$2.223 billion Married with two daughters and a son Interests: metallurgy, energy, mass media
Viktor Pinchuk is not just a businessman, he is also, according to TIME magazine, one of the world’s great thinkers.
This may seem like a strange honor to bestow on a man who sharply increased his fortune after marrying then-President Leonid Kuchma’s daughter, and now spends them on expensive foreign artwork, as well as philanthropic projects.
But TIME this year put Pinchuk on its list of the world’s 100 most influential people in the “thinkers” section, and offered a glowing review of Pinchuk by none other than musician Elton John, a friend of the billionaire.
“Victor’s allegiance to Ukraine also knows no bounds,” swoons John, before going on, quite rightly, to praise his efforts to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.
Victor’s allegiance to Ukraine also knows no bounds.”
– Elton John, pop-star.
Pinchuk made his cash in Ukraine by becoming the owner of the steel pipe-making company where he got his first job before the Soviet Union fell apart.
He also enjoyed two terms in parliament, from 1998 to 2006, until he decided to devote more time to business and philanthropy.
The founder of EastOne, an investment and consulting advisory group, Pinchuk’s business interests also include four TV channels, a popular tabloid, and 16 oil fields.
While Pinchuk likes to be seen as more hands-off in business, he is visibly more hands-on in the arts and in promoting Ukraine abroad through the annual World Economic Forum and Yalta European Strategy.
He owns Eastern Europe’s largest contemporary art museum, has set up Ukraine’s first private chamber orchestra and has established a worldwide art prize for artists younger than 35.
Pinchuk’s generosity has paid dividends.
He was a guest at the inauguration of former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas, after donating millions of dollars to his AIDS foundation.
And he attended Clinton’s exclusive 60th birthday bash in New York.
