Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov (born on 21 September 1966) is a Ukrainian business oligarch. He is the founder and President of System Capital Management, and is ranked among the wealthiest men in the nation. Akhmetov is also the owner and President of the Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk. Since the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election Akhmetov has been a member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) for the Party of Regions.
Rinat Akhmetov was born in Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR to a Tatar working-class family - his father was a coal-miner, and his mother was a shop assistant. Rinat Akhmetov has an older brother, Igor, who as well worked as a coal miner but had to resign due to professional disease. Akhmetov is Bachelor of Arts / Science in economics at the Donetsk National University, he graduated in 2001.
Akhmetov became the head of Donetsk City Bank and a specialist in the banking sector. In 1996 he became the president of the football team, FC Shakhtar and has held this post since then.
Philanthropy
Akhmetov is deeply involved with charities, philanthropies and humanitarian activities, that are to support Ukrainian citizens.
In 2005 the Foundation for the Development of Ukraine was established, which is, as stated, to be "determined to eliminate the roots of social problems..."in Ukraine. In 2008 it has been reported that within next 5 years the Organization was planning to spend $150 million to fulfill its programs. The Foundation as well provides targeted assistance, e.g., nearly $900,000 was donated to families of victims of gas explosion that tore through an apartment complex in Dnipropetrovsk in October 2007.
In 2007, Akhmetov founded the Foundation for Effective Governance to support economic development of Ukraine. On 6 December 2007, FEG was launched in Kiev with a goal to improve the standard of living of each Ukrainian citizen. Among the figures who addressed the opening of the foundation were Nobel Laureate Shimon Peres and Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto.
In 2008 Akhmetov donated $29 million to charity, making him the No.1 in a list of top ten businessmen who donated for charity in 2009. In 2010 total charity allocations amounted to UAH 155,65 million, making him No. 1 philanthropist in Ukraine.
Starting from 2000, on 19th December, at Saint Nicholas Day, Rinat Akhmetov together with his close friend Igor Krutoy, a famous Russian composer, have been making charity visits to orphanages, special schools in order to support deprived children and to give them presents. His MP's salary is traditionally transferred to charity.
Politics
Akhmetov played an important role in the 2004 presidential election as a sponsor of Viktor Yanukovych, who was the prime minister at the time. Yanukovych was initially declared the winner, however, the legitimacy of the election was questioned by many Ukrainians, international organizations, and foreign governments following allegations of electoral fraud. In Akhmetov's native Donetsk Oblast, turnout of 98.5% was reportedly claimed; up more than 40% from the first round. In some districts, turnout was recorded to be more than 100% then the previous ballot, with one district reported by observers to have recorded a 127% turnout. Many other alleged irregularities were reported, including ballot-stuffing, intimidation at voting booths and huge numbers of new voters appearing on the electoral rolls—in Donetsk alone, half a million more voters were registered for the runoff election. This was later officially confirmed by the Ukrainian Supreme Court, making the widespread falsification of results a well documented event.
Akhmetov was elected as a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) during the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election for the Party of Regions. But only appeared in the Verkhovna Rada building during his inauguration. Nevertheless his vote was registered. Voting for other deputies is prohibited by law. However, Leader of the party's faction in the Verkhovna Rada Oleksander Yefremov has mentioned that Rinat Akhmetov is still providing a "substantative support" to the fraction by means of "functioning expert groups he established that are counselling on draft laws".
From : www.wikipedia.org
