life. Kellner has been married twice. There is no information about the first spouse and child. In the second marriage, Peter has three children. The husband and wife set up their own family charitable foundation. Spouses provide support to socially disadvantaged children.
