Andrei Kozitsyn – Billionaire

Andrei Kozitsyn, head of copper producer Urals Mining and Metals Company, grew up in the Urals in the town of Verkhnaya Pyshma. He studied metallurgy and in 1979 went to work as a mechanic at Uralelectromed, now UMMC’s main factory. He was general director there from 1995 to 2002. Beyond mining and metals, UMMC manages agricultural, construction and telecom companies in the Urals. Kozitsyn is the closest business partner of fellow billionaire Iskander Makhmudov and has helped him build holdings in the region. In the spring of 2016, Kozitsyn became the president of KHL (hockey) club Automobilist. A few months later, he announced plans to build an ice arena with 15,000 seats in Ekaterinburg.