Leonid Mikhelson is the Chief Executive Officer, chairman and founder of Novatek, a natural gas company.
In 2017, the billionaire acquired 17 percent stake in Sibur. The company merged with TAIF Group which has numerous assets in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Novatek is also known as PAO Novatek and its main business is exploration, production, processing and marketing natural gas as well as liquid hydrocarbons.
Novatek was established in 1994 and now it is one of the largest natural gas producers in the world. The company has its headquarters in Moscow, Russia. The company has operations in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Region of Russia which is known for its plenty of natural gas fields in the world.
Yamal LNG project is the company’s flagship project. This project was developed in partnership with TotalEnergies and CNPC of China.
Leonid Mikhelson, 68, holds Russian and Israel citizenship. He was born on 11 August 1955 in Kaspiysk, Russia. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Civil Engineering from Samara Institute of Civil Engineering in 1977. Following his graduation, he started working as a foreman at a construction company in Tyumen in Siberia.
He was recruited as chief engineer of Ryazantruboprovodstroy in 1985. Two years later he became the General Director of the company which was later renamed NOVA.
Leonid Mikhelson became General Director of its holding company Novafinivest which later became Novatek.
Leond Mikhelson owns 57.5 percent of Sibur. He also owns 25% of Novatek and he is a proud owner of a megayacht known as Pacific.
Leonid Mikhelson is the founder of VAC Foundation which supports Russian art and collaborates with Tate Museums in the United Kingdom.
In 2012, Leonid Mikhelson emerged as the second richest Russian as ranked by Bloomberg.
Novatek operates an office in China from where they market Russian fuel. The company’s most recent LNG project is called Arctic LNG 2.
According to Forbes, Leonid Mikhelson is the 64th richest person in the world. He owns a mega-yacht valued at $150 million. He also owns helicopters and lots of real estate.
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