Portrait of Zakhar Smushkin

Rank #2232

Zakhar Smushkin

Net worth $1.9B

Pulp and paper, diversified · Russia

Born
Jan 23, 1962
Age
64
Source
Pulp and paper, diversified
Residence
Saint Petersburg
Citizenship
Russia
Marital status
Married
Children
1
Education
Master of Science, Leningrad Technological Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry

Net worth over time

Biography

  • In the early 1990s Zakhar Smuskhin and his business partner Boris Zingarevich were active in barter trading with Russian pulp and paper mills.
  • Later in the 1990s, during the privatization phase in Russia, they bought their first plant, the Kotlas pulp and paper mill.
  • The partners' Ilim Group formed a joint venture in 2007 with multinational firm International Paper; the venture operates in Russia as Ilim Group.
  • As part of the deal, International Paper purchased 50% of Ilim for approximately $650 million.
  • In 2023 International Paper sold its 50% interest in Ilim Group to the Russian partners.
  • Smushkin also owns some 3,500 acres of land near Saint Petersburg.
  • Russia's prime minister and former president, Dmitry Medvedev, worked as general counsel of Ilim Holding in the mid 1990s.
  • Smuskhin collects Russian paintings, particularly works by Mikhail Vrubel.