Roustam Tariko
Roustam Tariko | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 17, 1962 Menzelinsk, Tatarstan, Russia |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Founder of Russian Standard Vodka and Russian Standard Bank |
Roustam Tariko (; born March 17, 1962) is the entrepreneur behind Russian Standard Vodka and Russian Standard Bank, which encompasses credit card services and a life insurance provider within Russia. In 2009, his fortune was valued at approximately $1.1 billion.
Early years
Originally from Menzelinsk, Tatarstan, Tariko relocated to Moscow at age 17 to pursue his education. He completed his degree in Economics at the Moscow Institute for Railway Engineering in 1989 and later obtained an MBA from INSEAD in 2000.
Business beginnings
Taking advantage of the economic transformations during the 1980s, Tariko developed his enterprises independently rather than benefiting from the privatization wave of the early 1990s. While still a student, he worked as a street cleaner and co-founded a small cleaning business with two partners, displaying early signs of entrepreneurial ambition.
Hotel refurbishment
At the same time, working as a freelance tour guide, Tariko negotiated with a state-owned hotel to refurbish rooms in return for a percentage of rental income. This venture quickly outpaced his cleaning enterprise and marked his transition into larger-scale business projects.
Growth and diversification
Towards the end of the 1980s, Tariko started importing Kinder Surprise and Ferrero Rocher chocolates into the Soviet market, selling them for ruble payments instead of foreign currency. This achievement secured him an exclusive agreement to import the Martini brand, whose exceptional sales contributed significantly to expanding Roust Inc., establishing it as Russia’s premier importer of high-end spirits.
Building upon this foundation, Tariko sought to establish a Russian consumer brand that would reflect national identity. Recognizing that Russia, as the world’s largest vodka market, lacked a leading premium domestic vodka, he introduced Russian Standard Vodka Original in 1998 through his Russian Standard Company. The brand rapidly became Russia’s foremost premium vodka.
In 1999, Tariko ventured into the financial sector by creating Russian Standard Bank. As of March 2023, it holds a leading position in consumer finance and ranks as Russia’s largest consumer lending institution. Nevertheless, due to sanctions imposed on Tariko by Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine revoked the license of Russian Standard Bank’s Ukrainian affiliate, Forward Bank, and proceeded with its liquidation in March 2023. Investigations by Ukraine’s Security Service uncovered that part of Forward Bank’s earnings were directed towards activities associated with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Currently (March 2023), Russian Standard Corporation, Tariko’s holding company, employs over 25,000 individuals.
Wealth
In Forbes’ 2009 "World's Richest People" list, Tariko was ranked number 647 with an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion.
Personal details
Roustam Tariko is not married and has five children. His twin daughters, Eva and Anna, are from his relationship with Tatiana Osipova. His son Roustam Junior’s mother is Aliona Gavrilova. Two younger children, Leo (born 2020) and Rosa (born 2021), were born to Yulia Polyachikhina.