Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich was born on January 23, 1962 in St. Petersburg. Smushkin spent his childhood in St. Petersburg, where he attended high school and studied at a university. In his youth, the future entrepreneur was an example for many of his peers, distinguished by his cultural manner of communication, responsibility and extraordinary determination. Zakhar Smushkin studied excellently, without causing problems to his parents.

Biography of Zakhar Smushkin – clear example, as a person from an ordinary family, thanks to patience and intelligence, he achieved extraordinary heights in his life. Smushkin's main achievements are impressive:

• Founded the Ilim Pulp company, holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors,
• He is a member of the Presidium of the Russian Community of Entrepreneurs,
• He is an honorary doctor of the St. Petersburg State Forestry University named after S. M. Kirov,
• He is an honorary professor at the St. Petersburg State Technological University of Plant Polymers,
• Entered the ranking of the most successful businessmen(Smushkin was given an honorable 37th place).

In terms of capital, it is ranked 52nd.

Education

Alternatives to choose from future profession there were many, but Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin chose the Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry.

As a result, Zakhar Smushkin went to submit documents. Studying at this university predetermined the choice future work. Smushkin was a capable student, so in 1984, upon completion of his studies, he decided to continue his studies in graduate school, from which he graduated with the status of a candidate of technical sciences.

It was during his studies that Zakhar Smushkin gained his first experience in the paper industry, as he combined his postgraduate studies with activities at the NPO Gidrolizprom, where he was a researcher. In the early nineties, he began to move up the career ladder at the Soviet-Swedish company Technoferm-Engineering, which became the impetus for his further success.

Business

The biography of Zakhar Smushkin, as an entrepreneur, started in 1992, when, at the time of the collapse Soviet Union he, in the company of his classmates Mikhail and Boris Zingarevich, created the company Ilim Pulp Enterprise, specializing in the export of paper goods abroad.

The strategy was successful and soon Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich earned his first capital by starting to invest in the development of his small enterprise at that time. Subsequently, he managed to turn it into a large timber industry holding, which gradually included thirty domestic companies involved in logging. During the first eight years, the entrepreneur was the head of the Kotlas pulp and paper mill, the Ust-Ilimsk timber industry concern and the Bratsk forestry complex. Due to him professional qualities and hard work, these enterprises began to develop rapidly. Over time, the tycoon became a member of the Bureau of the Board of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists of the Russian Federation, where he heads the Russian Forestry Commission.

However, Smushkin did not stop at creating the country’s largest timber corporation. Therefore, the talented entrepreneur at the same time decided to try himself in the trade sector, creating the Domovoy supermarket chain in St. Petersburg, which sells small household appliances and household goods.

In addition to the forestry industry, Zakhar Smushkin also specializes in construction. He runs the Start Development company, which is currently engaged in the construction of the satellite city “Yuzhny” in St. Petersburg. The buildings are located on 5.3 million square kilometers of area, four million of which will be allocated for residential buildings for 134 thousand people.

The key achievement of Zakhar Davidovich as a businessman was the stable development of the Ilim Pulp holding, which managed to maintain the scale of production despite the economic crisis. At the end of 2015, the corporation received revenue of two billion.

In 1996-1998, Zakhar Smushkin was a member of the VTB Supervisory Board. In 1997, he received a seat on the board of directors:

• Bratsk LPK;
• timber industry concern in Ust-Ilimsk.

In addition, he chaired the CPPM, and since 2001, the Ilim Group. In 2004, Zakhar Davidovich was elected to the leadership of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and in 2007 he became the head of the board of directors of Ilim Group.

Like any prominent figure, a businessman has competitors. For several years he has been worthy of competition with Oleg Deripaska, not inferior to him in ratings. However, competition did not prevent Smushkin from taking the right course of management and leading his enterprise onto the right path of development, which would have a beneficial effect on the Russian economy. At the moment, OJSC Ilim Group is not only the largest Russian association of forest industry enterprises, but also the most technically developed and environmentally oriented.

How the billionaire's fortune changed in 2016

Zakhar Smushkin was given an honorable 6th place in the “Rating of Billionaires of the Russian Federation 2016”. His fortune is estimated at 108 billion rubles.

The businessman owns assets (as of 2016):

• Ilim Group
• “Start development”
• Retail chain “Domovoy”

Future plans

with their own key areas Smushkin’s activities include optimizing control over companies and improving their financial performance. Zakhar Davidovich also plans to restructure the holding by bringing it to the stock market. All of these ideas include maintaining openness and transparency. Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich firmly believes that the future of his companies is in good hands, and their purpose within the country is global and significant. A company's early entry into the stock market will help achieve new goals and is a very profitable prospect. Today we have already managed to prepare a plan further development, which will lead to new changes in the company.

It seems to Zakhar Smushkin that the holding is expecting a reorientation from the geographical principle to product lines. In addition, the entrepreneur continues to develop all important areas, planning to buy some European trading companies. A huge number of goods are sent to Asian countries, so it is possible that subsidiaries will be open there too.

Charity

Zakhar Smushkin has successfully established cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund. In 2012, his company entered into an agreement with the fund, according to which the Ilim Pulp enterprise voluntarily refused to harvest wood from unique forests, the number of which is rapidly declining on the planet. The parties to the agreement initially agreed on the boundaries of the territory (the Verkhnevashkinsky forest area, located in the Arkhangelsk region, cannot be used for industrial purposes). Today the company leases these lands. However, until the end of the agreement, a ban on logging in these places was introduced.

Personal life

In addition to the development of the timber industry in Russian Federation, Zakhar Davidovich gets carried away mind games such as chess. In addition, he really likes tennis.
Zakhar Smushkin’s passion for painting is also known. He owns a collection of famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, among whom the entrepreneur especially singles out Mikhail Vrubel. In 2016, in the Forbes ranking, the businessman was in 114th place among the richest domestic entrepreneurs. Zakhar Davidovich's fortune is estimated at $750 million.

Zakhar Smushkin is one of the richest businessmen in Russia, heading the country's largest timber company. Smushkin is a shareholder and chairman of the board of directors of the Ilim group, whose enterprises today produce the majority of all Russian pulp and cardboard.

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich was born on January 23, 1962 in the cultural capital of Russia into an intelligent family. The businessman spent his childhood in Leningrad, where Zakhar graduated from high school and received a higher education. In his youth, the future businessman studied diligently and did not cause trouble to his parents.

Having received a certificate of secondary education, Smushkin entered the Leningrad Institute pulp and paper industry, studies in which determined the future field of activity of the businessman. Smushkin was a capable student, so in 1984, after graduating from university, he decided to continue his studies in graduate school, from which he graduated as a candidate of technical sciences.

During that period, Zakhar Davidovich also received his first professional experience in the paper industry, as he combined his postgraduate studies with work at the NPO Gidrolizprom, where he held the position of research assistant. Already in the early 90s, Smushkin received a leadership position in the Soviet-Swedish enterprise Technoferm-Engineering, which marked the beginning of a brilliant career as a businessman.

Business

The biography of Zakhar Smushkin as a businessman dates back to 1992, when, at the time of the collapse of the USSR, Smushkin, together with fellow students Boris and Mikhail Zingarevich, decided to create the Ilim Pulp Enterprise company, which exported paper products abroad.

Having earned his first capital, Zakhar Davidovich began to invest money in the development of his own small enterprise at that time, turning the company into the largest timber industry holding, which includes 30 Russian logging companies. In the first 8 years, the businessman managed to head the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill, the Bratsk Timber Processing Plant and the Ust-Ilimsk Timber Industry Concern, which, thanks to his hard work and professionalism, became the largest enterprises in the Russian pulp and paper industry.

By creating the largest vertically integrated timber corporation in Russia, Zakhar Smushkin developed his business in the field of trade. He founded the Domovoy supermarket chain in St. Petersburg, selling household goods and small household appliances. In addition, the “timber magnate” became a member of the Bureau of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, where he headed the commission on the timber industry complex and forestry of Russia.

Smushkin’s main achievement in his business is considered to be the stability and development of the Ilim holding, which, in the conditions economic crisis was able to maintain production scale. At the end of 2015, the corporation's revenue was almost $2 billion, taking into account a 9.7% decline in revenue.

In addition to the timber industry, Smushkin is involved in construction. The businessman heads the Start Development company, which is currently building the Yuzhny satellite city in St. Petersburg. The city will be located on the border of the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg and the Gatchina district Leningrad region. The master plan for the South was developed by foreign companies Urban Design Associates (USA) and Gillespies (UK).

Future buildings will be located on 5.3 million square meters of land, 4 million of which will be used for residential buildings for 134 thousand people. In addition to housing itself, the city plan also includes infrastructure buildings. In 2013, a development plan was announced, voiced by Yuri Bakei, director of the Research Institute of General Planning of St. Petersburg. The plan includes 27 schools, 10 sports and entertainment centers, 12 medical centers, 58 kindergartens.

In 2015, fresh news appeared about the progress of the construction of the city of Yuzhny. Smushkin’s company “Start Development” signed with American corporation IBM, which manufactures and supplies hardware and software, a memorandum on the implementation of the urban concept “Smart City” during the construction of the Southern. This concept consists of the integration of the Internet of Things and a number of other communication and information technologies into the city management system.

The agreement was concluded at an annual major business event called the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The difference between this satellite city will be that such innovative and innovative solutions are introduced into the functioning of the city immediately at the planning stage, which makes it possible not to rework the infrastructure for new technologies, and also makes the city project the most attractive for investors.

Having managed to clearly manage his business, Zakhar Davidovich did not leave his scientific activity. The businessman is an Honorary Professor at the State Technological University of Plant Polymers in St. Petersburg and an Honorary Doctor of Science at the St. Petersburg Forestry University named after. In addition, Zakhar Smushkin received a seat as a member of the Supervisory Board of the St. Petersburg National research university information technology, mechanics and optics.

Personal life

The personal life of Zakhar Smushkin, like most of Russia's largest businessmen, is not publicly displayed. It is known that the businessman achieved success in family life– Smushkin has a wife and the businessman is raising a son.

In addition to the development of the timber industry in Russia, Zakhar Davidovich is interested in chess and tennis. He is also interested in painting - he owns a luxurious collection of famous artists from the late 19th - early 20th centuries, among whom the businessman highlights.

Zakhar Smushkin now

At the end of 2016, an art exhibition opened in the arena of the Small Hermitage, the exhibits of which were works from the private collection of Zakhar Smushkin. The exhibition was called “Perfection in the details. The Art of Japan during the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912)” and included works of decorative and applied art. These are 700 items from the specified era. The materials used varied and included metals with various techniques processing, ceramics, as well as decoration with enamels and varnishes.

The reason for the exhibition was the completion of the collection. The billionaire considers his own Japanese collection complete, and any completed item should be shown to the public, the businessman believes. For Zakhar Smushkin himself, collecting art is a spiritual necessity. According to the billionaire, if Smushkin ceases to be interested in culture and immerses himself only in material business, then he becomes an overly pragmatic and cynical person. Also, for a businessman, art is a way of understanding the world.

At the same time, for the first time, the businessman himself, in his own words, finally saw the exhibits of the art collection in full regalia and displayed in all their splendor. Zakhar Smushkin had not even really seen some of the objects before, since the collection items were stored in a specialized warehouse.

In addition, it is known that the businessman also has a collection of Russian art from the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries and contemporary art. The businessman also admitted to reporters that in the future he plans to advance even further in the cultural sphere and even open a full-fledged private museum. Smushkin has no doubt that the museum will appear in the businessman’s famous project - the city of Yuzhny, but in parallel with this, the billionaire is negotiating with the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko about the creation of a new large museum of contemporary art inside St. Petersburg.

Condition assessment

In the same 2016, Zakhar Smushkin took sixth place in the ranking of billionaires of “Business Petersburg”. The magazine "City" also included the billionaire in the ranking of the most influential businessmen of St. Petersburg, with Zakhar Smushkin annually making it into the top ten, and in 2013 and 2014 he even topped this list.

- a famous Russian multimillionaire, one of the largest investors in the timber industry. The businessman heads the Ilim group, which produces the lion's share of Russian pulp, packaging materials and other industry products.

Zakhar Davidovich is a prime example successful entrepreneur, he began his career as an ordinary researcher and was able to reach the level of a major industrialist and developer. He demonstrated in practice his ability to create large, world-class production facilities, providing Russians with tens of thousands of new jobs.

The future chairman of the board of directors of the Ilim group was born in the winter of 1962 in Leningrad, his birthday falls on January 23. The elder Smushkin family were representatives of the Leningrad intelligentsia; they lived on Ochakovskaya Street. In middle and high school, Zakhar studied well; teachers noted his hard work and perseverance in achieving his goals. The boy gave preference to the exact sciences, which determined the choice of a higher educational institution.

After graduating from high school, Smushkin decided to enter the LTI PPI (today the Higher School of Technology and Energy). He successfully passed the entrance exams and graduated brilliantly from the university, after which he entered graduate school and defended his Ph.D. thesis.

Working career

Zakhar Smushkin has always been attracted not only to science, but also practical use acquired knowledge. In parallel with his graduate studies, he got a job at Gidrolizprom, which is where Zakhar Smushkin’s work biography began. At his first job, he learned in practice the nuances of managing forestry enterprises, which was useful to him in the future.

From Hydrolizprom, the future owner of the Ilim Group moved to Tekhnofirm-Engineering. The company specialized in the export of timber products industrial complex, imported machine tools and technological lines. "Technofirm-Engineering" is important milestone in the work biography of the future industrialist, it was here that Smushkin gained invaluable experience in managing production processes. The knowledge and skills gained in practice helped him establish successful work his first business, Ilim Pulp Enterprise, and become a multi-billionaire.

Ilim was founded by Zakhar Smushkin in the spring of 1992; it was a small company that specialized in trade and export activities. However, the entrepreneur soon began to invest profits from exports in the purchase of bankrupt companies in the industry and their reconstruction in order to be able to produce pulp, cardboard and paper himself.

The first enterprise to join the future empire of the businessman was the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill; the entrepreneur became the largest shareholder of this industrial complex. Then he began to form his own network of timber industry enterprises to ensure the supply of high-quality raw materials to the pulp and paper mill.

During the formation of the timber industry holding, Zakhar Smushkin had to develop and establish a system for effectively coordinating the activities of dozens of geographically distributed and diverse enterprises. Smushkin was the first to think of using innovative techniques production management, which was one of the main factors in the successful growth of the businessman’s empire.

Ten years after the start of its formation, Zakhar Davidovich’s corporation included dozens of mills and forestry enterprises, his holding rightfully took a leading position in its industry. As the corporation grew and developed, it became clear to Smushkin that it was necessary to introduce new effective management schemes, so the closed Joint-Stock Company was transformed into JSC Ilim Group. Zakhar Smushkin became the chairman of the board of directors of the holding.

In fact, Smushkin was able to revive the Russian timber industry, which was in a state of stagnation and bankruptcy by the mid-90s, making it competitive at the global level.

During all periods of growth and development of the corporation, Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin considered the introduction of innovative production technologies to be one of the most important tasks. According to the multimillionaire, modernization of production is the most effective way increasing profitability. In addition, Smushkin believes, this is also a tool for reducing the environmental load and minimizing cases of industrial injuries.

During a major update production base advanced equipment is installed, often it has no analogues in the industry at the time of installation. Reconstruction and modernization projects, emphasizes Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin, do not stop for a single day, because technical progress does not stand still and new highly efficient technologies appear regularly. The business plans for the development of Ilim include a set of projects aimed at further improving material and technical equipment and introducing advanced industry developments.

Production safety is an area to which the entrepreneur pays close attention. Zakhar Smushkin regularly implements innovative technologies, which minimize the risk of injury during the production process and meet the most stringent requirements of international standards.

Zakhar Davidovich is convinced that it is possible to reduce the number of accidents at work only by involving each employee in resolving safety-related issues labor activity. Ilim Group enterprises implement many programs that train employees to identify hazardous working conditions to prevent injuries. Another project that the businessman is rightfully proud of is large-scale training of personnel in how to provide first aid in the event of critical situations and the rules for performing emergency rescue measures.

All of the businessman’s factories have implemented a 100% wastewater treatment program and installed advanced equipment that captures and neutralizes up to 85% of harmful emissions. The billionaire is developing programs that help save energy resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Among socially significant projects Zakhar Davidovich - reconstruction of Ust-Ilimsk airport. The entrepreneur entered into an agreement on socio-economic partnership with the regional government and allocated 100 million rubles for the purchase of the latest navigation and refueling equipment, as well as the modernization of the airport terminal building. The businessman expects that the social initiative will mark the beginning of a global reorganization of the region’s airports, because the launch of large industrial projects is unthinkable without existing infrastructure.

Smushkin's net worth and assets

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich occupies the 98th position in the TOP 200 of the Forbes rating. His fortune in 2019 is estimated at $1,000 million, growing every year despite tightening economic sanctions.

The multimillionaire is the owner of the following businesses:

• timber industry holding "Ilim";
• development company "Start Development";
• retail chains Domovoy and Start.

Smushkin’s main asset is the Ilim Group. Today it is the largest Russian timber industry holding, which produces three quarters of the total volume of pulp, and the total annual production volume exceeds 3 million tons. The holding supplies pulp and other goods to Russian consumers, and also exports its products to 70+ countries. The holding, headed by a billionaire, is also one of the largest Russian employers, with 17,000+ employees working at the enterprises owned by Zakhar Smushkin.

The entrepreneur also owns Start Development, which is the second most important asset of the multimillionaire. The company carries out comprehensive development and construction activities. Today, the entrepreneur’s land bank contains more than 40 million square meters. The businessman has already implemented a number of residential and commercial real estate projects, from drawing up an architectural concept to construction and infrastructure development. Among them are low-rise residential complexes, cottage villages and other objects.

The largest investment project– design and construction of the satellite city Yuzhny. The project has received federal status; it is the largest such construction in Russia today; during its implementation, tens of thousands of jobs will be created. Zakhar Smushkin and Start Development have already invested more than $250 million in the project. The authorities of St. Petersburg will also take part in financing the development of urban infrastructure.

On an area of ​​2000+ hectares, the businessman plans to build over four million square meters of comfortable, energy-efficient housing. Pre-school and school institutions are also being built here, medical centers, shopping malls and other infrastructure necessary for comfortable city life. In addition, the new city should become one of the largest science cities in Russia. An “Innocity of Science and Technology” with scientific, educational and social infrastructure will be built here.

Being a socially responsible entrepreneur, Zakhar Davidovich used energy-efficient solutions and “green” technologies in the concept of the satellite city project so that the impact of the development on the environment was minimal. Infrastructure facilities are designed using green-development principles and technologies; for example, it is planned to generate electricity for street lighting using solar panels.

In addition to the satellite town of Yuzhny Zakhar Smushkini, Start Development is actively involved in launching the Donny Verevo industrial park in Gatchina. Several dozen manufacturing firms and logistics companies will be located on an area of ​​185 hectares. The businessman plans to create a large number of new jobs, which will contribute to the growth of the economy of Northern Palmyra.

The activities of the developer and his company have been recognized with many prestigious awards. For example, “Start Development” was recognized as the best management company of the year, and was also nominated for an award for best project low-rise residential complex.

The third major asset of an entrepreneur is federal network hypermarkets of household goods, construction and repair of Domovoy. The entrepreneur took up retail activities relatively recently, in the early 2010s, and today Domovoy is one of largest networks in Russia in its segment. Smushkin hypermarkets offer tens of thousands of goods from domestic and foreign brands for construction and renovation, and interior decoration. The St. Petersburg billionaire is also the owner of the Start chain of do-it-yourself stores.

Hobbies and life position of a businessman

Businessman successfully combines entrepreneurial activity with teaching, works in public structures, is interested in sports and art. Little is known about the personal and family life of the Russian billionaire; the entrepreneur is happily married and raising a son. The Smushkin family leads a non-public lifestyle, not posting family photos on the Internet.

Among the businessman’s sports hobbies, two main hobbies can be distinguished: tennis and chess. He has remained faithful to them since childhood, setting aside time for training in his busy schedule.

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich is seriously interested in Russian painting of the 19th and 20th centuries; his private collection contains many paintings by artists of that time - famous and not so famous. Another hobby of the businessman is Japanese decorative and applied arts of the Meiji era. His collection of Meiji-era sculptures, prints, ceramics and other works includes more than 700 items, which were acquired at auction. According to his idea, it will display exhibits from private collections that are currently inaccessible to the general public.

Zakhar Davidovich also teaches, finding time for this in his busy schedule. He is an honorary professor at several universities in St. Petersburg, where he lectures and conducts seminars. The businessman offers promising senior students an internship at the factories of the Ilim Group.

Being a major developer and investor, Zakhar Davidovich regularly participates in forums and open discussions where issues of urban planning, investment and entrepreneurship are discussed. The businessman takes an active part in discussions and shares his accumulated experience. At one of the forums, Zakhar Davidovich expressed the idea that the future of Northern Palmyra lies in polycentric development. The entrepreneur believes that the presence of several growth points is a way to solve many pressing problems of the metropolis, while the traditional model of urban planning has completely exhausted itself. The scheme of polycentrism, according to Zakhar Davidovich, is the fate of any large city and St. Petersburg is no exception.

Being a co-owner of Ilim, Smushkin Zakhar Davidovichna permanent basis finances reforestation activities and allocates significant funds for environmental protection measures. Every year, the holding’s employees plant the same number of trees as were cut down, which ensures the preservation of the forest fund. An environmental management system has been introduced at all factories of the multimillionaire, which made it possible to minimize Negative influence logging and production processes to the natural environment.

At the initiative of the timber merchant, the Ilim holding and the World Wildlife Fund (the world's largest independent environmental organization) signed an agreement to protect the Verkhnevashkinsky (Kotlas) forest area. This area of ​​undisturbed wilderness is located in the southeast of the Arkhangelsk region and is characterized by high biological and landscape diversity. The natural value of the Verkhnevashkinsky old-growth forests was confirmed by a WWF expedition organized in the summer of 2010. Zakhar Davidovich voluntarily refused to carry out logging on this site, introducing a moratorium on logging until the end of the lease term. Thanks to the voluntary refusal, it was possible to preserve the unique forest system in its original form, preventing the extinction of many dozens of especially valuable Red Book and rare species of flora and fauna.

A multimillionaire makes large investments in enterprises of the socio-cultural infrastructure of the regions in which his enterprises are located. Zakhar Davidovich's external programs are aimed at maintaining social stability in all segments of the population. Using incoming funding, kindergartens, schools, medical centers, children's and youth sports complexes, cultural facilities, and recreational areas are being built and reconstructed. For existing social institutions modern medical, educational, laboratory, and stage equipment is purchased.

The entrepreneur devotes a lot of time to the fight for the rights of small and medium-sized businesses. He advocates increasing taxes for large entrepreneurs and reducing the tax burden for medium and small companies. According to Zakhar Davidovich, such an approach would allow small companies grow and develop more actively.

Zakhar Smushkin - Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Ilim Group, founder and head construction company"Start Development" and the Domovoy supermarket chain.

Childhood and education

From a young age, he was distinguished by perseverance and perseverance, he succeeded in school, which distinguished him from most of his peers and did for them good example. In 1984 he entered the Leningrad Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry, and this choice predetermined his future fate as a specialist. Having received a diploma about higher education, he decided not to stop there and continued his studies in graduate school. He successfully combined writing a PhD thesis with work in his specialty.

Labor activity

After defending his PhD thesis, he easily got a job at NPO Gidroilizprom as a research assistant.

In 1990, the young specialist, already having impressive work experience for his age, moved to the large international enterprise Tekhnofirm-Engineering to the post of manager technical department. In many respects, the company owes it to him for the introduction of innovations and further successful attraction of investments.

Having secured the support of the aforementioned Technofirm-Engineering and the Zingarevich brothers, colleagues and former classmates, in 1992 Smushkin founded the Ilim company. At first, it was engaged in exporting pulp abroad in small volumes, however, thanks to the management skills of the founder, the company short time managed to accumulate impressive capital by retraining as a timber industry enterprise.

Ilim and the development of the Russian economy

Over the course of several years, the company acquired more than 30 pulp mills. The largest of them were the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill (purchased in 1994) and the Ust-Ilimsk Timber Processing Plant (in 2000).

Zakhar Davidovich played big role in the restoration and development of the entire industry. In the 90s (after the collapse of the USSR), all acquired enterprises were in a deplorable state, actually on the verge of bankruptcy. Thanks to their joining the Ilim holding, it was possible to save not only jobs, but also the industry as a whole, and even increase its efficiency, which had a positive impact on the development of the entire North-Western District of Russia.

In addition, during the period of active development of the holding (from 1996 to 1998), the businessman was on the supervisory board of VTB (Vneshtorgbank). This experience allowed him to increase his knowledge in the field of economics and finance, which also had a positive impact on the management of the young and promising company Ilim. In 2001 he was included in the council of experts economic development and investments under the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Northwestern Federal District.

About the holding

At the moment it is the largest cellulose production enterprise not only in Russia, but also in Europe. The annual harvest of raw wood amounts to more than 10 million cubic meters. And the volumes of boxboard, cellulose and raw wood harvested annually are 77%, 75% and 10%, respectively. Ilim, with its activities and innovative management mechanisms, had a huge impact on the formation and development of the economy in the Russian timber industry in the context of the transition from a planned to a market model.

The holding almost completely satisfies the demand for products on the domestic market, while it is also export-oriented: it actively cooperates with Asian countries, in particular with the People's Republic of China. Exports from the holding of bleached softwood and hardwood pulp satisfy one third of the country’s total needs for this product(recall that the population of China in 2015 is more than 1.5 billion people).

In addition, Ilim is a leader in the introduction of innovations, not only of a technological nature, but also financial and managerial. Therefore, even despite the crisis, the holding successfully maintains and increases positive dynamics in all production and financial indicators, while remaining as transparent as possible for control: both environmental, civil and financial.

As the head of the largest forest industry enterprise, Mr. Smushkin understands the importance of compliance with international environmental norms and standards. As a member of the Council for the Development of the Forestry Complex under the Government of the Russian Federation, he actively contributes to its activities by making recommendations regarding the development and improvement of the state of forest resources of the Russian Federation. His company also contributes in every possible way to international initiatives regarding environmental protection, which is important for the largest timber industry holding. Thus, according to Smushkin himself, one of the company’s priorities is to achieve a positive balance between planting and deforestation.

It is noteworthy that in 2012, Ilim began cooperation with the International Fund for Conservation of Nature, known to most as WWF. On a voluntary basis, Mr. Smushkin took control of the enterprise over a huge territory in the Leningrad region, called the Verkhnevashkinsky forest area. This area is not protected from logging in any way at the legislative level in the Russian Federation, however, it is of great interest in the world community as it has virtually no analogues in the world. The company, on the personal instructions of Zakhar Davidovich and as part of charity, leases it, and the lease agreement contains a moratorium clause on logging of this territory. For such a large enterprise as Ilim, this is not just a gesture of goodwill, it is a conscious step towards achieving a balance between the resources people consume and its growth, which is very rare these days.

Expert and teaching activities

In addition to managerial and specialized skills, Mr. Smushkin has both a certain courage and a spirit of innovation. It was he who first applied the technology on the territory of the Russian Federation vertical integration enterprises, which had a positive effect on the economy, which was undergoing an emergency restructuring under the conditions of a market model. Now the manager shares the acquired knowledge and developed technologies that have proven their effectiveness through personal example.

As a member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, he is engaged in the implementation of his own developed mechanisms of vertical integration as a tool to bring the industry out of stagnation, and as a member of the Council for the Development of the Forestry Complex under the Government of the Russian Federation, he actively forms and makes recommendations regarding the development and increase of the forest wealth of Russia. Dmitry Medvedev has repeatedly noted him as one of the most valuable specialists in the forest industry.

In addition, he participates in the education of young specialists in the timber industry. In the State technological university plant polymers and at the St. Petersburg State Forestry University named after S. M. Kirov, where he has the status of honorary doctor and professor, and acts as a lecturer on a permanent basis. As part of the implementation educational activities it contributes to the modernization of student training programs in accordance with the latest international requirements, and also provides students preparing for graduation qualification works, places for internship at the enterprises of their group of companies.

Member of the Presidium of the Russian Entrepreneurial Society.

Other business projects

In 2007, the timber industry holding Ilim carried out a restructuring into OJSC Ilim Group, the chairman of the board of directors of which is still Zakhar Davidovich. Thanks to these changes in the structure of the enterprise, the businessman found funds for two more successful projects that he opened in the same year:
- Domovoy supermarket chain (7 branches at the moment), specializing in the sale of goods for the home, everyday life and light repairs.
- construction company"Start Development" , which is currently leading the largest construction projects in the Leningrad region.

The most famous project of “Start Development” is the satellite city “Yuzhny”, located in the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg and amazing in its scope. For construction, a territory with a total area of ​​more than 2,012 hectares was purchased on both sides along the Kyiv highway, also called the M-20 highway. The project plans to construct residential real estate (4.9 million sq. m.), designed for at least 170 thousand people, as well as commercial real estate (1.5 million sq. m.), which is designed to create at least 60 thousand jobs . Already at this stage, investment in the project amounts to more than 209 billion rubles.

The entire construction of the satellite city “Yuzhny” will take 19 years. In such a short period of time (by the standards of constructing an entire city), Smushkin plans not only to carry out the construction of residential and commercial space, but also to create a full-fledged innovative social and transport infrastructure. Thus, the construction of residential buildings will be accompanied by the construction of at least 60 kindergartens, 30 schools, and 10 wide-profile medical centers. And as part of the development of ITMO University, the “Foreign City of Science and Technology” will be built.

Zakhar Smushkin’s project is unique in its own way. The plan initially involves the creation of a full-fledged city: with its own infrastructure, jobs, recreational areas and even a “silicon valley” in miniature, which Inograd at ITMO is intended to become. Moreover, almost half of the territory - a thousand hectares - has been allocated for the location of a production cluster in the field of innovation. As the manager himself notes, the arrangement of the living space will not be complete without the introduction of innovations - it will be as comfortably integrated as possible with environment. So, for example, part of the electricity that meets the needs of the city will be created solar panels, and electric buses will become municipal transport, and their arrival can be tracked by mobile applications. Most of the living space is aimed at people with average incomes, and the projected population density will be half that of St. Petersburg.

In the summer of 2016, it became known that the first stage of development (an area of ​​200 hectares) would be sold to one developer, and not to a pool, as previously planned. This method of implementing the project was not chosen by Smushkin by chance and is due to some important points. For example, with one developer it will be much easier to agree on the concept of construction and sales, and the architecture of the buildings being built. On the allocated site, the selected developer will have to build a property with an area of ​​1 million square meters within five years. m.

In addition, he is involved in the implementation of several other projects. The second largest after the satellite city "Yuzhny" is the industrial park "Doni-Verevo". It is located in the Gatchina district of St. Petersburg. Manufacturing and logistics enterprises will be located on an area of ​​185 hectares.

In total, Start Development owns 40 million square meters. m. The company also has smaller-scale projects, for example, “Tayberry” and “Golden Keys”, intended for the development of summer cottages and the construction of low-rise residential buildings in the Gatchinsky and Pushkinsky districts of St. Petersburg.

The head of the company personally pays attention to solving and discussing issues and areas related to construction. At the II International Forum of Spatial Development, held on September 26-27, 2016 in St. Petersburg, Mr. Smushkin formed and voiced the concept of urban development, as well as the accompanying specific model for the development of economic centers. According to Zakhar Davidovich, the Northern capital is developing along the path of polycentrism. This is due to the active implementation of such large projects as the satellite city “Yuzhny” in the Pushkinsky district and the public and business complex “Lakhta-Center” in Primorsky, located in the south and north, respectively. This effect will be achieved, first of all, due to the presence in the plans of projects to provide jobs huge amount of people.

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin is not just a successful businessman, an expert in his field and an effective manager, his activities help develop the economy of the region and the country as a whole, and at the same time he actively develops and modernizes the areas related to this activity: ecology, urban planning, entrepreneurship, education of young people generations - based on their own example.

In Russia, Smushkin ranks sixth in the ranking of billionaires, 37th in the ranking of the most successful businessmen and 52nd in terms of capital. The American magazine Forbes placed him in 114th place in the list of the richest businessmen in Russia.

Personal life: family and hobbies

As Zakhar Smushkin himself notes, when running a business, it is very important not to forget about your spiritual development. Thus, he collects paintings by Russian artists of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. On November 12, 2016, an exhibition of Japanese art from the Meiji era opened in the Small Hermitage, provided by the businessman himself from his personal collection, which he carefully collected over a long time. At the end of the exhibition, the collection will be moved to the museum of the satellite city "Yuzhny", where it will be on permanent display.

Despite such active and varied activities, he does not forget about the most important thing in life - family. Together with his wife, they are raising a son; family hobbies include chess and tennis.