You're reading: #24 Richest: Heorhiy Skudar, 68 

$552 million Married with two daughters Interests: heavy machine building

Heorhiy Skudar’s Novokramatorsk Machine-building Factory this year continued to suffer from the world economic crisis, with workers at his plants making heavy equipment for mining companies and metallurgical plants facing layoffs and pay reductions in 2010.

Elected to parliament from the Party of Regions in 2007, Skudar has worked with the president and new government to mitigate the effects of the downturn and drum up new business.

Top customers of Novokramatorsk in the past have included Rinat Akhmetov’s Azovstal and Kostyantyn Zhevago’s ore mining business.