Alexander Knaster (born 19 February 1959) is a British businessman. A billionaire, he is founder of Pamplona Capital Management.

Biography

Knaster was born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in 1959 to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family of academics.Russia Beyond the Headlines: "A Russian American invests in Europe" by Irina Mokrousova
July 12, 2013 His father, Mark Knaster, who held several patents relating to metal coatings, batteries and solar cells, worked in a number of respected scientific institutions, including USC. His mother, Tatyana Knaster, is a civil engineer who taught at

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (P.I.T.) is a private junior college and technical school in Upper Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, near Media. The college, which typically enrolls between 450 and 850 students, is accr ...

. Knaster immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

at the age of 16 with his family. He graduated with a B.S. electric engineering and mathematics from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

which he attended on a scholarship. In 1980, he accepted a job as an engineer with

Schlumberger Schlumberger Limited (), doing business as SLB, is an oilfield services company. Schlumberger has four principal executive offices located in Paris, Houston, London, and The Hague. Schlumberger is the world's largest offshore drilling comp ...

working on their oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. After graduating in 1985 with an MBA from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...

and working at several investment banks, he returned to Russia in 1995 to work as CEO of the Russian branch of Credit Suisse First Boston. He also earned a PhD in Economics from the Russian Academy of Science. In 1998, he resigned from CSFB and accepted an offer from

Mikhail Fridman Mikhail Maratovich Fridman (also transliterated Mikhail Friedman; russian: Михаил Маратович Фридман; he, מיכאיל פרידמן; born 21 April 1964) is a Ukrainian-born, Russian–Israeli businessman, billionaire, and ...

to become CEO at Alfa Bank. He was very successful and due to his background in investment banking, Knaster established Pamplona Capital Management in 2004, in which the Alfa Group would invest some of its profit. He chose the name Pamplona after the Pamplona San Fermín Festival which he attended after graduating from Harvard Business School. His investor pool has since grown beyond Alfa. As of 2021, Pamplona managed $15 billion in assets. Knaster also serves as Executive Fellow, London Business School, member of faculty at Department of Strategy and Entrepreneurship. In January 2021, he acquired a 75% stake of the Italian Serie B football club

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ...

Philanthropy

Knaster is an active philanthropist, who has made significant contributions to different academic institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University and Harvard Business School, where he serves as a regional Campaign Leadership volunteer. In 1993, Knaster established the Alexander M. Knaster Scholarship Fund for undergraduates in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at

. In 2011, in partnership with fellow alumnus Bruce McWilliams, Knaster helped to establish the Knaster-McWilliams scholarships, which allow for increased access to faculty and early research opportunities in addition to tuition assistance. The Alexander M. Knaster Professorship in Mathematical sciences is named in his honor. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of NYUhttps://www.nyu.edu/about/leadership-university-administration/board-of-trustees/trustees-g-l.html Knaster along with

Stan Polovets Stan Polovets (born June 8, 1963) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is known for his work in the international energy sector and for his innovative philanthropic initiatives. Polovets played a notable role in the creation of TNK-B ...

and three fellow Russian Jewish oligarchs,

, Pyotr Aven, and German Khan, founded the Genesis Philanthropy Group whose purpose is to develop and enhance Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide. Knaster later served as chairman of the board for the Genesis Philanthropy Group. Knaster has also generously supported the

Dana Farber Cancer Institute Dana may refer to: People Given name * Dana (given name) Surname * Dana (surname) * Dana family of Cambridge, Massachusetts ** James Dwight Dana (1813–1895), scientist, zoological author abbreviation Dana Nickname or stage name * Dana ...

and the Dr. Maria I. New Children’s Hormone Foundation, which supports research, physician education, and the cost of care for children suffering from genetic hormonal disorders. In 2014 Knaster established The Mark Foundation for Cancer Researc

He has transferred the bulk of his assets to it and plans to develop it to become a leading global donor to early stage cancer research.Alexander Knaster, Forbes Profile, accessed May 14, 2015, https://www.forbes.com/profile/alexander-knaster/

Personal life

Knaster is married to Irina Knaster; they have four children. He lives in New York City, New York.

References

External links

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Carnegie Mellon: "Leading Innovation - London Panel Discussion"
February 14, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Knaster, Alexander American billionaires American investment advisors Jewish American philanthropists Russian Jews 1959 births Living people Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering alumni Harvard Business School alumni Soviet emigrants to the United States Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom People with acquired American citizenship American expatriates in the United Kingdom Russian businesspeople in the United Kingdom