Mikhail Prokhorov

Mikhail Prokhorov Photo

Mikhail Prokhorov is a politician, a multibillionaire and the owner of the basketball team the ‘Brooklyn Nets’. He is one of the most prominent figure in Russia with his good looks and achievements the most eligible bachelors. The self-made billionaire is said to have made no mistakes in his entire career.

Prokhorov was born on 3rd May 1965 in Moscow, Russia. People say that he was born in the right, well placed family at the right time that is when Russia was making its economic reforms. Education was considered to be a vital asset for the family. After graduating from the Moscow Finance Institute in 1989, he started working at the International Bank for Economic Cooperation till 1992. He also got the position of the head of the management board of MFK Bank and the United Export-Import Bank. He acquired his solid work ethics from his family along with an innate love for sports training. While his peers chased girls Prokhorov busied himself with books and learning the English language. The six feet seven inch billionaire joined the Komsomol, the Soviet Youth organization where he volunteered to take as much work load as was possible and consequently was promoted very soon. In 1983 at the age of 18, Mikhail Prokhorov had to enlist in the army where he served for two years in the elite missile troops. Soon after this he joined the Communist Party. Along with his job at the bank Prokhorov with his friend Aleksandr Khloponin started producing stone-washed jeans.

Things were going monotonously until Prokhorov met Vladimir Potanin. They became business partners and the duo made a lot of money together. They opened a joint stock at the MFK bank with Prokhorov assuming the position of chairman of the board. He started a new bank called Onexim Bank in 1993. Prokhorov was good at everything he did. With his easy going nature and hard work he became the life of the party who was superb at managing the company. Prokhorov and Potanin bought ‘Norilsk Nickel;’ a huge industrial conglomerate. From 1998 till 2000 Prokhorov was the President and Chairman of Onexim Bank. In 2000-2001 he was also the president of the joint stock in the commercial bank ‘Rosbank’. He made the company into one of the biggest palladium and nickel producer of the world and a leading manufacturer of copper and platinum. From 2006 he has served as the Chairman of the Board of ‘Polyus Gold’ one of Russia’s biggest producer of gold. He also owns shares in the largest aluminum firm of the world, Rusal. Mikhail Prokhorov has had his share of controversies too; in 2007 he was arrested for bringing prostitutes to a Christmas party. In 2011 he announced that he would run for president against Vladimir Putin which according to him was the most important decision he ever made.

Prokhorov was presented with the Order of Friendship in 2006 for his important contributions to the economic growth of Russia. He was also awarded with the French Legion of Honor in March 2011.