Smolensky Alexander is a bright representative of the nascent business of the Yeltsin era. The media reported that he was part of the "seven bankers", so his influence on government affairs was far from secondary. The entrepreneur was directly involved in the organization of the election campaign of Boris Nikolaevich. At the same time, Smolensky Alexander was also noticed in criminal scandals, which, in principle, did not prevent him from remaining a significant figure in the entrepreneurial environment for a long time. The businessman had a hand in not only creating large banking structures, but also managed to create several large-scale commercial companies, including NTV and Sibneft. How did Alexander Smolensky achieve dizzying successes in the field of entrepreneurship? Let's consider this question in more detail.
Curriculum Vitae
Smolensky Alexander (date of birth: July 6, 1954) is not a native Muscovite, although he was born in Belokamennaya. His family moved to live in the Soviet capital back in the 30s of the last century.
Smolensky Alexander, whose parents were immigrants from Austria, after leaving school went to get higher education in the distant city of Dzhambul (Kazakhstan). Here he entered the geological and technological university, which he subsequently successfully graduated from. Some sources report that the future banker still has a diploma issued by the Geological Prospecting Institute. S. Orzhonikidze.
Start of work
One way or another, but Smolensky Alexander Pavlovich, whose biography is not without dark spots, began to work, finding a job in a printing house as a simple typesetter. At the enterprise, the young man was diligent and was a disciplined worker, so after a while he “grew up” to the senior master, and then to the head of the workshop.
In the early 80s, Alexander Smolensky tried himself as a merchandiser, after he was hired by the spring trading company in the capital. However, fate soon throws the young man the first serious test: he is accused of stealing state property and illegal business activities. For this he received two years in prison.
After his release, Smolensky was lucky: he managed to find a job in the Olympiysky Sports Complex as an engineer. A year later, the young man is already sitting in the chair of the deputy head of the DCS in the Pervomaisky district of the capital.
The first steps in entrepreneurship
Gorbachev perestroika legalized cooperation, after which many went to business. Alexander Pavlovich was no exception. In 1987, on an equal footing, together with friends, he establishes a construction cooperative that specializes in the design and construction of luxury summer cottages. The company soon began to flourish, and a year later Smolensky became the owner of capital in the amount of 500 thousand rubles.
Banking business
In the late 80s, another stream of novice businessmen became more active. But to organize your business, you need initial capital, so the need for loans has increased dramatically. Having caught a new trend, Alexander Pavlovich curtails the construction business and establishes his first credit structure - Stolichny Bank.
He will head the executive body of his brainchild, and later become its president.Some sources claim that it was during this period that fate brought Smolensky with a foreign businessman Mark Rich, who introduced the novice banker to Boris Yeltsin’s inner circle.
Part of the media informed that in 1993, Smolensky, Alexander Pavlovich, whose photo occasionally flashed in business publications, became a co-founder of NTV.
Revitalization in the banking sector is paying off
In 1994, Stolichny Bank changed its name to Stolichny Savings Bank (SBS). Three years later, the credit institution is being reformed by consolidating with it such a structure as Agroprombank. The new name of the banking institution is SBS-Agro.
In parallel with managing work in the above credit structure in the mid-90s, Smolensky participated in the activities of the Board of Directors of Public Russian Television CJSC, of which he was a member.
In 1996, he was appointed to the Russian Government Advisory Council on Banking. During this period, he met with the oligarchs Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich.
In 1997, Russian businessman Alexander Smolensky resigned as head of SBS-Agro and resigned from the board of directors. At the same time, he became at the helm of the executive body of a new commercial structure - the SBS-Agro financial alliance, which included several reputable credit organizations.
A crisis
Soon default struck, which caused considerable financial damage to the banking organization SBS-Agro.
In the late 90s, a period of reorganization of credit institutions belonging to Smolensky. One of the SBS-Agro branches absorbed a number of branches of the brainchild of Alexander Pavlovich. At the same time, the parent bank continued to operate legally, the supervision of which was started by the Agency for the Restructuring of Credit Organizations (ARCO).
At the beginning of the 2000s, the entrepreneur announced the creation in Moscow of a credit organization - Stolichny Bank. However, this structure was soon merged with the North-West HVAC commercial institution, which formally belonged to the HVAC group.
In the summer of 2003, Smolensky intended to transfer management affairs in the banking sector to his son. However, the owner of the Interros holding concern, Vladimir Potanin, announced that he would acquire the entire business of Alexander Pavlovich. The banker had to obey, otherwise his banking structures would not have stood the competition.
At the same time, Smolensky nevertheless left "for himself" a small credit organization - Stolichny Bank, despite the fact that he had already focused on other areas of entrepreneurship. Subsequently, he will transfer the affairs of managing the above structure to his nephew Alexei Grigoryev.
Criminal scandals
A number of information sources reported that after the establishment of his own banking structure, the businessman made every effort so that no one would ever know about his criminal past.
However, there is a certificate in the archive that lists criminal articles for which Alexander Smolensky was serving his sentence. The interesting facts of his biography, however, are still to come. Also, the media wrote that when he established business in Austria, he was closely connected with the Solntsevskaya organized crime group, allegedly, he was in close contact with its leaders: Sergei Mikhailov and Sergei Timofeev. It was also such that Alexander Pavlovich was accused of delivering weapons and giving money to criminal gangs of the capital and the Moscow Region through a shell company owned by his wife. It is true that fiction is hard for us to judge (as they say, do not judge, but let us not be judged), but there were such rumors. Nevertheless, as you know, there is no smoke without fire, and therefore dwell on the most high-profile processes.
Episode number 1
In 1993, a number of criminal cases were instituted against the banker.The detectives, along with colleagues from Austria, "unwound" the crime of fake memos, which could have caused damage to the Russian economy in the amount of $ 25 million. The police suspected that Smolensky might be involved in this case. However, it was not possible to unravel it to the end, and as a result, the charges against Alexander Pavlovich were dropped.
Episode number 2
However, prosecutors soon again suspected the banker that he did not comply with the law when conducting business.
Smolensky was accused of laundering money received from drug trafficking, nuclear materials and weapons. And in this case, Alexander Pavlovich was lucky: the newspapers informed that the criminal prosecution was avoided due to the intervention of senior officials - Minister of the Interior Viktor Yerin and Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Shumeyko.
Episode number 3
In autumn 1998, an entrepreneur asked the Central Bank of the Russian Federation to allocate a stabilization loan in the amount of 2.3 billion rubles for his brainchild. However, his request was not granted. As a result, the lion's share of SBS-Agro depositors lost their "hard-earned money". Soon, prosecutor general Yuri Skurator announced that Smolensky would be taken into custody. The banker immediately emigrated to Austria and stayed there for almost six months. In his absence, SBS-Agro received the coveted stabilization loan, which was never repaid. Naturally, the next criminal case was instituted on this fact.
In early 2001, the Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation was summoned for questioning in connection with the non-return of borrowed money. Alexander Pavlovich was able to return to his homeland only after the charges were dropped from him. The Attorney General, in turn, said that there was an administrative resource, thanks to which Smolensky was able to avoid a prison term. Thus, officials allegedly thanked him for financing the election campaign. the first president of Russia in 1996.
Awards and Regalia
Alexander Pavlovich was a member of the coordination council of the Russian Business Roundtable public association, participated in meetings of the Board of Directors of the Interbank Financial House. He is a laureate of the “Euro Market Awards” nominated by the Center for Market Research at the EEC. From the hands of Boris Yeltsin, Smolensky received the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
The banker was also awarded the Church Order of Archangel Michael for providing material assistance in the modernization of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Personal life
Alexander Pavlovich is married. Wife - Galina Nikolaevna Marchenko - lives in Austria. In 1980, Smolensky was born the son of Nikolai, who today owns a large car manufacturing company. He currently has a son. In general, Smolensky Alexander, whose family consists of a wife, son and grandson, has a strong rear.
Leisure
What does Alexander Smolensky do in his free time? Interesting facts from the life of a businessman indicate that one of his favorite hobbies is collecting art. He also likes to play golf, walk through the woods and read detective novels. At leisure, a former banker writes books himself. In collaboration with E. Krasnyansky, he worked on the works "Fortified Area" Rublevka "," Default of Conscience "and" Hostage ". Smolensky is also a well-known philanthropist. He actively supports the creative teams of the capital.
