Alexander Nesis
Alexander Nesis | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 19, 1962 Leningrad, Soviet Union |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Principal shareholder of ICT Holding Ltd., founder of ICT Group |
Alexander Nesis (born December 19, 1962) is a Russian businessman and the principal shareholder of the private equity company ICT Holding Ltd. based in Cyprus. He established and directed the ICT Group, a private equity enterprise active in Russia from 1991 until 2013.
Biography
Nesis was born in Leningrad in 1962 and pursued studies in radiochemistry at the Leningrad Institute of Technology. Following his graduation, he took on the role of master supervisor at the Baltic Shipbuilding Yard, Russia’s foremost shipyard specializing in nuclear icebreakers and submarine construction. In the early 1990s, he transitioned into entrepreneurial ventures.
Initially, along with his partners, he concentrated on extracting uranium materials from deposits located in Uzbekistan. By 1991, their activities expanded to include shipbuilding and the metals sector. The enterprise was officially named ICT Group by 1993, the same year Nesis became the majority shareholder and chairman of the board at Baltic Shipbuilding Yard.
He held the position of chairman of the board at OAO Baltiysky Zavod during two periods: 1993–1998 and 2002–2005. Between 1998 and 2003, Nesis also served as general director and board member at Polymetal.
Nesis possesses citizenship in Russia, Israel, and Malta.
ICT Group
Founded by Nesis in the early 1990s, ICT ("Investments, Construction, Technologies") Group ranked among the largest privately held investment and industrial firms in Russia. With headquarters located in Moscow and St. Petersburg, it oversaw assets spanning banking, metals and mining, precious metals production, heavy engineering, logistics, and construction sectors.
The Group’s portfolio featured prominent companies such as NOMOS-BANK, Khanty-Mansi Bank, Polymetal, and United Wagon Company. From 2010 to 2013, ICT maintained substantial equity holdings in potash producer Uralkali and Baltic Leasing. While its primary focus was Russia, ICT also invested in Kazakhstan and other emerging markets.
Operations under ICT Group concluded in 2013. Following a reorganization, ICT Holding Ltd (Cyprus) was formed as a private equity firm dedicated to equity and venture capital investments in global public companies across energy, metals and mining, automotive, transportation, and medical technology industries. Nesis continues as its largest shareholder.
Business Approach
The strategy adopted by Nesis and ICT emphasized nurturing projects from their initial stages through development until they reached operational independence. ICT operated as an incubator by sustaining investments during design or technical research phases before spinning off ventures once they achieved critical scale. Nesis placed significant importance on the engineering design phase to prevent expensive mistakes during later construction stages.
Wealth
In Forbes’ global billionaire listings, Nesis was ranked 721st in 2010, improved to 367th by 2012, and was positioned at 412th in 2013. In 2020, he was listed as the 50th wealthiest businessman in Russia. As of August 2022, Forbes assessed his fortune at roughly $1.9 billion, ranking him No.50 among Russian billionaires.