Alexander Knaster (born 19 February 1959) is an American

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

businessman who is the founder of Pamplona Capital Management. He is documented to giving large donations to the Conservative Party in

The United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Biography

Knaster was born in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1959 to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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. or PenTech) 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 student ...

. Knaster was a graduate of Physics and Mathematics School No. 444 before moving outside the territory of the USSR. Knaster immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

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

Schlumberger Schlumberger (), doing business as SLB, is a global multinational oilfield services company. Founded in France in 1926, the company is now incorporated as Schlumberger NV in Willemstad, Curaçao, with principal executive offices in Houston ...

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 school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

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 Credit Suisse First Boston (also known as CSFB and CS First Boston) was the investment banking affiliate of Credit Suisse headquartered in New York. The company was created by the merger of First Boston Corporation and Credit Suisse Group in 1 ...

. 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; ; ; born 21 April 1964) is a Ukrainian-born, Russian–Israeli tycoon and Russian oligarchs, oligarch. He is one of the co-founders of Alfa Group, Alfa-Group, a multinational Rus ...

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 ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 the Leaning Tow ...

. In the 2024-2025 season,

qualified as second in Serie B and was promoted to Serie A.

Philanthropy

Knaster is an active philanthropist, who has made significant contributions to different academic institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

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 Bruce Marshall McWilliams (June 19, 1956 – September 26, 2023) was an American business executive and serial entrepreneur specializing in technology. He co-founded and managed multiple companies in the field of electronics, semiconductor, packagi ...

, 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 NYU. Knaster along with Stan Polovets and three fellow Russian Jewish oligarchs,

Pyotr Aven Petr Olegovich Aven (also transliterated Pyotr Aven; ; Latvian: Pjotrs Avens; born 16 March 1955) is a Russian oligarch, economist and politician who also holds Latvian citizenship. Until March 2022 he headed Alfa-Bank, Russia's largest commerc ...

, and

German Khan German Borisovich Khan (; born 24 October 1961) is a Ukrainian people, Ukrainian-Israel, Israeli-Russian oligarch, billionaire, and businessman. After graduating from university in 1988 he worked in a wholesale business selling consumer items, ...

, founded the

Genesis Philanthropy Group The Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG) is a global family of foundations, co-founded by Mikhail Fridman, an international businessman and philanthropist, and his business partners. In 2022 after Russian invasion in Ukraine the EU imposed sanctions on ...

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: Businesses and organisations * Dana (company), a Slovenian beverage company * Dana (payment service), in Indonesia * Dana Air, a Nigerian airline * Dana College, formerly in Nebraska, U.S. * Dana Energy, an Iranian oil and ga ...

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.

Personal life

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

References

External links

*
Carnegie Mellon: "Leading Innovation - London Panel Discussion"
February 14, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Knaster, Alexander American billionaires American investment advisors 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 Naturalized citizens of the United States American expatriates in the United Kingdom Russian businesspeople in the United Kingdom