Sometimes it happens that fate gives a chance, but a person simply does not notice it. In the life of businessman Andrei Guryev, everything was exactly the opposite: he saw this chance and did not miss it. He was an average businessman with average profits, but one day he became the owner of the largest enterprise producing mineral fertilizers.
Biography
Andrey Grigorievich was born in 1960 in the town of Lobnya, Moscow region, in a simple Soviet family. From childhood, the boy was engaged in various sports, and when he grew up, he began to be interested in martial arts.
He wanted to connect his life with sports, so he decided to get an education at the Institute of Physical Education. However, right from his student days, he was drafted into the army, and for two years he served in the Dynamo joint-stock company. After the army, Andrei completed his studies and became a certified specialist.
Career and business
Many businessmen of the 90s grew out of the party ranks of the CPSU and the Komsomol, and Guryev is no exception. He was the secretary of the Komsomol in the Dynamo organization in 1985, then he was promoted to the secretary of the Frunzensky district committee of the Komsomol of the city of Moscow.
And when in the nineties the leapfrog began in the economy and politics of the USSR, the first cooperatives began to open - private enterprises.
Guriev has the makings of a leader and an entrepreneur, so he realized that in such times it is possible to do business. And she began with the fact that he headed the public charitable foundation "Law and order". And then in the famous "Menatep" he began to control the storage of data - this is a very important matter.
This venture is associated with the now disgraced Mikhail Khodorkovsky - at that time he clearly imagined that computer technologies would soon come to the vast territories of Russia and someone should understand all this. Therefore, the Khodorkovsky cooperative was engaged in the sale of computers and software.
However, the businessman did not stop there, and in 1990 he created an association of financial and credit organizations, where Guryev was deputy director. And three years later he became the head of the investment department of Bank Menatep.
Those years were "muddy" in terms of understanding by ordinary people of the operation of the economic, legal and other laws of capitalism, which the country entered. There were a lot of violations and illegal transactions, which, over the years, it is already impossible to expose. One thing is clear: whoever felt confident in this situation took advantage of all the opportunities that opened up.
So, in Moscow, a firm "Lars" was opened, which was engaged in real estate transactions. A large share of the firm also belonged to Khodorkovsky. It was a very large-scale project: the Lars company not only resold real estate, but also restored and built buildings in the center of Moscow. In all these matters, the novice entrepreneur Guryev studied and gained experience.
Since 1995, he became the head of one of the departments of CJSC ROSPROM, which was also part of Menatep. Soon he became the head of the entire enterprise, and in 1998 he became the manager of the private equity division.
In 2001, Guryev headed the board of directors of Apatit LLC, which was a division of Rosprom. At the same time, the PhosAgro holding, an association producing mineral fertilizers, was created.
Having gained professional experience, the entrepreneur decided to test himself in the political field, and since 2001 he has become a representative of the Murmansk region in the Federation Council of Russia.
In 2005, difficult times began for Khodorkovsky: a criminal case was opened against him and he was forced to sell half of PhosAgro's shares. So Guriev became the owner of a large association producing mineral fertilizers.
In the activities of "Apatit" there were several scandalous moments associated with non-payment of taxes, with the use of illegal schemes of purchase and sale of enterprises, with securities and violation of safety measures in the organization of workers' labor.
Since 2007, Guryev has become director of the Research Institute for Fertilizers and Insectofungicides named after V. I. I'M IN. Samoilov, who is also part of PhosAgro
In 2013, he officially retired from politics, ostensibly to do business more closely.
The state of a businessman
So, the name of the owner of PhosAgro and the main beneficiary of the joint-stock company AgroGard has been named among the richest and most influential businessmen in Russia for ten years. His photos flaunt on the covers of financial magazines, and the dynamics of profit growth is covered by Forbes magazine.
He owns one of the largest London estates - Witanhurst. It is in second place after Buckingham Palace in terms of area. Of course, he has a yacht called Alfa Nero, which costs € 115 million, as well as an Airbus A319 airliner.
As for his hobby - it is also "not cheap" for Guryev: he likes to buy expensive cars, motorcycles and ATVs. Also, Andrei Grigorievich is engaged in martial arts - he is a judo master, an honored coach of Russia.
Personal life
The family of Andrei Guriev lives on Rublevka in their house. He met his future wife at school. After he got to his feet, proposed to her, they got married and have been together ever since.
The wife of businessman Evgeny Guryev graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute and worked at the Sheremetyevo airport. Then she worked in the Moscow administration, at the Research Institute MAI. And in 2007 she became the owner of a block of shares in PhosAgro.
The Guryev family has two children: a son and a daughter. Son Andrey Guryev is involved in his father's business - he holds the position of Chairman of the Board and General Director of PhosAgro PJSC. The daughter of a businessman, Julia, works for her father's charitable foundation.
