PAndrei Skoch: politics, business, and support of large families

Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch is a well-known businessman and politician. He was born in the Moscow region in 1966. Soch served in the Soviet Army. He studied psychology at the Sholokhov Moscow State Open Pedagogical University (currently Moscow Pedagogical State University).

Andrei Skoch has many awards, including the following:

•   second-class and first-class medals of the Order for “Merit to the Fatherland”;
•   first-class medal for “Merit to the land of Belgorod”;
•   third-class Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

In the early 1990s, Andrei Skoch was in business. The capital he earned was successfully invested in Interfin, the company of the billionaire Alisher Usmanov. In the late 1990s, he held executive positions in various companies, including Lebedinsky GOK. Later, he left the business and decided to go into politics.

Andrei Skoch as a law draftsman

Andrei Skoch has been a member of the State Duma for five terms (20 years in total). He stood for deputy from Belgorod region for the first time during the 1999 elections. Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch was the author of many laws in draft and amendments. Some of them were published. For one thing, thanks to Andrei Skoch, Article 20 of the Federal Law “On the Basis of Healthcare of Citizens of the Russian Federation” was changed. The Article defines the right of the patient or his/her representative to decide on medical intervention or certain types of examinations.

When Andrei Skoch decided to go into politics, he transferred his share of the business to his father, Vladimir Skoch, who still owns his son’s former assets.

Supporting young minds

Andrei Skoch helps people not only on a legislative level but also personally, having been engaged in charitable activity for more than 20 years. Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch invested his main ideas and considerable funds to establish the “Pokolenie” (“Generation”) foundation. It was founded in 1996. Initially, the fund was engaged in targeted support of medical institutions in the Belgorod region. Over time, other charitable projects were developed as part of the foundation. Thus, in 2000, the Healthy Childhood Award was established. It was actively supported by the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital Foundation. The competition was held among the departments of several universities at the hospital.

Thanks to the “Pokolenie” fund, scientists could also compete against each other. Thus, in 1998, the A. N. Bakulev and A. I. Burakovsky Awards were established. Candidates could be nominated for outstanding achievements related to cardiovascular surgery. Scientists conducted research and implemented unique engineering developments. Candidates came even from abroad. In 2016, for instance, one of the 26 participants who received an award was a nominee from the United States. The contest prize fund was 10 million rubles.

In 2002, the Andrei Skoch Foundation also established the “Best Student of the Year” scholarship. To win it, you need to get high grades and be an activist: to generate ideas and participate in the institution events. Previously, the regular scholarship was 5,000 rubles, and the enhanced scholarship was 6,000 rubles. But in 2019, the extent of payment was increased. The second-degree scholarship became 10,000 rubles, and the first-degree scholarship became 15,000 rubles.

Supporting large families

The Generation Foundation provided support not only to health care and educational institutions but also to large families. For instance, since 2011, a contest called “Parent Record” has been held in the Belgorod region. It rapidly gained popularity and grew to a nationwide level by 2012. The contest nominations are the following: “The Mother of the Largest Family,” “The Father of Largest Family,” “The Largest Family,” and “Open Heart.” The total amount of funding for the contest was more than 72 million rubles.

Deputy Andrei Skoch is assisted in his charitable work by his father, Vladimir Skoch. He is a member of the Foundation supervisory board that selects individuals and organizations to provide assistance. He also provides financial support for his son’s charitable initiatives.