Vladimir Potanin

Vladimir Potanin, born on January 3, 1961, is a prominent Russian businessman, banker, and politician, widely recognized as one of the leading oligarchs in Russia. He is the founder and president of Interros, a holding company with significant stakes in various major enterprises, including MMC Norilsk Nickel, Rosa Khutor, Rosbank, Yandex, and TCS Group Holding.

In addition to his business ventures, Potanin serves as the president of Norilsk Nickel and holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State Hermitage Museum. He is also the founder of the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation, reflecting his commitment to philanthropy.

Potanin's financial prowess has earned him recognition on the global stage, with Forbes ranking him as the richest person in Russia in both 2015 and 2020. Throughout the period from 2021 to 2026, he consistently ranked among the top five Russian billionaires, reaffirming his status as a key player in the business landscape.

In the 2026 Forbes ranking, Potanin reclaimed his position as the second-ranking Russian billionaire, a title he had not held since 2023. His global standing was marked at rank seventy-nine. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as of March 31, 2026, he was positioned fourth among Russian billionaires and ninety-fourth globally, with a recalibrated net worth of twenty-four point nine billion dollars, despite a year-to-date contraction of one point fifty-five billion dollars.

However, Potanin's business activities have not been without controversy, as he has faced sanctions imposed by Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.