Alekperov vs Potanin
Lukoil and Nornickel.
The differences
- Forbes puts Vladimir Potanin about $0.2B ahead of Vagit Alekperov.Forbes figures from 17 Oct 2026 and 9 Oct 2026.
- Vagit Alekperov: founded it. Vladimir Potanin: built it up.
- Vagit Alekperov is about 11 years older than Vladimir Potanin.
- Vladimir Potanin has signed the Giving Pledge; Vagit Alekperov has not.
Put someone else on either side
Side by side
Alekperov
PotaninThe money
- Net worth, Forbes
- $29.5BForbes, 9 Oct 2026
- $29.7BForbes, 17 Oct 2026
- Net worth, Bloomberg
- $25.5BBloomberg, 8 Oct 2025
- $21.8BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026
- Forbes rank
- No. 78Real-Time list, 9 Oct 2026
- No. 76Real-Time list, 17 Oct 2026
- Billionaire since
- Not stated
- Not stated
Where it came from
- How it started
- Founded itIn 1991 he took three large ministry-controlled oil fields and set up Lukoil
- Built it upFounded Interros in 1990; acquired a stake in Norilsk Nickel during Russia's privatization in the 1990s and has run it since 2012
- Main source
- Lukoil stock and dividendsBloomberg: most of his fortune is a 28.3% Lukoil stake; he has collected more than $13 billion in dividends
- Norilsk Nickel stockBloomberg: most of his wealth is his Norilsk Nickel stake; he also has stakes in T-Technologies and Yandex
- Companies
- LukoilLukoil: Founder; no executive or board role
- Nornickel, InterrosNornickel: President and chairman of the management board; Interros: Founder and president
- Biggest stake
- Lukoil8.6% owned
- Interros100% owned
The person
- Born
- 1950Baku, Azerbaijan
- 3 Jan 1961Moscow, Russia
- Country
- RussiaLives in Moscow, Russia
- Russia
- Education
- Graduate degreeMaster of science in engineering, Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry (1974)
- Not statedFaculty of Economics, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), 1983
- Parents
- Youngest of five children; his father, an oil worker, died when he was 3
- Father was a trade diplomat and mother a doctor
What they give
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
- Signed in 2013
- Foundation
- Our Future FoundationSet up and financed by him; makes interest-free loans to social enterprises
- Vladimir Potanin FoundationGrant-making foundation created in 1999
- Lifetime giving
- Not stated
- Not stated
Role and record
- Role now
- Founder, no executive roleLukoil shareholder; left the presidency and board in April 2022
- Runs the companyPresident and chairman of the management board of Nornickel; president of Interros
- Successor
- Vadim Vorobyev, first executive vice president, was named temporary president of Lukoil in April 2022
- Not stated
- Public office
- Soviet deputy minister overseeing the oil industrybefore 1991
- First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia1996-1997
- Legal record
- 2022: UK government; 2025: UK Companies HouseSanctioned by the UK in April 2022; he stepped down as Lukoil president days later. Disqualified from acting as a company director from 9 April 2025 as a person designated under UK sanctions (UK sanctions list reference RUS1334).
- 2022: UK governmentDesignated under UK sanctions with a full asset freeze (UK Sanctions List reference RUS1466).
