The success story of Zakhar Smushkina, the founder of the largest pulp and paper company Ilim. The largest investor in the timber industry Joint own business

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich – large Russian entrepreneur, industrialist and developer. He is the founder and head of the largest pulp and paper company in Russia, Ilim. In addition, Zakhar Smushkin owns LLC Management Company START Development, which implements projects of federal significance, as well as the federal chain of hypermarkets Start.

Dossier:

• FULL NAME:
• Date of Birth: 23.01.1962.
• Education: Leningrad Technological Institute of Paper Industry.
• Date of start of business activity/age: 1992, 30 years old.
• Type of activity at start: CJSC Ilim Pulp Enterprise.
• Current activity: Russian entrepreneur and investor in the forestry and pulp and paper industries, as well as in the areas of development and retail trade.
• Current state: 700 million dollars.

Zakhar Smushkin, according to the publication “ CEO", is one of the hundred businessmen who changed the Russian economy.

The City 812 portal included him among the three most influential businessmen in St. Petersburg. In addition, at the end of 2017, City 812, together with Fontanka, presented a general rating of the most influential people in St. Petersburg, where Zakhar Smushkin was awarded 26th place. As the publication notes, influence in this rating means the ability to achieve the adoption of the desired decision, as well as the impact of the decision on the city and its residents.

Other major publications devoted to business and finance also often include Smushkin in their ratings. Thus, according to the “Rating of Billionaires”, Zakhar Smushkin is in 6th place - his fortune is estimated at 108 billion rubles. Forbes, in turn, assigned Smushkin 114th place in the list of the richest businessmen in the Russian Federation.

Biography of Zakhar Smushkin

Smushkin was born on January 23, 1962 in St. Petersburg. He received his education in his hometown. And now it's entrepreneurial activity is also concentrated here.

In 1984, he entered graduate school at the Leningrad Institute of Technology, where he had previously graduated as a specialist.

Assigned to work research fellow to the scientific and production association "NPO Gidrolizprom". In parallel with this, Smushkin defends his Ph.D. and receives the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences.

Then, in 1990, Zakhar Smushkin was hired by international company"Technoferm-Engineering". As a chief technical department Zakhar Smushkin modernizes production in a short time, thanks to which the company begins to attract large investments.

While working at Technoferm-Engineering, Zakhar Smushkin studied the features of the forestry industry well and in 1992 decided to start his own business.

The history of the formation of the Ilim company

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich opened Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC, a company that exported pulp and paper products. His assistants were former classmates and colleagues - the Zingarevich brothers. At Ilim, Smushkin served as CEO until the restructuring in 2007, after which he moved to the position of chairman of the board of directors.

Soon the management of the company decided on the need to open its own own production.

Ilim developed rapidly, as in the first years after its opening, management entered into several large deals to purchase forest industry enterprises. Among them, one can note the Kotlas pulp and paper mill, which was annexed in 1995, and two forestry complexes: Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsky, annexed in 1997 and 2002.

Another important feature that played a role in rapid development"Ilima" became innovative management. The technology of vertical integration was first used in Russia at the enterprises of Zakhar Smushkin. It made it possible to control the full production cycle while maintaining centralized management. Vertical integration also contributed to the coordinated work of a large number of enterprises - their technical and financial indicators showed positive dynamics.

These factors led to the fact that at the beginning of 2000, Ilim became the largest company in Russia producing pulp and paper products. In addition, the company entered international markets.

Rice. 2. Smushkin’s company has become the largest in the pulp and paper industry.
Source: 24smi

To improve the efficiency of managing a large number of production enterprises, management decided to restructure the company. In 2007, CJSC Ilim Pulp Enterprise changed its legal form and name and became JSC Ilim Group. After the restructuring, Zakhar Smushkin moved from the post of General Director to the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors, which he currently holds.

At the moment, Ilim Group JSC is represented by 5 large production facilities and 4 representative offices, one of which is located in China, since the company’s exports are more focused on Asian markets. Ilim produces 75% of pulp in the Russian Federation, and its enterprises employ more than 17 thousand people.

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich carefully monitors compliance with environmental standards, this is especially important given the scale of the company’s activities. Ilim takes an active part in environmental protection enterprises - not only Russian, but also international. In addition, the enterprises that are part of Ilim, regardless of the planned ones, implement their own targeted environmental programs. Also, all enterprises maintain a positive balance in the production of forests. Thus, the positive growth of Russia's forest resources is maintained.

Rice. 3. Ilim Group monitors compliance with environmental standards.
Source: informupack.ru

In 2012, Ilim stopped the development of unique forest areas that were not protected by law. This happened as part of an agreement with WWF (World Wide Fund wildlife) contract. One such massif has been taken under guardianship by the company - Ilim leases the territory of the Verkhnevashkinsky forest (Arkhangelsk region), while introducing a moratorium on logging for everyone.

At the end of 2017 the Ministry natural resources and Ecology awarded Zakhar Smushkin’s company for its active environmental policy.

Important! The timber industry is one of the main directions of the Russian import substitution program.

Under the leadership of Smushkin, Ilim has been a leader in terms of production volume for more than 20 years, not only in the Russian Federation, but also in Europe. The company maintains positive dynamics in terms of financial and production indicators even during periods of global market fluctuations.

Financial condition

Financial condition Smushkina is $700 million. You can see the following dynamics of changes in these indicators from 2011 to 2017.

Visually it looks like this:

Other entrepreneurial activities of Zakhar Smushkin

In 2007, several important events occurred in the entrepreneurial career of Zakhar Smushkin. First of all, the restructuring of Ilim and his transition from the post of general director to the post of chairman of the board of directors.

In addition, Zakhar Smushkin opened two more companies not related to the forestry industry - retail and development.

At the beginning of 2007, Smushkin opened the Start hypermarket in St. Petersburg. By 2018, it had already become a federal network, consisting of seven branches in five regions of Russia. There are stores in St. Petersburg, Samara, Ufa, Voronezh and Chelyabinsk. "Start" is a hypermarket of goods for the home, everyday life and minor repairs. The assortment includes more than 55 thousand items of goods.

In the same 2007, Zakhar Smushkin organized the START Development Management Company LLC. At the moment, the company has already implemented several commercial and residential real estate projects, and the land bank contains more than 40 million square meters.

"START Development" takes a comprehensive approach to the implementation of all its projects: from the formation of an architectural concept to the implementation of complex development and monitoring the implementation of all stages of the project.

Features of the construction industry are highlighted in the material: History of the development of the largest construction companies in the world.

In addition, the company carries out all the necessary related procedures: preparation necessary documents, attracting investments, developing a concept for the development of the territory, etc.

Zakhar Smushkin’s company has 11 awards, including “Best Management Company of the Year”, “Best Cottage Village”, “Village of 2013”, “Best Mass Low-Rise Development Project”, “Best Low-Rise Construction Project in the Leningrad Region”. In addition, START Development has a nomination for targeted assistance to children.

The most famous project implemented by Zakhar Smushkin’s company is the construction of the satellite city Yuzhny in the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg.

Rice. 5. Satellite city Yuzhny.
Source: expert.ru

This project has the status of federal significance. First of all, Yuzhny will become largest project on the integrated development of territory in the Russian Federation. In addition, a scientific cluster will be located on the territory of the city, where research will be carried out. innovative research and development. The corresponding decree was signed by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

The construction of the city with all the necessary infrastructure will be completed within 20 years. Currently, the total investment in the project has exceeded 176 billion rubles.

The area of ​​the satellite city will be 2012 hectares, it will be located in the southern part of St. Petersburg, on both sides of the M20 highway, also known as Kievskoye Highway.

In addition, Yuzhny was designed according to the principles of green development. They assume a low level of consumption of material and environmental resources during the construction and operation of buildings. At the same time, their quality remains at a high level. Eco-construction allows the use of modern construction technologies, resource-saving technologies and natural Construction Materials within the framework of a single architectural concept. Such details as noise and vibration insulation and the degree of light pollution of the environment are also taken into account. The Yuzhny project includes green spaces, bicycle paths and pedestrian areas. Also, the functioning of municipal services will be ensured by a unified computer system, which will be able to adapt to the needs of city residents depending on the circumstances. This practice has been spreading abroad for decades, and the satellite city of Yuzhny will be one of the first such projects in Russia.

The Yuzhny project was also developed with the participation of ITMO employees, on the basis of which an innovation cluster will be created in the city.

The area of ​​residential buildings will be about 5 million square meters, which will allow at least 170 thousand people to live in Yuzhny. All the necessary infrastructure will be created for them, including kindergartens, schools and medical centers - a total of about 100 buildings. The cost of apartments in the city is designed for the budget of middle class people.

Commercial buildings will create at least 21 thousand jobs, their area will be 1.5 million square meters.

Construction will be carried out by one large investor, this, according to Zakhar Smushkin, will allow maintaining a single stylistic concept. In developing architectural style World-renowned experts took part.

In addition, the project takes into account the need to quickly get to nearby St. Petersburg. The number of lanes on Kievskoye Highway will be increased. There are also several electric train stations located on the territory of Yuzhny.

The satellite city project is also notable for the fact that an innovation cluster will be created on its territory - “Innocity of Science and Technology” - on the basis of a research university of information technology, mechanics and optics.

Biography

Own

Partners

Competitors

Area of ​​interest

Biography

In 1984 Graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry and remained in graduate school.

Simultaneously with his postgraduate studies, he worked in distribution at the NPO Gidrolizprom.

Since 1990 worked at the St. Petersburg company Technoferm-Engineering as head of the technology department.

April 30, 1992 CJSC Ilim Pulp Enterprise (IPE) was registered, in which 50% of the shares belonged to the Technoferm-Engineering company, 40% to the Swiss company Intertsez, and 10% to the Ust-Ilimsk Forestry Complex (Irkutsk region). CJSC Ilim Pulp was a small company engaged in the export of paper products. As established by the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Intertsez company was registered in Switzerland on July 1, 1991. with an authorized capital of 50 thousand francs. According to numerous media publications, the owners of the company are Zakhar Smushkin, Boris and Mikhail Zingarevich.

From 1992 to 2001 Smushkin is the General Director of Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC.

At the same time, Zakhar Smushkin began the formation of a timber industry holding. “Soon the owners of Ilim Pulp realized that they couldn’t make big profits from small-scale trading. Their gaze turned to the forest. Timber industry enterprises were then distributed practically free of charge. Over the course of several years, the holding managed to acquire ownership of about 30 logging enterprises" (Kommersant, 2002).

Ilim Pulp managers were primarily interested in the Ust-Ilimsk Timber Processing Complex. However, it was possible to buy his IPE only after 8 years. The first large plant to be acquired by IPE in 1994 was the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill, the second was Bratskcomplexholding (Bratsky LPK).

In 1994 Ilim Pulp received a state stake in the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill. According to media reports, taking advantage of the illness of the director of the plant, Zakhar Smushkin and the Zingarevich brothers are buying up shares of the pulp and paper mill. Then an investment competition was held, the only participant which becomes Ilim Pulp. Under obligations to invest more than 180 billion rubles. into production, the partners receive a state-owned stake in the pulp and paper mill.

In 1997 it was the turn of the Bratsk timber processing plant. The famous St. Petersburg businessman Dmitry Varvarin (killed in 2000) has been with him since 1990. there was a joint Russian-American company Orimi-Wood, which was considered the leader in the production and export of lumber in the North-West of Russia. By 2000 Orimi included about fifty companies, many of which worked in the timber industry; the company owned more than 30% of the shares of the brotherly plant. Zakhar Smushkin offered Dmitry Varvarin an exchange of these shares for a stake in Ilim Pulp, Varvarin agreed. As a result, an additional share issue was carried out, and the stake of the new partner was diluted.

Since January 2001 Zakhar Smushkin - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC

Since April 11, 2001 – Member of the Expert Council for economic development and investments under the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Northwestern Federal District.

At the end of 2001 The team of Vladimir Krupchak, who controls the Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill, made a fundamental decision to merge with IPE. It is assumed that Krupchak will receive in return at least 25% of the shares of IPE. But then the process slowed down, and soon Vladimir Krupchak sold a large stake in APPM to the St. Petersburg Banking House, and the association became irrelevant.

Soon, a confrontation between Ilim Pulp Enterprise and Oleg Deripaska’s structures began for the largest components of the Ilim Pulp holding - the Bratsk Timber Processing Plant and the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill.

December 21, 2001 according to the claim of a private individual Liana Oganesyan, satisfied by the court of Nizhny Novgorod, bailiffs, with the help of armed guards, removed General Director Sergei Khvostikov from the management of the Bratsk timber industry complex, and reinstated him in his place former director Georgy Trifonov. The seizure of power at the plant was followed by a lawsuit by Irkutskenergo, whose major shareholders are the owners of Russian Aluminum, for the bankruptcy of the Bratsk Timber Plant. The basis was Trifonov’s termination of the agreement to restructure LPK’s debts to the energy company in the amount of more than 750 million rubles. for a period of 12 years. The management of Ilim Pulp accused the structures of the Siberian Aluminum group (now “Siberian Aluminum”) of forcefully seizing its enterprise. Basic element") and filed counterclaims in the courts. At the same time, active negotiations began between the companies. The conflict was resolved on January 15: the Bratsk City Court declared the actions of the bailiffs illegal, and the next day Ilim Pulp restored control over the Bratsk LPK.

At the same time, Ilim Pulp agreed to buy out the Ust-Ilimsky LPK from the shareholders of Rusal, control over which Rusal received in the fall of 2001.

In April 2002 The federal court of the Zavodsky district of the city of Kemerovo considered the complaint of citizen Sergei Melkin, who did not agree with the execution of the agreement “On investments in OJSC Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill”, concluded in 1994. between the Russian Federal Property Fund (RFFI) and Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC. The plaintiff demanded to recover damages from non-fulfillment of the contract in favor of the CPPM. According to the press service of Ilim Pulp Enterprise, at the time of filing the claim, Sergei Melkin acted as a shareholder of the KPPP, although he was not one. Nevertheless, the judge, without summoning the defendants to court, foreclosed on a 36% stake in the enterprise. The package was returned to the RFBR.

June 4, 2002 The North-Western branch of the Russian Federal Property Fund sold the seized stake for 1.8 billion rubles. The buyer was CJSC Baltic Financial Agency (BFA), associated with CJSC Banking House St. Petersburg. At the same time, the St. Petersburg Central Registration Company (PTSRK), which housed the register of shareholders of the PPPM, transferred the register to a new registrar - the Central Moscow Depository (CMD), but its employees did not gain access to the register. BFA stated that it is the nominal holder of a block of shares of CPPM.

Ilim Pulp Enterprise in June 2002. protested the decision of the Kemerovo court and achieved a ban on transactions in the register of shareholders of the CPPM. However, at the end of the same month, CJSC Depository Clearing Company (Moscow) wrote off another 25% of the shares of KPPK, which were pledged in one of the Moscow banks. Depository Clearing Company motivated its actions by fulfilling the ruling of the court of the city of Kemerovo on the complaint of minority shareholder Sergei Melkin.

July 5, 2002 An extraordinary meeting of shareholders of the CPPM, announced by the BFA, took place. The meeting was held in the Leningrad region on the territory of the Lomonosov poultry farm, controlled by ZAO Banking House St. Petersburg. At the meeting, the board of directors of the CPPM was re-elected, the chairman of which was the vice-president of the Banking House, Yuri Sverdlov. Semyon Kravinsky was appointed the new general director of the plant, but he was unable to take up his duties because he was not allowed into the plant management.

Representatives of Ilim Pulp Enterprise appealed to arbitration courts, as well as to courts of general jurisdiction in different regions Russia with a request to recognize this meeting as illegal. The courts adopted rulings prohibiting the meeting of shareholders.

July 24, 2002 Participants in the conflict met in the administration of the Arkhangelsk region. On the one hand - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC Zakhar Smushkin, on the other - Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Basic Element Company LLC Oleg Deripaska, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Continental Management Timber Industry LLC Nikolay Makarov and President of Bankirsky CJSC House "St. Petersburg" Vladimir Kogan. Both sides publicly identified themselves as owners of a controlling stake in the CPPM and were unable to agree on a resolution to the conflict. However, an agreement was signed on the parties not initiating the bankruptcy process of the CPPM, on the non-use of force in resolving the conflict, and on the non-use of the workforce to resolve the situation.

Subsequently, the parties accused each other of violating the agreement. At the same time, Oleg Deripaska announced the creation by the end of 2002. Russian forestry company with a turnover of up to $800 million, noting that it will include KPMK and Arkhangelsk PPM.

Ilim Pulp Enterprise during the second half of 2002. V judicial procedure challenged all actions of the opposing party, which, in turn, consistently appealed court decisions taken not in its favor.

December 13, 2002 Another extraordinary meeting of CPPM shareholders was held in St. Petersburg, at which the board of directors elected on July 5, 2002 was re-elected. IN new advice The directors included the same people, including 4 representatives of the Banking House "St. Petersburg", 5 representatives of "Basic Element" and "Continental Management". However, according to representatives of Ilim Pulp Enterprise, by a decision of the Federal Court of the Nevsky District of St. Petersburg, the shareholders of the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill were prohibited from voting at this meeting. The court made this determination on December 6, 2002. in connection with statement of claim Aleksnadra Bass - member of the board of directors of the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill, elected at the annual meeting of shareholders in April 2002. He asked the court to declare illegal the convening of an extraordinary meeting on December 13 general meeting shareholders of the company. In addition, the Amur Arbitration Court also declared this meeting invalid in advance.

December 18, 2002 representatives of “Basic Element” and “Continental Management” came to KPMK to begin managing the plant, but were not allowed onto its territory.

January 21, 2003 The appeal instance of the Moscow Arbitration Court rejected the complaint of the St. Petersburg Central Registration Company and the Baltic Financial Agency against the decision of the Moscow Arbitration Court of November 19, 2002. By the decision of the appeal court, the agreement between PCRK and OJSC Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill was declared terminated on June 3, 2002, and, accordingly, from that time PCRK was not entitled to carry out any operations in the register of shareholders of Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill OJSC. According to current legislation, the decision of the appellate instance of the Moscow Arbitration Court came into force from the moment it was made.

The press service of Ilim Pulp Enterprise reported in connection with this event: “The decision of this court confirmed the fact that the write-off of the shares of Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill OJSC in the summer of 2002. and the entry of the new owner into the register were carried out illegally.” According to representatives of Ilim Pulp, the litigation over 61% of the shares of the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill is over. However, the head of the public relations department of Basic Element, Alexey Drobashenko, told AKS that Basic Element still considers itself a bona fide purchaser of the shares of Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill OJSC.

February 7, 2003 in accordance with the claim of IPE, Interpulp Limited and Alkaria Limited, the court invalidated the purchase and sale agreements for registered shares of OJSC Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill (KPPK), owned by IPE and the company Interpulp Limited, as well as shares of OJSC Bratskkompleksholding (BKH), owned by the company Alkaria Limited, concluded between SZO RFBR and BFA.

In April 2003 Ilim Pulp Enterprise and Continental Management held alternative meetings of shareholders of the Bratsk Timber Processing Plant and the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill.

And May 7, 2003 The Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region upheld the appeals of CJSC Baltic Financial Agency (BFA), Russian Fund federal property (RFFI), CJSC PTsRK and CJSC Investment and Financial Company “Fourth Dimension” against the arbitration decisions of the previous instance.

Both sides continue to insist that they are right, with no intention of conceding.

Own

CJSC "Ilim Pulp Enterprise" - Management Company Forestry group "Ilim Pulp Enterprise". According to the press service of Ilim Pulp Enterprise, the company is among the top ten world leaders in terms of commercial pulp production, its own timber reserves and logging. The enterprises included in the Ilim Pulp Enterprise LG produce 61% of Russian pulp and 77% of boxboard.

LG "Ilim Pulp Enterprise" includes: Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill, Bratsk Timber Processing Plant, Ust-Ilimsk Timber Processing Plant, St. Petersburg KPK and 42 logging enterprises in the Arkhangelsk and Irkutsk regions. The group also includes trade company PetroBoard Trading, the Ilim Gofropak factory, the logistics company Fintrans, the Kommunarvtorresursy company, which procures waste paper, and the Plzenska Papirna factory in the Czech Republic. In total, the corporation employs 47 thousand people.

Lobby

According to some reports, Zakhar Smushkin is supported by representatives of “Moscow St. Petersburg residents” who are currently working in the administration of the President of the Russian Federation. According to the media, Zakhar Smushkin is personally acquainted with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Minister of Industry, Science and Technology of the Russian Federation Ilya Klebanov from the time the latter worked in the administration of St. Petersburg.

Partners

Boris and Mikhail Zingarevich, with whom Zakhar Smushkin started business. Boris Zingarevich is now a member of the coordination council of Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC, Mikhail Zingarevich is a member of the board of directors of Ilim Pulp

Competitors

Zakhar Smushkin’s main opponent is Oleg Deripaska, whose companies have been fighting for control over the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill and the Bratsk Timber Processing Plant for almost 3 years. He is also the main competitor, since Oleg Deripaska’s goal, by his own admission, is to create a large timber industry holding.

In 1994 Vladimir Kogan, now the president of the Banking House "St. Petersburg", and then the head of the Industrial Construction Bank (St. Petersburg) was a co-founder and major shareholder of Ilim Pulp. The holding and the bank were closely connected: PSB structures provided IPE loans, banking services, insurance and Financial services. In just a few years, Zakhar Smushkin became the largest Russian timber merchant, and Vladimir Kogan's bank entered the top twenty leading Russian banks. Apparently, entrepreneurs felt cramped under the roof of one business, and gradually their paths began to diverge: at the beginning of 2001. Kogan sold his shares to Ilim Pulp. And later, in the summer of 2002, Oleg Deripaska publicly announced the creation of a timber industry holding together with the structures of Vladimir Kogan.

Area of ​​interest

Returning control over enterprises

The main goal of Zakhar Smushkin’s company is undoubtedly to establish sole control over the companies for which he is in dispute with Oleg Deripaska.

Restructuring of the holding and entry into stock market

The redistribution of property taking place in the forest industry did not affect the plans of Ilim Pulp Enterprise to restructure and make the company open. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ilim Pulp Enterprise Zakhar Smushkin is confident that the well-established scheme for redistributing assets with the help of courts of general jurisdiction will be put to an end, after which the company will list its shares on the stock market. “Before the company enters the market, a company development strategy has been prepared, which implies several structural changes in the company. The transition from geographic management to product lines is the path everyone follows Western companies, because this allows us to solve issues of reducing production costs.

Now we use the boiler accounting method, and we really don’t understand the cost individual species products, because everything fixed costs written off for highly profitable types of products. In this sense, managerial efficiency in decision making is simply impossible, because we cannot clearly regulate profitability and manage costs. Division by product lines also allows solving issues of product sales. In this case, sales managers are not responsible for selling all products, but specialize in a specific product. Today, three areas have been identified, but in the future there will be five: cellulose, cardboard, logging, wood processing, packaging” (“Vedomosti”, 2002).

Acquisition of trading companies

“We are going to buy trading companies, one or two in Europe. We have even larger sales volumes in Asia, and perhaps something will be opened there. Asia has its own specific business: Asian contracts are poorly financed by banks and are difficult to sell. The volume of supplies to Asia is very large. If we take the import of pulp into China, then the Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk mills supply approximately a third of all bleached pulp from hardwood and coniferous species tree" ("Vedomosti", 2002).

Personal life

Married, has a son.

Among his hobbies he names chess and tennis.

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin. Born on January 23, 1962 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Russian entrepreneur and investor in the forestry, pulp and paper industries, development and retail trade. Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Ilim Group.

At school, Zakhar Smushkin was a successful student, showing a thirst for knowledge and mastering various subjects.

Upon graduation, Smushkin was well recommended by his teachers. The future entrepreneur chose the Leningrad Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry as a higher educational institution. Zakhar Smushkin successfully passed his college exams in 1984.

Receipt higher education, just like schooling, was quite easy for him. In this regard, Smushkin’s choice to enter graduate school at the institute seems completely logical. IN scientific work he also demonstrated significant achievements and eventually successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis.

The next stage in the biography of the future billionaire was his first job. At that time, the usual practice was the distribution of young specialists under a special program that was then in effect on the territory of the USSR.

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin received his first work experience at the NPO Gidrolizprom. The knowledge and skills that he acquired at this enterprise later helped him create the most effective system management in the Russian forest industry.

In 1990, Zakhar Smushkin went to work in the Technofem-Engineering structure. In the new place, Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin received the position of head of the technical department. The results of his activities at this enterprise were impressive: in the conditions of a practically ruined Russian economy, he managed to convince the management of the enterprise to begin introducing modern technologies and attract foreign investment in this project.

As time has shown, this decision was absolutely correct; the company soon came to the need to expand.

In 1992, the Ust-Ilimsk LPK, Technoferm-Engineering, and the Swiss concern Intertsez merged to form Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC. Zakhar Smushkin received the position of General Director in the merged company and worked in this position until 2001.

For two years, starting in 1996, Smushkin has been a member of the supervisory board of VTB Bank. During this time, Zakhar Davidovich received a lot of new knowledge in the field of economics and finance. The entrepreneur applied all these competencies within the framework of the Ilim Pulp Enterprise company, and the result was an amazing pace of business and production development.

The initial volumes of exports of products (primarily paper) were small. But only until Zakhar Smushkin focused his attention on the timber industry. Over the next few years, the Ilim Pulp Enterprise team was able to complete about 30 transactions to acquire enterprises in the logging industry.

A significant part of these industries were acquired in a state close to collapse, since the industry was in deep decline after the shock crisis of the 90s. However, this did not stop Smushkin from believing in his ambitious plan and going against current economic trends. The priority goals of this period were for Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin full integration into the CJSC and the subsequent modernization of the Ust-Ilimsk timber processing complex. This enterprise was completely purchased in 2000. 6 years earlier, the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill was successfully integrated into Ilim Pulp Enterprise. The acquisition of this asset took place back in 1994.

Implementing such a program to create a powerful timber industry complex in the 90s meant taking a big risk, since the prospects for the post-Soviet economy were considered very pessimistic at that time. However, Zakhar Smushkin was able to predict which investment would be most effective in the future, and the skills he acquired over the years of study and work helped bring this ambitious strategy to life.

An important role in the rise of almost unprofitable post-Soviet enterprises to new level The technology of vertical integration of existing assets played a role, which at that time was real know-how. As a result, Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin managed not only to become a very wealthy and respectable businessman, but also to “stretch” the social component production process: to preserve a significant number of jobs even during a period of rapid growth in unemployment and impoverishment of the population.

Zakhar Smushkin did not stop at the successes achieved: ahead were ambitious plans for integration into Ilim Pulp of the Bratsk Timber Processing Plant. This acquisition was very complex from the technical side of the issue and was supposed to be a turning point in the history of the company's development. That is why Smushkin and his companions approached achieving their intended goal with all responsibility. As a result, a controlling stake in the Bratsk LPK was successfully acquired, the plant turned not just into one of the base sites of the company, Ilim Pulp Enterprise, but into a key production hub of the entire holding.

In 2001, in accordance with the level of his achievements and real influence on the pace of development of the company, Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich becomes chairman of the board of directors of Ilim Pulp Enterprise. Over the next 7 years, it was his leadership that became the key to the growth of capitalization of Ilim Pulp. In the same year, Zakhar Smushkin was invited to take a seat on the State Expert Council on Economic Development and Investment under the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Northwestern Federal District. Thus, Zakhar Davidovich’s special competencies and experience in the timber industry were noted, which, in the opinion of the Council’s management, were necessary for the development of the entire domestic forestry industry.

As Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ilim Pulp Enterprise, Zakhar Smushkin had to lead the company along a difficult route, overcoming the crisis in the Russian economy and winning in difficult competition with other entrepreneurs in the forestry industry. Thanks to him, attempts to split up the holding were stopped, all attacks that could cause reputational or material damage to the company were repulsed.

The year 2007 became another milestone in the history of the company. This was a year of great changes: the company's structure was optimized and reformed, many subsidiaries were merged and subordinated to vertical integration, which resulted in the creation of Ilim Group OJSC. This was one of the most successful operations in the history of the holding, a significant part of the effectiveness of which depended personally on Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin. He took the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors in the updated structure and retains it until the present time.

This year was also marked by the successful attraction of large investments, incl. from the transnational giant International Paper, a world leader in pulp production.

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin has repeatedly appeared on the pages of the international Forbes almanac. 2015 - 127th place in the ranking of the richest entrepreneurs in the Russian Federation. 2016 - 114th position.

The publication “Rating of Billionaires” in 2015 assigned Zakhar Smushkin 4th place among the largest businessmen with an estimated fortune of 105 billion rubles. In 2016 - 6th place with an estimated fortune of 108 billion rubles.

Ilim Group and its impact on the Russian economy

Today, it is unlikely that anyone will argue with the fact that Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich and his partners managed to create the largest holding company in Russia and even the EU, uniting dozens of enterprises in the pulp, paper and forestry industries. OJSC "Ilim Group" under the leadership of Zakhar Smushkin, it took 6th place in the world, among companies with the largest timber reserves and achieved the highest harvest rates.

About 75% of all produced in Russian Federation It is supplied by the enterprises of OJSC Ilim Group. The holding also produces 20% of all domestic cardboard (of which 77% is boxboard) and 10% of Russian paper. Every year the holding harvests about 10,000,000 cubic meters of raw wood.

An important component of the commercial success of the Smushkin holding and its partners is the export of the group’s products. The company's management shows the greatest interest in rapidly developing and promising markets. At the moment, Ilim's significant interest is directed towards Asia in general and, in particular, China. The holding's export volumes to China are so large that they confidently cover more than 30% of the total pulp demand Chinese market! The greatest demand is for coniferous and deciduous species, as well as bleached cellulose.

Ilim Group enterprises undoubtedly play a significant role in the development of the domestic economy. And this is not to mention the contribution that the Ilim Group and Zakhar Smushkin made to the actual restoration of the Soviet timber industry after the collapse of the 90s. It is no secret that the holding’s management had to literally piece together the timber industry infrastructure piece by piece and re-equip enterprises that were on the verge of bankruptcy. The impact of the example of OJSC Ilim Group on the forest industry as such is also significant. The introduction of innovative principles in labor organization and production management, optimization of work with financial flows, bold investments - all this inspired other actors in the forestry industry.

An important distinguishing feature of Ilim Group is its position related to the principles of transparency and openness. The holding's management believes that financial and economic activity their enterprises must be open not only to supervisory authorities, but also to civilian control. This position in modern Russia, unfortunately, is not the most common. This approach speaks of the great responsibility of the Group’s management and, in particular, Zakhar Smushkin.

It is interesting that Ilim remains a profitable production in both crisis and prosperous times. The company maintains positive dynamics in all areas of its activity. Zakhar Smushkin also managed to adequately overcome the period of the global crisis of the late 2000s, when the economy stagnated across entire industries. During the crisis, his company did not slow down, did not lose its course on bold investments, thanks to which it received solid dividends as a result.

It is very valuable that even during the crisis, Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin managed to avoid sharp layoffs of enterprise employees. This circumstance indicates that Social responsibility business in the case of Ilim Group - not empty words. The policy of indexing wages in the holding continues, in accordance with rising inflation and prices. So, in 2015, the holding’s management decided to additionally compensate salaries, due to rising prices for services and goods on the domestic market.

Smushkin’s company regularly takes part in the optimization and modernization of the country’s forestlands. The holding also considers it obligatory to comply with strict environmental standards and invest as much as possible in maintaining a positive balance of planting and deforestation in the Russian Federation. Since 2012 The holding company OJSC Ilim Group has established successful cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Also, Zakhar Smushkin deliberately refused to harvest timber in unique domestic forests, which, however, are not formally subject to the logging ban. Good example in this regard, the guardianship of Ilim over the Verkhnevashkinsky forest in the Arkhangelsk region.

Ilim Group branches operate in almost all developed regions of the Russian Federation. The company also has a special representative office in China.

Other activities

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich is the founder of the Start chain of DIY stores. Its launch took place back in 2007; today the network has successfully gone through rebranding and is called “Brownie”. However, it still includes five construction stores "START".

Zakhar Smushkin is also developing his development brand "Start Development". One of the company’s strategic projects is the construction of an innovative satellite of St. Petersburg - the city of Yuzhny. As a result of the project, about 134,000 people will find new housing in the Leningrad region.

At the moment, 3 basic developers are already participating in the project, which is a good justification for Smushkin’s ambitious plan to attract investments worth about 180 billion (!) rubles by 2028 (when construction of the city is completed). Without a doubt, the construction of an innovative city from scratch is one of the most ambitious and large-scale development projects in the history of Russia at the beginning of the 21st century.

Zakhar Smushkin is also involved in charity work. However, he does not advertise the directions and specific projects on which the billionaire spends his funds.

Personal life of Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin:

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin is married. He raised a son with his wife.

Family values ​​are one of the highest priorities in life for him. However, Zakhar Smushkin is reluctant to share details about his family life. Entry to it is completely closed to journalists and the press. This behavior is completely rational, since the family for Smushkin is a strong rear, support and support, which does not exist at all to be the object of attention of annoying reporters.

The Smushkin family enjoys chess, painting and tennis. Zakhar Davidovich prefers Russian painting from the late 19th – early 20th centuries.

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin, head of the construction company Start Development, began implementing the first stage of the “smart” satellite city project “Yuzhny”, which will be built in the Pushkinsky district of the Leningrad region.

As it became known in the summer of 2016, the first stage of development with an area of ​​200 hectares will not be sold in small areas to a pool of developers. Instead, Start Development will choose only one company as the buyer.

According to Zakhar Smushkin’s plan, the selected developer will have to build real estate on this site with a total area of ​​about 1 million square meters. m. for 5 years. At the same time, he will be able to pay for the transaction in installments: first, at his own expense, he will equip the necessary infrastructure, and the rest will be able to pay during the sale of the residential real estate he has built. In St. Petersburg, this transaction will be the largest in the last few years.

The choice in favor of this method of implementing project stages is due to several reasons. Firstly, it is much easier to agree on the development concept, architecture, and sales strategy with one developer. And secondly, the territory acquired by a large developer makes the neighboring plots more attractive, and, as a result, their price increases.

The project of Zakhar Smushkin - the satellite city "Yuzhny" - should become one of the major economic centers in the Leningrad region. It is worth citing some data to assess the scale: a plot of land was purchased for construction on both sides of the M20 highway - Kievskoe highway, the total area is 2012 hectares; the total area of ​​residential real estate is 4.9 million sq. m. m., it is designed for at least 170 thousand people; it is planned to build at least 60 preschool educational institutions, 30 schools, 10 medical centers for the whole family; the total area of ​​commercial and industrial real estate is 1.5 million square meters. m., it is designed to create more than 60 thousand jobs; the total investment amounted to 209 billion rubles; The total duration of the project is 19 years.

This project compares favorably with many others being implemented in large cities because of its concept: according to the idea, the city will be low-rise, its space will be comfortably integrated into the environment, and housing will be priced at the middle class level. The population density will be at least half that of the northern capital.

As Zakhar Smushkin noted, when drawing up urban planning policies, one must always remember not only the organization of residential areas, but also infrastructure and jobs. The Yuzhny project has about a thousand hectares, that is, almost half is allocated for the location of an innovative production cluster, a campus at ITMO, and recreational areas.

The “Innograd of Science and Technology” at the St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO) will become a kind of “silicon valley” in miniature: all stages of the production process of innovative products will be carried out there.

The main feature of this project is the extensive introduction of innovations in the organization of living space - part of the electricity will be generated by solar panels, and municipal transport will be electric buses, whose arrival can be tracked using mobile applications.

The construction of an entire city near the northern capital cannot be done without the development of infrastructure and transport networks. This aspect is also included in the implementation of the project.

Biography of Zakhar Smushkin

Zakhar Smushkin is one of the most successful businessmen in Russia.

He is primarily known as the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Ilim pulp and paper concern, the largest not only in the Russian Federation, but also in Europe.

Born in St. Petersburg on January 23, 1962. He received his secondary education here. From childhood, Smushkin was distinguished by his enthusiasm, perseverance, and patience. He studied diligently at school and did not create problems for his parents.

Zakhar Davidovich also decided to continue his education in his hometown; he entered the Leningrad Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry. This period shaped Smushkin’s idea of ​​the field in which he would carry out his activities after graduating from university. Having become seriously interested in his specialty, in 1984 Smushkin took another important step in mastering the profession - he entered the master's program. Zakhar Davidovich successfully combines writing his PhD thesis with work in his specialty - as a researcher at the NPO "Gidrolizprom".

After defending his PhD, Zakhar Smushkin, having extensive knowledge of the specialty and work experience, easily receives the position of head of the technical department at the international enterprise Technoferm-Engineering. Thanks to the professionalism of the young specialist, the company manages to attract investment and subsequently modernize production technologies.

In 1992, having secured the support of the management of Technoferm-Engineering and colleagues, the Zingarevich brothers, Zakhar Smushkin formed the organization ZAO Ilim Pulp Enterprise, where he served as general director from its establishment until 2001. And from 2001 to 2007 - the post of chairman of the board of directors.

In parallel with this, from 1996 to 1998, Zakhar Smushkin was on the supervisory board of Vneshtorgbank (VTB), which allowed him to deepen his knowledge in the field of economics and finance, and since 2001 he has been a member of the Expert Council on Economic Development and Investments at Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Northwestern Federal District.

Initially, the organization was created as an exporter of cellulose in small volumes, but having quickly managed to accumulate capital from this activity, it switched entirely directly to the forestry industry. Ilim begins to actively integrate industry enterprises into its structure; during the first few years of operation, it acquires more than 30 logging enterprises. Among them, two of the largest can be noted: the Kotlas pulp and paper mill (acquired in 1994) and the Ust-Ilimsk timber processing complex (acquired in 2000).

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin, as the general director of the Ilim group of companies, did the almost incredible: in the conditions of a stagnating economy against the backdrop of the collapse of the USSR, he united more than 30 enterprises into the largest paper industry concern in the Russian Federation. By doing this, he literally saved the industry itself, creating positive dynamics in the financial and technical performance indicators of enterprises; saved many jobs, and also gave a new round of development to the economy of the entire Russian North-Western District. By 2001, Ilim was already actively operating in European markets.

Zakhar Smushkin is not only an expert in his field, talented businessman and an effective manager, but also an innovator: for the first time in Russia, it was he who applied the technology of vertical integration, which makes it possible to provide more effective management both by a large number of enterprises themselves and by the business processes taking place in them.

In 2007, the Ilim holding was restructured into the Ilim Group open joint-stock company in order to improve operational efficiency. At the company, Zakhar Davidovich also currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors. Thanks to restructuring, the company, despite the crisis that hit the global economy in 2008, was able to maintain positive growth rates in technical and financial indicators.

At the moment, OJSC Ilim Group of Companies is the most big company in the forestry and pulp and paper industries not only in Russia, but also in Europe. Here are just a few statistical indicators, allowing you to assess the scale of its work:

Every year the company harvests raw wood in a volume of more than 10 million cubic meters.

The company's share in pulp, boxboard and paper produced in Russia is 75, 77 and 10%, respectively.

But Ilim is not limited to providing only the domestic market. Thus, by exporting bleached softwood and hardwood pulp to the People's Republic of China, the company covers one third of the needs of a country with a population of one and a half billion for these products.

As we can see from the above statistics, the group of companies has an unprecedented scale of production. In such conditions, it is especially important to comply with all prescribed environmental standards. Zakhar Davidovich, as head of Ilim, copes well with this task: the company has strict control over compliance with all necessary environmental standards. In addition to the obligatory part of his work in this area, Smushkin also carries out activities on his own initiative: he has membership in the Council for the Development of the Forestry Complex under the Government of the Russian Federation and makes recommendations for the improvement and development of the country’s forest wealth. In addition, Ilim provides all possible assistance in the implementation of environmental protection measures, both at the state level and at international levels. In general, control over compliance with environmental standards is carried out not only within the framework of obligations - by government organizations or the enterprise itself, but also by ordinary citizens: volunteers, employees of non-governmental institutions, simply concerned citizens, as well as students of schools and higher educational institutions are often involved in its implementation. One of the main vectors of Ilim’s work in the field of ecology is a positive balance of planting and cutting down forests, i.e. their growth. As already noted, Ilim also assists international organizations in the area of ​​environmental protection. For example, in 2012, a group of companies began to cooperate with WWF. On the initiative of Zakhar Davidovich, the Verkhnevashkinsky forest in the Arkhangelsk region is under the trusteeship of Ilim. It is not protected at the legislative level, so the company leases it on a charitable basis under an agreement on a moratorium on logging in this area.

OJSC Ilim Group of Companies is one of the most transparent and accessible for civil control not only in the environmental but also in the financial sphere.

On Russian market the company is a leader in terms of the degree of innovation implementation: financial, technical, managerial. This allows it to maintain positive growth even during the period of aggravation of the influence of crisis factors in the country.

Zakhar Smushkin carries out his activities not only within the framework of the management of the Ilim Group of Companies. In 2007, its restructuring made it possible to free up financial resources for business development in other areas.

Still in 2007, Smushkin opened the Domovoy (formerly Start) supermarket chain in St. Petersburg, carrying out wholesale and retail trade goods for minor repairs, for home and everyday life.

In the same year, Smushkin created the construction development company “Start Development” in the cultural capital. At the moment, its largest and most famous project is the construction of the satellite city “Yuzhny”, located in the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg.

The second largest project of the Start Development company can be called the Doni-Verevo industrial park in the northern part of the Gatchina district of St. Petersburg. The park area will be 185 hectares, on this territory there will be about 30 production and logistics ( storage facilities) enterprises.

In addition, Start Development is also involved in a number of smaller scale projects. Among them we can note “Golden Keys” - a low-rise development area, “Tayberry” - plots for dacha development, as well as plots for housing construction in the Gatchina and Pushkinsky districts of St. Petersburg. The company's total "land bank" amounts to more than 40 million square meters. m.

The scale of Zakhar Davidovich’s activities is very large, and in general it can be said that he makes a huge contribution to the development of the economy of the North-Western District of the Russian Federation, and in particular his native St. Petersburg.

As in the case of the environmental side of the issue of the functioning of the largest pulp and paper enterprise, Zakhar Davidovich, owning construction company, actively participates in the discussion of urban planning issues. As, for example, in 2016 at the II International Forum of Spatial Development, held on September 26-27 in St. Petersburg. Smushkin noted the relevance of the issue of polycentric development of the city against the backdrop of the implementation of such large projects as the construction of the satellite city “Yuzhny” in the Pushkinsky district and the public and business complex “Lakhta Center” in the Primorsky district, which involves, among other things, the construction of the tallest in Russia and Europe skyscraper. According to Zakhar Davidovich, this vector of development of the northern capital will be formed due to the presence in both projects of plans to provide jobs, as well as their multifunctionality.

In addition to running a business and actively discussing issues related to it, Zakhar Smushkin carries out educational activities as part of initiative government and business groups, as well as as a lecturer in higher educational institutions.

He is a member of the State Technological University of Plant Polymers in St. Petersburg and is a member of its council, in addition, he has the status of an honorary doctor at the St. Petersburg State Forestry University named after S.M. Kirov. And within educational activities implements Newest technologies into student curricula. In addition to giving lectures, Zakhar Smushkin provides jobs at the enterprises of the Ilim group for pre-diploma industrial practice.

In addition, Zakhar Davidovich is a member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, where he distributes vertical integration mechanisms developed personally and streamlined at his own enterprises. These mechanisms have shown effectiveness in bringing economic sectors out of stagnation using the example of Ilim.

Smushkin is also a member of the Council for the Development of the Forestry Complex of the Russian Federation under the Government of the Russian Federation, and has proven himself well at the highest government levels. Thus, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, notes that Zakhar Davidovich is a very valuable specialist in the forestry industry.

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin, through his activities, makes an invaluable contribution not only to the development of the Russian economy, but also strives to modernize the areas in which he does business, without forgetting about the environment. Also, one cannot underestimate his contribution to the training of new personnel - with his knowledge and by example he educates and motivates students.

In general, Smushkin’s biography is an illustrative example of how a person from a simple family, thanks to his enthusiasm and perseverance, can achieve very great heights. It is worth giving a list of his most significant achievements:

Creation of the largest cardboard and pulp production company in Russia and Europe.

He was the first in the Russian Federation to introduce the technology of vertical integration of enterprises.

Member of the Presidium Russian society entrepreneurs.

Honorary Doctor at the St. Petersburg State Forestry University named after S. M. Kirov, Honorary Professor at the St. Petersburg State Technological University of Plant Polymers.

However, as the latest news says, in January 2017, Zakhar Smushkin entered the TOP 30 most influential people in St. Petersburg, taking 29th place. The project of a satellite city, which is being promoted by a businessman, is being discussed by the federal center and Smolny; in general, in society, the very idea of ​​such a construction of a city of a new format evokes neutral and positive emotions: people will receive comfortable, comfortable residential areas, the city will receive investments (for example, it was recently announced signing of an agreement between IBM Corporation and the Start-Development company on technological cooperation in the design and construction of a satellite city).

Family, hobbies

In addition to the fact that Zakhar Smushkin is a very successful businessman, he is also an exemplary family man. He and his wife are raising a son. Otherwise, little is known about his personal life, since he and his family do not seek to shock the media and lead a non-public, rather modest life. Zakhar Davidovich names chess and tennis among his hobbies. In addition, he is passionate about collecting paintings, preferring Russian painters at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, among them he notes Vrubel as his favorite artist.

However, Smushkin’s interest in the world of art is not limited only to Russian painters. Thus, on November 12, 2016, the Small Hermitage opened an exhibition of Japanese art from the Meiji era entitled “Perfection in Details”. All exhibits for it were provided by Zakhar Davidovich from his personal collection, carefully collected over a fairly long period of time.

As the businessman himself noted, working in the “material world” makes a person more cynical and pragmatic, while collecting art, including arts and crafts, promotes spiritual development and knowledge of the world. The exhibits presented at the exhibition and the skill with which they were made reflect the evolution of many philosophical issues of humanity.

In the future, Smushkin’s entire personal collection will be placed on permanent display in a museum in the satellite city of Yuzhny, since, according to the businessman, work on this particular project encouraged him to start collecting.

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich - Russian businessman and entrepreneur. Founded the largest pulp and paper concern in Russia and Europe, Ilim Group. Also the owner of the federal network of construction hypermarkets "Start" and the development company "Start Development", which is implementing a federal project - the satellite city "Yuzhny".

Biography of Zakhar Smushkin

Zakhar Smushkin was born in Leningrad on January 23, 1962. He received his education in his hometown, and currently lives in St. Petersburg.

In 1984, he entered graduate school at the Leningrad Institute of Technology, where he had previously graduated as a specialist.

Around the same time, the distribution institute sent Zakhar Smushkin to work at the specialized All-Union Scientific Research Institute NPO Gidrolizprom. Zakhar Davidovich is writing his PhD thesis while working at Hydrolizprom as a research assistant. After defending his PhD thesis, Smushkin receives the status of Candidate of Technical Sciences.

A few years later, in 1990, Zakhar Smushkin was appointed head of the technology department at the international enterprise Technoferm-Engineering. The company was engaged in trade in equipment and products for the pulp and paper industry. Zakhar Smushkin, in his position, was actively involved in the modernization of production, thanks to which the company began to attract investments in large volumes.

While working at Technoferm-Engineering, Zakhar Smushkin managed to study even more deeply the features of the pulp and paper industry, and he decides to open his own own business.

In 1992, Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin opened Ilim Pulp Enterprise CJSC, where he held the post of General Director. His assistants in this matter were former classmates and colleagues at the Technoferm-Engineering company - Boris Zingarevich and Mikhail Zingarevich.

Until 2001, Zakhar Smushkin served as CEO, and after the restructuring of the company in 2007, he moved to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors.

At the very beginning of its existence, Ilim Pulp Enterprise specialized in the export of pulp and paper products. But soon, in parallel with trading, the company began to acquire and incorporate industrial forestry enterprises. Modernization was carried out at the enterprises that became part of Ilim.

In the first years of operation, Ilim concluded several large transactions, thanks to which it began to rapidly develop and grow. Thus, in 1995, the Kotlas pulp and paper mill became part of the concern, and in 1997 and 2004 - the Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk timber processing complexes. By 2005, Ilim also included 43 forestry enterprises, the St. Petersburg cardboard and printing plant and paper mill "Kommunar".

Centralized management ensured the coordinated operation of a large number of enterprises, the Ilim holding constantly increased its performance - both financial and technological.

As the head of the holding, Zakhar Smushkin actively introduced new management technologies. He was the first in the Russian Federation to use vertical integration technology, which made it possible to cover all stages of the production process and product sales.

The company's forest reserves became the largest in Russia and Europe, and 77% of cardboard and 61% of pulp produced in Russia came from Ilim.

By the end of the 2000s, the holding entered the international market. Currently, it is represented by 5 large production enterprises and 4 representative offices, one of which is located in China.

The location of the foreign representative office is due to the fact that Ilim’s exports are mostly focused on the Asian market. Thus, 1/3 of the bleached pulp market in China consists of Ilim products, despite the population of this country being more than one and a half billion.

The largest Russian pulp and paper holding complies with all necessary environmental standards, and also participates in environmental activities - national and international. Smushkin, as the head of the company, exercises careful control in this direction.

Ilim also attracts volunteers to carry out freelance inspections at its enterprises; employees of non-governmental institutions, students and schoolchildren can participate in them.

In 2012, the company entered into an agreement with WWF - the World Wildlife Fund, according to which it voluntarily refused to cut down unique forest areas that are not protected by law. In addition, Smushkin, on behalf of Ilim, took custody of the territory of the Verkhnevashkinsky forest in the Arkhangelsk region. Since the forest is also not protected by the legislation of the Russian Federation, the company leases it, introducing a moratorium on logging - as for own enterprises, and for everyone else. Thus, the Verkhnevashkinsky forest remains untouched.

In December 2017, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation presented Zakhar Smushkin and the Ilim company with an award for the company’s active environmental policy in the Year of Ecology.

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich is a member of the forestry complex development council. At meetings, he presents various measures to preserve and increase Russia's forest resources. Ilim carefully monitors the maintenance of a positive balance when planting and cutting down forests. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev notes Smushkin as a valuable specialist in the forest industry.

“Ilim Group”, under the management of Zakhar Smushkin, has been in a leading position in terms of production volumes not only in Russia, but also in Europe for more than 20 years. The company, even during periods of fluctuations in international markets, manages to maintain positive growth in financial and technological indicators. In addition, Zakhar Smushkin actively monitors innovations in the field of management and constantly introduces new effective methods in all production facilities.

In 2007, management decides to restructure Ilim in order to improve management efficiency. As a result of restructuring, the company became a joint stock company, and the name was changed to “Ilim Group”. In turn, Zakhar Smushkin was given the post of chairman of the board of directors in the new company, a position he currently holds.

Other projects of Zakhar Davidovich

In 2007, several important events occurred that influenced the development of Zakhar Smushkin’s entrepreneurial career.

First of all, to improve management efficiency, Ilim’s management decides to restructure the holding. As a result of this process, the closed joint stock company Ilim Pulp Enterprise became joint stock company"Ilim Group" In a company with a new structure, Zakhar Davidovich moved from the post of general director to the post of chairman of the board of directors. He still holds this position today.

At the beginning of 2007, Zakhar Smushkin opened the Start hypermarket chain in his native St. Petersburg. The store's products are intended for minor repairs in the DIY (do-it-yourself) format, as well as for home and everyday life. In total, the hypermarket offers about 55 thousand different types of goods. Currently, stores have opened in Chelyabinsk, Voronezh, Ufa and Samara. In total, the network consists of seven branches located in five regions of Russia.

Also in 2007, Smushkin opened the Start Development company. The company provides a wide range of services, covering all possible stages of development - creating land banks and developing concepts for the development of territories, preparing urban planning documentation and attracting investors. In addition, it carries out the full cycle of the construction and control process - from the creation of an architectural concept to the construction of a complex development with all the necessary infrastructure.

Zakhar Smushkin's company "Start Development" is a member of several guilds - the Russian Guild of Managers and Developers, the Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Also, “Start Development” is the owner of 11 awards and commendations. Among them are “Best Management Company of the Year”, “Best Mass Low-Rise Development Project”, “Best Low-Rise Construction Project in the Leningrad Region”, “Best Cottage Village”, “Village of the Year 2013”. In addition, the company has a nomination for providing targeted assistance to children .

Start Development is engaged in a variety of projects, including land assets, commercial, industrial and residential real estate. In total, the company's land bank contains more than 40 million square meters.

Among the suburban residential construction projects already completed by the company, one can highlight the cottage villages “Tayberry” and “Golden Keys”. Start Development is also preparing sites for summer cottage construction in the south and north of St. Petersburg - in the Pushkinsky and Gatchina districts. The company was given a certificate of gratitude “For the development of Gatchina” - the management company “Start Development” organized the 215th anniversary of the city’s day.

At the moment, the largest project of Zakhar Smushkin’s company is the construction of the satellite city Yuzhny in the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg. The satellite city project is of federal importance, as it is the largest comprehensive development project in the Russian Federation. In addition, by decree of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a modern cluster will be built on the territory of the city, in which innovative developments will be carried out.

The total investment in the project for 2017 has already exceeded 176 billion rubles, construction will be completed within 20 years. The Yuzhny satellite city will be located on an area of ​​2012 hectares along the Kyiv highway (M20 highway).

The concept of the city is based on the principles of “green development” - they imply the integration of infrastructure into the environment, with maximum convenience for people and minimal harm to nature. For example, electricity to illuminate city streets will be produced by solar panels.

More than 170 thousand people will be able to live in the city - residential buildings with a total area of ​​4.9 million square meters will be built for this purpose. In addition, all the necessary infrastructure is provided - kindergartens, secondary schools, family medical centers generalist, about 100 objects in total.

The architecture of the city will be a single style, residential buildings will be low-rise, below 40 meters. The price of apartments is designed for people with average income.

In addition, the project provides for the construction of commercial space - more than one and a half million square meters. This area, according to calculations, can create about 21 thousand jobs.

Residents of Yuzhny will be able to quickly get to nearby St. Petersburg using electric trains and transport interchanges. It is also planned to increase the number of lanes of the Kyiv Highway. It takes less than 15 kilometers to get to the Ring Road from Yuzhny along the M20 highway.

Another important component of the satellite city project is the creation of an innovation cluster on its territory by order of Dmitry Medvedev.

The cluster will be called “Innocity of Science and Technology”; it will be created on the basis of the St. Petersburg Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO). An area of ​​100 hectares will house laboratories, research centers, production facilities, and a campus for 3 thousand institute employees and 4 thousand ITMO students.

The areas in which Innograd specializes include biomedical, quantum and information technologies, photonics, cyber-physical systems, smart materials, and robotics. As well as the creation, research and testing of developments and technologies in the fields of urbanism and town planning.

Investments in the project exceed 41 billion rubles, 35% of which were provided by private investors. Zakhar Smushkin also participates in investing in the scientific cluster.

Smushkin’s company is also implementing an industrial park project in the Gatchina district of St. Petersburg. The project is called “Donny-Verevo Industrial Park”. Its area exceeds 180 hectares, and it is intended to accommodate production and logistics enterprises. "Star Development" received an award from the newspaper "Business Petersburg" for this project - "The most popular industrial park project."

As the head of a large development company, Smushkin participates in various conferences and discussions that touch on the topic of urban planning. For example, in 2016, at the 2nd International Space Development Forum, he voiced his vision of the development of St. Petersburg. In his opinion, the city is developing polycentrically - because the largest promising projects are located in the south and north - Lakhta Center and the satellite city Yuzhny. These projects are large-scale and multifunctional, which means they will be able to accumulate investments and will create a large number of work places.

Personal life and achievements

Smushkin Zakhar Davidovich is a successful Russian entrepreneur and businessman. He is the founder and head of the Ilim Group pulp and paper holding, which has been a leader in production volume among other enterprises in Russia and Europe for more than 20 years. For the most part, the rapid growth and strengthening of the company’s position in the market was due to Zakhar Smushkin’s interest in using innovative technologies in the field of management. Ilim became the first vertically integrated holding in the Russian Federation, managing to fully cover the processes of production and sales of the product. The company also adheres to the principles of transparency and complies with all necessary environmental standards - both international and Russian.

Zakhar Smushkin has proven himself as a professional entrepreneur not only in the timber industry - his network of construction hypermarkets is developing and expanding its range. A construction company"Start Development" is implementing the largest federal project for the development of the territory and the creation of an innovation cluster, which will contribute to the development of science in Russia.

Many publications dedicated to business and entrepreneurship include Zakhar Smushkin in their ratings.

Forbes assigned Zakhar Smushkin 114th place in the list of the richest businessmen in the Russian Federation.

According to the publication “City 812”, Smushkin is one of the three most influential businessmen in St. Petersburg.

And in 2014, the General Director magazine included Smushkin in the top 100 businessmen who changed the Russian economy.

Zakhar Smushkin also participates in various meetings, discussions and conferences on topics related to his business - forestry and urban planning.

Two St. Petersburg universities awarded Smushkin the status of honorary professor. At these universities, Smushkin gives lectures, shares his own developments, and provides senior students with places at Ilim enterprises for pre-diploma industrial practice.

The businessman’s personal life is not covered in the press, since the Smushkin family leads a rather modest lifestyle. Zakhar Davidovich has a wife, and together they are raising a son.

The Smushkin Family has several hobbies, such as tennis and chess, as well as collecting works by Russian artists of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.