Andrei Skoch is a deputy of the State Duma of Russia of five convocations. In the 90s, he developed his own business projects, and later, having lost interest in entrepreneurship, became a parliamentarian and public figure. The politician’s track record includes co-authorship of over 150 pieces of draft legislation and the foundation of the Pokolenie (Generation) humanitarian fund.
ANDREI VLADIMIROVICH SKOCH: HIS CHILDHOOD AND STUDENT LIFE
A.V. Skoch was born to an employee of a machine-building enterprise in the Moscow region in 1966. The father of the future deputy and the philanthropist, Vladimir Nikitovich, showed his son by personal example that hard work is highly valued. Having given several decades of his life to work in industry, Skoch Sr. became not only a veteran of labor and a recipient of the “Badge of Honor”, but also a trade union leader at his workplace.
Andrei Skoch fully shared his father’s ideals, so after graduating from school, he joined the Armed Forces of the Soviet, like many of his peers. The time he spent in a reconnaissance company in the army strengthened his character. Already in the early 1990s, he had begun to develop his own business ideas.
FROM BAKERY TO STATE DUMA: ANDREI SKOCH’S CAREER
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch made his first steps in the business world when he established a small bakery company. In the first half of the 1990s, the country’s economy abruptly changed course, so Russian entrepreneurs had to look for new profitable niches to develop their business projects in the face of increasing competition. Together with his colleague Lev Kvetnoi, Andrei Skoch then engaged in the assembly and sale of computer equipment, before moving on to the sale of petroleum. His business streak helped him quickly organize a full production cycle: from buying oil and refining it to selling it through his network of petrol stations.
By 1992, Andrei Skoch’s business was running out of raw materials, so he changed his strategy and invested in the company Interfin— one of the first investment firms in the country. This step turned out to be a profitable one: Andrei Vladimirovich and his partner initially received a stake in the Oskol Electrometallurgical Combine, and at the end of the decade, A.V. Skoch took the post of general director at the Lebedinsky Mining and Processing Plant as a representative of the parent company.
SKOCH IN THE STATE DUMA OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Subsequently, Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch became interested in lawmaking — it was within this sphere that he decided to build his future. He explained the unusual turn in his career by the fact that business had ceased to fascinate him as it had before.
In 1999, the Belgorod Region (where Interfin’s enterprises were located) elected Andrei Skoch to the State Duma as its proxy and representative. His experience allowed him to take over the management of the activities of the Expert Council on Metallurgy and Mining a year later.
After becoming a parliamentarian, Andrei Skoch went out of business, transferring his shares to his father.
ANDREI VLADIMIROVICH SKOCH’S PATRONAGE
Since 1996, A.V. Skoch has been supporting people through his own charity, the Pokolenie Foundation. His father Vladimir Nikitovich still participates in the organization’s work as a member of the Board of Trustees and as one of its permanent sponsors. In 2017, Skoch Sr. donated over 150 million rubles to the fund.
Over time, Vladimir and Andrei Skoch’s foundation significantly expanded the range of its activities. Today it implements projects in diverse areas such as:
- the sciences;
- health care;
- culture;
- sports;
- education;
- the preservation of historical heritage;
- military-patriotic education;
- support for gifted children and youth.
THE POKOLENIE FOUNDATION’S INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
A.V. Skoch’s Foundation’s renaming was associated with the expansion of its charitable support — the organization began to implement multi-profile projects at the global level. In particular, it has developed international programs for the preservation and restoration of war grave sites.
Thus, cemeteries and monuments to Soviet and Russian soldiers in China, Serbia, Hungary and Bulgaria were reconstructed at the expense of Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch’s humanitarian organization. With the participation of the Pokolenie Foundation, the Katyn memorial complex in Smolensk region and over 170 monuments to those who died in the Great Patriotic War in Belgorod region were restored. In total, Andrei Skoch’s Foundation has allocated over 1 billion rubles for the implementation of these activities.
A.V. SKOCH: EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS
In 2019, Andrei Skoch’s Pokolenie foundation also runs an important educational project, the Knowledge Foundation— an online resource for Belgorod Region’s residents, which provides them with new educational opportunities. First of all, the project is designed to motivate compatriots to set ambitious goals for themselves, regardless of geographical location or financial capabilities.
The Knowledge Foundation conducts seven free online courses, and more than 2000 people have already been trained.
THE DEBUT AWARD – A HEAD START FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS
The independent “Debut” literary award has gained unprecedented fame among Russian-speaking authors. It was held from 2000 to 2016, and during all this time its organizers have helped many young authors to publish their works in Russia and abroad. The competition had several directions: from different volumes of prose to fiction and poetry.
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch’s Foundation also encouraged creators of texts of non-standard literary forms with special awards. For example, a special prize was awarded for winning the nomination “For courage in Literature”. Ilya Lagutenko, Zemfira, the Bi-2 group and other musicians also became laureates in the nomination “For progressive poetic text in music”.
The winners were paid a 1 million rubles bonus. In total, Debut’s organizers considered more than 350 thousand applications, and the entire amount of funding for the creative project amounted to about 331 million rubles.
A.V. SKOCH: HELPING DILIGENT STUDENTS
The field of education has always been one of the highest priorities for Andrei Skoch’s Foundation. Since 2002, the philanthropist has been supporting the excellent students and the most enterprising students of higher educational institutions of the Belgorod region. Every year, 30 students are encouraged to compete for the “Best Student of the Year” scholarship. The list of the students worthy of the award is determined competitively in 15 declared nominations. For first place, the bonus is 15,000 rubles, for second — 10,000 rubles.
Over the years of the existence of Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch’s scholarship program, about 3,000 people have become its laureates, and the amount of allocated funds is about 90 million rubles. This year, more than 400 applications were submitted from the students of Belgorod region to receive monetary remuneration.
SUPPORT FOR PARENTS WITH MANY CHILDREN
The “Parental Record” competition is one of the key projects of A.V. Skoch’s Foundation. Thus, the Pokolenie Foundation encourages mothers and fathers with many children who lead a decent lifestyle while taking great responsibility in the upbringing of their children.
Initially, the event was regional, but a year later it covered many Russian cities. Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch’s charity organization awards cash prizes to parents with three or more children in four different nominations.
At present, more than 20 families have become laureates of the “Parental Record”. Each of them received from 5 to 15 million rubles, and the total budget of the project was more than 70 million rubles.
ANDREI VLADIMIROVICH SKOCH’S STATE AWARDS
A.V. Skoch’s active work as a deputy and a philanthropist was repeatedly encouraged by state and departmental awards. Andrei Vladimirovich was awarded medals of the Order “For Services to the Fatherland” (II and I degrees), the Order of Honor and the Alexander Nevsky’s Order, the medals “For Services to the Land of Belgorod” (I degree) and “Five Continents” by UNESCO, the “Samara Cross” badge, etc. He has commendations from the President of the Russian Federation and the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
All these awards were presented to Skoch A.V. for significant achievements in charity and the development of the region, in particular, for his work in the field of healthcare, social rehabilitation of disabled people, as well as perpetuating the memory of the Soviet citizens who died abroad during the Great Patriotic War.
FAMILY, LEISURE, AND HOBBIES
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch considers family to be the main value in his life. Andrei Skoch has ten heirs, four of the politician’s children being twins. In his free time, Skoch prefers to be with his loved ones or to read.