One of the highest paid managers in the Russian Federation, the head of the Gazprom joint-stock company, chairman of the board of directors, a successful person and an exemplary family man is Alexey Miller. The biography and personal life of a man interests many citizens of the country. In addition to working in the holding, he is a member of the board of trustees of the award called “Global Energy” and is a member of the government commission on issues of the Russian fuel and energy complex.
Childhood and youth
At the end of January 1962, Alexey Miller was born in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. His parents worked in a closed military campaign called the NGO Leninets. The man’s father and mother are “Russian Germans” living in the Russian Federation, so journalists often raised the issue of the nationality and origin of the well-known manager in the country.
The head of the family, Boris Vasilyevich Miller, was an assembly mechanic, his wife Lyudmila Aleksandrovna worked as an engineer. The boy was the only child of his parents, so he never experienced a lack of love and attention.
The parents sent their son to Leningrad Specialized Gymnasium No. 130, where exact sciences were studied in depth. During his studies, Alexey did not cause any trouble to either teachers or parents. In addition, the boy knew how to find a common language with his peers, he studied well and was very shy. Miller's classmates and teachers call him an incredibly hardworking and purposeful person.
After graduating from high school with honors, Alexey easily entered the Leningrad University of Finance and Economics. In 1984, the young man received a diploma in the profession “Economist Engineer”.
While studying at the university, Miller was the favorite student of the head of the department, a well-known economist in St. Petersburg named Igor Blekhtsin. Teachers today proudly remember the meticulous young man with calligraphic handwriting.
After receiving his diploma, Alexey got a job in his specialty at the LenNIIproekt Research Institute, where he became a graduate student. In 1989, Miller was awarded an academic degree from the KES.
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“You wouldn’t dare steal from Miller. If only not for yourself"
Original of this material © Sobesednik, 01/27/2009, Photo: Kommersant
Man on the pipe
Stepanov Igor
Where did he come from, this Miller, an inconspicuous functionary who headed the world's largest gas corporation? What steps did you climb until you took off in a high-speed elevator to the very top of government business? And how long will he stay on it?
Lyosha never skipped
Recently, the investigative unit of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs in Moscow revived an investigation into the purchase of gas by a Gazprom subsidiary from an intermediary at 40–70% more expensive than the manufacturer offered it
. What the monopoly considered a profitable business, the Ministry of Internal Affairs considered a scam. So think after this that the development of a criminal case involving a person of such magnitude as Alexey Miller is impossible in Russia.
“The investigator told me that there is a document signed by Miller stating that he has no complaints about this fraudulent scheme,” Gazprom minority shareholder Alexei Navalny, who was recognized as a victim in the case in 2008, told Interlocutor. – But because of this, shareholders (and the state, as the main one) lost millions, which were transferred abroad and cashed there.
It’s strange how Alexey Miller himself did not notice such a capital flight. After all, from 1969 to 1979 I studied at St. Petersburg school No. 330 with a physics and mathematics focus. And they say he studied well.
“When the whole class ran away from class, even then Lyosha didn’t skip,” one of his classmates recalled. - Yes, he has only A’s in his certificate. But I didn’t get a medal; Rono reached his limit that year.
In his free time, Lyosha Miller could go to a Zenit match (he has been a fan of the club since he was seven years old), and run around the field himself, and strum something from “Deep Purple” on his guitar, but both neighbors and classmates agree on one thing : he was capable, and seemed to be visible, but... he didn’t stick his head out.
"Revenge" on architects
Apparently, Miller inherited this trait of keeping a low profile from his parents, who worked in a closed “box” called “Leninets”, where they made on-board equipment for fighter aircraft. My father worked there as an assembler, my mother as an engineer. Both, for obvious reasons, had contacts with the KGB.
Connections with the “office” and Miller himself are not ruled out by graduates of the Leningrad Financial and Economic Institute, where the excellent student entered after school. They say he was an inconspicuous guy. And too close to the teachers. He was one of Professor Blekhtsin's favorites.
After graduating from FINEK in 1984 with honors, Alexey Miller got a job as an economist at LenNIIproekt, but his relationship with the team did not work out there either.
“Now he’s taking revenge on us!” - say his former colleagues, hinting at Miller’s plans to build a 300-meter skyscraper on the Neva. – He was subordinate to the architects, but today he’s winning back!
Miller also kept a low profile at the Young Economists Club, where like-minded people of Anatoly Chubais (Manevich, Illarionov and Co.) gathered in the late 80s. According to the recollections of the “young reformers,” Miller listened there more than spoke, and was considered perhaps the weakest link in Chubais’ team. But when Chubais needed personnel, Miller was not forgotten.
He does what he says
He was offered a vacancy in the city committee for external relations, which in those years was headed by Vladimir Putin. At first, Miller was the deputy head of the department, then his boss, then Putin’s deputy.
“Now Miller wears a suit well, speaks well, and gives the impression of a confident business man,” documentary director Igor Shadkhan, who was well acquainted with the entire St. Petersburg leadership of those years, told Interlocutor. “And then he was a dim young man, containing a certain mystery, secretive. Miller was also invisible at meetings of the North-West Center for Strategic Research Foundation. He, unlike Yakunin or Kovalchuk, did not rant or speak, although it was clear that he was close to this circle. For Putin, he was, first of all, a hard-working, reliable person who could be relied upon.
Indeed, former colleagues confirm that sometimes Miller worked 16 hours a day. Immediately after his appointment to Gazprom, one of Miller’s colleagues on the committee admitted to Vedomosti: “Alexey is very efficient and obedient. Whatever he is told, he does... But Miller will not dare to steal from him. If only not for yourself..."
Cash flow
Before Gazprom, Alexey Miller managed to cut his teeth in the management of the Sea Port of St. Petersburg and the Baltic Pipeline System. Now he is getting his hands on in Ukraine. But it looks like someone decided to “stuff” him himself. The criminal case regarding the theft of money from Mezhregiongaz, a 100% subsidiary of Gazprom, initiated in 2005, finally began to gain momentum at the end of last year.
“The essence of the operation is that smaller companies also produce gas, but it can only be sold to Gazprom, since it has a pipe,” Alexei Navalny introduced Sobesednik to the criminal case. “However, Gazprom people say, for example, to Novatek: “We can only buy half.” The next day, an unknown company, Trustinvestgaz (TIG), comes to Novatek and offers to buy the remaining half at the same price that Gazprom itself charges - 500 rubles per thousand cubic meters. And a day later, Gazprom buys all this gas from TIG for 915 rubles, although two days ago it refused to take 500. After which the gas is given to the end consumer for 1000 rubles, but Gazprom no longer makes 100% of it, but just a little bit .
Navalny does not rule out that in this way “effective managers” from Gazprom, simply by moving pieces of paper across the table, earned 1.5 billion rubles. Only on this episode! “According to the documents, the money was transferred to the Baltic states and cashed there,” the victim explained. – Only through one of dozens of companies 293 million rubles were pumped. But there are other episodes of the case. I think there are at least a thousand similar companies involved in this fraud, in different countries. Imagine how much money! The head of Gazprom himself is not accused of anything - at least not yet. However, Alexey Navalny does not rule out that the case could become a pretext for pushing Miller away from his fabulous capital:
– It is possible that someone is digging under the head of Gazprom.
And even though Alexey Miller approved business schemes that the Ministry of Internal Affairs considered fraud, not for himself personally. It is possible that the phrase “And you, Miller, I will ask you to stay!” it will still sound.
Quotes
“We are a weapon to exactly the same extent as any other business, which, as you know, is something between war and art.” “Half the success is setting the right goal. And the second component is faith in yourself and your partners.” “Dreaming is good! This helps turn ideas into reality.”
Family
Even after moving to the capital, Alexey Miller did not give up his registration in St. Petersburg - on Shpalernaya Street. He and his wife Irina have a twelve-year-old son, Misha, and in Moscow their family has been expanded to include Labrador Nora. Miller prefers work or home comfort to buffets, and kidney stones do not allow him to relax.
Wallet
Two weeks ago it became known that Alexey Miller increased his stake in the company’s authorized capital. It increased from 0.00000027% of shares to 0.00095828%, that is, 3549 times. According to some reports, Miller now has at least 226,858 shares of the company in his safe. According to rough estimates, his share in Gazprom is more than 22.5 million rubles, from which dividends drip every year. In addition, Alexey Borisovich receives a salary not only from Gazprom itself, but also from its “subsidiaries”, of which he is also a member of the management. Today it can reach up to $10 million annually.
Career start
After graduating from graduate school, the future head of Gazprom continued to work at LenNIIproekt, where he was a junior researcher . A year later, he became head of the reform committee in the executive committee of St. Petersburg.
The next step in the career of an economist was the communications committee at the Leningrad City Hall. It is noteworthy that his immediate supervisor there was Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. It was this fruitful collaboration that became the main aspect in Miller’s future successful biography.
It is noteworthy that thanks to this man, investment zones began to develop in St. Petersburg, including Pulkovo and Parnas. Then Gillette was built on their basis.
At the same time, the appearance of the foreign financial organization Dresden Bank in the Northern capital is also Miller’s merit. In addition, the man actively developed the hotel business in the city.
After the defeat of former mayor Anatoly Aleksandrovich Sobchak in the gubernatorial elections, a turning point occurred in the career of Miller, as well as his friends and colleagues. The fact is that many members of V.V. Putin’s team voluntarily resigned from the St. Petersburg administration, going on a “free swim” for a short time.
Having won the presidential election in 2000, Vladimir Putin invited many former colleagues to take leadership positions in ministries and state enterprises. Miller was offered the position of Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation. A year later, Alexey Borisovich became chairman of the board of the Gazprom holding.
Alexey Miller's favorites - who makes billions from the gas state corporation
Alexey Miller The gasification of all of Russia promised by the authorities many years ago did not happen, and still does not. 27% to shareholders, including the state , has become a source of inexhaustible income for close contractors and lobbyists in government agencies.
Curly connections
Today, the market price of Gazprom's assets is 21.1 billion euros , which puts it in seventh place in Moody's rating. This state corporation is the richest in Russia, a country that is only two-thirds ( 68.6% ), writes Sobesednik.
At the same time, Gazprom makes good money for those who are personally acquainted with its head, Alexey Miller . One of these lucky ones is figure skater and ex-State Duma deputy Anton Sikharulidze , who is also a major government contractor, primarily for Gazprom. As the publication found out, in the spring of 2021, the state corporation held a tender for construction and installation work at the Yamburgskoye field worth more than 9 billion rubles . Although its results were not published in the public domain, journalists found out that the contract went to GazEnergoService LLC, of which Sikharulidze is listed as a co-owner. According to Sobesednik, this little-known company spent more than 50 billion rubles in transactions with Gazprom structures.
It is worth noting that the main co-owner of GazEnergoService LLC is businessman Evgeny Pershin , whose share in the company is 85% . At the same time, he transferred part of his share, and therefore income, from time to time to various top managers of Gazprom.
According to the publication, the businessman lives in the very center of Moscow, a few steps from the Central Department Store. His apartment in the Petrov Dom residential complex costs about half a billion rubles and is registered to his wife, one of the capital’s main fashionistas, Anna Brostrem . “A lady recently went out in clothes from Dolce & Gabbana: a coat made of the most delicate broadtail and sable costs more than a million rubles , numerous dresses cost hundreds of thousands each,” writes “Interlocutor,” noting that all this is thanks to her husband, since Brostrem does not have his own business .
In addition to Sikharulidze, a long-standing acquaintance with Miller from school brought good dividends to another figure skating master, Tamara Moskvina . The charity provided by Gazprom allowed her to open the Generation M figure skating club in St. Petersburg.
Unstoppable growth
The fact that Gazprom works more in the interests of its contractors than in the interests of the state was loudly stated in June 2021 in a report by Sberbank CIB analysts led by Alex Fak . Soon, of course, he was fired, but the situation did not change. In addition to Sikharulidze and Pershin, the “kings” of gas contracts remain companies affiliated with businessmen close to the Kremlin: Gennady Timchenko , and Kovalchuk families .
The welfare of the top management of the state corporation is also growing. Thus, in 2018, 16 high-ranking managers of Gazprom earned a total of 2.551 billion rubles , i.e., an average of 160 million rubles . At the same time, the state received 73 billion rubles , or 497 rubles for each citizen of Russia.
And although the Ministry of Finance is constantly trying to ensure that Gazprom gives half of its net profit , Alexey Miller’s lobbyists always negotiate with the government, and the share of these contributions to the state budget remains at 27% .
Gas lobby
Miller's sustainability and the fabulous profits of his close contractors would have been impossible without promoting their interests at the legislative level. This, in particular, is facilitated by the head of the State Duma Committee on Energy, United Russia member Pavel Zavalny , who worked all his life in the gas corporation. He still owns an elite apartment in the Gazprom House residential complex. In addition, he heads the Russian Billiard Sports Federation, whose general partner is Gazprom.
It is interesting that Zavalny also has shares in the state corporation he lobbies, thanks to which he has an annual total income of 150 million rubles . “It’s not easy for the deputy in his position: he clearly has a conflict of interest. After all, it is in the interests of the state to receive as much money as possible into the budget from the gas giant, and in the interests of the top management and private shareholders of the company to save on taxes and dividends,” Fr.
Famous surnames
The board of directors of Gazprom is headed by ex-Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov 30 million rubles a year for his work However, even such a considerable salary would not have helped his daughter Yulia Zubkova purchase a mansion with an area of 567 square meters. m in the Barvikha village of Rechnoye, journalists are sure. According to them, the cottages adjacent to Zubkovsky are sold at a price of more than a billion rubles . True, here you need to take into account that Yulia in the past was the wife of ex-Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov .
But the most “lobbyist” name in Gazprom belongs to Miller’s deputy, a doctor by profession, Mikhail Putin , who is appointed to oversee the economic and logistical support of the state corporation. Not without the participation of their supply manager, Gazprom decided to pay 376 million rubles for the purchase of new premium Mercedes-Benz cars.
“Some of Gazprom’s purchases raise suspicions. Thus, the company recently placed an order worth 1.2 billion rubles for workwear. One men's suit for protection against acid solutions made of overcoat cloth is valued at 2 thousand 775 rubles . According to the open price list, it costs 23% cheaper: 2 thousand 130 rubles ,” the publication found out.
If you have information about corruption violations by top managers of state corporations, write to the PASMI section “Report corruption.”
Starting work in the company
The news of Miller's appointment as head of the board shocked managers. From that moment on, the company began to return to state control . The man, as an experienced economist, was tasked with returning the assets lost by the former head and reviving the enterprise with the help of reforms.
Global investors were enthusiastic about the leadership change. Everyone expected the upcoming reforms, which were carried out instantly. In the shortest possible time, Alexey Borisovich Miller assembled a proven team and took a number of measures aimed at reviving the corporation.
The new team of the concern included the head of the management apparatus, Mikhail Sereda, the head of the department of finance and economics, Andrei Kruglov, as well as Elina Vasilyeva, who held the position of chief accountant. After updating the holding's personnel, the man began the main task - returning lost assets. It should be noted that he soon achieved significant success - for a small fee he managed to return the shares of Itera and regain control over some enterprises. Among them:
- "Sibur".
- Northgas, etc.
However, the main achievement of the company’s head was the return of the assets of the concern itself, which resulted in the restoration of 51% of the stake under Russian control. It is noteworthy that 11% was held by the holding’s subsidiaries.
During the reign of Alexey Borisovich, the joint-stock company became a world leader in the energy sector. The gas concern acquired large assets in the field of oil and energy, strengthened its own export positions, created economic ties with corporations in Italy and Germany, and concluded strategically important agreements for the supply of gas to the Asia-Pacific state. In addition, Miller was able to eliminate the company's competition in the gas industry.
In 2011, the man was re-elected head of the board. Over the years of work, he was repeatedly awarded various state awards.
Biography
Gazprom Miller - biography and path to the position of head of a global gas company originate from Leningrad. Alexey Borisovich Miller was born into a family of Russian Germans - hence such an unusual surname. Parents worked at a closed military enterprise. The father died early and the mother raised her only son herself. Alexey Borisovich studied diligently, causing no trouble to either his teachers or his mother.
After school - Leningrad Financial and Economic Institute. He passed the exams the first time and was subsequently the favorite student of the famous professor-economist Igor Blekhtsin, head of the department. University teachers characterize the future head of Gazprom as a neat person with calligraphic handwriting.
Next is postgraduate study at LenNIIproekt. And three years later, candidate of economic sciences Alexey Borisovich, junior researcher, was transferred to the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council and headed the Committee of Economic Reforms.
Further activities
In 2013, Forbes magazine published a ranking of the world's most successful managers. Miller took third place in it. His annual income was $25 million . However, the situation soon changed dramatically.
After 3 years, analysts of the financial and economic publication noted a reduction in the income of the heads of the largest organizations by 2.3 times. According to Forbes, in 2014 the earnings of the head of Gazprom were again $25 million, but he already took second place. A year later, Miller’s fortune increased to 27 million, which allowed him to top the Forbes list in Russia.
The concern's income decreased slightly. Today, Gazprom is going through far from the best times due to the loss of part of its markets. One of the main reasons for the decline in the sale of resources was the statement of Ukrainian President Poroshenko about the refusal of gas from Russia. In addition, a number of European countries are introducing modern technologies in the field of alternative energy sources.
Due to the difficulties that arose, the head of the concern decided to begin construction of a gas pipeline to European countries, bypassing Ukraine. The project was called Nord Stream 2.
Matters of the heart
The personal life of the top manager, like other famous people in Russia, remains in the shadow of his professional activities. It is known for certain that Alexey Miller has been married for many years. His wife Irina prefers housekeeping to various social events. Because of this, she is very rarely seen in public.
Alexey Miller's family has an only child - son Mikhail . The man does not have accounts on social networks; details of his life can be found out exclusively from newspapers and magazines.
The media has repeatedly published information about the relationship between the head of Gazprom and the deputy head of the government apparatus, Marina Entaltseva. Various Russian magazines have repeatedly published photographs of them together. However, this information has not been officially confirmed.
The man spends all his free time with his family. Miller has loved football from a young age and is the most famous fan of FC Zenit. In addition, Alexey Borisovich has another hobby - equestrian sport; he is the owner of several thoroughbred stallions. The head of the gas corporation also likes to spend evenings with his family, performing songs with a guitar.
The man’s passion for horses spilled over into the work sphere. In 2012, the president appointed him head of the Russian Hippodromes joint-stock company. Putin instructed Miller to revive the industry and the country's equestrian sport as a whole.
Personal life of Alexey Miller
Alexey Miller is a busy man, which is why he doesn’t have time to communicate with journalists, so the few interviews with the head of Gazprom are devoted mainly to the work of the company, its prospects and development.
Miller prefers not to talk about his personal life, but it is known that he has been married for many years. He and his wife Irina are raising a son. The top manager prefers to spend his free time with his family. He is no stranger to sports hobbies, such as cycling and skiing. Miller is also passionate about equestrian sports.
He owns several thoroughbred stallions. However, like any business person, Miller’s hobby resulted in active work. In 2012, he assumed the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Russian Hippodromes. According to the presidential decree, Alexey Miller faces the responsible and difficult task of breathing life into domestic equestrian sport and contributing to the revival of the industry.
In 2021, the entrepreneur admitted that as a child he passionately wanted to go to the concert of his beloved Deep Purple. It was impossible then, so now he attends every performance of his youth idols whenever possible.
