Alisher Usmanov, son of a former state prosecutor in Tashkent was born in 1953 in Chust Namangan region of Uzbekistan. Usmanov graduated with a degree in international law from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1976, and became acquainted with trends and perspectives during his studies. His earlier life was full of controversies, as he claims that he was a victim of political repression. In year 1980, Usmanov also got convicted for multiple offences and was imprisoned in Tashkent for 8 years on charges of fraud and extortion. Later in 1986, he got conditionally released for good behavior and sincere remorse, and even a Soviet court dismissed the charges and cleared his record.
Usmanov runs an iron ore and steel business, and holds a 45% stake in Russia’s largest iron ore producer, Metalloinvest. Further, his business diversifies into telecoms, timber and most recently, the internet, as he holds 2% stake in Facebook as well as in other popular websites like Zynga, Groupon and Twitter. Usmanov recently upped his stake to 29% in English professional soccer club, Arsenal. His love for Arsenal is like that of a man for a woman, as he says, “it is not something you can sell”. In terms of wealth, Usmanov has his finger in every pie, and is easily the Rich List’s higher riser this year. According to Forbes, Usmanov is the 5th richest man in Russia and the 35th richest in the world with a net worth of $17.7 billion, in year 2011
Usmanov is one of the Russian oligarchs who love to spend and give. He owns a $77 million Victorian mansion in north London and a five century old Tudor mansion in Surrey. He even splashed out $31 million to buy late cellist Mstislav Rostropovich’s art collection for a state museum. Usmanov is ranked 97th in the Giving List, as he donated $120 million to charity from his own pocket as well as from the company accounts last year, and is also a guarantor of the Charity project 'One Thousand Russian Cities'. He is the co founder of the Arts and Sports Charity Foundation, one of the key backers of the successful 2018 Russian football World Cup bid.
