Alisher Burkhanovich Usmanov (born 9 September 1953, Chust, Namangan Province, Uzbek SSR, USSR) is an Uzbek-born Russian businessman. According to the 2011 edition of Forbes magazine, the oligarch is one of Russia's richest men, with a fortune estimated at US$17.7 billion, and the world's 35th richest person.
Usmanov is married and is a graduate of Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
He has accrued his wealth from mining, lumber and investment. He is the majority shareholder of Metalloinvest, a Russian industrial conglomerate, which he founded to manage Gazprom's metals interests.
He is also a co-owner of the media holding which comprises 7TV and Muz-TV federal television channels and 33 regional TV broadcasting stations. Besides this, Alisher Usmanov personally owns the Kommersant and Sekret Firmy Publishing Houses, shares in the company SUP, which controls Internet website Livejournal.com and internet newspaper «Gazeta.ru».
Mr.Usmanov is a co-owner of Russia's second-largest mobile telephone operator MegaFon and Russian investment fund Digital Sky Technologies (DST), which owns stakes in popular web portals like Mail.ru, Odnoklassniki.ru, Vkontakte.ru, Facebook.com and others.
Usmanov is the president of the FIE, the international governing body of fencing as has since invested in fencing programs and fencing development around the globe.
Usmanov is a major shareholder in London's Arsenal Football Club, following in the footsteps of fellow Russians Roman Abramovich, owner of rival Chelsea, and Alexandre Gaydamak, former owner of Portsmouth. In February 2008, his Metalloinvest also became sponsor of Dinamo Moscow, the Russian capital's football team once funded by the Soviet secret service. His Metalloinvest group's name replaced the Xerox Corporation's on its players' shirts as part of the $7 million deal. "For me, Dinamo is a first love," said Usmanov, the club's website reported Usmanov as saying. The ballet fan had sidestepped a conflict of interest with Arsenal, London's The Sun reported, 'as Usmanov does not have any shares in the Moscow club. But he is on the board.'
From : www.wikipedia.org
