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Dmitry Firtash was born on May 2, 1965 in Sinkov (formerly Bogdanivka), Zaleshchiki district, Ternopil oblast, Ukraine. His father was a driver and later an instructor at a driving school. His mother has two degrees: in economics and in veterinary medicine. She worked as an accountant at a livestock farm, and later at a sugar refinery.

Dmitry began his working
Д. Фирташ

Taken from Interview to
"Politique Internationale" (France)

"We were growing tomatoes in our region. It’s a hell of a work. I was supposed to be engaged in that too like many other young people in the neighborhood. Since my childhood, parents would make me work every day. Not because they didn’t love me, but because that’s the way everyone lived. One should get up at 5 a.m. to work in a greenhouse and has to work like a dog till 7a.m. before going to school or work. Then in the evening, you come from work and go back to the greenhouse. Everybody came home exhausted and had to do the same thing next day, again and again. I hated those tomatoes, I couldn’t look at them. Twenty thousand bushes of tomatoes grow in one greenhouse. First, one should plant, then tie up, pollinate… So, taking care of twenty thousand bushes means that you have to bend down twenty thousand times!
That’s why when I’m now told that I always work and never sleep, I answer that one doesn’t know what a real work means, my really hard work was before I turned seventeen!".

12 March 2011
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career in his early childhood helping his parents
Д. Фирташ

Taken from Interview to
"Politique Internationale" (France)

"I was born in Ternopil oblast in Western Ukraine. My native village was called Sen’kiv.
My father was a driver and later an instructor at a driving school. My mother has two degrees: in veterinary science and in economics. Part of her career was at a sugar refinery".

12 March 2011
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grow vegetables at their family plot for additional family income.

He graduated from Krasnolimansk Railway Vocational School
Д. Фирташ

Taken from Interview to
"Politique Internationale" (France)

"At the very moment when I turned 17, I decided that I have to run away from this serfdom. My mom and dad tried to talk me out but I went to Donetsk province and entered a railroad school. My first profession is an electric and steam locomotives engineer. From there, I was called up for military service".

12 March 2011
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and later received a degree from the National Academy of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

Serving in the military from 1984 through 1986, Dmitry Firtash was awarded the bronze medal ‘For Achievements in the Development of the Soviet Economy’ and the ‘Order of the Badge of Honor’.

Married. Wife Lada Pavlovna Firtash. The Firtashes have two children: daughter Anna (born in 2005) and son Dmitry (born in 2007). Daughter Ivanna (born in 1988 from the first marriage). Lada Firtash is the founder and Chairman of the Board of the charity FIRTASH Foundation, and Chairman of the Investment and Development Projects Board.

Д. Фирташ   D-Firtash   Dmitry Firtash   Dmitry Firtash   D-Firtash   D-Firtash   D.Firtash


Business Career


Dmitry Firtash started in business almost immediately after completing his military service.
Д. Фирташ

Taken from Interview to
"Politique Internationale" (France)

"I served two years in the army like anyone else and came back home after that. I decided to stay in Chernovtsy and went to work at a fire station. At that period, the Soviet Union was already falling apart. I worked for five months and my pay check covered only one. I was already married and had a newly born child… If life had taken a different direction and if the salary had been properly paid, I would’ve never thought of quitting… But I didn’t see other options".

12 March 2011
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He founded his own trading company
Д. Фирташ

Taken from Interview to
"Politique Internationale" (France)

"It was in the beginning of the 90s. I had $100 in my pocket, i.e., nothing. At that moment, I didn’t see myself as a businessman; I didn’t understand what commerce means. I’d never sold anything before, except for tomatoes. But even talking about tomatoes, it was my mother and father who were selling them, while my job was just carrying boxes. I was more inclined to being on somebody’s payroll.
When I came to Moscow, the USSR had collapsed, there was no country, no ideology, nothing at all and nobody needed you. At first, I was shocked. I couldn’t understand it: everyone’s selling stuff to everyone, but no one has anything.
Later, I understood how the things are done.
I’ve known all major Russian businesspeople since that time. Then they were all busy selling things – some were selling tickets, others – something else. I wouldn’t call their names because they are ashamed of that and don’t want to bring it up… But it was a fact and we all went through that – we learned how to earn money".

12 March 2011
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first in Chernivtsi (Ukraine), eventually moving to Moscow (Russia) in the early 1990s.

In 1993, he established commercial ties
Д. Фирташ

Taken from Interview to
"Politique Internationale" (France)

"...I met a high-ranking official from Turkmenistan in that very Russia Hotel. He was related to the Ministry of Commerce which traded in everything, including gas. And he was responsible for food supplies to the country, including meat, corn, etc. But when the USSR disintegrated, the state food supplies from other republics stopped and nobody would buy Turkmen natural gas.
So, this man shows a list of products they needed. It turned out that I, with my connections, could supply all of them. In the morning, I gathered my friends and said we had an opportunity to make good money. Some of those people were from Moscow, others from Chernovtsy, so these people earned money with me and knew me well, nobody hesitated. I asked them to invest money in purchasing the products Turkmens needed. The total value amounted to $30 million. Our margin on this deal could be equal to that".

12 March 2011
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in Central Asia and organized food supplies to this region in exchange for natural gas.

In 2002, Dmitry Firtash founded the company EuralTransGas which won exclusive contracts for Turkmen gas supplies to Ukraine.

At the same time, Dmitry Firtash began investing in the chemical industry, becoming the owner of mineral fertilizers producers Nitrofert (Estonia) and Tajik Azot
Д. Фирташ

Taken from Interview to "Forbes" (Russia)

"The war had just ended in Tajikistan and not too many were willing to go there. When I arrived there, people at the negotiations table were sitting with their machine guns. I remember sitting in the President’s office and as we talked, his subordinates reported to him three times that his power was taken away and then regained. The facility had been heavily bombed, all gates and doorways wide open, not even stray dogs could be seen, everything was embezzled.
Tajiks didn’t believe it could have been restored. I wasn’t sure as I didn’t have an industrial experience, so I brought some specialists along and asked them: can the whole thing be restored? They said: “Sure, just a matter of will and money”. At the end of the day, we invested something in the neighborhood of $100 million"

15 July 2011
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(Tajikistan).

In 2003, Mr. Firtash founded the company Emfesz in Hungary to promote the gas and energy business. Two years later, this company was granted a license to supply natural gas in Poland.

In 2003, Mr. Firtash became a shareholder in the company Rivneazot  – a major manufacturer of nitrogen fertilizers in Ukraine. Following a radical modernization effort, the company today is among the industry leaders in energy efficiency.

In 2004, the Ukrainian businessman and Russian Gazprom jointly set up RosUkrEnergo, a company to distribute natural gas in Ukraine and in the European Union. Due to this company’s activities, Ukraine was able to acquire gas at prices well below market rates.
 
Another Mr. Firtash’s acquisition in 2004 was an Austrian company, Zangas Hoch- und Tiefbau GmbH, specializing in gas pipeline construction and infrastructure development.
 
Later that year Mr. Firtash became a major shareholder of Crimean Soda Plant (Krasnoperekopsk) and Krymskiy TITAN (Armiansk).

In 2007, a private international group of companies, Group DF (‘The Firtash group of companies’) was formed with the view to consolidating Dmitry Firtash’s business assets in different sectors. Presently, Group DF incorporates assets in the chemical industry, energy, media, real estate, agribusiness, banking and gas sectors. This consolidation effort is still underway.
 
In 2010, seeking to enhance Ukraine’s positions in the international fertilizers market, Mr. Firtash launched an effort towards consolidation of the Ukrainian nitrogen business. From September 2010 to September 2011, the Mr. Firtash acquired ownership in ‘Concern STIROL’ (Gorlovka), ‘Severodonetsk Production Association Azot and ‘Cherkassy Azot. In just over a year, the joint marketing strategy of the four fertilizers manufacturers owned by Mr. Firtash substantially strengthened its domestic market position. The total portfolio investments made in Rivneazot, Severodonetsk and Cherkassy AZOTs and STIROL from September 2010 through September 2011 is about 1 billion hryvnias.

The businessman is also actively pursuing an agenda of titanium industries development. In order to achieve a double increase in titanium dioxide production outputs at Krymski TITAN, Mr. Firtash intends to invest heavily in the company. In order to expand the raw materials supply base, Mr. Firtash’s group of companies commissioned Mezhdurechensk Mining and Concentration Complex in 2010.
 
In July 2011, Dmitry Firtash became a shareholder in Nadra Bank.

In February 2013, GDF MEDIA LIMITED, part of GROUP DF (Dmitry Firtash Group of Companies), reached an agreement to acquire INTER MEDIA GROUP LIMITED (Media group includes INTER, INTER+, NTN, K1, MEGA, ENTER FILM, K2, PIXEL and Zoom television channels).

In the course of the last 15 years, Dmitry Firtash has become one of the leading energy sector and chemical industry investors in Central and Eastern Europe with his companies and industrial units operating in Ukraine, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Estonia, Switzerland, Tajikistan.


D-Firtash   Д. Фирташ   D.Firtash   Dmitry Firtash   D-Firtash   Д. Фирташ   D.Firtash 


Public activity


Dmitry Firtash is not a member of any political party or movement.
 
In 2010, as one of Ukraine’s major employers, he was elected Head of the Joint Employers’ Movement of Ukraine – the Joint Representative Body of Employers at the National Level. Dmitry Firtash pointed out that his main focus in this capacity is on consolidation of efforts of Ukraine’s corporate world, the Government and trade unions in order to achieve the nation’s sustainable socio-economic development and strengthening of Ukraine’s positions in international markets.

At the same time, Dmitry Firtash has been appointed a Co-Chairman of the National Tripartite Social and Economic Council under the President of Ukraine (NTSEC). This Council includes representatives from the Government, Employers’ Movement and Trade Unions and is jointly chaired by representatives of these three groups. NTSEC puts forward recommendations to the President of Ukraine regarding national social and economic policy development and implementation.

Later Dmitry Firtash became a Co-Chairman of the Council of Domestic and Foreign Investors under the Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine, established in 2011. This Council brings together representatives of national authorities, research and development and educational institutions, public organizations and major businesses with the aim of attracting and effectively implementing investments in education, science, youth affairs and sports.

At the first Council meeting held in May 2011, Mr. Firtash moved forward a package of initiatives towards systemic support to chemical education in Ukraine.

Intensive efforts towards unification of employers organizations materialized in the unification congress of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine on November 29, 2011 where Mr. Firtash was elected President of the Federation. FEU has become the most powerful organization representing Ukraine’s industry and business. The Federation has become an active and effective factor of influence upon social and economic processes in the country having signed Memorandums of Understanding with the State Tax Service of Ukraine, State Customs Service of Ukraine and Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine and having established an ongoing dialog with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
 
In February 2012 the President of Ukraine appointed Mr. Firtash to the post of a Chairman of the National Tripartite Social and Economic Council of Ukraine (NTSEC). The Council’s mission is to devise and submit for the President’s review proposals related to the nation’s socio-economic policy elaboration and implementation. In addition to that, this body works to facilitate its parties’ common understanding and a concerted position in matters relevant to furthering socio-economic and labor relations. In May 2013, Yuriy Kulyk, the President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, was appointed the Chairman of NTSEC after Mr. Firtash.

Being a large investor, Mr. Firtash is convinced that principal employers – enterprises whose operation is vital for the communities housing them – must help hosting municipalities. As a practical example of this attitude and as part of implementation of Mr. Firtash’s initiative ‘Preserve Your City’, the Cherkassy-based Azot revitalized works in the city’s culture club ‘People’s Friendship’, and the fountain and the square across the culture club. The company also donates funding to an orphanage in the city of Smila and the pediatric ward of Cherkassy cancer treatment center.

In the city of Severodonetsk, the local company Azot, in which Dmitry Firtash is a principal investor, renovated the municipal trolleybuses park.

A large-scale municipal infrastructure social development and renovation program initiated by Dmitry Firtash has been implemented in the cities of Armiansk and Krasnoperekopsk.

Concern Stirol, part of Group DF, financed road renovation in Gorlovka.

The President of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine Dmitry Firtash initiated the creation of the SME support system operating through regional investment funds founded by successful businessmen. Due to Mr. Firtash’s financial support Bukovyna Investment Fund established with an eye on supporting small and medium enterprises started its operation in Chernivtsi region. It has already provided financial support to 9 projects.

In 2014, Dmitry Firtash, the President of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, took part in two Round tables held in Vienna and initiated by the German-Ukrainian Forum.

 Д. Фирташ   D-Firtash   Д. Фирташ   Dmitry Firtash   Dmitry Firtash   D.Firtash   D-Firtash

During the event, influential experts, politicians and businessmen from Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany and Great Britain discussed the steps necessary to be done by Ukraine and other countries in order to restore peace, stabilize situation in Ukraine, and defuse military, political and economic tension in Europe.

 Д. Фирташ   D-Firtash   Д. Фирташ   Dmitry Firtash   Dmitry Firtash   D.Firtash   D-Firtash

On March 3 2015, in Vienna, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine with the participation of the largest trade union organizations held an international forum Ukraine Tomorrow attended by more than 500 influential politicians, experts and businessmen from Ukraine, Austria, the UK, Germany, Poland, and France. Representatives of France, Germany and the UK have endorsed the proposal jointly moved forward by the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and trade unions of Ukraine to set up the Agency for the Modernization of Ukraine. As a result of the Ukraine Tomorrow forum held in Vienna, the declaration speaking about the Agency foundation was signed by Mr. Reiner Lindner, Head of the German-Ukrainian Parliamentary Group; Mr. Karl-Georg Wellmann, a Bundestag Member; Mr. Bernard-Henry Lévy, French public activist, writer and philosopher; and Lord Risby, British MP.  In 200 days, till September, the Agency will present a clear and comprehensive Ukraine modernization action plan. The modernization plan will be being drafted by eight renown European politicians and business people leading various facets of Ukraine’s Euro-integration including health care, finance and taxation, economy, trade, constitutional and legal reform, anti-corruption and law enforcement.
 
 Д. Фирташ   D-Firtash   Д. Фирташ   Dmitry Firtash   Dmitry Firtash   D.Firtash   D-Firtash


Charity


Dmitry Firtash has been active in initiating and developing programs aimed at promoting Ukraine at the international arena.

In 2008, on Mr. Firtash’s initiative and with his financial support, the University of Cambridge (UK) established a Cambridge Ukrainian Studies aimed at promoting the study of Ukraine’s rich cultural heritage in the United Kingdom and beyond.

As part of this program, Cambridge’s students
Д. Фирташ

Из Interview to "Day"

"This is not simply a Ukrainian language department – students explore the culture and history of our land. At least twice a month, the University runs activities related to Ukraine. It is sort of unofficial embassy at the University rated the best in the world. We spent four years to have this project launched. Initially, Cambridge started this program as an experiment while last year it became a permanent program. Today, there are about 50 students studying the Ukrainian culture and language: Americans, English, Germans, Chinese… Can you believe it how Ukraine is interesting? Soon, their apprenticeship will be organized in Ukraine. Cambridge chose the Ukrainian Catholic University as a base for it."

3 November 2011
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from across the globe attend an academic course of Ukrainian Studies that includes the Ukrainian language, literature, cinematography, culture and history. Prominent international researchers of Ukraine are invited to lecture and host workshops on topical issues pertinent to both Ukraine’s history and preset. The University of Cambridge also holds literary readings, art exhibitions and the Annual Cambridge Ukrainian Film Festival. Over the history of its existence, the Cambridge Ukrainian Studies Program has truly become Ukraine’s informal humanitarian mission in the United Kingdom.

Another charity initiative by Dmitry Firtash enabled the establishment of the Cambridge-Ukraine Studentships that made it possible for eligible students from Ukraine to seek a Master’s degree at the University of Cambridge. The scholarships cover the cost of both tuition and accommodation for qualified students.

Dmitry Firtash has been supporting a series of other massive educational projects. An example of such philanthropic support is his financing of construction of the Ukrainian Catholic University campus in the city of Lviv.
 
The entrepreneur is actively involved in projects aiming at the international promotion of Ukrainian culture. His donation made it possible to organize and hold International Poetry Festival Meridian Czernowitz in 2012 and 2013
 
A series of benchmarking events in Ukraine’s cultural life – films screening and festivities on occasion of the 70th anniversary of the world-famous Ukrainian actor Bohdan Stupka – became a well-known success largely due to Mr. Firtash’s benefaction.
 
Among other Dmitry Firtash’s charity work is assistance to Ukrainian professional theaters. The celebration of the 75th anniversary of Kherson Regional Musical and Drama Theater largely owes its success to the philanthropist’s endowment. In addition to that, his sponsorship support enabled a major restoration of material and technical resources of Chernivtsi Regional Musical and Drama Theater which became a generous gift on occasion of the theater’s 80th anniversary.
 
Dmitry Firtash has been supporting Chernivtsi Regional Museum and a whole series of other ethno-cultural projects.
 
2011 saw the completion of construction of the Holy Trinity Cathedral at the Holy Ascension Monastery in the village of Bancheny of Chernivtsi region. The financing of the project came from funds raised by the Orthodox community and a sizeable contribution from Dmitry Firtash.
 
Mr. Firtash’s generous support was recognized by the Orthodox church: His Holiness Kirill Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia awarded the philanthropist with the Order of Venerable Serafim Sarowsky, 2nd Degree.
 
The Holy Ascension Monastery is widely known to a large extent due to the assistance to orphans and disabled children that it has been providing for many years. The covenant houses an orphanage which houses over 200 children, many of them with special needs. The residents are housed with care and enjoy all necessary amenities, partly owing to substantial assistance from Dmitry Firtash.
 
Dmitry Firtash is very active in fostering the social development of his home region by helping his fellow villagers and the broader community. In 2008, Mr. Firtash took part in a charity project ‘Warm a Child with Love’ by financing the acquisition of housing for 120 large families in Ternopil and Chernivtsi regions of Ukraine.

Thanks to Dmitry Firtash’s financial support, large-scale infrastructural transformations are being implemented in his home village of Sinkov, which become an acting prototype of the future Ukrainian township. To date, local roads capital repairs have been completed, and gas supplies are connected to each household. The village school has been remodeled and technically refurbished with the most updated equipment supplied to its classrooms. The local Church of Translation of Relics of St. Nicholas originally built in mid-17th century has been renovated. Also a stadium, culture club, hotel and restaurant complex and polyclinics have been renovated.
 
In September 2012, the largest agricultural complex of the Western Ukraine ‘DF Agro’ (Sinkov) was built in the village of Sinkov. The new enterprise has created a good deal of jobs for local residents.

Massive assistance is also channeled to the district administrative center of Zaleshchiki where Dmitry Firtash financed the reconstruction of a district hospital servicing over 50 thousand local community members. After new buildings of a pediatric and surgery wards were erected and nine new ambulance vehicles were acquired, Zaleshchiki district hospital is providing neighboring districts with its services.

In 2010, Dmitry Firtash committed UAH 10 million to help households that suffered from the seasonal floods in Chernivtsi region.

Seeking to further support the development and implementation these initiatives, the charitable FIRTASH Foundation was established in 2008. Among the FIRTASH Foundation projects are Days of Ukraine in the United Kingdom, Malanka Festivals in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian Studies Program and Cambridge-Ukraine Studentships.

Д. Фирташ  Д. Фирташ  D-Firtash  D.Firtash  Dmitry Firtash  Dmitry Firtash  D.Firtash