Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (russian: link=no, Вячеслав Моше Кантор, born on September 8, 1953 in Moscow) is a Russian businessman and philanthropist who has close ties to the

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime m ...

regime in Russia. Kantor heads the Acron Group, one of the leading mineral fertilizer producers and distributors in the world. In 2021, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' estimated Kantor's net worth at US$7.6 billion and the 630th richest person in the world. The ''

Sunday Times Rich List The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday n ...

'' estimated his wealth at £3.488 billion in 2020. Kantor was President of the

European Jewish Congress The European Jewish Congress, (EJC), was founded in 1986. It is based in Brussels, with offices in Paris, Strasbourg, Berlin and Budapest. It is a representative body of democratically elected European Jewish communities throughout Europe. Overv ...

, President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation (WHF), Chairman of the

European Jewish Fund The European Jewish Fund (''EJF'') is an international non-governmental organisation that coordinates and supports programmes and events aimed at improving interreligious and interethnic relations, reinforcing Jewish identity, counteracting assimila ...

(EJF), and Chairman of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act a ...

(WJC) Policy Council.

Early life and education

Kantor was born and spent his early years in Moscow, and obtained a degree from the

Moscow Aviation Institute Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) (MAI; russian: Московский авиационный институт, МАИ) is one of the major engineering institutes in Moscow, Russia. Since its inception MAI has been spearh ...

(MAI) in 1976 and did research for MAI and NPO Spektr. In 1981, he completed his PhD in Spacecraft Automatic Control Systems. He worked as a scientist and headed one of MAI research laboratories.

Career

In 1989–1993, Kantor was Director General of Intelmas, a telecoms company. In 1996–2000 he was an economic adviser to the Chairman of the

Federation Council The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...

of the Russian Federal Assembly. Kantor heads the

Acron Group Acron Group (russian: Группа "Акрон") is a global Russian mineral fertilizer producer. History At the core of the Group are two production facilities, Acron (established in 1961) and Dorogobuzh (established in 1965), which at one time ...

, one of the leading mineral fertilizer producers and distributors in the world. He has close ties to the

regime in Russia.

Sanctions

Kantor was sanctioned by the British government in March 2022 the wake of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

. Consequently

University College School ("Slowly but surely") , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , religion = , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Mark Beard , r_head_label = , r_he ...

has decided to review the name of its sports pavilion which is named after Kantor.

Civic activities

Kantor was President of the

. The EJC, the largest secular organization representing the interests of European Jewry, is an influential, international public association representing 2.5 million Jews across the European continent in 42 national Jewish communities. In 2021, he was reelected Chairman of the Policy Council of the

for the third time Kantor is a Vice President of the

Jewish Leadership Council The Jewish Leadership Council (previously known as the Jewish Community Leadership Council) is an organisation in the United Kingdom, founded in 2003, whose declared aim is to forward the interests of the organised Jewish community in Britain. ...

. In 2010, he established the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. In 2019,

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

nominated Moshe Kantor as Chancellor of the Council, and before it he served as its Member of Directorate since 2010. Kantor was President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) in 2005–2009. He founded and headed the World Holocaust Forum (WHF) in 2005 and the

in 2006. Kantor is a founder and chairman of the

(EJF). He has chaired the World Holocaust Forum Foundation. In 2020, the World Holocaust Forum organized by Kantor came under controversy after Vladimir Putin was allowed to give a speech that distorted the history of the Soviet Union in World War II. The forum refused to allow Polish President

Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (; born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as president of Poland since 6 August 2015. Before becoming president, Andrzej Duda was a member of Polish Lower House ( Sejm) from 2011 to 2014 and t ...

to have a speaking slot. He is the founder and president of President of the

European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (also ''ECTR'') is a non-governmental organization that was established in Paris, France on 7 October 2008 to monitor tolerance in Europe. The Chairman of the council is former British Prime M ...

(ECTR). In 2007, Kantor founded and was elected president of the

International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe The International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (also ''The Luxembourg Forum'') — is an international non-governmental organisation uniting leading world-renowned experts on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, materials an ...

, an international non-governmental organisation uniting leading world-renowned experts on

nuclear non-proliferation Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons, fissionable material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information to nations not recognized as " Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear We ...

, materials and delivery vehicles. The Forum was established pursuant to a decision of the International Conference held in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...

on May 24–25, 2007. The conference was attended by over 50 renowned experts from 14 countries, including

Sergey Kirienko Sergey Vladilenovich Kiriyenko (''né'' ''Izraitel''; russian: Серге́й Владиле́нович Кирие́нко; born 26 July 1962) is a Russian politician who has served as First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administra ...

, Director General of the

Rosatom Rosatom, ( rus, Росатом, p=rɐsˈatəm}) also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom or Rosatom State Corporation, is a Russian state corporation headquartered in Moscow that special ...

State Atomic Energy Corporation,

Mohamed ElBaradei Mohamed Mustafa ElBaradei ( ar, محمد مصطفى البرادعي, Muḥammad Muṣṭafá al-Barādaʿī, ; born 17 June 1942) is an Egyptian law scholar and diplomat who served as the vice president of Egypt on an interim basis from 14 July ...

, Director General of the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1 ...

(IAEA), Nikolay Laverov, Academician and Vice President of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

(RAS),

William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur Politics and ...

, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, and

Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. As such, ...

, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and former Director General of the IAEA.

Personal life

Kantor is married to Anna Kantor and has four sons and a daughter. Kantor is a citizen of Russia, the United Kingdom and Israel. Kantor bought a violin made by the Italian violin maker

Riccardo Antoniazzi Riccardo Antoniazzi (19 December 1853 – 10 November 1912) was an Italian violin maker, the brother of Romeo Antoniazzi. Early life and career Antoniazzi was born in Cremona, the sixth child and pupil of Gaetano, and was the most consisten ...

in 1912. The violin has been given as a First Prize of the 2nd International Violinists

Vladimir Spivakov Vladimir Teodorovich Spivakov (Russian: Влади́мир Теодо́рович Спивако́в; born 12 September 1944) is a Soviet and Russian conductor and violinist best known for his work with the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra. Spiva ...

Contest. Its price was $140,000. Kantor is a trustee and Life President of the

Anna Freud Centre The Anna Freud Centre (now renamed the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families) is a child mental health research, training and treatment centre located in London, United Kingdom. The Centre aims to transform current mental health ...

(London, UK). Kantor was previously a patron of

King Solomon High School King Solomon High School is a Modern Orthodox Judaism comprehensive school located in Barkingside, Greater London, England. It was opened in 1993 by its first headmaster, Mr Alastair Falk. In March 2007, it was announced that Spencer Lewis would ...

(London, UK). Kantor supported the development of the school which is a Jewish Comprehensive school based in Redbridge. Kantor has been a benefactor of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation since 2013, in which capacity he has facilitated various projects. Kantor was appointed Life Governor and Trustee of the

King Edward VII's Hospital King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the hospi ...

in London after his charitable foundation funded the redevelopment of the site adjacent to the hospital, Macintosh House, which was subsequently renamed the Kantor Medical Centre. Kantor is president of the Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery (MAGMA), founded in 2001 in Moscow on Kantor's initiative. In 2018, President of the

Russian Academy of Arts Russian Academy of Arts (RAKh / rus. РАХ, Росси́йская акаде́мия худо́жеств) is the State scientific Institution of Russian Federation, eligible heir to the USSR Academy of Arts. RAKh is the public cultural Instit ...

and People's Artist of the URSS

Zurab Tsereteli Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli ( ka, ზურაბ კონსტანტინეს ძე წერეთელი, russian: Зураб Константинович Церетели; born 4 January 1934) is a Georgian-Russian painter, ...

officially awarded Kantor as the President of MAGMA Museum with the robe and diploma of Honorary Member of the

Honors and awards

Kantor received the following government awards:

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...

(Russia, 1998), Officer's Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...

(Poland, 2005),

Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise ( uk, Орден князя Ярослава Мудрого) is an award of Ukraine. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation in the field of state building, ...

(Ukraine, 2006),

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

(Belgium, 2009), Chevalier of the

National Order of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

(France, 2012), Knight’s Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-rankin ...

(Italy, 2013), Grand Cross with honours of the

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC O ...

(Romania, 2014), Officer of the

(France, 2014, presented in 2015), The Order of Honour (Russia, 2016), Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium, 2020) and

Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (german: Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the A ...

(Austria, 2021). He is an honorary citizen of Veliky Novgorod (1997) and Honorary Member of the

. In addition, he received an honorary doctorate from

Tel-Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Loc ...

(2004) and the Medal of Merit "Deserved for Tolerance" by the Ecumenical Foundation Tolerance (2011). Kantor has been recognized for seven consecutive years as one of the '50 Most Influential Jews in the World'. In 1997, Viatcheslav Kantor was named Honorary Citizen of

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...

References

External links

Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (website)

European Jewish Congress

European Jewish Fund

Kantor Center on the Study of Contemporary European Jewry
*
National Institute of Corporate Reform
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kantor, Viatcheslav 1953 births Living people Museum founders European anti-racism activists Jewish anti-racism activists Russian Jews Russian billionaires Officers of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Legion of Honour Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise Officers of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Russian businesspeople in the United Kingdom Russian oligarchs Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions