Interviews and articles
Volunteering wealthmen
From editor
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet — the USA, Ingvar Kamprad — Sweden, Lakshmi Mittal — India, Konosuke Matsushita — Japan, Silvio Berlusconi — Italy, Roman Abramovich — Russia... Each country aspiring to become a trendsetter in the world economy has its own face.
Here “face” has its direct sense and means a man who in minds of world community is strongly associated with his country. Moreover, through his behavior he forms image of the country in the whole world. Striking examples include Roman Abramovich and Lakshmi Mittal. The former, by annually investing $300 million into Chelsea Football Club and purchasing $200 mil worth yachts, is building for Russia a reputation of nursery of millionaires-eccentrics. The latter makes it clear that India is an aggressively developing economy aspiring to take leading roles rather than a country of humble stock-breeders and programmers.
Ukraine and Ukrainians are not yet on the list. But exactly now, our country vitally needs a businessman-agitator. After the Orange Revolution, Ukraine changed image in the opinion of the foreign community: from the category of corrupt post-soviet economies totally depending on Russia our country passed to the category of developing Mecca for investors. Change in reputation was promoted to some extent by politicians — Viktor Yushchenko was a desired guest in White House and White Hall in 2005, and Yuliya Tymoshenko was recognized as one of the most influential women in the world.
Now is the turn of businessmen. Exactly they, in the opinion of “Kontrakty”, should take over from politicians the hand in promoting Ukraine abroad. We think that even an odious businessman in the role of “the face of the country” looks more appropriate than a progressive politician or a talented sportsman. Existence of a big corporation depends in many respects on skills and wishes of a businessman, while term of service of a politician is limited by law and sports fame is ephemeral. Our country has enough oligarchs able to become the face of Ukraine abroad. “Kontrakty” made rating of domestic magnates as potential agitators, propagandists and image-makers, having established which chances each of them has to become Ukrainian Roman Abramovich.
- Viktor Pinchuk;
- Rynat Akhmetov;
- Vitaly Gaiduk;
- Sergey Taruta;
- Konstantyn Zhevago;
- Igor Kolomoisky;
- Dmintry Firtash;
- Andrey Klyuev.
The expert group composed of eight journalists and editors of “Kontrakty” evaluated each Ukrainian businessman against five criteria. Minimum score is 1, maximum score — 10.
Criteria
1. How much the businessman himself and his companies are known in the West?
2. Do companies controlled by the businessman meet western standards for conduct of business?
3. What is the reputation of the businessman in Ukraine and abroad?
4. How much is the businessman public?
5. Do political, public and social activities of the businessman contribute to formation of his positive image in Ukraine and abroad? Having received answers, “Kontrakty” made average score of businessmen according to each criterion (arithmetical mean of assessments of eight respondents), as well as general score for each businessman. The results are given below. Data on turnover of each business group are preliminary assessments of “Kontrakty” based on totals of 2006.
Expert group
Nelly Verner, Nataliya Gusenko, Vyacheslav Darpinyants, Yevheny Dubogryz, Roman Kulchinsky, Alexander Ruban, Elena Struk and Elena Shkarpova.
Who serves as an example to Ukrainian capitalists?
Viktor Pinchuk
Group: Interpipe
Turnover: $5 billion
CV: Ukrainian businessman, who is the most known in the West, the most probable candidate to the status of “The Face of Ukraine”.
Strong points: public activity and patronage of arts.
Weak points: reputation of protégé of odious Leonid Kuchma.
How to improve image: to proceed with patronage of arts, to purchase a sports club (preferably a football one) in Europe or the USA, to expose Interpipe Corporation to IPO abroad.
1. Viktor Pinchuk was included into Forbes rating of billionaires for two successive years; his fortune was assessed by American journalists as equal to $ 2.8 billion according to totals of 2006. Besides, the businessman is co-organizer and sponsor of public and political organization YES (Yalta-European Strategy), members of which include, in particular, politicians from European countries. At the same time, Viktor Pinchuk does not advertise his foreign assets. …7.63
2. Managers of the Interpipe have been attempting for the last five years to restructure business of the corporation by the example of foreign companies. Due to leadership turnover of Interpipe, restructuring plans have not yet been realized. The Interpipe Brand includes only pipe companies belonging to the group. At the same time, policy of a number of companies belonging to the Interpipe meets western standards. For example, last year Nizhnedneprovskyi Tube-Rolling Mill paid dividends to the stakeholders for several years. …5.63
3. The businessman is considered to be protégé of ex-president Leonid Kuchma, and perhaps with good reasons. This opinion negatively influences reputation of the Interpipe’s owner as a businessman. On the other hand, Pinchuk actively forms reputation of a public businessman, who has direct relation neither to former nor to present-day power. Viktor Pinchuk participates in international business conferences (such as Davos Economic Forum), likes being interviewed by foreign press, sometimes writes articles and publishes them, for example, in Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. …5.88
4. Pinchuk actively communicates with foreign journalists (especially with representatives of business publications) on the theme of his own business activity and plans for development of the Interpipe Corporation. With Ukrainian press, the businessman agrees to speak only on his charitable and public activities. Sometimes he participates in high society events in Ukraine, for example, he was a guest of the Comedy Club Ukraine program. …6.00
5. For the last four years, Pinchuk has been forming the image of a Maecenas. The businessman has founded, by the example of American magnate of late 1890s Andrew Carnegie, the charitable organization “Viktor Pinchuk Foundation”, which sponsors social, educational and fine arts projects. Wife of Viktor Pinchuk Elena Franchuk, daughter of Leonid Kuchma, is the founder of “Anti-SPID” Fund (“Anti-AIDS” Fund). Charitable activity of Pinchuk intensified after the end of the second term of Leonid Kuchma — the most expansive social projects of Pinchuk dated from 2005-2006. Pinchuk avoids political activity. …6.38
Overall score: 6.30 points out of 10
