Sergei Gordeev (Сергей Гордеев) is a self-made Russian billionaire and property developer who amassed his substantial fortune in the real estate industry. He achieved this by acquiring shares in industrial companies in Moscow and then renovating factories into office complexes. Gordeev is the CEO of the Russian real estate development and construction company PIK Group and also owns controlling shares in the company. As in July 2018, Gordeev has a net worth of US$1.8 billion. The businessman has a special interest in architectural preservation and in Russian avant-garde.
Early Life and Career
Gordeev completed his tertiary education at Togliatti Academy of Management where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree. He founded Rosbuilding in 1995 with the aim of buying shares of different plants, and so started his career in real estate.
Other Investments and Business Interests
Sergei Gordeev was actively involved with the initial investment phase of Hyperloop One, a high-speed travel startup. Now known as Virgin Hyperloop One, the company is working towards commercializing a high-speed technology system with the aim of moving passengers and/or cargo at the speed of airlines, but at the fraction of the cost of airline travel. The concept was first introduced by Elon Musk in 2013. Gordeev is also a board member of City OAO and Ruspetro PLC.
PIK Group
Founded in 1994 by Yuri Zhukov and Kirill Pisarev, PIK Group is Russia’s largest real estate and home building company. Mainly engaged in the construction of residential projects, PIK Group also sells completed units and provides maintenance and other services of real estate projects developed by the company. PIK Group has over 14,200 employees and boasts a revenue of close to US$900 million per annum. Sergei Gordeev initially acquired a 20% stake in the company from fellow Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov in 2013. In November 2017 he acquired a further 24.6% shares in the company, which elevated his total shares in PIK Group to 74.6% and made Gordeev the controlling shareholder of the company. He bought this additional stake for US$825 million. Gordeev continues to serve as CEO of the company.
Personal Life
Outside of his business interests, Sergei Gordeev is known for his ardent interest in architecture and art, and in saving and renovating buildings from the Soviet era that are architecturally relevant. In 2006 Gordeev bought the Melnikov House in Moscow with the aim of renovating and restoring it. Built in 1927, the house previously belonged to Konstantin Melnikov, a Russian architect, and painter who was a leader in the avant-garde architectural movement. Gordeev refurbished the Melnikov House and turned it into a museum. He also saved and restored another architecturally relevant building, the Narkomfin building in Moscow. Further perpetuating his interest in the avant-garde, the billionaire launched a publishing company that concentrates on the Russian avant-garde movement. Gordeev serves as the president of the Cultural Heritage Support and Preservation Foundation and calls himself an idealist. He takes inspiration from museums, like the London-based Sir John Soane’s Museum.