fbpx
Wikipedia

Len Blavatnik

Sir Leonard Valentinovich Blavatnik[a] (born June 14, 1957) is a Ukrainian-born British-American businessperson and philanthropist. As of October 2023, Forbes estimated his net worth at $29.6 billion.[2][3] In 2017, Blavatnik received a knighthood for services to philanthropy.[4]


Leonard Blavatnik
Blavatnik in 2018
Born (1957-06-14) June 14, 1957 (age 66)
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States[1]
Education
Occupations
SpouseEmily Appelson
Children5

Blavatnik made his initial fortune after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the privatization of state-owned aluminum and oil assets.[5] He owns most of Warner Music Group and has stakes in several publicly traded assets via his privately held Access Industries Holdings.[6]

Early life and education Edit

Blavatnik was born in 1957 in Odesa, then in the Ukrainian SSR and part of the Soviet Union, to a Jewish family.[7][8][9] Blavatnik’s parents moved to Yaroslavl, a Russian city north of Moscow, when Blavatnik was a child.[10] Blavatnik attended Moscow State University of Railway Engineering, but did not complete his coursework due to the family's request for emigration visas.

At Moscow State University of Railway Engineering, Blavatnik became close friends with Viktor Vekselberg, another Ukrainian Jew.[10] Vekselberg would later go on to found Renova Group.[10]

His family emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States of America in 1978, and he received a master's degree in computer science from Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1981[11] and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989.[7][12][13]

Career Edit

Access Industries Holdings Edit

In 1986, Blavatnik founded the holding company, Access Industries Holdings, of which he is chairman and president.[10] The New York-based business[14] controls 21% of LyondellBasell, the world's largest producer of polypropylene.[6] Through Access Industries Holdings, Blavatnik owns most of Warner Music Group and has stakes in several publicly traded assets.[6]

Natural resources sector Edit

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Blavatnik bought up former state assets in Russia that were privatized by the government.[15] Blavatnik began his business career by accumulating shares in aluminum smelters in the period of privatisation that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. He did this via his holding company, Access Industries.[10] He has been described as a victor in Russia's "aluminum wars".[5] Blavatnik made his wealth through the acquisition of these commodities.[16][17]

One of his investments, Sual, later became part of United Company Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer.[18] Blavatnik was a board member of Rusal from 2007 to 2016.[10] The company also invested in regional electricity generating stations, which they used to supply power to their energy-intensive aluminium businesses.[19] In a 2002 interview, Blavatnik told Bloomberg he was even considering creating his own railways.[19] He and a friend from university, Viktor Vekselberg, formed the Renova investment vehicle.[17][20]

Blavatnik and Vekselberg initially obtained a stake in the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant. They accumulated smelters and plants until their company Sual had become the second-largest aluminum firm in Russia. In 1996, they obtained a coal mine in Kazakhstan.[17]

In 1997, Blavatnik Access Industries united with Viktor Vekselberg's Renova Corp and Mikhail Fridman's Alfa Group, to form a company AAR (Alfa, Access, Renova).[10] Blavatnik’s key role within the group was to act as a connection to western businesses such as British Petroleum. Fridman, who was highly politically connected, had been a member of Boris Yeltsin’s inner circle in the mid 1990s.[21]

The first order of business for AAR was to buy 40 per cent of a struggling oil producer Tyumen Oil (TNK) for $800 million.[10] TNK was one of few remaining state-owned oil companies.[17] Tyumen Oil was auctioned off with criteria that exactly matched AAR. AAR far outbid its competitors but did not end up buying it for the agreed sum. AAR reportedly paid just a quarter of the sum.[17] TNK then went on an acquisition spree, alighting on the oil company Sidanco, which was part-owned by the U.K. oil giant, British Petroleum.[22] In 1999, TNK acquired Sidanco's best assets via bankruptcy proceedings.[22]

BP later sued TNK in the New York courts, claiming that the Sidanco assets were acquired illegally. The 1999 lawsuit was resolved in 2003 when British Petroleum acquired TNK, for $8 billion, forming TNK-BP, one of the largest oil companies in Russia.[10] The deal, labelled in the press as "Russia's deal of the decade" gave BP unprecedented access to vital Russian oil and gas.[23] It was the first time that a foreign company was in control of a major producer in Russia's energy heartland.[21] The deal also made Len Blavatnik, Mikhail Fridman, German Khan and Viktor Vekselberg, who controlled half of TNK-BP, billions of dollars. [10] At the time, Fridman told the press: "Any business should be sold if you're offered the right price. If you don't, the market will punish you. Or God. Or maybe they are the same thing."[21] At the time of the purchase, Blavatnik, a U.S. citizen, was living in New York.[24]

In 2013, the Russian oil company Rosneft paid AAR $28 billion in cash for its 50% stake in TNK-BP. Their original investment was $8 billion of assets. Up to this point, AAR had taken $19 billion in dividends from the joint venture.[25] The sale represented the liquidation of the majority of Blavatnik's Russian assets.[26]

In 1999, Blavatnik sought to obtain the competing oil company Chernogorneft, which was being auctioned off. Blavatnik's TNK company obtained Chernogorneft at $180 million, even though the company had produced $1.2 billion worth of oil the year before.[17]

Petrochemicals and oil Edit

In August 2005, Access Industries bought petrochemicals and plastics manufacturer Basell Polyolefins from Royal Dutch Shell and BASF for $5.7 billion. On December 20, 2007, Basell completed its acquisition of the Lyondell Chemical Company for an enterprise value of approximately $19 billion. The resulting company, LyondellBasell Industries then became the world's eighth largest chemical company based on net sales.[27] On January 6, 2009, the U.S. operations of LyondellBasell Industries filed for bankruptcy.[28]

On April 30, 2010, LyondellBasell emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a significantly improved financial position. As part of its exit financing, LyondellBasell raised $3.25 billion of first priority debt as well as $2.8 billion through the rights offering jointly underwritten by Access Industries, Apollo Management, and Ares Management.[29] LyondellBasell stock has increased 103% in value since April 2010. Access currently owns approximately 21% of LyondellBasell.

Claim against JP Morgan Chase Edit

In 2010, Blavatnik sued JPMorgan Chase after losing $100 million by allegedly following Morgan's advice three years earlier to buy mortgage securities with AAA credit ratings.[30] In 2013, the New York State Supreme Court ordered JPMorgan Chase to pay Blavatnik $50 million in damages.[31][32]

At the time, Blavatnik told The New York Times: "The small guy can't get anywhere with suits like this. I am a wealthy man. I will spend whatever it takes."[13]

Entertainment Edit

In early 2010, Access Industries was reported as one of a handful of bidders for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[33]

On May 6, 2011, Warner Music Group announced its sale to Access for US$3.3 billion.[34] On July 20, 2011, an Access affiliate acquired Warner Music Group for $3.3 billion.[35][36] Though WMG was the World's third largest record company[37] and considered a "trophy asset", it was also laden down with debt[38] and struggling to find an answer to online music piracy.[39] In May 2020, Warner Music announced it would proceed with an initial public offering that valued the company at $13.3 billion.[40] The company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in June 2020. At which point, Blavatnik sold $1.9 billion of shares.[39]

In 2012, Access Industries made €100 million investment in Deezer, the music streaming service.[41]

In 2014, Access acquired Perform Group for £702 million. Its rivals included Germany's Sportsman Media Group and IMG of the U.S.[42]

In 2016, Blavatnik launched Access Entertainment, which bought James Packer's stake in RatPac Entertainment and a 24.9% stake in Bad Wolf in 2017.[43][44]

In 2017, Blatvatnik was named as possible purchaser of the publisher Time Inc. Blavatnik prepared the bid with Edgar "Ed" Bronfman Jr, the former chief executive of Warner Music.[45] In March 2017, Bronfman and Blavatnik walked away from the deal, citing valuation issues.[46]

In April 2018, it was reported that Blavatnik was a front runner in the bidding to purchase Britain's third oldest theatre, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Sources reported that the bid was around £40 million.[47] Blavatnik’s Access Entertainment finalized its purchase of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in June 2018.[48][49]

Blavatnik also owns AI Film, the independent film and production company that backed Lee Daniels’ film The Butler and the summer 2015 release Mr. Holmes.[50] He was an early investor in Rocket Internet and Beats Music, helped finance fashion designer Tory Burch, and, in 2013, paid $115 million for wireless spectrum in Norway.[51]

Blavatnik has been the owner of DAZN Group since 2014, when Access Industries increased its stake in the company from 42.5% to 77%.[52]

DAZN Edit

DAZN (pronounced "da zone") has been described as the "Netflix of sports". The company is part of Perform Group, a U.K. based sports media company owned by Len Blavatnik's Access Industries.[53]

DAZN specialise in buying rights to broadcast sports including football, boxing and Formula 1 motor racing, outside of their domestic markets. The sports streaming service is available in Japan, Germany and Canada. [54]

In May 2018, DAZN signed an eight year, $1 billion deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing to stream fights on a new U.S. subscription service.[55]

In June 2018, DAZN paid €600 million for domestic screening rights for Italian Serie A football matches in a three-year deal.[56] The deal was believed to involve 2.5 billion euros ($3 billion) of payments over its three-season lifespan [57]

In October 2018, DAZN signed the largest commercial deal in history with a single athlete when they paid Mexican boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez $365 million for the rights to screen 11 fights.[55]

DAZN's last set of published results, for the year to 2019, showed a loss of more than $1.3 billion for continuing and discontinued operations.[54] The company, which is dependent on subscriptions, saw revenue take a hit when the COVID-19 pandemic brought an abrupt halt to live sports.[57] Shortly after the outbreak of the pandemic, DAZN was forced to tell European football leagues that it would not pay for games that had been put on hold.[58] Chief Executive Officer Simon Denyer explained: "With revenues dropping and investment not available, we can only survive by making some hard decisions."[58]

In late 2020, DAZN unveiled a slate of original documentary programming featuring global sporting icons such as Ronaldo and British boxer Anthony Joshua.[57]

In February 2022, Blavatnik agreed a $4.3 billion recapitalisation of DAZN. The Financial Times reported that this would enable the company to target new revenue streams in betting.[59]

Telecommunications Edit

Access Industries purchased the mobile phone technology company Acision from the IT Group Logica for £265 million in 2007.[60] As of 2018, Access Industries owned 60% of Ice Group, Norway's third largest telecoms company.[61]

Board membership Edit

Blavatnik is a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Centre for International Business and Management at Cambridge University, a member of the board of Dean's Advisors at the Harvard Business School, a member of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows,[62] and a member of the academic board at Tel Aviv University.[63]

Philanthropy Edit

 
Blavatnik and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with young scientists who have been awarded the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, February 2018
 
Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford

Blavatnik, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Access companies have supported many cultural and philanthropic institutions over the past 15 years, including serving as the primary benefactors for numerous major art and cultural exhibitions, including the British Museum, Tate Modern (which named a new wing the "Blavatnik Building" in 2017[64]), Royal Opera House, National Portrait Gallery, the Courtauld, and Museum of Modern Art. Since 2007, the Blavatnik Family Foundation together with the New York Academy of Sciences has supported the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. The annual award recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding young scientists in the U.S., the U.K., and Israel in the areas of life sciences, physical sciences and engineering and provides all finalists with a significant cash prize.[65][66] In 2020, The Times newspaper described Blavatnik as "Britain's arts philanthropist-in-chief".[67] Some critics characterize his donations as influence-buying and whitewashing.[16][5]

Blavatnik sponsors a Colel Chabad 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) food bank and warehouse in Kiryat Malakhi, Israel, which sends monthly food shipments to 5,000 poor families in 25 Israeli cities, and before Jewish holidays to 30,000 families in 73 Israeli cities, towns and villages.[68]

Blavatnik is also a financial supporter of Yale University, where he funded the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, which supports early-stage biotechnology companies, as well as the Blavatnik Fellowship.[69]

In 2010, it was announced that Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation would donate £75 million to the University of Oxford to establish a new school of government.[70] The gift is one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the university's 900-year history. Blavatnik also indicated the possibility of increasing his benefaction up to £100 million over time.[71] The Blavatnik School of Government began accepting students in September 2012, and the new permanent home of the school was constructed on the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The building, which was finished in summer 2015, was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. The first dean of the school is professor Ngaire Woods. At the time of the donation, Lord Patten, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, described it as "a once-in-a-century opportunity for Oxford."[72]

In 2011, Blavatnik donated more than £50 million to the Tate Modern gallery in London – the largest donation in the gallery's history. In 2017, the gallery named their new £266 million extension building the Blavatnik Building.[73]

In 2013, Harvard University announced a $50 million donation from Blavatnik's foundation to sponsor the establishment of the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator[74] and encourage life sciences entrepreneurship at the university[75] and named the first five HBS graduates to receive the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship.[76] At the same time, Blavatnik also announced three $250,000 national prizes, in conjunction with the New York Academy of Sciences, for young scientists restricted to scientists under the age of 42.[77] At the time, Blavatnik told the media: "The Nobel's about $1 million, I thought $250,000 was big enough to make it really interesting but not big enough to be scary. There are a lot of rewards for established scientists, but I don't think young scientists get enough encouragement and support in a systematic way."[77]

In 2014, Blavatnik became a trustee of Carnegie Hall in New York City.[78] In 2016, the Blavatnik family foundation made a $25 million gift to Carnegie Hall. In response, Carnegie Hall renamed its first level of boxes "The Blavatnik Family First Tier". The boxes will carry the Blavatnik name until 2066.[78]

In 2016, Blavatnik funded a new hall at the Victoria and Albert Museum redevelopment.[73]

In 2016, Blavatnik supported the $1.2 billion regeneration of rundown section of Miami's South Beach area into a centre for arts and culture. Blavatnik loaned the project an artwork by Damien Hirst titled "Gone But Not Forgotten". The work comprises a vitrine containing the gold-plated 10,000-year-old skeleton of a mammoth.[79]

In 2018, Harvard Medical School announced a $200 million donation from Blavatnik's foundation to sponsor research, investments in data science, and the creation of subsidized lab space for biotech startups.[26]

In 2018, Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science announced a gift from Blavatnik's foundation to fund engineering innovations in health.[12] He also received the 2017 Samuel Johnson Medal from the school.[80]

In June 2020, on the day of the Warner initial public offering, Access announced a $100 million fund to support "charitable causes related to the music industry, social justice and campaigns against violence and racism", supported by the Blavatnik family foundation.[39]

In December 2020, Blavatnik made a donation of £10 million towards the renovation of the Courtauld Institute of Art.[67]

In December 2021, Blavatnik donated half of the £15 million required to prevent the sale and dispersal of the Honresfield Library on the open market. The collection, originally created by Lancashire Industrialists William and Alfred Law, includes Brontë family manuscripts, Jane Austen letters, handwritten poems by Robert Burns.[81]

In February 2022, Blavatnik made a multi-million pound contribution to the Imperial War Museum in London. The money will be used to establish the Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries.[82]

Political donations Edit

In 2011, Blavatnik donated to both President Barack Obama and his GOP rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.[83]

Blavatnik, who is closely associated with Russian oligarchs such as Viktor Vekselberg and Oleg Deripaska, is one of the largest donors to the US Republican Party, and in 2015–2016 donated a total of $7.35 million to six Republican political candidates, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Arizona Senator John McCain.[84][85][86] In February 2016, Blavatnik donated over $1 million to an anti-Donald Trump GOP group.[87] He also donated $1 million to the committee for the inauguration of Donald Trump.[84] In August 2017, political scientist Bo Rothstein resigned from the Blavatnik School of Government out of opposition to Blavatnik's politics.[88]

Blavatnik and his American wife, Emily, also donated to Democratic Party candidates Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, and Hillary Clinton.[89]

In 2017, after two senior Trump administration officials went on record as being lobbyists for Blavatnik's Access Industries,[90] Blavatnik was mentioned in investigations led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian donations to the administration.[91] Since April 2016, Blavatnik contributed $383,000 to the Republican National Committee and $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund; he also made a donation to Trump's legal fund.[83] However, he did not give directly to the Trump campaign.[92] Between 2015 and 2017, Blavatnik contributed $3.5 million to Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell's super PAC.[93]

Blavatnik donated $5,200 to the Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign and $5,600 to the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.[94]

Personal life Edit

Blavatnik is married to Emily Appelson Blavatnik.[95] The couple have four children.[96][97]

He owns a Grade II listed building on "the most expensive street in the world", Kensington Palace Gardens (number 15), which is valued at £200 million. He acquired the property in 2004. Other residents on the street include Israeli and Russian ambassadors.[98] He also has a residence in Manhattan valued at more than $250 million.[99]

Blavatnik is a friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has donated to a private legal defense fund for Donald Trump.[100]

Blavatnik is also a longtime friend and business partner of Ukrainian-born Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg,[20] one of Russia's richest men, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and several other Russia-associated oligarchs who are under Western sanctions for support of totalitarian regimes and criminal activities.[84]

Blavatnik holds British and American citizenship.[69]

Wealth Edit

In the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, Blavatnik was listed as the UK's richest person,[101] with a fortune of £16.9 billion. Forbes ranks Blavatnik as the 59th richest in the world as of November 2019. As of 2019, Blavatnik was ranked 27th in the Forbes 400 list.[102]

In May 2021, he once again topped the Sunday Times Rich List, having seen his wealth increase by £7.2 billion in the year to a total of £23 billion. In doing so, he replaced Sir James Dyson.[103]

Honours Edit

In 2013, Blavatnik was made chevalier of the French Legion d'Honneur.[104] He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to philanthropy.[105]

See also Edit

Notes and references Edit

Notes
  1. ^ Ukrainian: Леонід Валентинович Блаватнік, romanizedLeonid Valentynovych Blavatnik, Russian: Леонид Валентинович Блаватник, romanizedLeonid Valentinovich Blavatnik
References
  1. ^ "#22 Len Blavatnik". forbes.com. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "Len Blavatnik". Forbes. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "'Most Clever Oligarch' Severed His $37 Billion Fortune From Russian Roots". Bloomberg.com. June 3, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Queen's birthday honours: Ukrainian-born museum donor Leonard Blavatnik is made a knight". June 20, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Friedman, Dan. "A Soviet-born billionaire is buying influence at US institutions. Anti-corruption activists are worried". Mother Jones. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Reporting, Bloomberg (April 2, 2022). "Len Blavatnik". Bloomberg. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Russian-born U.S. billionaire offers to buy Ma'ariv", haaretz.com; accessed February 23, 2015.
  8. ^ "The world's 50 Richest Jews: 11-20: Len Blavatnik", jpost.com, September 7, 2010.
  9. ^ Velsey, Kim (March 3, 2022). "Secret Staircases and Gold Everything: A Tour of Russian-Billionaire New York". Curbed. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Foy, Henry. "From Russian oil to rock'n'roll: the rise of Len Blavatnik". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "Len Blavatnik visits Medical School, discusses philanthropy, science". The Harvard Gazette. October 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "The Blavatnik Fund for Engineering Innovations in Health". Columbia Engineering. January 15, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Protess, Ben (May 5, 2011). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ nicolaou, anna (June 3, 2020). "Warner Music lands $1.9bn share sale for owner Len Blavatnik". Financial Times. New York. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Ovide, Shira (May 6, 2011). "World's Newest Music Mogul: Who is Len Blavatnik?". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Marlowe, Ann (December 5, 2018). "Opinion | Is Harvard Whitewashing a Russian Oligarch's Fortune?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c d e f "The Billionaire's Playlist". The New Yorker. January 13, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Merced, Michael (July 18, 2007). "Access Industries to Buy Lyondell Chemical". New York Times. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Starobin, Paul (August 5, 2002). "Russia's New Wealth". Businessweek. Moscow. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Yenikeyeff, Shamil, "BP, Russian billionaires, and the Kremlin: a Power Triangle that never was", Oxford Energy Comment, November 23, 2011; retrieved March 3, 2015.
  21. ^ a b c Tavernise, Sabrina (February 19, 2003). "A Rocky Road Led to Big Russian Oil Deal". New York Times. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Bannerjee, Neela (November 24, 1999). "INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS; Foreign Investors Win Court Order in Russian Oil Case". New York Times. USA. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  23. ^ Bush, Jason (April 19, 2007). "The Kremlin's Big Squeeze". Businessweek. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  24. ^ Kramer, Andrew (July 25, 2005). "Denied Visa, Chief of BP Joint Venture Is Forced to Leave Russia". New York Times. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  25. ^ Weaver, Courtney (December 12, 2012). "Rosneft makes agreement with AAR". Financial Times. Moscow. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  26. ^ a b Gordon, Amanda L; John Lauerman; Michael McDonald (November 8, 2018). "Harvard Med Gets Record Gift From Blavatnik to Speed Research". Bloomberg. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  27. ^ "C&EN's Global Top 50 Chemical Firms For 2014". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  28. ^ . The New York Times. Bloomberg. January 1, 2009. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  29. ^ LyondellBasell profile; accessed February 23, 2015.
  30. ^ Lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, nytimes.com; accessed February 23, 2015.
  31. ^ JPMorgan Chase ordered to pay Blavatnik $50 million in damages, bbc.co.uk; accessed February 23, 2015.
  32. ^ Braithwaite, Tom (August 26, 2013). "Len Blavatnik wins $50m in JPMorgan lawsuit". Financial Times. New York. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  33. ^ MGM bidding by Access Industries, bloomberg.com; accessed February 23, 2015.
  34. ^ Wilkerson, David B., "Warner Music to be sold in $3.3 billion cash deal", MarketWatch, May 6, 2011; retrieved May 6, 2011.
  35. ^ Sisario, Michael J. de la Merced and Ben (May 7, 2011). "Warner Music Is Sold, Ending a Long Auction". DealBook. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  36. ^ "Access Industries buys Warner Music Group for $3.3bn – Music Business Worldwide". Music Business Worldwide. May 6, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  37. ^ Merced, Michael (May 6, 2011). "Warner Music Is Sold, Ending a Long Auction". Dealbook New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  38. ^ Sisario, Ben (February 9, 2012). "Debt Sinks Warner Earnings, Despite Hits From Bublé and Black Keys". The New York Times. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  39. ^ a b c Nicolaou, Anna (June 3, 2020). "Warner Music lands $1.9bn share sale for owner Len Blavatnik". Financial Times. New York. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  40. ^ Sisario, Ben (May 26, 2020). "Warner Music Launches Its I.P.O." The New York Times. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  41. ^ Thomson, Adam (September 22, 2015). "Deezer takes fight to Spotify with Paris IPO". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  42. ^ Cookson, Robert (September 1, 2014). "Perform Group surges on offer from Access Industries". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  43. ^ Barraclough, Leo (March 27, 2017). "Len Blavatnik, Danny Cohen's Access Entertainment Backs Bad Wolf (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  44. ^ Thomsen, Simon (April 20, 2017). "James Packer has sold his stake in Hollywood film company RatPac Entertainment". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  45. ^ Bond, Shannon (February 17, 2017). "Five suitors in the running for purchase of Time Inc". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  46. ^ Bond, Shannon (March 9, 2017). "Bronfman-backed group walks away from Time Inc". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  47. ^ "Billionaire Blavatnik leads race to buy prized West End theatre". Sky News. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  48. ^ Brown, Mark (June 19, 2018). "Sir Leonard Blavatnik buys one of London's oldest theatres". The Guardian. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  49. ^ Hershberg, Marc. "Billionaire Takes Over West End Theater In Record-Breaking Deal". Forbes. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  50. ^ "Blavatnik owns AI Film, the independent film and production company that's behind acclaimed film Lee Daniels' The Butler and the summer 2015 release Mr. Holmes". Business Insider. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  51. ^ "Len Blavatnik". Forbes. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  52. ^ "Perform Group to de-list as Access Industries takes over". SBC News. November 13, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  53. ^ Agini, Samuel (February 18, 2022). "Len Blavatnik agrees $4.3bn recapitalisation of DAZN". UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  54. ^ a b Hellier, David (February 18, 2022). "Len Blavatnik Agrees $4.3 Billion DAZN Recapitalization". Bloomberg. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  55. ^ a b Ahmed, Murad (October 17, 2018). "Blavatnik-backed DAZN strike $365m deal with boxer Canelo Alvarez". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  56. ^ Ahmed, Murad (June 13, 2018). "DAZN to screen Italian football's top league". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  57. ^ a b c Hellier, David (March 21, 2021). "Tycoon's 'Netflix of Sport' Beats Comcast to $3 Billion Deal". Bloomberg. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  58. ^ a b Novy-Williams, Eben (March 31, 2020). "DAZN Tells Leagues It Won't Pay for Games on Hold". Bloomberg. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  59. ^ Agini, Samuel (February 18, 2022). "Len Blavatnik agrees $4.3bn recapitalisation of DAZN". Financial Times. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  60. ^ Ashton, James (February 21, 2010). "Billionaire Len Blavatnik eyes £400m float". TheTimes. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  61. ^ Fildes, Nic (November 26, 2018). "One of Europe's fastest-growing telecoms companies aims to raise £275m". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  62. ^ "Board of Fellows | Harvard Medical School". hms.harvard.edu. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  63. ^ "Academic Boards and Committees: Harvard University, Cambridge University, Tel Aviv University"
  64. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (May 4, 2017). "Tate Modern names extension after billionaire Len Blavatnik". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  65. ^ "Prestigious Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK Award £480,000 (~$650,000) to Nine UK-based Scientists". The New York Academy of Sciences. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  66. ^ Profile, nyas.org; accessed February 23, 2015.
  67. ^ a b Sanderson, David (December 16, 2020). "Sir Leonard Blavatnik's art of giving away a fortune". The Times. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  68. ^ Colel Chabad profile, colelchabad.org; accessed February 23, 2015.
  69. ^ a b Porayouw, William (March 15, 2022). "Criticism sparks over Russia-linked billionaire Yale donor". Yale Daily News.
  70. ^ Blavatnik donation of £75 million to Oxford University July 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, ox.ac.uk; accessed February 23, 2015.
  71. ^ Garner, Richard (September 20, 2010). "Oxford expands with billionaire's £75m gift". The Independent. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  72. ^ BBC Staff (September 20, 2010). "School of Government launched at Oxford University". BBC. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  73. ^ a b Pickford, James (May 4, 2017). "Tate Modern names extension to mark donor's record £50m gift". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  74. ^ Bradshaw, Della (May 3, 2013). "Harvard University receives $50m from MBA alumnus Len Blavatnik". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  75. ^ $50 million donation to Harvard from Blavatnik, thecrimson.com; accessed February 23, 2015.
  76. ^ "Harvard Business School Names First Blavatnik Fellows in Life Science Entrepreneurship – News – Harvard Business School". www.hbs.edu. September 24, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  77. ^ a b Lewin, Tamar (June 1, 2013). "Billionaire and Science Academy Create Annual Prizes". The New York Times. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  78. ^ a b Cooper, Michael (June 22, 2016). "With Big Gift, Carnegie to Name Tier of Boxes for Blavatnik Family". The New York Times. USA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  79. ^ Wrathall, Claire (November 25, 2016). "In Miami Beach, a once run-down district gets a bold new start". Financial Times. UK. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  80. ^ Hvala, Joanne (May 16, 2017). "Think Big, Take Risks, and Choose Your Partners Wisely". Columbia Engineering Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  81. ^ Sanderson, David (December 16, 2021). "Britain's richest man saves 'literary crown jewels'". The Times. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  82. ^ Sanderson, David (February 8, 2022). "Britain's richest man Sir Leonard Blavatnik endows photography gallery at the Imperial War Museum". The Times. UK. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  83. ^ a b "Special counsel probing flow of Russian-American money to Trump political funds". ABC News. September 26, 2017.
  84. ^ a b c May, Ruth (August 3, 2017). "GOP campaigns took $7.35 million from oligarch linked to Russia". Dallas News. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  85. ^ May, Ruth (May 8, 2018). "How Putin's oligarchs funneled millions into GOP campaigns: Campaign finance reports show troubling connections between a group of wealthy donors with ties to Russia and their political contributions to Trump and top Republican leaders". Dallas News. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  86. ^ May, Ruth (May 18, 2018). "The simple explanation of the messy Russian investigation is one man's ego: Vladimir Putin is an egotistical leader who has money, power, and a deep desire to protect his wealth by projecting his power". Dallas News. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  87. ^ Ingham, Tim (March 22, 2016). "Warner owner Len Blavatnik pumps $1m into anti-Donald Trump group". Music Business Worldwide.
  88. ^ Weaver, Matthew (August 28, 2017). "Oxford University professor resigns in Donald Trump protest". The Guardian. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  89. ^ Ioffe, Julia (July 29, 2016). "The Russians at the DNC". Politico.
  90. ^ Walters, Greg. "Exclusive: Two top Trump officials are ex-lobbyists for a billionaire with deep ties to Russian oligarchs". VICE News. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  91. ^ Levintova, Hannah (April 2018). "Special counsel Robert Mueller is asking Russian oligarchs if they gave money to Trump". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  92. ^ Brian Ross and Matthew Mosk (February 20, 2018). "Special counsel probing flow of Russian-American money to Trump political funds". ABC News. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  93. ^ Pareene, Alex (March 21, 2019). "Nihilist In Chief". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  94. ^ PALMA, BETHANIA (February 12, 2020). "Did a 'Russian-Linked Oligarch' Fund Pete Buttigieg's Presidential Campaign?". snopes.com. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  95. ^ "Filipino housekeeper claims Leonard Blavatnik won't hire her because of her ethnicity – Virginia Lim files discrimination suit in U.S.", nydailynews.com, November 21, 2011.
  96. ^ Colacello, Bob (January 9, 2018). "Inside Paris's 25th Annual le Bal des Débutantes". Vanity Fair.
  97. ^ "Elizabeth Starling Louis, Julia McCaw et Laila Blavatnik". www.journaldesfemmes.fr (in French). November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  98. ^ Clementine, Katherine. " Rich List 2015: Kensington property owner Len Blavatnik top with £13.17 BILLION fortune ", Get West London, May 1, 2015. Accessed May 28, 2015
  99. ^ Pendleton, Devon (April 26, 2019). "The Meteoric Rise of Billionaire Len Blavatnik". Bloomberg.
  100. ^ "Kremlin-linked Billionaire, Netanyahu Friend Donated to Trump's Private Legal Fund". Haaretz. September 25, 2017.
  101. ^ "Music boss Blavatnik named as Britain's richest man". BBC News. April 26, 2015.
  102. ^ "Len Blavatnik". Forbes.
  103. ^ "Leonard Blavatnik named UK's richest person with £23bn fortune". BBC News. May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  104. ^ "Blavatnik Internship Program". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  105. ^ "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). June 17, 2017. p. B2.

External links Edit

  • Len Blavatnik - Forbes profile
  • LyondellBasell Corporate Website
  • The New York Academy of Sciences' Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists

blavatnik, this, name, that, follows, eastern, slavic, naming, conventions, patronymic, valentinovich, family, name, blavatnik, leonard, valentinovich, blavatnik, born, june, 1957, ukrainian, born, british, american, businessperson, philanthropist, october, 20. In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions the patronymic is Valentinovich and the family name is Blavatnik Sir Leonard Valentinovich Blavatnik a born June 14 1957 is a Ukrainian born British American businessperson and philanthropist As of October 2023 Forbes estimated his net worth at 29 6 billion 2 3 In 2017 Blavatnik received a knighthood for services to philanthropy 4 SirLeonard BlavatnikBlavatnik in 2018Born 1957 06 14 June 14 1957 age 66 Odesa Ukrainian SSR Soviet Union now Odesa Ukraine CitizenshipUnited Kingdom United States 1 EducationMoscow State University of Railway EngineeringColumbia University M S Harvard Business School M B A OccupationsFounder of Access IndustriesPhilanthropistSpouseEmily AppelsonChildren5Blavatnik made his initial fortune after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the privatization of state owned aluminum and oil assets 5 He owns most of Warner Music Group and has stakes in several publicly traded assets via his privately held Access Industries Holdings 6 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Access Industries Holdings 2 2 Natural resources sector 2 3 Petrochemicals and oil 2 4 Claim against JP Morgan Chase 2 5 Entertainment 2 6 DAZN 2 7 Telecommunications 2 8 Board membership 3 Philanthropy 4 Political donations 5 Personal life 5 1 Wealth 5 2 Honours 6 See also 7 Notes and references 8 External linksEarly life and education EditBlavatnik was born in 1957 in Odesa then in the Ukrainian SSR and part of the Soviet Union to a Jewish family 7 8 9 Blavatnik s parents moved to Yaroslavl a Russian city north of Moscow when Blavatnik was a child 10 Blavatnik attended Moscow State University of Railway Engineering but did not complete his coursework due to the family s request for emigration visas At Moscow State University of Railway Engineering Blavatnik became close friends with Viktor Vekselberg another Ukrainian Jew 10 Vekselberg would later go on to found Renova Group 10 His family emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States of America in 1978 and he received a master s degree in computer science from Columbia University s School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1981 11 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989 7 12 13 Career EditAccess Industries Holdings Edit In 1986 Blavatnik founded the holding company Access Industries Holdings of which he is chairman and president 10 The New York based business 14 controls 21 of LyondellBasell the world s largest producer of polypropylene 6 Through Access Industries Holdings Blavatnik owns most of Warner Music Group and has stakes in several publicly traded assets 6 Natural resources sector Edit After the collapse of the Soviet Union Blavatnik bought up former state assets in Russia that were privatized by the government 15 Blavatnik began his business career by accumulating shares in aluminum smelters in the period of privatisation that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union He did this via his holding company Access Industries 10 He has been described as a victor in Russia s aluminum wars 5 Blavatnik made his wealth through the acquisition of these commodities 16 17 One of his investments Sual later became part of United Company Rusal the world s largest aluminium producer 18 Blavatnik was a board member of Rusal from 2007 to 2016 10 The company also invested in regional electricity generating stations which they used to supply power to their energy intensive aluminium businesses 19 In a 2002 interview Blavatnik told Bloomberg he was even considering creating his own railways 19 He and a friend from university Viktor Vekselberg formed the Renova investment vehicle 17 20 Blavatnik and Vekselberg initially obtained a stake in the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant They accumulated smelters and plants until their company Sual had become the second largest aluminum firm in Russia In 1996 they obtained a coal mine in Kazakhstan 17 In 1997 Blavatnik Access Industries united with Viktor Vekselberg s Renova Corp and Mikhail Fridman s Alfa Group to form a company AAR Alfa Access Renova 10 Blavatnik s key role within the group was to act as a connection to western businesses such as British Petroleum Fridman who was highly politically connected had been a member of Boris Yeltsin s inner circle in the mid 1990s 21 The first order of business for AAR was to buy 40 per cent of a struggling oil producer Tyumen Oil TNK for 800 million 10 TNK was one of few remaining state owned oil companies 17 Tyumen Oil was auctioned off with criteria that exactly matched AAR AAR far outbid its competitors but did not end up buying it for the agreed sum AAR reportedly paid just a quarter of the sum 17 TNK then went on an acquisition spree alighting on the oil company Sidanco which was part owned by the U K oil giant British Petroleum 22 In 1999 TNK acquired Sidanco s best assets via bankruptcy proceedings 22 BP later sued TNK in the New York courts claiming that the Sidanco assets were acquired illegally The 1999 lawsuit was resolved in 2003 when British Petroleum acquired TNK for 8 billion forming TNK BP one of the largest oil companies in Russia 10 The deal labelled in the press as Russia s deal of the decade gave BP unprecedented access to vital Russian oil and gas 23 It was the first time that a foreign company was in control of a major producer in Russia s energy heartland 21 The deal also made Len Blavatnik Mikhail Fridman German Khan and Viktor Vekselberg who controlled half of TNK BP billions of dollars 10 At the time Fridman told the press Any business should be sold if you re offered the right price If you don t the market will punish you Or God Or maybe they are the same thing 21 At the time of the purchase Blavatnik a U S citizen was living in New York 24 In 2013 the Russian oil company Rosneft paid AAR 28 billion in cash for its 50 stake in TNK BP Their original investment was 8 billion of assets Up to this point AAR had taken 19 billion in dividends from the joint venture 25 The sale represented the liquidation of the majority of Blavatnik s Russian assets 26 In 1999 Blavatnik sought to obtain the competing oil company Chernogorneft which was being auctioned off Blavatnik s TNK company obtained Chernogorneft at 180 million even though the company had produced 1 2 billion worth of oil the year before 17 Petrochemicals and oil Edit In August 2005 Access Industries bought petrochemicals and plastics manufacturer Basell Polyolefins from Royal Dutch Shell and BASF for 5 7 billion On December 20 2007 Basell completed its acquisition of the Lyondell Chemical Company for an enterprise value of approximately 19 billion The resulting company LyondellBasell Industries then became the world s eighth largest chemical company based on net sales 27 On January 6 2009 the U S operations of LyondellBasell Industries filed for bankruptcy 28 On April 30 2010 LyondellBasell emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a significantly improved financial position As part of its exit financing LyondellBasell raised 3 25 billion of first priority debt as well as 2 8 billion through the rights offering jointly underwritten by Access Industries Apollo Management and Ares Management 29 LyondellBasell stock has increased 103 in value since April 2010 Access currently owns approximately 21 of LyondellBasell Claim against JP Morgan Chase Edit In 2010 Blavatnik sued JPMorgan Chase after losing 100 million by allegedly following Morgan s advice three years earlier to buy mortgage securities with AAA credit ratings 30 In 2013 the New York State Supreme Court ordered JPMorgan Chase to pay Blavatnik 50 million in damages 31 32 At the time Blavatnik told The New York Times The small guy can t get anywhere with suits like this I am a wealthy man I will spend whatever it takes 13 Entertainment Edit In early 2010 Access Industries was reported as one of a handful of bidders for Metro Goldwyn Mayer 33 On May 6 2011 Warner Music Group announced its sale to Access for US 3 3 billion 34 On July 20 2011 an Access affiliate acquired Warner Music Group for 3 3 billion 35 36 Though WMG was the World s third largest record company 37 and considered a trophy asset it was also laden down with debt 38 and struggling to find an answer to online music piracy 39 In May 2020 Warner Music announced it would proceed with an initial public offering that valued the company at 13 3 billion 40 The company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in June 2020 At which point Blavatnik sold 1 9 billion of shares 39 In 2012 Access Industries made 100 million investment in Deezer the music streaming service 41 In 2014 Access acquired Perform Group for 702 million Its rivals included Germany s Sportsman Media Group and IMG of the U S 42 In 2016 Blavatnik launched Access Entertainment which bought James Packer s stake in RatPac Entertainment and a 24 9 stake in Bad Wolf in 2017 43 44 In 2017 Blatvatnik was named as possible purchaser of the publisher Time Inc Blavatnik prepared the bid with Edgar Ed Bronfman Jr the former chief executive of Warner Music 45 In March 2017 Bronfman and Blavatnik walked away from the deal citing valuation issues 46 In April 2018 it was reported that Blavatnik was a front runner in the bidding to purchase Britain s third oldest theatre the Theatre Royal Haymarket Sources reported that the bid was around 40 million 47 Blavatnik s Access Entertainment finalized its purchase of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in June 2018 48 49 Blavatnik also owns AI Film the independent film and production company that backed Lee Daniels film The Butler and the summer 2015 release Mr Holmes 50 He was an early investor in Rocket Internet and Beats Music helped finance fashion designer Tory Burch and in 2013 paid 115 million for wireless spectrum in Norway 51 Blavatnik has been the owner of DAZN Group since 2014 when Access Industries increased its stake in the company from 42 5 to 77 52 DAZN Edit DAZN pronounced da zone has been described as the Netflix of sports The company is part of Perform Group a U K based sports media company owned by Len Blavatnik s Access Industries 53 DAZN specialise in buying rights to broadcast sports including football boxing and Formula 1 motor racing outside of their domestic markets The sports streaming service is available in Japan Germany and Canada 54 In May 2018 DAZN signed an eight year 1 billion deal with Eddie Hearn s Matchroom Boxing to stream fights on a new U S subscription service 55 In June 2018 DAZN paid 600 million for domestic screening rights for Italian Serie A football matches in a three year deal 56 The deal was believed to involve 2 5 billion euros 3 billion of payments over its three season lifespan 57 In October 2018 DAZN signed the largest commercial deal in history with a single athlete when they paid Mexican boxer Saul Canelo Alvarez 365 million for the rights to screen 11 fights 55 DAZN s last set of published results for the year to 2019 showed a loss of more than 1 3 billion for continuing and discontinued operations 54 The company which is dependent on subscriptions saw revenue take a hit when the COVID 19 pandemic brought an abrupt halt to live sports 57 Shortly after the outbreak of the pandemic DAZN was forced to tell European football leagues that it would not pay for games that had been put on hold 58 Chief Executive Officer Simon Denyer explained With revenues dropping and investment not available we can only survive by making some hard decisions 58 In late 2020 DAZN unveiled a slate of original documentary programming featuring global sporting icons such as Ronaldo and British boxer Anthony Joshua 57 In February 2022 Blavatnik agreed a 4 3 billion recapitalisation of DAZN The Financial Times reported that this would enable the company to target new revenue streams in betting 59 Telecommunications Edit Access Industries purchased the mobile phone technology company Acision from the IT Group Logica for 265 million in 2007 60 As of 2018 Access Industries owned 60 of Ice Group Norway s third largest telecoms company 61 Board membership Edit Blavatnik is a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Centre for International Business and Management at Cambridge University a member of the board of Dean s Advisors at the Harvard Business School a member of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows 62 and a member of the academic board at Tel Aviv University 63 Philanthropy Edit nbsp Blavatnik and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with young scientists who have been awarded the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists February 2018 nbsp Blavatnik School of Government OxfordBlavatnik the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Access companies have supported many cultural and philanthropic institutions over the past 15 years including serving as the primary benefactors for numerous major art and cultural exhibitions including the British Museum Tate Modern which named a new wing the Blavatnik Building in 2017 64 Royal Opera House National Portrait Gallery the Courtauld and Museum of Modern Art Since 2007 the Blavatnik Family Foundation together with the New York Academy of Sciences has supported the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists The annual award recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding young scientists in the U S the U K and Israel in the areas of life sciences physical sciences and engineering and provides all finalists with a significant cash prize 65 66 In 2020 The Times newspaper described Blavatnik as Britain s arts philanthropist in chief 67 Some critics characterize his donations as influence buying and whitewashing 16 5 Blavatnik sponsors a Colel Chabad 20 000 square foot 1 900 m2 food bank and warehouse in Kiryat Malakhi Israel which sends monthly food shipments to 5 000 poor families in 25 Israeli cities and before Jewish holidays to 30 000 families in 73 Israeli cities towns and villages 68 Blavatnik is also a financial supporter of Yale University where he funded the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale which supports early stage biotechnology companies as well as the Blavatnik Fellowship 69 In 2010 it was announced that Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation would donate 75 million to the University of Oxford to establish a new school of government 70 The gift is one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the university s 900 year history Blavatnik also indicated the possibility of increasing his benefaction up to 100 million over time 71 The Blavatnik School of Government began accepting students in September 2012 and the new permanent home of the school was constructed on the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter The building which was finished in summer 2015 was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog amp de Meuron The first dean of the school is professor Ngaire Woods At the time of the donation Lord Patten Chancellor of the University of Oxford described it as a once in a century opportunity for Oxford 72 In 2011 Blavatnik donated more than 50 million to the Tate Modern gallery in London the largest donation in the gallery s history In 2017 the gallery named their new 266 million extension building the Blavatnik Building 73 In 2013 Harvard University announced a 50 million donation from Blavatnik s foundation to sponsor the establishment of the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator 74 and encourage life sciences entrepreneurship at the university 75 and named the first five HBS graduates to receive the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship 76 At the same time Blavatnik also announced three 250 000 national prizes in conjunction with the New York Academy of Sciences for young scientists restricted to scientists under the age of 42 77 At the time Blavatnik told the media The Nobel s about 1 million I thought 250 000 was big enough to make it really interesting but not big enough to be scary There are a lot of rewards for established scientists but I don t think young scientists get enough encouragement and support in a systematic way 77 In 2014 Blavatnik became a trustee of Carnegie Hall in New York City 78 In 2016 the Blavatnik family foundation made a 25 million gift to Carnegie Hall In response Carnegie Hall renamed its first level of boxes The Blavatnik Family First Tier The boxes will carry the Blavatnik name until 2066 78 In 2016 Blavatnik funded a new hall at the Victoria and Albert Museum redevelopment 73 In 2016 Blavatnik supported the 1 2 billion regeneration of rundown section of Miami s South Beach area into a centre for arts and culture Blavatnik loaned the project an artwork by Damien Hirst titled Gone But Not Forgotten The work comprises a vitrine containing the gold plated 10 000 year old skeleton of a mammoth 79 In 2018 Harvard Medical School announced a 200 million donation from Blavatnik s foundation to sponsor research investments in data science and the creation of subsidized lab space for biotech startups 26 In 2018 Columbia s School of Engineering and Applied Science announced a gift from Blavatnik s foundation to fund engineering innovations in health 12 He also received the 2017 Samuel Johnson Medal from the school 80 In June 2020 on the day of the Warner initial public offering Access announced a 100 million fund to support charitable causes related to the music industry social justice and campaigns against violence and racism supported by the Blavatnik family foundation 39 In December 2020 Blavatnik made a donation of 10 million towards the renovation of the Courtauld Institute of Art 67 In December 2021 Blavatnik donated half of the 15 million required to prevent the sale and dispersal of the Honresfield Library on the open market The collection originally created by Lancashire Industrialists William and Alfred Law includes Bronte family manuscripts Jane Austen letters handwritten poems by Robert Burns 81 In February 2022 Blavatnik made a multi million pound contribution to the Imperial War Museum in London The money will be used to establish the Blavatnik Art Film and Photography Galleries 82 Political donations EditIn 2011 Blavatnik donated to both President Barack Obama and his GOP rival former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney 83 Blavatnik who is closely associated with Russian oligarchs such as Viktor Vekselberg and Oleg Deripaska is one of the largest donors to the US Republican Party and in 2015 2016 donated a total of 7 35 million to six Republican political candidates including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Arizona Senator John McCain 84 85 86 In February 2016 Blavatnik donated over 1 million to an anti Donald Trump GOP group 87 He also donated 1 million to the committee for the inauguration of Donald Trump 84 In August 2017 political scientist Bo Rothstein resigned from the Blavatnik School of Government out of opposition to Blavatnik s politics 88 Blavatnik and his American wife Emily also donated to Democratic Party candidates Kamala Harris Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton 89 In 2017 after two senior Trump administration officials went on record as being lobbyists for Blavatnik s Access Industries 90 Blavatnik was mentioned in investigations led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian donations to the administration 91 Since April 2016 Blavatnik contributed 383 000 to the Republican National Committee and 1 million to Trump s inauguration fund he also made a donation to Trump s legal fund 83 However he did not give directly to the Trump campaign 92 Between 2015 and 2017 Blavatnik contributed 3 5 million to Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell s super PAC 93 Blavatnik donated 5 200 to the Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign and 5 600 to the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign 94 Personal life EditBlavatnik is married to Emily Appelson Blavatnik 95 The couple have four children 96 97 He owns a Grade II listed building on the most expensive street in the world Kensington Palace Gardens number 15 which is valued at 200 million He acquired the property in 2004 Other residents on the street include Israeli and Russian ambassadors 98 He also has a residence in Manhattan valued at more than 250 million 99 Blavatnik is a friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has donated to a private legal defense fund for Donald Trump 100 Blavatnik is also a longtime friend and business partner of Ukrainian born Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg 20 one of Russia s richest men who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other Russia associated oligarchs who are under Western sanctions for support of totalitarian regimes and criminal activities 84 Blavatnik holds British and American citizenship 69 Wealth Edit In the Sunday Times Rich List 2015 Blavatnik was listed as the UK s richest person 101 with a fortune of 16 9 billion Forbes ranks Blavatnik as the 59th richest in the world as of November 2019 As of 2019 Blavatnik was ranked 27th in the Forbes 400 list 102 In May 2021 he once again topped the Sunday Times Rich List having seen his wealth increase by 7 2 billion in the year to a total of 23 billion In doing so he replaced Sir James Dyson 103 Honours Edit In 2013 Blavatnik was made chevalier of the French Legion d Honneur 104 He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to philanthropy 105 See also EditKensington Palace Gardens Sunday Times Rich List 2017Notes and references EditNotes Ukrainian Leonid Valentinovich Blavatnik romanized Leonid Valentynovych Blavatnik Russian Leonid Valentinovich Blavatnik romanized Leonid Valentinovich Blavatnik References 22 Len Blavatnik forbes com Retrieved January 17 2017 Len Blavatnik Forbes Retrieved March 26 2022 Most Clever Oligarch Severed His 37 Billion Fortune From Russian Roots Bloomberg com June 3 2022 Retrieved August 26 2022 Queen s birthday honours Ukrainian born museum donor Leonard Blavatnik is made a knight June 20 2017 a b c Friedman Dan A Soviet born billionaire is buying influence at US institutions Anti corruption activists are worried Mother Jones Retrieved March 6 2022 a b c Reporting Bloomberg April 2 2022 Len Blavatnik Bloomberg USA Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Russian born U S billionaire offers to buy Ma ariv haaretz com accessed February 23 2015 The world s 50 Richest Jews 11 20 Len Blavatnik jpost com September 7 2010 Velsey Kim March 3 2022 Secret Staircases and Gold Everything A Tour of Russian Billionaire New York Curbed Retrieved March 6 2022 a b c d e f g h i j Foy Henry From Russian oil to rock n roll the rise of Len Blavatnik Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Len Blavatnik visits Medical School discusses philanthropy science The Harvard Gazette October 21 2019 Retrieved September 21 2022 a b The Blavatnik Fund for Engineering Innovations in Health Columbia Engineering January 15 2019 Retrieved May 6 2022 a b Protess Ben May 5 2011 Warner Music Suitor s Record of Deal Making The New York Times Archived from the original on October 1 2012 Retrieved April 2 2022 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint unfit URL link nicolaou anna June 3 2020 Warner Music lands 1 9bn share sale for owner Len Blavatnik Financial Times New York Retrieved April 2 2022 Ovide Shira May 6 2011 World s Newest Music Mogul Who is Len Blavatnik Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved March 6 2022 a b Marlowe Ann December 5 2018 Opinion Is Harvard Whitewashing a Russian Oligarch s Fortune The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 6 2022 a b c d e f The Billionaire s Playlist The New Yorker January 13 2014 Retrieved March 6 2022 Merced Michael July 18 2007 Access Industries to Buy Lyondell Chemical New York Times USA Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Starobin Paul August 5 2002 Russia s New Wealth Businessweek Moscow Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Yenikeyeff Shamil BP Russian billionaires and the Kremlin a Power Triangle that never was Oxford Energy Comment November 23 2011 retrieved March 3 2015 a b c Tavernise Sabrina February 19 2003 A Rocky Road Led to Big Russian Oil Deal New York Times USA Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Bannerjee Neela November 24 1999 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Foreign Investors Win Court Order in Russian Oil Case New York Times USA Retrieved February 2 2022 Bush Jason April 19 2007 The Kremlin s Big Squeeze Businessweek USA Retrieved April 2 2022 Kramer Andrew July 25 2005 Denied Visa Chief of BP Joint Venture Is Forced to Leave Russia New York Times USA Retrieved April 2 2022 Weaver Courtney December 12 2012 Rosneft makes agreement with AAR Financial Times Moscow Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Gordon Amanda L John Lauerman Michael McDonald November 8 2018 Harvard Med Gets Record Gift From Blavatnik to Speed Research Bloomberg USA Retrieved April 2 2022 C amp EN s Global Top 50 Chemical Firms For 2014 Chemical amp Engineering News Retrieved August 20 2014 LyondellBasell May Seek Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection The New York Times Bloomberg January 1 2009 Archived from the original on February 24 2015 Retrieved March 21 2022 LyondellBasell profile accessed February 23 2015 Lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase nytimes com accessed February 23 2015 JPMorgan Chase ordered to pay Blavatnik 50 million in damages bbc co uk accessed February 23 2015 Braithwaite Tom August 26 2013 Len Blavatnik wins 50m in JPMorgan lawsuit Financial Times New York Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 MGM bidding by Access Industries bloomberg com accessed February 23 2015 Wilkerson David B Warner Music to be sold in 3 3 billion cash deal MarketWatch May 6 2011 retrieved May 6 2011 Sisario Michael J de la Merced and Ben May 7 2011 Warner Music Is Sold Ending a Long Auction DealBook Retrieved May 6 2018 Access Industries buys Warner Music Group for 3 3bn Music Business Worldwide Music Business Worldwide May 6 2011 Retrieved January 28 2016 Merced Michael May 6 2011 Warner Music Is Sold Ending a Long Auction Dealbook New York Times New York Retrieved April 2 2022 Sisario Ben February 9 2012 Debt Sinks Warner Earnings Despite Hits From Buble and Black Keys The New York Times USA Retrieved April 2 2022 a b c Nicolaou Anna June 3 2020 Warner Music lands 1 9bn share sale for owner Len Blavatnik Financial Times New York Retrieved April 2 2022 Sisario Ben May 26 2020 Warner Music Launches Its I P O The New York Times USA Retrieved April 2 2022 Thomson Adam September 22 2015 Deezer takes fight to Spotify with Paris IPO Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Cookson Robert September 1 2014 Perform Group surges on offer from Access Industries Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Barraclough Leo March 27 2017 Len Blavatnik Danny Cohen s Access Entertainment Backs Bad Wolf EXCLUSIVE Variety Retrieved May 6 2018 Thomsen Simon April 20 2017 James Packer has sold his stake in Hollywood film company RatPac Entertainment Business Insider Australia Retrieved May 6 2018 Bond Shannon February 17 2017 Five suitors in the running for purchase of Time Inc Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Bond Shannon March 9 2017 Bronfman backed group walks away from Time Inc Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Billionaire Blavatnik leads race to buy prized West End theatre Sky News Retrieved May 6 2018 Brown Mark June 19 2018 Sir Leonard Blavatnik buys one of London s oldest theatres The Guardian Retrieved October 4 2021 Hershberg Marc Billionaire Takes Over West End Theater In Record Breaking Deal Forbes Retrieved October 4 2021 Blavatnik owns AI Film the independent film and production company that s behind acclaimed film Lee Daniels The Butler and the summer 2015 release Mr Holmes Business Insider Retrieved January 28 2016 Len Blavatnik Forbes Retrieved January 28 2016 Perform Group to de list as Access Industries takes over SBC News November 13 2014 Retrieved September 15 2020 Agini Samuel February 18 2022 Len Blavatnik agrees 4 3bn recapitalisation of DAZN UK Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Hellier David February 18 2022 Len Blavatnik Agrees 4 3 Billion DAZN Recapitalization Bloomberg UK Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Ahmed Murad October 17 2018 Blavatnik backed DAZN strike 365m deal with boxer Canelo Alvarez Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Ahmed Murad June 13 2018 DAZN to screen Italian football s top league Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 a b c Hellier David March 21 2021 Tycoon s Netflix of Sport Beats Comcast to 3 Billion Deal Bloomberg UK Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Novy Williams Eben March 31 2020 DAZN Tells Leagues It Won t Pay for Games on Hold Bloomberg UK Retrieved April 2 2022 Agini Samuel February 18 2022 Len Blavatnik agrees 4 3bn recapitalisation of DAZN Financial Times UK Retrieved April 2 2022 Ashton James February 21 2010 Billionaire Len Blavatnik eyes 400m float TheTimes UK Retrieved April 2 2022 Fildes Nic November 26 2018 One of Europe s fastest growing telecoms companies aims to raise 275m Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Board of Fellows Harvard Medical School hms harvard edu Retrieved September 26 2019 Academic Boards and Committees Harvard University Cambridge University Tel Aviv University Ellis Petersen Hannah May 4 2017 Tate Modern names extension after billionaire Len Blavatnik The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved October 18 2017 Prestigious Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK Award 480 000 650 000 to Nine UK based Scientists The New York Academy of Sciences Retrieved September 21 2022 Profile nyas org accessed February 23 2015 a b Sanderson David December 16 2020 Sir Leonard Blavatnik s art of giving away a fortune The Times UK Retrieved April 2 2022 Colel Chabad profile colelchabad org accessed February 23 2015 a b Porayouw William March 15 2022 Criticism sparks over Russia linked billionaire Yale donor Yale Daily News Blavatnik donation of 75 million to Oxford University Archived July 22 2014 at the Wayback Machine ox ac uk accessed February 23 2015 Garner Richard September 20 2010 Oxford expands with billionaire s 75m gift The Independent Retrieved November 13 2020 BBC Staff September 20 2010 School of Government launched at Oxford University BBC UK Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Pickford James May 4 2017 Tate Modern names extension to mark donor s record 50m gift Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Bradshaw Della May 3 2013 Harvard University receives 50m from MBA alumnus Len Blavatnik Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 50 million donation to Harvard from Blavatnik thecrimson com accessed February 23 2015 Harvard Business School Names First Blavatnik Fellows in Life Science Entrepreneurship News Harvard Business School www hbs edu September 24 2013 Retrieved May 6 2018 a b Lewin Tamar June 1 2013 Billionaire and Science Academy Create Annual Prizes The New York Times USA Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Cooper Michael June 22 2016 With Big Gift Carnegie to Name Tier of Boxes for Blavatnik Family The New York Times USA Retrieved April 2 2022 Wrathall Claire November 25 2016 In Miami Beach a once run down district gets a bold new start Financial Times UK Archived from the original on December 11 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 Hvala Joanne May 16 2017 Think Big Take Risks and Choose Your Partners Wisely Columbia Engineering Magazine Retrieved May 6 2022 Sanderson David December 16 2021 Britain s richest man saves literary crown jewels The Times UK Retrieved April 2 2022 Sanderson David February 8 2022 Britain s richest man Sir Leonard Blavatnik endows photography gallery at the Imperial War Museum The Times UK Retrieved April 2 2022 a b Special counsel probing flow of Russian American money to Trump political funds ABC News September 26 2017 a b c May Ruth August 3 2017 GOP campaigns took 7 35 million from oligarch linked to Russia Dallas News Retrieved August 28 2017 May Ruth May 8 2018 How Putin s oligarchs funneled millions into GOP campaigns Campaign finance reports show troubling connections between a group of wealthy donors with ties to Russia and their political contributions to Trump and top Republican leaders Dallas News Retrieved January 21 2021 May Ruth May 18 2018 The simple explanation of the messy Russian investigation is one man s ego Vladimir Putin is an egotistical leader who has money power and a deep desire to protect his wealth by projecting his power Dallas News Retrieved January 21 2021 Ingham Tim March 22 2016 Warner owner Len Blavatnik pumps 1m into anti Donald Trump group Music Business Worldwide Weaver Matthew August 28 2017 Oxford University professor resigns in Donald Trump protest The Guardian Retrieved August 28 2017 Ioffe Julia July 29 2016 The Russians at the DNC Politico Walters Greg Exclusive Two top Trump officials are ex lobbyists for a billionaire with deep ties to Russian oligarchs VICE News Retrieved May 6 2018 Levintova Hannah April 2018 Special counsel Robert Mueller is asking Russian oligarchs if they gave money to Trump Mother Jones Retrieved May 6 2018 Brian Ross and Matthew Mosk February 20 2018 Special counsel probing flow of Russian American money to Trump political funds ABC News Retrieved May 6 2018 Pareene Alex March 21 2019 Nihilist In Chief The New Republic ISSN 0028 6583 Retrieved May 23 2019 PALMA BETHANIA February 12 2020 Did a Russian Linked Oligarch Fund Pete Buttigieg s Presidential Campaign snopes com Retrieved February 23 2020 Filipino housekeeper claims Leonard Blavatnik won t hire her because of her ethnicity Virginia Lim files discrimination suit in U S nydailynews com November 21 2011 Colacello Bob January 9 2018 Inside Paris s 25th Annual le Bal des Debutantes Vanity Fair Elizabeth Starling Louis Julia McCaw et Laila Blavatnik www journaldesfemmes fr in French November 27 2018 Retrieved November 23 2019 Clementine Katherine Rich List 2015 Kensington property owner Len Blavatnik top with 13 17 BILLION fortune Get West London May 1 2015 Accessed May 28 2015 Pendleton Devon April 26 2019 The Meteoric Rise of Billionaire Len Blavatnik Bloomberg Kremlin linked Billionaire Netanyahu Friend Donated to Trump s Private Legal Fund Haaretz September 25 2017 Music boss Blavatnik named as Britain s richest man BBC News April 26 2015 Len Blavatnik Forbes Leonard Blavatnik named UK s richest person with 23bn fortune BBC News May 21 2021 Retrieved May 21 2021 Blavatnik Internship Program Council on Foreign Relations Retrieved October 4 2019 No 61962 The London Gazette Supplement June 17 2017 p B2 External links EditLen Blavatnik Forbes profile LyondellBasell Corporate Website The New York Academy of Sciences Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Len Blavatnik amp oldid 1180113978, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.