Petr Olegovich Aven managed to be noted both in politics and in business, managed to collect an impressive collection of art objects, is engaged in charity work, is a co-owner of the largest holdings in the country.
In the formation of Petr Aven as a businessman, philanthropist and politician, there is no "hand of blat" and support from the outside. The man achieved all heights only on his own, thanks to his dedication, hard work and patience. Now he is one of the largest collectors in Russia, a co-owner of Alfa Group, a shareholder in a holding that owns a controlling stake in Euroset and VimpelCom. Who is he and where is he from? Why did he give up the development of his political career?
Biography
Petr Olegovich was born in Moscow, March 16, 1955, in a family of intellectuals. The boy's father was a "Russianized" Latvian, and his mother was Jewish. Both of them had academic degrees and taught in educational institutions of the capital. Oleg Ivanovich Aven had doctoral and professorial degrees, taught computer science and telemechanics at Moscow State University. What sciences Peter's mother knew perfectly is unknown.
Petr Olegovich received his secondary general education at the legendary Physics and Mathematics School No. 2 in Moscow, which was later closed - the brilliant teachers and students of the school simply left the country. After receiving the certificate, Aven entered Moscow State University, where his father taught, planned to develop in the field of science, but his dreams were not destined to come true, although all the prerequisites for this were. He was one of the best students in the course of economic cybernetics, after graduating from the university he trained in Austria.
When Peter Aven returned to Russia, the country was undergoing large-scale political and economic transformations. His friends at Moscow State University - Yegor Gaidar, Mikhail Fridman - were already successful either in business or in politics, and he decided to follow their example.
Career
From 1991 to 1992, Petr Olegovich Aven served as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR. At that time, the government was led by his friend and associate Yegor Gaidar. After Yegor Timurovich left his post, Aven also resigned. But he did not remain “out of work” for long - almost immediately he became an adviser to Boris Berezovsky, who at that time was the president of LogoVAZ. Many years later, Peter wrote a book about this period of his career called "The Time of Berezovsky", in which he debunked most of the myths about his leader and friend.
And just a year after leaving the political arena of the country, Petr Olegovich created his first financial brainchild - "FinPA" (Finance of Petr Aven). The company did not issue anything, it did not have initial capital and assets - Aven, with associates and colleagues, provided advisory services. Among their clients was Alfa-Bank, of which Pyotr Olegovich himself soon became a co-owner.
From that moment, the dizzying career of Petr Olegovich as a businessman started. By 2019, according to Forbes magazine, he took 21st place in the list of the richest people in Russia. The list of its assets includes cellular companies, supermarkets and cinemas, TV channels, oil and gas holdings, insurance agencies, car dealers, and IT companies.
Arts and charity
Petr Olegovich Aven is a major collector. The total value of his collections is over $ 500 million. The man is not limited to any one direction, collects art paintings and graphic images, figurines, porcelain and majolica items made in the 19th and 20th centuries. He collected the entire collection on his own, without resorting to the help of curators or resellers, never exchanged or sold his acquisitions. Now Aven dreams of creating a private museum that anyone can visit.
Petr Olegovich is also active in fiction - he is the author of several books about political figures of the country, a devastating review of Prilepin's sensational novel entitled "Sankya" and other works.
In addition to collecting and writing, Aven is actively involved in charity work. In 2008, he, together with his late wife Elena, opened the Generation Foundation. The organization supports children's health care areas, cultural exchange between Latvia and the Russian Federation.
Petr Olegovich does not forget about his historical roots. Together with Abramovich and Vekselberg, he finances the maintenance of the Jewish Museum, replenishment of its collections. In addition, the patron is the trustee of the Olympians Support Fund, the Russian School of Economics, the Pushkin Museum and about 10 other art institutions of various directions.
Personal life
In the life of Peter Olegovich Aven there were only two women. He lived with his first wife Elena for 30 years, but in 2015 he lost her - the cause of the woman's death was a detached blood clot. Elena Vladimirovna Aven was a historian, gave her husband two children - son Denis and daughter Daria. Both of them were born in Austria, have dual citizenship, but permanently reside abroad.
Two years after the death of his wife, Pyotr Aven appeared in public with a new chosen one - she was a certain Kozina Catherine. The man did not give any explanations, did not indicate the status of his companion, but the press found "hot" facts. According to some publications, the couple already have a common child - a boy named Philip.
Now Petr Olegovich Aven lives permanently in Barvikha, devotes a lot of time not only to work and charity, but also to his hobbies - collecting, sports, hunting.
