Andrei Skoch. The biography of politician, philanthropist and founder of the Pokolenie Foundation

Andrei Skoch: philanthropist and politician. Biography

Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch, deputy of the Russian State Duma, used to be a successful businessman and investor. He established the Pokolenie (Generation) Foundation, which has allocated over 15 billion rubles to numerous charitable projects.

Main biographical information

Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch was born on January 30, 1966, in Nikolskoye village, Moscow region. After graduating from high school, he was drafted into the Soviet Army and served in a reconnaissance and assault troop. Later, Andrei Skoch entered the Psychology Department of the M. V. Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities. In 2000, he defended his thesis and received his Ph.D. in pedagogy.

Business and law making activities

Andrei Skoch began his business activity with a bakery cooperative, and then moved  on to the sale of computer parts. Later, he managed to earn considerable capital on the sale of oil products. He purchased crude oil, sent it for processing, and sold the finished petroleum products, including gasoline, through his own network of gas stations.

In the mid-1990s, Andrei Skoch invested money in Interfin, a financial company which was engaged in operations with securities. Later, the company was transformed into the Metalloinvest group; today, it is one of the largest mining and metallurgical holdings in Russia. In the late 1990s, the holding’s assets included stakes in the Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant and Lebedinsky GOK located in the Belgorod region.

In 1999, Andrei Skoch decided to go into politics and ran for the Russian State Duma in a single-mandate constituency in the Belgorod region. He won a landslide victory with 54% of the vote. After becoming a deputy, he passed all of his assets to his father. Subsequently, Andrei Skoch was re-elected to the Russian Parliament five more times. He is the author of about two hundred legislative initiatives. He is also engaged in various social activities.

Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch received numerous state awards for his lawmaking and charity activity, including the following:

•     Second-class and first-class medals of the Order of Merit for the Motherland;
• The Order of Honor;
•     The Order of Alexander Nevsky;
•     The Letter of Acknowledgment from the President of the Russian Federation.

He was also awarded the UNESCO medal “Five Continents” and the “Samara Cross” of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Philanthropy

Andrei Skoch is actively engaged in charity work. His lifetime project is the Pokolenie Foundation, which he established in 1996. Initially, the humanitarian organization financed projects in the field of medicine. Later, the Foundation began to support various categories of citizens and institutions, as well as culture, science, education, and healthcare projects. A significant share of the Foundation’s expenses are targeted assistance to individual Russian citizens. Annually the Pokolenie Foundation sends children from low-income families for the wellness holiday to the Black Sea. In addition, Andrei Skoch pays special attention to supporting large families and young people. Among the well-known projects implemented by the Foundation are the Debut Literary Award, Family Record Award, Healthy Childhood Prize and others.

For 25 years, Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch’s Foundation has allocated more than 15 billion rubles for charity.