Early life and
education
Potanin was born in
Moscow, in the
former
USSR, into a high-ranking communist family.[2]
In 1978, Potanin attended the faculty of the International economic relations at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), an elite school that groomed students for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Upon graduating MGIMO in 1983, he followed in his father's footsteps and went to work for the FTO "Soyuzpromexport" with the Ministry of Foreign trade of the Soviet Union.
Career
During
perestroika, Vladimir Potanin quit the State’s structures of Foreign trade
and in 1991 created the private association
Interros
using his knowledge gathered at Ministry of Foreign trade and his previous
professional network.
In 1993, Potanin became President of United Export Import Bank. From August 14, 1996 until March 17, 1997 he worked as First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
Since August 1998, Potanin hold the positions of President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Interros Company.
Potanin's Interros owns 30% and controls Russian Nickel giant Norilsk Nickel, a company owned by Oleg Deripaska's RUSAL, Abram Reznikov's Alamak Espana Trade and Alisher Usmanov's Metalloinvest.
Since March 2003 Potanin has taken charge of the National Council on Corporate Governance (NSKU), whose main goal is to improve the legislative regulations in Russia and to introduce professional and ethical standards of corporate governance into the operations of Russian companies to boost up the reputation and investment appeal of the Russian business.
Since December 2001 he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (NYC). In April 2003 Potanin was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State Hermitage, the most renowned Russian art museum. Since 2005 Potanin has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia.
In January 2007 in Paris Potanin was named an Officer of the prestigious Order of Arts and Literature for his cultural contributions. The French Ministry of Culture and Communications granted the award.
In March 2009, Potanin sued former business partner and Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov $29 million over a property disagreement in Moscow.
Personal life
He is married to Natalia Potanina; the couple has three children: Anastacia,
Ivan and Vassily. He is fluent in
English and
French.
UNQUOTE
His face fits.
Potanin Signs Up For Peace With Deripska
QUOTE
Russian billionaires Vladimir Potanin and Oleg Deripaska have reached a
new shareholder agreement, bringing to the end a $1.4bn dispute over rights at
Norilsk Nickel before it went to a London court.
The agreement was signed by Norilsk Nickel’s core shareholders Deripaska’s
RusAl and Potanin’s Interros. Under the deal, Potanin was named Norilsk's
General Director instead of Vladimir Strzhalkovsky. Currently Potanin owns a 28%
stake in Norilsk through his Interros Holding and Deripaska has 25% through
aluminum producer Rusal PLC.
Millhouse Capital owned by billionaire Roman Abramovich purchased a 7.3% stake in Norilsk Nickel worth about $2 billion in a bid to settle a four-year battle between Deripaska and Potanin.
Under the terms, Rusal, Interros and Millhouse Capital will place 22% of
Norilsk Nickel in a specially created bank account, RBC daily reported, citing a
source familiar with the matter. It means each of them would contribute about
7.3%. Millhouse would use this stock for voting, according to the source.
Rusal and Potanin are committed to keep their stakes in Norilsk Nickel for
five years and Millhouse for three years after the date of the agreement,
"subject to certain exceptions," Rusal said without providing any details.
The parties also agreed on changes to the composition of the 13-member
Norilsk board. Interros and Rusal will each get four seats and Millhouse will
have three seats, according to Rusal’s statement. Rusal and Interros will also
nominate independent directors for the remaining two seats with one of the
independent directors serving as chairman.
The Russian tycoons have been fighting since 2008, when Deripaska bought a
25% stake in Norilsk Nickel from Potanin’s former business partner, Mikhail
Prokhorov. Rusal claimed that Potanin violated its rights to board
representation and demanded $1.4bn compensation. The two billionaires prepared
to head to court in London, which
was due to start on Monday, but after the new agreement it has been
postponed until February.
UNQUOTE
At least it was not war.