Ruben Vardanian

For the wrestler, see Ruben Vardanyan

Ruben Karlenovich Vardanyan (Russian: Рубен Карленович Варданян, Armenian: Ռուբեն Վարդանյան; born May 25, 1968 in Yerevan) is a Russian entrepreneur, manager and philanthropist, CEO and controlling shareholder of Troika Dialog, an investment bank (1992 – 2012), one of the founders of Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and its first president (2006 – 2011).

Biography

Vardanyan was born on May 25, 1968, in Yerevan. In 1985 he graduated with a gold medal from school №20 named after John Kirakosyan (formerly named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky) in Yerevan. In 1986-1988 he completed service in the Soviet Armed Forces,[1] and in 1992 graduated with honors from the Economics Faculty at Lomonosov Moscow State University. He interned at Banca CRT in Italy, attended courses on emerging markets organized by Merrill Lynch in New York (1992), completed training at INSEAD (Fontenblo, France; 2000), and attended courses at Harvard Business School (2001, 2005), as well as special programs at Yale University and Stanford University Graduate School of Business (2012 and 2013).

Entrepreneurial Activities

In 1991-1992 Vardanyan worked as expert, head of IPO division at Troika Dialog brokerage; working at the company from its founding day. From 1992 headed Troika Dialog, holding the posts of executive director, and then president, CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Troika Dialog Group, up until the company’s sale to Sberbank on January 23, 2012. Thereafter he was co-head of Sberbank CIB (until August 2013), and subsequently advisor to the president and chairman of the board at Sberbank.

In 2002-2004 Vardanyan was general director at Rosgosstrakh, working concurrently as Troika’s CEO. In 2004-2005 and from August 2011 to October 2013, he was the company’s board chairman. In 2002-2003 and from October 2013 to the present – a member of the board at Rosgosstrakh.

Previously, Vardanyan served on the boards of directors of numerous companies, including AvtoVAZ, Novatek, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, Aviastar-SP, Sheremetyevo International Airport, AK BARS Bank, Bank of Moscow and Izvestia newspaper. He is currently a board member at Kamaz, Sibur, Joule Unlimited, Inc., Ameriabank (Armenia) and United Grain Company. He is a member of the economic council of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of World Bank Group.

From 2000 to 2012, Vardanyan was a member of the management board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, serving at different times as head of the corporate management committee, co-chair of the committee for corporate management and alternative dispute settlement, and arbiter of the RUIE arbitration committee for corporate ethics. He is currently a member of the arbitrators’ committee of the RUIE joint corporate ethics commission.

Public Service

In 2014 Ruben Vardanyan joined the Investment Committee under Chairman of the State Duma S.E. Naryshkin and the Strategic Council for investments in new industries under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. In 2007-2009 he was a member of the expert council under the Council of the Russian President for the Implementation of Priority National Projects and Demographic Policy, and in 2003-2012 – a member of the State Council for Competitiveness and Entrepreneurial Business under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Vardanyan previously served on the boards of organizations comprising the infrastructure of Russia’s securities market and regulating its operations: the board of directors of the Nonprofit Partnership for Development of Russian Financial Market Russian Trading System (NP RTS) (1998-2001), the exchange committee of Moscow Exchange (1997-2002), the expert committee of the Federal Commission of Securities Market (FCSM of Russia) (1996-2002), the board of directors of Depository Clearing Company CJSC (1995–1999), as well as the board of directors of the National Association of Securities Market Participants (NAUFOR) (1997-2006), including two years (1997-1998) as board chairman.

Ruben Vardanyan is a member of the Supreme Religious Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Support of Education

Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Several of Ruben Vardanyan’s projects relate to educational initiatives in Russia and the CIS.[2] He is founding partner and deputy chairman of the international advisory board of Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO. From 2006 to 2011 he was the school’s president. Additionally, Vardanyan heads the advisory board of the Institute for Emerging Market Studies and the expert council of the Wealth Transformation Center at SKOLKOVO Business School.

United World College Dilijan

Ruben Vardanyan is a founding partner and chairman of the Founding Partners Board at UWC Dilijan College, an international school in Armenia for students aged 13–19. In 2013, together with spouse Veronika Zonabend, Vardanyan established the foundation for new educational opportunities Scholae Mundi, assisting on a non-profit basis the students of UWC Dilijan College and other academic institutions by providing scholarships, maintenance allowances or grants,[3] as well as launching a collaborative program with the educational center of Dumfries House Estate (Scotland), under the patronage of Prince Charles.[4]

Vardanyan is a current or previous board member of a number of academic institutions in Russia and other countries: the boards of trustees of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Service (RANEPA) (since 2014) and the Faculty of Economics at Lomonosov Moscow State University (since 2014), the International Advisory Boards at the International Christian University (Japan) (since 2011) and at Fundação Dom Cabral business school (FDC, Brazil) (since 2009) and the GuangHua School of Management International Advisory Council (China) (2008-2014). Since 2000 he has served on the New Economic School Endowment Fund Board of Trustees, after serving in 2008-2009 on the fund’s consultancy board. In 2005-2008 he was a board member for the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Social Entrepreneurship

Tatev Monastery in Armenia

Ruben Vardanyan is co-founder of the philanthropic foundation IDEA, committed to supporting long-term projects for Armenia’s development.[5] One such project was Vardanyan’s and partners’ construction in 2010 of the reversible cableway Wings of Tatev, leading to Tatev Monastery. Construction of the cableway is part of the Tatev Revival program, envisioning the reconstruction of the Tatev Monastery Complex and development of local communities (job creation, fostering entrepreneurship in communities and local standards of living).[6]

In 2014 Vardanyan and his partner, Gagik Adibekyan,[7] an entrepreneur, established Dilijan Development Foundation, with the goal of transforming the city into a cultural and recreational hub and increasing its attractiveness for investors, tourists and local residents. The Foundation’s operations mainly involve development of urban infrastructure, its community life, and educational and cultural spheres.[8]

Preservation of objects of cultural-religious heritage

Cathedral of Saint George in Tbilisi (before renovation)

In 2008 Ruben Vardanyan initiated the project Tatev Revival, whose donors include, besides him, over 140 people from 18 countries.[9] In 2010 one structure of the monastic complex was fully restored – the Dzit Han oil mill. In 2013 laser scanning work commenced for all structures of the complex. Restoration work is scheduled to end in 2017.

Wrapping up in 2015 is work to restore the Cathedral of Saint George of the diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Tbilisi, Georgia, being implemented through the contributions of independent donors – Ruben Vardanyan, Albert Avdolyan, Sergey Sarkisov and others.[10]

Held on September 17, 2013, was the official opening and consecration of the Temple complex of the Russian and Novo-Nakhichevanskaya diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In respect to this event, on September 18 Ruben Vardanyan, among other philanthropists, was awarded the AAC’s highest award – the Order of Saint Gregory the Illuminator.[11]

Patronage

Ruben Vardanyan was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts from 2006-2012. He has repeatedly provided support to the U.S.-Russian Orchestra of Young Performers and the Russian National Orchestra, serving on the boards of trustees for both musical collectives (2001-2003 and 1996-2006, respectively).

Book and Magazine Publishing

Ruben Vardanyan is head of the Editorial Board of BRICS Business Magazine. In 2003-2013 he was a member of the Board of Trustees of Russia in Global Affairs magazine.

With support from Mr. Vardanyan, Troika Dialog, SKOLKOVO business school and several charitable foundations, translated into Russian and published in Russia were the best foreign works on the stock market, classics of world business literature,[12] new literary works, books about history, economics, sociology, social sciences and many others; published in Armenia were works devoted to the country’s history and culture, Armenian language and the genocide in Western Armenia.

Awards

Among the distinctions granted to Ruben Vardanyan are Business Person of the Year Award (AmCham Russia, 1999), “Best business manager on Russia’s capital market” (1999, 2000), awarded by Kariera magazine, Ernst & Young[13] Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Russia, 2004), “Investment banker of the year” (2004, “Stock market elite” competition) by NAUFOR,[14] Russian GQ’s “Man of the Year” as Best Entrepreneur (2010), “Alley of Fame” from the Russian Banking Forum for 20 years of service to Russia’s financial industry (2013) and many others. In 2001, Fortune magazine named Vardanyan to its list “25 Rising Stars”.

In 2011, the President of the Republic of Armenia awarded Mr. Vardanyan the Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots in recognition of his many contributions to defending Armenia’s national interests and his extensive and productive work to benefit the country. In 2013 he received the Order of St. Gregory the Illuminator. In January 2014 Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed gratitude to Ruben Vardanyan for contributing to restoring the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos.

References

  1. ↑ “I’ve been incredibly lucky in life with mentors” // Ogoniok, 25.11.2013
  2. ↑ “The U.S. has roaches also, only fewer than we do” // Vedomosti, 29.04.2014, 76 (3580)
  3. ↑ “I have a dream: to make philanthropy in Russia professional, powerful and systematic” // SPEAR’S Russia, №4 (37), April 2014
  4. ↑ “Radius of Trust” // Forbes Life, №2, July 2013
  5. ↑ “The prosperity model requires will, ambition and risk” // Mediamax, 24.06.2013
  6. ↑ “Tatev cableway and Syunik’s future” // Novoe Vremya, 16.02.10
  7. ↑ “Kings of Real Estate” // Forbes, 30.01.2012
  8. ↑ “Fund to support Dilijan’s comprehensive development is established” // Mediamax, 02.06.2014
  9. ↑ “The prosperity model requires will, ambition and risk” // Mediamax, 24.06.2013
  10. ↑ Annual report of project “Restoration of church Surb Gevorg in Tbilisi,” 2013
  11. ↑ “Philanthropists receive highest awards from AAC” // Press release from 18.19.2013 on armenianchurch.ru. Verified on July 31, 2014.
  12. ↑ “The indicator of societal stability is the number of projects with horizon of 20-30 years” // Gazeta.ru, 19.09.2013
  13. ↑ “Long-term game” // EY – Russia, “Businessman of the Year”/Ruben Vardanyan /www.ey.com/RU. Verified on July 31, 2014.
  14. ↑ Winners of the national competition “Stock market elite” // www.naufor.ru. Verified on July 31, 2014.

External links

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