Konstantin Babkin

Konstantin Babkin
Born	Konstantin Anatolyevich Babkin (1971-02-13) February 13, 1971 Miass, Chelyabinsk Oblast, USSR
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, political figure
Years active	1992–present
Known for	President of CJSC Novoe Sodruzhestvo; Chairman of the Federal Political Party Council of Party of Business; President of Rosspetsmash association

Konstantin Anatolyevich Babkin (; born 13 February 1971) is a prominent Russian entrepreneur and political figure. He leads the federal council of the Party of Business, a political organization endorsing Vladimir Putin within Russia.

Babkin holds the position of president at CJSC Novoe Sodruzhestvo and heads the Rosspetsmash association. His corporate governance roles include board memberships at Rostselmash, Empils, and previously Buhler Industries. Additionally, he presides over the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation’s committee focused on Industrial Development and Competitiveness.

Early life and education

Born in 1971 in Miass, Chelyabinsk Oblast, USSR, Babkin hails from a family involved in engineering at the State Rocket Center. He completed his studies in 1994, graduating from the molecular and chemical physics faculty of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

Career

In 1992, Babkin co-established the Joint-Stock Company Industrial Association Commonwealth. Since 2005, he has been serving as president of CJSC Production Association Novoe Sodruzhestvo, a holding company comprising 20 enterprises located throughout the Rostov region, Moscow, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Canada, and the United States. Its principal holdings include Rostselmash, Empils, and Buhler Industries (Farm King, Versatile), generating annual revenues exceeding $1 billion.

The principal shareholders are founding members and executives Babkin, Dmitry Udras, and Yuri Ryazanov. Together, they successfully steered Empils (acquired in 1998) and Rostselmash (acquired in 2000) through the financial turmoil of the 1990s.

In November 2004, Babkin was appointed president of the Rosspetsmash association (which was renamed in 2017). He also participates as a member of the Bureau of the Central Council within the Russian Engineering Union.

On 8 October 2006, Babkin secured election as a deputy to the Novgorod Regional Duma representing the Free Russia party list (which obtained 11.03% of votes). He became part of the Veche deputy faction and contributed to committees on budget, finance, and economic affairs.

Babkin spearheaded the formation of the organizing committee for the all-Russian political Party of Business on 3 September 2010 and was chosen as chairman of its Federal Political Party Council in October that year.

He currently chairs the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation’s board dedicated to Industrial Development and Competitiveness and serves as co-chairman of the Moscow Economic Forum.

On 2 March 2022, Buhler Industries announced Babkin’s resignation from both his chairman role and board membership following his public endorsement of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Babkin openly declared at a rally: "We should not stop at Crimea!"

Bibliography

• Babkin K. A. Entering the Common Market, Don’t Forget Your Own // Parliamentary Newspaper, 2004, No. 96 (1398), February 12.
• Babkin K. A. In the Interests of Technical Modernization of Agricultural Production // Economy of Russia's Agriculture, 2007, No. 6.
• Babkin K. A. Russia Needs a New Course // Foresight Russia: Designing a New Industrial Policy. Materials from the St. Petersburg International Economic Congress (SPEC-2015), Moscow: Cultural Revolution, pp. 45–49. ISBN 978-5-902764-58-8
• Konstantin Babkin. Article: “Gref Had Breakfast with Liberal Friends... What Do Their Plans Promise Us?” Co-owner of Rostselmash Shares Observations from the St. Petersburg Economic Forum // Business Online, Tatarstan’s Business E-newspaper, 25.05.2018
• Babkin K. A. The Country of Exhausted Tractors: Why Agricultural Machinery in Russia Runs to the Limit // Forbes, 31.05.2018
• Articles by K. A. Babkin on the Citizen-Creator portal

Monograph

Author of the publication Sound Industrial Policy, or How Can We Overcome the Crisis? / Razumnaya promyshlennaya politika, ili Kak nam vyyti iz krizisa (Moscow, 2008; ISBN 978-5-9901585-1-1), which has been released in multiple editions and translated into English (2012).

Articles

• Babkin K. A., "Advancing the Modernization of Agricultural Production," Agricultural Economics of Russia, 2007, No. 6, pp. 26–27.
• Babkin K. A., et al., Documentation on V. V. Putin’s discussion with Rostselmash leadership in Rostov-on-Don, July 6, 2009.

Personal life

Married with a family of five children: three boys and two girls.

Awards

• Recognized as Man of the Year by Business Quarter magazine, Rostov-on-Don (2014).
• Conferred the title of Honored Machine Builder by the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade (2014).
• Honored with the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd class (2020).