From speculator to billionaire: Oleg Tinkov, blood cancer in the midst of a scandal and his fund to help patients with leukemia in Russia

The adjective "shocking" is often attached to the name of this oligarch. And I think it's just a Siberian character. After all, he was born and tempered in the Kemerovo region in a family of ordinary workaholics - a miner and a seamstress. Yes, billionaire Oleg Tinkov made himself.

The departure to Leningrad was more out of despair. After the army, Tinkov lost his girlfriend as a result of an emergency... And the future oligarch enters the Leningrad Mining Institute. He will never receive an education in it, will not finish it due to various circumstances. But it was there that he began his entrepreneurial activity, in those years called speculation and blackmail. And he will receive an education in 10 years, but not in Russia, but in California, having completed a six-month marketing program at the University of Berkeley.

During his student period, he was selling all kinds of goods: vodka, cosmetics, jeans, caviar... His trade routes from Siberia and Poland converged in Leningrad. In those years, his partners-speculators were now very famous oligarchs - Oleg Zherebtsov (Lenta chain of stores), Oleg Leonov (DIXY chain of stores) and Andrei Rogachev (LEK and Pyaterochka companies). And even his future wife is Rina Vosman.

Recently, in an interview with Oleg Tinkov, they asked why his children study in the UK? And he replied that in Russia there is a very bad higher education and to this day there is practically no business education. That is why the well-known founder of the bank of the same name often speaks at forums, speaks of the CMC of Moscow State University and tries to take the best minds from graduates of CMC, Physics and Mathematics, Mechanics and Mathematics and MIPT under his wing.

Tinkov earned his capital exclusively on entrepreneurial activity. He didn’t take part in any PRIVATIZATIONS, and he didn’t "squeeze" anything from the state or the population. His first serious project took place in 1995, he created his own brand "Technoshock", in whose stores electronics were imported from Singapore. This Tinkov was the first to introduce in his stores sales consultants. And now they are in every store.

His projects are completely successful, the following were: Music Shock stores, Shock Records record label. Tinkov not only feels tendencies well, but also very quickly rebuilds, adjusts and transforms (if you can put it that way). When he realized that the Eldorado brand that had appeared at that time was taking away his profit, he sold Technoshock and created another brand “Daria” in honor of his daughter.

"Daria" is a production of semi-finished products, which the businessman quickly promoted thanks to the scandalous advertising.

This brand quickly began to bring good income, and plus the money left over from the sale of Technoshock Oleg decided to make his dream come true, which he had long cherished by that time - to build a plant of high-quality beer. At first he opened a bunch of restaurants and similar establishments for the sale of draft beer, and in 2003 he launched a plant. I didn’t think about the name for a long time, I just gave my name. I didn't have enough money, I took out a loan. But either because of loans, or because of the high cost of the product, this project does not bring the desired income to the founder. Tinkov sold the entire beer business, with all factories and catering establishments.

In 2006, the businessman entered his home stretch of success - he founded Tinkoff Bank. And in 2013, thanks to the success of his credit systems, he becomes a billionaire.

Tinkov gathered his cycling team under the same name, which even won prizes in various competitions. How many oligarchs do you know who preach a healthy lifestyle and sports?

In addition to speaking to students, the billionaire hosted a program on RBC, became a successful blogger-publicist and is actively involved in social activities.

A family

With his wife Rina, as I wrote above, he met in 1989. But they got married after more than 20 years of living together on Lake Baikal in a modest circle. The couple already have adult children. The eldest daughter Daria, after her studies stayed to live in the UK, is engaged in the wine business. Sons Paul and Roman Oxford students.

Tax scandal

Tinkov in 2013 decided to renounce his US citizenship, obtained back in the 90s. In this regard, the US tax authorities suspected him of concealing income and deliberately reducing the value of assets. The case is not over yet, possibly due to the billionaire's illness.

Blood cancer

It is in the midst of a tax scandal that the oligarch learns about his illness - the acute stage of leukemia. But it is impossible for him to leave the UK, where he is practically under house arrest. He is still being treated there.

Tinkov family bone marrow donor fund

Tinkov underwent several courses of chemotherapy, but he also needed bone marrow transplantation. And then Tinkov finds out that in Russia the donor data bank is extremely small and decides to create his own fund to form a sufficient number of donors for Russians and from Russians. We must pay tribute to his social orientation, being himself almost in a state of danger to his life, and also trying to help other fellow citizens in the fight against blood cancer. It remains for us to wish him only health and strength, so that all the next he started will again have great success!

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