Ateneo Professor on Entrepreneurship
From the Telegraph, UK by Tom Parfitt |Moscow | January 2013
Mr. Alexander Lebedev, the KGB turned billionaire, can face up to 5 years in jail for punching property developer Sergio Polonsky, another billionaire last year while a taping a TV show. He does not deny the punching which he claims he did in self defence. He said that he is being persecuted for exposing corruption.
Lebedev left the intelligence community only in l992. He made a series of investment which saw his investments grow to $3.1 billion. He owns the Russian Investment Company which bought the National Reserve Bank of Russia. This in turn owns the 11% of the Russian Airline Aeroflot, 44% of Ilyuhsin Finance Corporation which owns significant part of the aircraft industry. NRBR owns National Meat Company and National Mortgage Company, and which owns interests in construction, textiles, trolleys, trams buses and tourism. The National Reserve Bank of Russia owns substantial interest of the core assets of Lebedev.
Lebedev also owns meida company. His Evening Press Corp in UK, bought 75.4% of Evening Standard for one pound in 2009; he also bought the Independent newspaper for one pound in 2009
His story typefies the rags to riches story of Russians. It is also incredible that a former spy should grow very wealthy so quickly; what is weird is his one pound acquisition of two major newspapers in UK only for only a total of two pounds
Lebedev had to close NRBR in November 2012 because of decrease of deposits and departure of top managers. Lebedev figures prominently in Moscow politics, running for Mayor of State of Dumas, but losing in 2003. In 2008, Gorbachev planned a political comeback together with Lebedev in 2008. He is a well known philantrophist and donor to charities
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