BFA Development CEO. Expert opinion
According to the published (for the first and last time) his declaration of income for 2010, he turned out to be the richest Russian civil servant. His income for the year was more than 820 million rubles. He owned five apartments, two mansions - in Russia and Cyprus, an airplane, four cars and three yachts.
In the media, he was called one of the most influential and at the same time closed figures. He always avoided public events and allegedly gave only one interview in his entire life. The main secret of his financial success, besides his mind, is the ability to establish close ties with politicians, vice-premiers, ministers, bankers and other wealthy people, whose names appear at the top of the Forbes list of the richest businessmen in the country.
Childhood and youth of Vladimir Kogan
The future oligarch was born on April 27, 1963 in Northern Palmyra in a family of design engineers who worked at a secret defense enterprise.Volodya did not attend preschool institutions, he was raised by his grandmother, Stela Efimovna, a former accountant. She prepared him for school - taught him to count, write, read.
After the 8th grade, he moved to the famous Physics and Mathematics School No. 239, which Grigory Perelman graduated from, who proved the validity of the Poincaré hypothesis.
Then Vladimir entered the Polytechnic Institute, but after the 1st course he was expelled. The reason for this was that he did not go to the construction team. The young man preferred a trip with friends to Central Asia to the Pamirs instead of working. He wanted either to go in for high-altitude mountaineering, or to visit the Chui Valley, famous for the growth of a large amount of hemp there, it is not known exactly. Then the army was waiting for Kogan.
The beginning of the career of Vladimir Kogan
After serving in the Air Defense from 1983 to 1985, Volodya entered the Civil Engineering Institute and successfully graduated from it. At the university, he received the nickname "Great". 
Since 1989, he worked as a mechanical engineer in the Technical Control Department (OTC) at the car depot of the Intourist company. At the same time, he was engaged in business - at first he opened the Magic store, later - the Petrovsky Trade House JV and other companies.
Around the same time, an underground club of young economists, adherents of radical liberal views, was operating in the northern capital. It included such famous people as Anatoly Chubais, Pyotr Aven, Alexei Kudrin, Sergei Vasiliev, Ilya Yuzhanov and others. Funds for the existence of this elite institution came, in particular, from the commercial activities of Kogan.
In 1994, through the Petrovsky Trade House, which specializes in the sale of computers, the entrepreneur became a shareholder in Promstroibank, which actively bought up shares in the largest enterprises. Soon he became the head of the supervisory board of a credit institution, merged several banks into the Banking House.
Tamara Stepashina, the wife of Sergei Stepashin, and Anna Makarova, a former gubernatorial candidate, became the vice-presidents of the organization. Later, the structure was transformed into a non-profit partnership of 20 companies. In addition to financial assets, it also included others, including the Zenit Football Club, the Epos cinema chain, the Russkiy Mir insurance company, and others.
From mid-2003, Kogan decided to get out of the banking business. In 2004, together with his partner David Traktovenko, he sold a controlling stake in PSB (Promsvyazbank) to VTB Bank and moved to the civil service.
Vladimir Kogan in public service
Since 2004, the businessman was appointed deputy head of Rosstroy, heading its Northwestern Directorate. He took up, in particular, the resuscitation of the grandiose project of a flood protection structure near Kronstadt, the construction of which was frozen due to financial problems and protests from environmentalists. The most profitable construction of that time was subsequently nicknamed "Putin's dam." It included the construction of 11 dams, a number of navigation systems, a section of the ring road. 
In 2006, the official joined the board of directors of Mosmetrostroy. Two years later, he headed the construction department of the Ministry of Regional Development of Russia. In 2011, the construction of the dam was completed in the summer, and the official opening took place. In November, Kogan was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree.
In 2012, the official headed the Rosstroy of the Russian Federation, but did not stay in this post for long, allegedly due to conflicts with Igor Slyunyaev, head of the Ministry of Regional Development. Then he returned to business from the civil service. In the same period, his son appeared among the owners of Promstroybank, at that time a student at St. Petersburg State University. He purchased about 25 percent of the shares.
The main asset of the oligarch today is the Neftegazindustriya group of companies, which he allegedly owns through a Cyprus offshore. In 2010, it acquired the Afipsky Oil Refinery (Oil Refinery), one of the most promising enterprises in the Krasnodar Territory.
Vladimir Kogan and Neftegazindustriya are modernizing refineries
According to the RBC channel, the head of the group announced plans to build its own port a hundred kilometers from the plant. Its construction will be carried out as part of the modernization of production facilities in order to save on the transportation of petroleum products.
The construction of the facility, whose capacity will be within 11 million tons per year, should be completed within three years. In addition, the Civil Code is considering the construction of the second stage of this refinery with the processing of 15 million tons of oil products annually.
In addition, according to the SPARK system, the billionaire is a member of the boards of directors and other enterprises of various types of activity (the Giprogor urban planning company, the Filin Film film company, the leasing Interleasing, BFA Bank).
Crisis - time for rapid development
In November 2015, the St. Petersburg entrepreneur became the main owner of a controlling stake in Uralsib Bank - he acquired 82 percent of the shares as part of the reorganization of this financial institution. The media noted that the bank came under the control of a friend of the president. Although earlier one of the participants in the mentioned Forbes list stated that Kogan's ties with Putin were exaggerated. However, the bank's share price soon rose nearly 150 percent.
Personal life of Vladimir Kogan
The business leader was married. He met his wife in his student years, when they worked together in a construction team. Lyudmila Valentinovna is 2 years younger than her husband. 
The tycoon's wife graduated from the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute and the law faculty of St. Petersburg State University. She ran the Versace fashion boutique. After the transition of Vladimir Igorevich in 2005 to the civil service, he transferred his assets to the family.
In 2007, she became CEO of the BFA Development construction company, which owns commercial real estate in the city on the Neva and housing projects. The scale of the enterprise's activities is evidenced by the volume of investments invested in city facilities in the period 2008-2013. in the amount of 1 billion dollars.
The co-owner of the BFA Bank is their son Efim, who graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University in 2013 in his hometown, like his mother. The couple has four children in total. However, little is known about the activities of the rest.
Many relatives of Vladimir Igorevich also hold high positions. In particular, his cousin, Yuri Sverdlov, was a deputy of the State Duma of the 5th convocation from United Russia, his father was a co-owner of the Aspen Grove complex, the Baltros real estate agency.
Among his hobbies he names tennis and football. Judging by the amount of real estate, the St. Petersburg magnate loves a good and beautiful life.
Together with his wife in 2015, he ranked 17th in the domestic ranking of billionaires. Their joint fortune was estimated at 44 billion rubles. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2015 is $0.95 billion.
Death
In 2018, the 55-year-old businessman suffered a stroke. On June 20, 2019, representatives of Vladimir Kogan announced his death, without mentioning the reasons. Since May, the banker was in a coma and died without regaining consciousness."Biography"
Education
She has two higher educations: she graduated from the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute, St. Petersburg State University with a degree in jurisprudence.
Activity
Since 2007, Lyudmila Kogan has been the head of CJSC BFA-Development and acts as a general director.
"Honorary Builder of Russia" Lyudmila Kogan is the wife of the former director of the construction department of the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation and the ex-co-owner of PSB Vladimir Kogan.
"Family"
"Themes"
"News"
Not only Kogans. How their partner Alexander Kretov became a billionaire
Alexander Kretov began working with Vladimir Kogan in the mid-1990s, and today is one of his family's main business partners in the construction business.
A new participant in the "Richest People of St. Petersburg" rating is Alexander Kretov, executive director of CJSC "BFA-Development". He is not only a top manager, but also a co-owner of several assets that are part of the BFA group, including the PSB Zhilstroy company, where he and Lyudmila Kogan (Vladimir Kogan's wife - No. 6 in the ranking, fortune 91.6 billion rubles), owns 40%. With a fortune of 1.4 billion rubles, Alexander Kretov is in 265th place.
"Empire" went to Nevsky Prospekt
Andrey Fomenko's Empire holding closed a deal to acquire a business center on Nevsky, 38, from Aktiv C, the beneficiary of which market participants name the main owner of Uralsib Bank and the former head of Gosstroy Vladimir Kogan. Analysts believe that the low interest of investors in commercial facilities allowed the company to purchase the building at a market price. The cost of the transaction, according to analysts, ranged from 1.5 to 2.6 billion rubles. In addition, the holding is considering the possibility of acquiring five more business centers, including the Singer house.
Imperia Holding (developing a network of Senator business centers) acquired a class A business center Nevsky 38, two tenants of the building told Kommersant and confirmed a source on the market. This is confirmed by the information on the Senator's website, which contains information about the object. The Empire holding declined to comment on the deal.
Why Vladimir Kogan needed Uralsib
When Kogan became the owner of an 82% stake in Uralsib in November, his wife Lyudmila and the St. Petersburg BFA-development headed by her, which until 2006 worked under the name Petrovsky Trade House, appeared on the list of bank affiliates. The portfolio of BFA-development includes commercial and residential real estate projects with a total area of 1.5 million square meters. m, according to the company's website. The company itself estimated its portfolio at $500 million. In 2011, BFA Development entered the residential construction market. Around this time, he stopped developing commercial real estate, says Knight Frank Saint-Petersburg.
BFA bank vouched for a loan to Vladimir Kogan for the reorganization of Uralsib
Kogan is considered a co-owner of the Afipsky refinery and is the largest owner of Neftegazindustriya. His wife Lyudmila Kogan owns a development company in St. Petersburg. Forbes in 2015 estimated Kogan's fortune at $0.95 billion, he ranked 95th in the "Richest Businessmen of Russia" rating.
Declarations on the website of the Ministry due to the income of Vladimir Kogan were placed in an inconspicuous place: “They keep the file for a short time, and then they remove it”
The St. Petersburg banker calls Kogan a co-owner of the St. Petersburg bank BFA (on the bank's website, Kogan is not among the shareholders, it was not possible to contact him). Kogan's wife, Lyudmila, is the head of ZAO BFA Development, which owns commercial real estate in St. Petersburg and housing projects.
Official Vladimir Kogan lobbies the BFA group of businessman Lyudmila Kogan
“In the business circles of St. Petersburg, it is believed that they are business partners within the BFA group, but this partnership is not legally formalized,” Kommersant’s interlocutor noted, adding that Lyudmila, the wife of Vladimir Kogan, heads the BFA Development company. A Kommersant source in the BFA group yesterday confirmed the fact of negotiations on the purchase of Globex by the BFA group. In BFA-Development, all Kommersant's questions were redirected to Mr. Lotvinov. He himself told Kommersant that he "can neither confirm nor comment on this information." Mr. Kogan was not available for comment yesterday.
"Housing project" enjoys the trust of citizens
According to Lyudmila Kogan, Director General of ZAO BFA-Development, each time the Housing Project gathers thousands of citizens at its site, who may become the company's clients in the future. “We have been given a rare opportunity to enter into a direct dialogue with stakeholders, to hear questions from our customers, to understand how we meet customer expectations. The Housing Project is a well-known among the population, recognized by professionals and authorities, an event that is trusted, and therefore is an effective tool for obtaining information for all interested parties,” said Lyudmila Kogan.
"BFA-Development" will build an elite quarter in the center of St. Petersburg
“The project will be implemented by our own contractor. The complex will be put into operation in three phases. Official sales of the first stage will open in a year. And the company intends to complete the project in seven years,” said Lyudmila Kogan, General Director of BFA Development.
The richest official resigned
Kogan did not share his future plans with his colleagues, but all sources interviewed believe that he will return to business. Kogan is still a rich man: his income in 2010 amounted to almost 821 million rubles, and together with his wife - almost 830 million. According to some reports, Kogan is a co-owner of the St. Petersburg bank BFA. The official himself is not on the list of shareholders, but in early June, his son Yefim Kogan became a shareholder of the BFA, now he owns 24.8% of the shares. Kogan's wife, Lyudmila, is the head of ZAO BFA Development, which owns commercial real estate in St. Petersburg and housing projects.
Lyudmila Kogan: "The peak of market saturation with housing has not yet been reached"
The division of labor in the construction market as a whole has taken place: financiers deal with money, builders with square meters. The crisis has clearly demonstrated that it is short-sighted to separate these two competencies: the builders immediately stood up without financing, and the bankers became thoughtful: who should they lend to? BFA-Development solves these problems comprehensively. We talk about the peculiarities of the market development, about the solvency of citizens and their preferences with the company's general director Lyudmila Kogan.
Lyudmila Kogan: Academ-Park meets all modern requirements
The residential complex "Akadem-Park" is being actively built. Not far off is the delivery of the first stage of the object. Lyudmila Kogan, General Director of ZAO BFA-Development, spoke about the advantages of the new project.
Despite the "low season", the demand in the market of new buildings in St. Petersburg remains stable
Despite the summer season, when the activity of buyers in the market of new buildings usually decreases, this year the demand in St. Petersburg remains stable. This opinion was expressed by the General Director of "BFA-Development" Lyudmila Kogan.
“The summer of 2011 turned out to be generally favorable for the primary housing market in St. Petersburg. Demand remained consistently strong with a slight decline in July during hot weather. In August, there is a revival of consumer activity, and interest in apartments of various sizes is growing,” she notes.
Political factor of economic development
It became economically feasible to be law-abiding. If you meet the requirements of the law, then your position is only strengthened. The density of the legislative field in which we work is changing. Construction activity is regulated to such an extent that all the little things that were previously not registered and left at the discretion of local authorities are taken into account,” said Lyudmila Kogan, General Director of BFA-Development CJSC.
Demand for housing in St. Petersburg is growing even in summer
In August, according to Lyudmila Kogan (head of BFA-Development), an increase in demand for residential premises of all types was recorded. The number of people interested in acquiring housing only slightly decreased during the heat wave, but then it rose to the previous level. Residents of St. Petersburg are mainly active in the market of new buildings.
BFA-Development will start three residential projects at once
BFA Development was founded by Vladimir Kogan, deputy head of Rosstroy. The company began work after Petrovsky Trade House, having sold a block of shares in VTB, took up development. The General Director of BFA-Development is Lyudmila Kogan, Vladimir's wife.
Agenda: new housing 2012
Lyudmila Kogan, General Director of ZAO BFA-Development: At the beginning of 2012, the tendencies of summer and early autumn continued. The desire of citizens to save savings leads them to the real estate market. The growing reliability of the primary market, a huge variety of houses, apartments and layouts stimulate St. Petersburg residents to buy apartments in new buildings.
BFA-Development to invest about $900 million in projects in St. Petersburg over 5 years
The BFA-Development company plans to invest about $900 million in development projects in St. Petersburg within 5 years. The general director of BFA-Development, Lyudmila Kogan, stated this in an interview with RBC daily, published on Thursday.
On Thursday, June 20, Vladimir Kogan, owner of Uralsib Bank, died. He died at the age of 56. The banker was included in the list of the richest Russians.
A message appeared on the Uralsib website: “We regret to inform you that the main shareholder of the bank, Vladimir Igorevich Kogan, has passed away. We offer our sincere condolences to family and friends". The cause of death is not indicated, but it is known that Kogan suffered a stroke exactly a year ago. Since May, the banker was in a coma and died without regaining consciousness.
Family of Vladimir Kogan
Vladimir Igorevich had a large family. Many of his close relatives are also successful businessmen (father, cousin and some others). It was to the members of his large family that the businessman signed off all his property during the period when he decided to engage in state activities.
The head of a friendly and strong family was Vladimir Kogan. Wife, Lyudmila Kogan, is two years younger than her husband. The couple met in their early student years and have been together ever since. Lyudmila Kogan has two higher educations: a civil engineer and a lawyer. For a long time, the businessman's wife was the head of a fashion boutique for the Versace brand. It was the businessman's wife who instilled in him a taste and love for expensive and stylish suits. Currently, Lyudmila Vladimirovna is engaged in family business.
In marriage, Lyudmila gave birth to four children, and boys. Vladimir Kogan, whose sons have already grown up today, introduced the family to the business. The couple's firstborn decided to continue his father's endeavor and currently owns a large part of BFA's assets.
Children of Kogan
- Eldest son - Evgeny Kogan, was born on July 27, 1988 in Leningrad, graduated from St. Petersburg State University, in 2011 he completed his studies at the Higher School of Economics, in 2007-2011 he worked as an economist at CJSC BFA-Development, in 2011-2012 - an assistant of the Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy Rossii), since 2012 - Head of the Internal Control Department of BFA Development CJSC, since 2014 - Vice President of BFA Bank OJSC, member of the Board of Directors of Uralsib Bank since 06/02/2014, General Director of LLC " Termobimet, which produces measuring and navigation devices.
- middle son - Yefim Kogan, aged 27, graduated from the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg State University in 2012, co-owner of BFA Bank.
- Daughter - Julia, 20 years.
- Younger son - Jacob, 19 years old, student of the Faculty of Economic Sciences, Higher School of Economics.
All three sons are graduates of the same school No. 239, which today is already a presidential lyceum.
Banker states
According to information on income and property, the personal income of Vladimir Kogan in 2010 amounted to almost 821 million rubles, and together with his wife - almost 830 million rubles. He owned five apartments, two residential buildings (one of them in Cyprus), four cars (Cadillac Escalade ESV, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz S500 4M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo). According to the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, the income of the Kogan family in 2011 amounted to 829.37 million rubles, and his fortune in 2013 amounted to $0.95 billion. In 2018, Forbes estimated his fortune at $1.1 billion.
Forbes, as of 2016, credits him with a capital of $0.6 billion. And in 2015, it was about 0.95 billion, and the businessman was assigned seventeenth place in the ranking of Russian rich people.
At the disposal of Kogan and his family are five apartments, two mansions (one of them in Cyprus), an airplane, cars and yachts. Vladimir Yuryevich never hid from anyone that he loved to live beautifully.
In 2018, he was provided with a comfortable existence by the Saint Petersburg Banking House, which unites more than two hundred enterprises (insurance companies, polymer plants, poultry farms, banks, currency exchanges, the media, and even the St. Petersburg football club Zenit), Neftegazindustriya , as well as Uralsib.
Vladimir Kogan's awards
- Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (2004)
- Honorary Diploma of the Government of the Russian Federation (2008)
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" IV degree (2011) [
- Order of Honor (2018)
Lyudmila Valentinovna KOGAN— graduate of LISI (now SPbGASU) in 1988
General Director of BFA-Development CJSC since 2007
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Teply Dom Charitable Foundation.
Graduated from the Leningrad Engineering and Construction Institute (LISI) with a degree in rational use of water resources and neutralization of industrial wastewater in 1988. She received her second higher education at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg State University in 1995.
The main stages of professional activity
- After graduation, she began her career at the Leningrad State Design and Technological Institute (1988-1994);
- legal adviser of the Industrial Construction Bank (1994-2001);
- Director of the Construction Directorate of CJSC "Banking House of St. Petersburg" (2001-2007);
- General Director of CJSC "BFA-Development" (2007 - present).
Professional achievements and awards
- Built by BFA-Development, headed by L. V. Kogan, the new residential complexes Akadem-Park, On Grebetskaya, Kolomyagi Plus are the company's hallmark in the housing construction market;
- today the company is comprehensively developing a new territory in the Krasnoselsky district of St. Petersburg, building 480 thousand square meters. m of economy and comfort class housing in the Ogni Zaliv residential complex;
- The implemented projects of BFA-Development were repeatedly awarded in the field of commercial real estate Commercial Real Estate Awards, as well as in the nomination "Preservation and Reconstruction of a Historical Architectural Object".
Hobby
L. V. Kogan is fond of fiction and scientific literature, theater.
