Roman Avdeev, the main owner of Credit Bank of Moscow, does not associate his successes with business. He is philosophical about many things, and considers family values ​​and movement a priority in his life. But it was his business successes that allowed the banker not only to become one of the hundred richest entrepreneurs in Russia, but also to expand his empire, create several charitable foundations, help orphans and, most importantly, become the largest billionaire in the world.

Dossier:

  • FULL NAME: Roman Ivanovich Avdeev.
  • Date of Birth: July 17, 1967.
  • Education:

    Moscow International University of Business and Information Technologies;

    Lipetsk State Technical University.

  • Business start date / age: 1989/22 years old.
  • Startup activity: trade in equipment and computers.
  • Current activity:

    President of the management company "MKB Capital";

    Chairman of the Board of Directors of LLC Concern ROSSIUM;

    Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC INGRAD;

    member of the Board of Directors of NPF Soglasie JSC, NPF Soglasie-OPS JSC, SKS Bank (LLC);

    member of the Supervisory Board of CREDIT BANK OF MOSCOW.

  • Link to pages in social networks:

Roman Avdeev is a multifaceted and interesting personality. Reading his publications - Roman Ivanovich writes columns for Forbes, maintains a personal blog in LJ, has pages on social networks - you are amazed at the depth of thought and philosophical outlook on many things, including charity, business success, and life principles. A single thread that connects all statements is the reasoning about the inalienability of continuous changes from the life of every person.

For Roman Avdeev, business is just a means to achieve goals, and success is dynamics.

“The goal of any business is to create profit-generating systems. But the business itself is a tool, not a goal. And from this point of view, in business it is not so much the profit itself and the technology of obtaining it that is important, but the possibility of creativity ... ”, - R. Avdeev.
Source: personal site.

And this applies to any spheres of his activity and hobbies. Roman was able to assess the emerging opportunities and future prospects back in the late 80s, at a time when many were afraid of any changes, did not know which way to move.

His first business, dealing with the trade of radio components, was rapidly gaining momentum, and the aspiring entrepreneur was already able to discern the potential of banking.

The idea was embodied in the 1994 acquisition of Credit Bank of Moscow. Although, in fact, it was just an office and a package of documents. From that moment on, the success story of both Roman Avdeev himself and his brainchild, the MKB Bank, begins.

Fig. 1. Successful businessman and philanthropist Avdeev.
Source: lenta.ru

Avdeev's interests expanded far beyond the boundaries of banking. For almost 30 years of entrepreneurial activity, he has been involved in agriculture, commercial real estate, development, pharmaceuticals, retail, and natural resource extraction. But in most cases, a successful business was sold, and the proceeds were used to capitalize the same MKB bank.

“Business is just a business that will sooner or later be sold,” - R. Avdeev.

The most successful projects were consolidated under the wing of the Rossium concern, which was founded by Avdeev in 2006 and remains today the main investment division of the businessman.

The empire of Roman Ivanovich expanded systematically, so the information about the entry of the main owner of the bank MKB in 2011 into the Forbes rating did not surprise anyone.

But the businessman himself was philosophical about the change in status.

“Perhaps someone will think that I am cunning, but I am absolutely not moved by the fact that my last name appeared on the famous Forbes list. Neither before nor after this circumstance has anything changed in my life and business. Not surprisingly, none of the people who know me well thought of congratulating me on this event. It is much more valuable for me that Forbes readers are more interested not in the issues of my business, but in more eternal family values, ”- Roman Avdeev in an interview for Forbes magazine.

Indeed, family values ​​for Roman are not just grandiloquent words. After all, 23 children are being brought up in his family, 19 of which are adopted.

How does a successful businessman manage to keep his finger on the pulse of a difficult business, take care of his rather large family and help orphans, keep several blogs and devote time to his sports hobbies? Perhaps we can find the answers in a short biography and statements by Roman Avdeev.

Towards Big Business

The small homeland of Roman Avdeev is the city of Odintsovo in the Moscow region. He was born here in July 1967, and lives here today with his large family.

Rice. 2. The Avdeev family.
Source: site romanavdeev.ru

The hero's childhood was not much different from the standard childhood of most Soviet schoolchildren. The Avdeev family lived modestly, if not poorly. According to Roman himself, he had to go to school in a sweatshirt - work clothes that were given to parents at work.

By the way, the boy did not have much interest in studying. The realization of the importance of the process came only in high school.

Fig. 3. Roman Avdeev as a child.
Source: site romanavdeev.ru

Like many teenagers of that time, he was seriously interested in radio electronics. But this hobby did not affect the choice of the university. In 1984, the guy entered the Moscow Power Engineering Institute.

But he managed to unlearn only 2 years, as he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army. He served in the city of Kostroma in the construction battalion.

Rice. 4. Student and soldier Roman Avdeev, 1984-1986.
Source: site romanavdeev.ru

After the service, his life did not change much, except that he added concern for his family and his little son. Student Avdeev had to look for ways to feed a young family. But part-time work at the department of the institute and night work as a watchman and a cleaner in one of the vocational schools made it possible to earn crumbs, which were not enough even for the most necessary.

Everything changed dramatically in 1989.

“During the years of perestroika and the collapse of the USSR, the rules of life have completely changed. People got the opportunity to start their own business, but only a few decided on it. Then it was necessary to take a risk, to take responsibility, but the majority was not ready for this, "- R. Avdeev.

And he took a chance and never regretted it. Avdeev's first business, which he organized in 1989, was associated with the sale of radio components, as well as decoders for televisions.

Rice. 5. Aspiring entrepreneur in '89.
Source: site romanavdeev.ru

At first, they traded in the markets of Moscow, later they entered the markets of other cities, including Leningrad, began to transport computers from abroad, and entered into a supply agreement with the Ukrainian enterprise Elektronmash. The specifics of the work and the emergence of national currencies forced Avdeev to engage in currency exchange operations. It was at this time that he realizes that he gets more profit from converting rubles than from trading operations.

So the idea came up to try your hand at banking.

“Around this time, I got the idea that a bank could be an independent business. By the way, the banking business still seems interesting and promising to me, ”- R. Avdeev.

The path from a paper business to the largest financial institution

Avdeev found his "own bank" by means of an advertisement. In fact, in 1994 he bought not a ready-made business, but only a package of documents and a loud name - "Credit Bank of Moscow". In the load he got an office and a staff of 14 employees.

Rice. 6. An aspiring banker in 1994.
Source: site romanavdeev.ru

At the beginning of his journey, he hardly planned to create a bank that would take the 9th place in terms of assets in 2018, losing position only, and will be recognized as a systemically important financial institution, the largest private regional commercial bank.

At the same time Avdeev continued to experiment, to try his hand in other directions:

“The main thing in business is a sense of the moment and the speed of decision making”, - R. Avdeev.

He sold non-core business without regret, and used the proceeds from the sale of assets to capitalize his bank. But the decision to direct all funds and efforts to the development of the ICD Roman Ivanovich takes only in 2008.

It was at this time that he became the Chairman of the Board of the IBC.

“I believe that a shareholder should not run the bank. But it was during this period that I had to take full responsibility for myself, strengthen the team, raise the corporate spirit, "- R. Avdeev.

It took him 10 months to bring the business to a new stage of development. Thanks to a well-thought-out strategy, the bank painlessly survived the crisis and even improved its positions.

Roman Ivanovich himself left the leading post and "took an observation position."

Other business assets of Avdeev

Avdeev began to consolidate his assets in 2006 by founding the Rossium Concern.

Capital assets of Roman Avdeev are concentrated:

  • finance (Credit Bank of Moscow).

He also owns agricultural land in the Black Earth Region, a hosiery factory, a woodworking plant, real estate and shares in construction markets.

State

It takes 102 place in the rating of the Russian-language version of Forbes "The Richest Businessmen of Russia - 2011". Roman Avdeev's fortune is estimated at $ 950 million.

Biography

Born on July 17, 1967 in Odintsovo, Moscow Region, Russia.

Education

After the tenth grade, he entered the Department of Automated Control Systems for Thermal Processes of the Heat Power Engineering Faculty. After completing the second year, he was drafted into the army.

1994 - graduated from the business course "Practical Course in Banking" at the Moscow International University of Business and Information Technologies.

1995 - Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Moscow Credit Bank.

In the mid-1990s, Roman Avdeev acquired a controlling stake in the Lebedyanskiy sugar plant (Lipetsk region) and bought agricultural land around it. By the mid-2000s, an agro-industrial group "Chernozemye" was formed on their basis, producing 3% of domestic sugar. In 2005-2008, these assets were sold. The proceeds from the sale went to the capitalization of the Credit Bank of Moscow, as well as the acquisition of other assets.

2005 - General Director of the Rossium concern, which is its main investment division.

2008 - began to develop the Sever-Les group (Arkhangelsk), which includes 18 companies in the timber and woodworking industries.

since 2008 - a member of the supervisory board of the Moscow Credit Bank (in November 2008 Avdeev left the executive position of the Moscow Credit Bank, transferring the powers of the chairman of the bank's board to Alexander Nikolashin, but remained a member of its supervisory board.

Roman Avdeev on changes in the ICD

2010 - created a large development company Domus-Finance. The main activity of the company is investing in various development projects, including the construction and sale of mass housing in Moscow and the Moscow region, construction and operation of commercial real estate.

2014: Sale to Americans of the manufacturer of medicines "Veropharm"

In 2014, the American company Abbott gained control over Veropharm by purchasing the company's shares for 16.7 billion rubles from Roman Avdeev's Garden Hills company. Avdeev on the eve of the deal increased his stake in Veropharm to 98.3%. Apparently, it was this block of shares that passed to foreign buyers.

2016: Obtaining control in the developer OPIN Mikhail Prokhorov

Hobbies

Prefers active rest. Doing yoga, jogging, rowing, cycling, skiing.

2009 - together with polar explorer Mikhail Malakhov climbed Wilson Peak - the highest point in Antarctica.

He is fond of philosophy.

A convinced vegetarian.

Roman Avdeev, together with a partner, owns 6 hectares of land 1.5 km from the Moscow Ring Road along the Minsk highway, where the construction market of the Stroy TVC with 500 retail outlets is located.

In the Moscow region, Roman Avdeev is also a co-owner of a hosiery factory (Kupavna), in the construction of which he invested $ 20 million.

Leads a blog on LiveJournal, which is relayed to other social networks.

Family status

He is married with a third marriage, has 20 children, relatives and foster children.

“At first I just helped orphanages, but then I realized that it was a useless occupation. I adopt children under the age of one year. An adoptive parent must be ready for any turns, including childhood illnesses at an early age. I do not choose children. I accept them by anyone.

Children are given names at birth in the hospital, and we do not change them. But when there were more guys, there were several cases with the repetition of names. Then I gave new names for Christmastide.

I don’t remember all 20 children's birthdays as a keepsake. In my childhood, birthday celebration was a long-awaited holiday, and for my children the meaning of this holiday is somewhat devalued. But we celebrate all DR only personally.

All our children speak two languages ​​- Russian and English. They get to know two cultures at the same time. With such an upbringing, they are not limited by the framework of one language. In addition, fluency in English also has its utilitarian value for the further development of children in the future.

We have a teacher-curator who schedules activities for children, which include music, German, swimming, playing chess, trips to theaters and museums. My wife is engaged in the selection of personnel, the choice of schools and circles. Children of school age, now there are three of them, go to the same school, in Odintsovo. It's more convenient for everyone. "

"It is very important for a person to become a person"
R. Avdeev

Roman Ivanovich Avdeev is a successful businessman, philosopher, member of the Supervisory Board of the Moscow Credit Bank and the father of twenty-three children. Roman Avdeev is on the 68th line of the rating of the Russian edition of Forbes "200 richest businessmen in Russia - 2014" with a fortune of 1.4 billion dollars.

The future billionaire was born in 1967 in the small town of Odintsovo, where he spent all his childhood. In 1984, Roman Avdeev was enlisted in the ranks of students at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, and two years later he was drafted into the army. After the army, the famous businessman continued his studies, which he combined with a part-time job.

On the path of building a business

The future billionaire opened his own business in 1989. Banking was not Roman Avdeev's first choice in business. The businessman founded an enterprise that was engaged in the distribution of decoders and the import of computers to Russia. Subsequently, cooperation was established with the Ukrainian electronics manufacturer, the Electronmash plant. Soon, however, Avdeev noticed that he was making more money on foreign exchange transactions than on trading activities and decided to try his hand at banking. In 1994, the entrepreneur took a business course at the Moscow International University of Business and Information Technologies. In the same year, Avdeev buys the Moscow Credit Bank. As the entrepreneur himself recalls on his website, at that time the bank was a package of documents and fourteen people in the state. All processes were set up from scratch and now the Moscow Credit Bank is one of the largest and most stable credit institutions in the country.

In the mid-90s, the young businessman turned his attention to the agro-industrial business: he bought shares in Lebedyansky Sugar Plant OJSC and the surrounding territories. In 1996 Avdeev graduated from Lipetsk State Technical University. By 2006, an agricultural holding "Chernozemye" was organized, which produced about 3% of Russian sugar. However, at that time Avdeev did not see any growth prospects for this business and sold it. The proceeds were used to increase the capital of MKB.

In 2005 Avdeev became the CEO of the Rossium group of companies. Roman Avdeev is a co-owner of a factory in the city of Kupavna. He invested about $ 20 million in this venture.

In 2008 Avdeev decided to build a business in the forestry and woodworking industries. However, this business entrepreneur also decided to sell and invest in the development of MKB.

In 2010, the entrepreneur organized the Domus Finance real estate agency.

A year ago, through the Gardenhills company, Avdeev acquired a controlling stake in the large Russian company Veropharm, which produces pharmaceuticals. On December 12, 2014, the American company Abbott bought out a controlling stake. Abbot paid about $ 305 million for the venture.

Interests and hobbies of Roman Avdeev

Roman Ivanovich is a very versatile personality. The billionaire prefers outdoor activities. The businessman considers sports as a tool for character education. Roman Avdeev's hobbies include yoga, rowing, cycling, and skiing. In 2009, the billionaire conquered Wilson's Peak. Back in the late 90s, Roman Avdeev became interested in philosophy. The entrepreneur believes that philosophy provides logical and research material, and business can bring this material to life.

Despite the fact that a successful entrepreneur devotes a lot of time to work, he considers his family to be his main interest in life. In addition to his four children, Roman Ivanovich has nineteen foster children. Avdeev adopted the first two babies in 2002. According to the businessman, the decision to adopt children came to him after realizing that assistance to orphanages was ineffective. It is important for a child to feel that he has a family. In an interview with 7ya.ru, the banker told in accordance with what principles his family lives. Upon adoption, Roman Ivanovich does not choose children. However, he believes that adoption should be done before the age of 1 in order to invest as much as possible in the child in early childhood. It is very important to devote time to your child, and not buy off expensive toys. All the children of a businessman learn, in addition to Russian, also English. Roman Ivanovich considers it important to instill in children respect for people. In March 2014, the businessman opened the Arithmetic of Good charity foundation.

The billionaire spoke to Forbes magazine about his attitude to business and success.

In business, Roman Avdeev adheres to the following principles:

A business is just a business that will sooner or later be sold.

Business is a tool, not a goal. This is an opportunity to do something.

For long-term success, luck is not enough; you need to work hard.

In business, it is very important to make decisions quickly.

A person should do a job in which he is a professional.

In his interview for Euromoney, the billionaire expressed the opinion that the main problem of Russian business is the lack of business thinking. First of all, the education system is to blame for this. Education was good during the Soviet Union, but it was tuned to an industrial society. Now reform is needed to fit the modern business environment. Education should not only transfer knowledge, but also show students the sources of knowledge and how to apply them.

Regarding the topical issue for Russians of the West's sanctions against the Russian Federation, in the same “Euromoney” Avdeev gave his vision of the situation. The banker believes that at some point the parties will be able to sit down together and discuss a solution to the issue. The current situation is unfavorable for both sides, and the main problem is the lack of communication between the two sides. Roman Avdeev is sure that sanctions against banks controlled by the state are automatically sanctions against the entire banking sector of the country. The closure of the international bond market for Sberbank and VTB can in no way be to the benefit of private banks, in particular MKB. At the same time, MKB has a fairly diversified funding base. If access to one source of financing is limited, this is tangible for the bank, but should not cause serious problems. The businessman believes that Russian clients will not leave Western banks that provide loans to support business under the influence of political events. Avdeev considers it possible to create a national payment system, but at the same time proposes to answer the questions, what are the goals of creation, how effective it will be and whether it will allow getting a better place in the global world system.

In the family of Roman Avdeev, 23 children are growing, who are now from 7 to 17 years old, there are six of their own children, 17 are adopted. However, Roman Avdeev never separates his children. He accepts them, first of all, into his heart, and only then into his family. He has the financial ability to provide good conditions for children, but his attitude directly to upbringing deserves sincere respect.

How it all began


Roman Avdeev was born in Odintsovo, for a long time he lived with his family in a communal apartment. There were four of them in one room: grandmother, dad and mom, and Roman. In addition, relatives constantly came to them, friends came, and at the same time everything was somehow fun, kind. Although the parents, for sure, had a very difficult time. But they knew how to create such an atmosphere in the house so that everyone was comfortable, albeit in one small room.

Later, the family received another room, but the relationship has always remained warm. Parents always tried to understand their son, even when he slammed the door in adolescence, and once left home altogether, accusing his father and mother of not loving him. Probably, it was then, in childhood, that his own understanding of what a family should be like was born.


Roman Avdeev still has great respect for the opinion of Galina Borisovna and Ivan Isaakovich, who now live in a neighboring village and often come to his house on foot and without warning.

After school, Roman Ivanovich entered the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, served in the army, and then went into business, he had his own cooperative for the production of decoders. Later acquired by the Moscow Credit Bank.


Then he already had two sons who were born in his first marriage. And in 2002, with his second wife, he adopted twins Katya and Timur. Unfortunately, even then the businessman's wife knew that she had cancer, but hoped to defeat it. And even at that difficult time, she fully supported her husband's desire to accept children into the family.

Adopt a child


Roman Avdeev's desire to take up adoption was far from spontaneous. For a long time, he was involved in helping orphanages and came to the conclusion that it was simply pointless.

The current wife of Roman Avdeev, Elena, does not just support her husband. She married him when the banker already had 12 children and he knew for sure: this was far from the limit.


He was often asked questions about why he should take on such a burden. Business requires attention, time and effort. The upbringing of children, too, should not be allowed to take its course. But Roman Avdeev knew exactly what he was doing and why. And he just can't do it any other way. Raising children is the most important thing in his life.


He never chooses a child, only tries to take a baby who will live in a family from an early age. Sometimes he laughs: children from time to time sadly talk about their difficult childhood, and they ended up in the Avdeev family at an age when they certainly did not consciously perceive the surrounding reality, that is, they were still babies.

Simple happiness


There are as many as three houses on Roman Avdeev's plot. This is not a luxury, but a necessity, because every child should have their own personal space, their own room. The most amazing thing is that the whole family lives in a very special regime. There are no general ups and downs. The head of the family usually wakes up and leaves for work before everyone else, trying not to wake up the household.

Children wake up all in their own way. Pupils study in three different schools, the most common, where they are able to give a normal education. The kindergartens that the children attended were also the most common, municipal. This was the principled position of Roman and his wife: no elite private institutions.


Roman Avdeev admits: he adopted the youngest three children seven years ago. So far I stopped at this. He knows that he could have adopted many more babies, but then he himself would hardly have had the strength to take part in everyone's life. Roman Avdeev believes that it is absolutely impossible to buy off children with money, gifts, fashionable gadgets and trips to the Maldives. It is important for a child to feel the love of parents, their attention and care. And in this sense, a small and a large family are exactly the same.

Even at the time when Roman Ivanovich was helping orphanages, he noticed: growing up, girls and boys are not at all adapted to life. They have no idea what personal property is, they don't know how to cook and wash.


Therefore, everything is different in his house. Yes, there is a cook, but on his weekend the girls are happy to cook porridge and pasta, dumplings and sausages, they even make sweets that dad simply cannot refuse.

In addition to the cook, the family has seven people who help to take the children to school, tell them how to write an essay or solve an equation. However, Roman Ivanovich tries to do mathematics with children himself. All children are required to learn English from an early age. Growing up, children get the opportunity to study abroad, but only during the holidays.


Roman Avdeev, despite all his busyness, always finds time for children. He does not try to put pressure on children, but he makes it clear that he makes the main decisions in the family only because he is older and more experienced. And also on the rights of what financially provides for everyone. The message is this: become independent and make decisions.

He tries to raise children by his own example and never forgets that children need his love. Material things, of course, are very important, but much more important are cozy family evenings, a wooden stool made together with the sons, a joint trip to the country house, gatherings around the fire, sports.


Roman Ivanovich Avdeev does not hide the fact that he will not leave a fortune to children. He will help everyone to get an education, get a job, buy housing and independently choose their own path. One thing is absolutely clear: Avdeev's children will certainly not become burners of life.

Today it is generally accepted that huge families with 10 or more children are a relic of the past. By the way, there are not so few of them in our country. Of course, a family with three children is now considered a large family, by old standards this is not much, but for most modern parents it is already a feat. In St. Petersburg, for example, according to statistics, there is only one percent of such brave men, but in Ingushetia - more than half.

Avdeev opened his own cooperative in 1989. In 1994, he bought the Moscow Credit Bank. By 2006, he created the Chernozemye agricultural holding and became the general director of the Rossium investment concern. In 2010, he opened the Domus-Finance real estate agency, and in 2012, the Ingrad development company. In 2017, he bought the Torpedo football club. Married three times.

The main business of the life of businessman Roman Avdeev is his family. Given its size, he built several houses on his site. Children have playrooms, a cinema, a swimming pool, a ski track. It is a pity to bring everyone together - already grown up and still small - does not work out often, only on big holidays.

Roman Avdeev adopted his first children when he was 34 years old. The second wife of the businessman then had oncology, but the wife supported her husband's intention to take twins Katya and Tima into the family. They agreed with the decision of the father and sons from the first marriage, Anton and Cyril. After the death of his second wife, Roman Ivanovich, being a wealthy widower, adopted 10 more children.

Roman Avdeev: “We discussed with my wife for a long time whether we can or cannot. Because there was such a story - I helped orphanages for a long time, and then I realized that it didn’t work ”.

According to Avdeev, it is easier for a man than for a woman to accept non-natural children. And he is very grateful to his third wife, who brings up adopted children and children from past marriages with him as family.

Avdeev said that for the first time he decided to take just two children, because he wanted both a boy and a girl at once.

Roman Avdeev: “We wanted twins precisely because these children have less chances of getting into a family. They take it easier than one. Then I took all the other children from Odintsovo or Naro-Fominsk hospitals - just the nearest districts. We had gender preferences. But then, when it came down to specifics, they got confused all the time. Ideally, they wanted to have an equal share of boys and girls. And now we have more boys. "

Now eight children live with their parents. The youngest are 6 years old. From the age of 12, many were sent to study abroad - to the UK and Germany. Children spend weekends with their parents whenever possible. Making a stool for a Forbes billionaire with your son is the best entertainment for Saturday night.

The main thing in relationships with children, according to Avdeev, is trust, and not the amount of time you spend with them. In his family, they receive various opportunities, but the billionaire does not plan to leave an inheritance to them.

Roman Avdeev: “I try to help them and try to give what will remain with them all the time - this is upbringing, education, knowledge. And then they have to choose and rely on themselves. I always say: I will help you, and you can always count on me, but I will not do anything for you. I definitely want to leave everything for charity and for solving the problems of orphanhood. "