Andrey Filatov
Andrey Filatov | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 18, 1971 Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine (implied from schooling) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Chess official |
| Known for | Chairman of Tuloma investment company; co-owner of Globaltrans; President of the Chess Federation of Russia |
Andrey Vasilievich Filatov (; born 18 December 1971) is a prominent Russian entrepreneur, serving as the chairman of the Board of Directors at Tuloma investment company and holding co-ownership of Globaltrans. In 2021, Forbes appraised his fortune at $850 million. His business interests include significant holdings in the energy sectors across Russia and Uzbekistan. Since 1992, Filatov has been the President of the Chess Federation of Russia (previously known as the Russian Chess Federation).
Biography
Filatov completed his secondary education at Junior Sporting School 9 located in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, where he achieved the rank of Candidate for Master of Sport in chess. He earned his degree in 1993 from the Belarusian State University of Physical Culture, qualifying as a Sport Instructor and Chess Coach. During his studies, he established connections with renowned chess figures such as Ilya Smirin and Boris Gelfand.
In 1996, together with partners Konstantin Nikolaev and Nikita Mishin, Filatov co-established Severstaltrans. He is also a participant in the Economic Council of the French-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFR).
In recognition of his efforts to promote Russian and Soviet art, Filatov was appointed Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts in 2015. The French government awarded him the Legion of Honor (Chevalier) in 2016, presented by the French Ambassador to Russia. That same year, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev bestowed upon him the Russian Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (2nd class) for his dedication to physical culture and sports.
As a senior coach, Filatov contributed to securing bronze medals at both the 42nd Chess Olympiad (Baku, 2016) and the 43rd Chess Olympiad (Batumi, 2018). He also helped achieve a silver medal at the FIDE World Team Championships held in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2017, along with gold medals at the inaugural two FIDE online Olympiads in 2020 and 2021.
On April 11, 2024, he was honored with the Order of Alexander Nevsky in recognition of his pivotal role in advancing and popularizing chess nationally.
Estimated wealth
The cornerstone of Andrey Filatov's financial portfolio is the Tuloma investment company. Additionally, he holds co-ownership stakes in railway enterprises such as Globaltrans and a 7% share in Transoil Ltd.
In October 2015, Filatov consolidated his personal holdings—excluding Global Ports, Transoil, and Globaltrans—into Tuloma Investment Company. This firm concentrates on investments within Russian enterprises and equity shares. Tuloma's assets encompass interests in Coal Mining Investments Ltd., Fabrikant, Pskovneft-Terminal, real estate ventures through Volgo-Okskaya Investment Company (VOIC), Pushkin, StroyEngineering Development, as well as shares in FosAgro, Novatek, MegaFon, LukOil, Surgutneftegas, and Norilsk Nickel.
Financial publications have tracked Filatov’s net worth over time: Finance magazine estimated it at $920 million in 2010; Forbes Russia placed him as the country’s 93rd wealthiest individual with $1.1 billion in 2011; while Forbes’ global list ranked him at number 960 worldwide with an estimated $1.3 billion fortune in 2012.
In November 2017, Filatov acquired a 37.5% interest in the PSA project titled "25 Years of Independence," recognized as one of Uzbekistan’s largest gas fields with reserves approximating 100 bcm. Subsequently, on October 19, 2018, he entered into a supplementary agreement with Uzbekneftegaz to create a unified investor framework and define commercial conditions for developing this field.
Awards
- In 2011, received the Russian Presidential Certificate of Merit for enabling the return of the Russian cruiser Varyag (1899) jack flag from South Korea to Russia.
- Honored with The Moscow Times Award in 2013 for supporting Russia’s inaugural TV channel exclusively devoted to chess.
- Recognized as Russia’s leading sports manager in 2014 by the Sport History and Statistics Fan Club.
- Awarded the UNESCO Five Continents Medal in 2015.
- Decorated with the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 2016.
- Conferred the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland," 2nd class, in 2016.
- Earned a bronze medal as coach of the Russian men’s team at the 42nd Chess Olympiad in 2016.
- Secured a silver medal coaching the Russian men’s team at the FIDE World Team Championships in 2017.
- Achieved a bronze medal as trainer at the 43rd Chess Olympiad in 2018.
- Received FIDE Gold Medals for guiding Russia’s national team to victories at both the first and second FIDE Online Olympiads in 2021.
- Awarded the Nikolai Ozerov Medal in 2022 for outstanding contributions to chess advancement.
- Honored with a jubilee medal marking the centennial anniversary of Russia’s physical culture and sports authority in 2023.
- Bestowed with the Order of Alexander Nevsky in 2024 for efforts in promoting and developing sport across Russia.
Chess and public activities
Andrey Filatov holds membership on the Economic Council of French and Russian Businesses within the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFR) and participates as a member of the Board of Guardians at Valaam Monastery.
A devoted chess aficionado throughout his life, Filatov initiated and financially supported the World Chess Championship 2012 staged at Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery, emphasizing chess's artistic connections. This championship featured competitors Boris Gelfand and Viswanathan Anand. Additionally, he sponsored the restoration of Alexander Alekhine’s grave marker in Paris and founded the Sinitsyn Memorial international children’s chess festival honoring his first mentor.
Filatov was elected President of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) in February 2014 and served as vice president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) from 2014 until 2018. Since January 2016, he has acted as senior coach for Russia’s men’s national chess team, steering them to numerous podium finishes: bronze at Baku's 42nd Chess Olympiad (2016), silver at Khanty-Mansiysk's World Team Championship (2017), bronze at Batumi's 43rd Chess Olympiad (2018), and gold at Astana's World Team Championship (2019). He earned the FIDE Senior Trainer designation in 2016.
Filatov announced the lineup for Russia’s highly competitive squad at the 2018 World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, where they secured bronze. He was re-elected RCF President twice more—in February 2018 and December 2022. In May 2023, he assumed the role of Vice President within the Afro-Asian Chess Association (AACA).
Beyond chess, Filatov is an avid collector specializing in works by Russian painters including Igor Grabar, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Konstantin Korovin, Gely Korzhev, Viktor Popkov, Arkady Plastov, Nicolai Fechin, and Aleksandr Laktionov. His collection commenced with Nikolai Fechin’s Portrait of the engraver J.Watts, an award-winning piece. Among his favorites is Viktor Popkov.
In 2014, Filatov purchased Château La Grace Dieu Des Prieurs, a winery located in Saint-Emilion, part of Bordeaux’s prestigious wine region. He enlisted oenologist Louis Mitjavile and architect Jean Nouvel for its renovation projects. Since 2017, its wines have been marketed under Art Russe Grand Cru branding featuring label designs derived from Art Russe artworks. The château's Cuvée Elena received a Red Dot Award for Beverage Packaging design in 2021; subsequently, its combined wine-and-chess set earned an A' Design Award in 2022.
In June 2020, Filatov proposed acquiring contentious statues in the United States, including those depicting Theodore Roosevelt and Alexander Baranov. Under his guidance, Russia clinched gold medals at both the inaugural FIDE Online Chess Olympiad (2020) and again in 2021. In April 2022, he was honored with the title "Merited Coach of Russia" by the Ministry of Sport.
Art Russe Fund
The Filatov Family Art Fund was established in 2012 by Andrey Filatov with the purpose of assembling Russian and Soviet artworks, including paintings and sculptures, that are held outside Russia.
By June 2014, the fund underwent a rebranding to become Art Russe, shifting its mission from solely collecting art to promoting the extensive range of Russian artistic talent on a global scale. This change coincided with intentions to inaugurate a museum in London.
On 29 July 2014, Art Russe was designated as a Patron of the Serpentine Galleries in London, underscoring its dedication to supporting international art institutions and exhibitions in anticipation of its own museum opening.
In the spring of 2015, Art Russe curated an exhibition titled The Legacy of World War II in Russian Art at the Saatchi Gallery in London. This event commemorated the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe and showcased more than a dozen seldom-exhibited paintings and sculptures by prominent Soviet artists.
Art Russe played a leading financial role in the Astronauts: The Birth of the Space Age exhibition held at London's Science Museum in September 2015. The exhibition presented rare Soviet space artifacts such as engines from the R-7 missile and the Vostok 6 spacecraft piloted by cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. This exhibition subsequently toured internationally, including a display in Moscow.
In October 2015, Art Russe launched the Middle East's first significant exhibition dedicated to 20th-century Russian and Soviet art. Hosted in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of UAE Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, this exhibition featured over 120 pieces and remained open through February 2016.
In February 2016, Evsey Moiseenko’s painting Freedom! from Art Russe’s collection was loaned for a period of 15 years to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance center.
A partnership agreement was reached in June 2016 with the Montagu family to create a permanent Russian art gallery at Beaulieu in Hampshire.
In August 2016, Art Russe sponsored the production of a tapestry inspired by a watercolor created by Prince Charles, crafted at Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios.