$256 million Married with three sons Interests: liquor, construction, retail
Not many know who Yevhen Chernyak is, but his Khortytsia vodka brand is known in 77 countries. Always fighting for first place in the local vodka market against globally positioned Nemiroff, Khortytsia sells around 80 percent of its products locally.
The company accounted for 22 percent of vodka sales in Ukraine in 2009.
Its largest export market is Russia, where it has recently bought two factories.
And despite a 58 percent government excise hike on ethanol spirits, Khortytsia has managed to withstand the pressure.
The company also owns the Blagoff vodka brand, Shustov cognac brand and the Oreanda winery.
Chernyak’s companies also produce electrical filters and trade scrap metals.
Chernyak supports several charities, one of which buys Ukrainian Cossack artifacts abroad and repatriates them to a museum in Zaporizhia Oblast.
