Andrei Skoch: his career as a businessman, politician and philanthropist
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch is a deputy of the State Duma of six convocations, a philanthropist and a former prominent businessman. He is also the co-author of more than 160 federal bills. He founded the international humanitarian foundation “Pokolenie” (“Generation”). More about the politician’s activities follow in this article.
Biography: early years, higher education
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch was born in the small village of Nikolskoye near Moscow in 1966. After school, he served in the army. He graduated from the Moscow State Open Pedagogical University with a degree in Psychology. In 2000, he graduated from graduate school and became a candidate of Pedagogical Sciences.
Entrepreneurial career
Andrei Skoch’s dream since his youth was to start his own business. He opened his first business in the 1990s: together with his business partner Lev Kvetnoi, he created a cooperative for the production of bakery products. The young entrepreneur kept moving forward and constantly ventured into new areas. He was successfully engaged in the emerging personal computer market, in the production and sale of fuel, and even founded his own network of gas stations.
Skoch Andrei Vladimirovich later successfully invested the money he earned in Alisher Usmanov’s “Interfin” project. The firm specialized in a new direction for post-Soviet Russia: investing and working on the securities market. In 1995, Andrei Skoch became a co-owner of “Interfin” and took up the position of deputy general director of the company.
Over the next few years, “Interfin” acquired assets of big metallurgical enterprises located in the Belgorod region.
At the end of the 90s, Andrei Skoch decided to change his sphere of activity. He decided to go into politics and transferred the business assets to his father, Vladimir Nikitovich Skoch.
Work in the State Duma
In 1999, the businessman participated in the elections to the State Duma. He was a candidate in a single-mandate constituency from the Belgorod region and won with a result of 54% of the vote. In the lower house of the federal parliament, he represented the interests of Belgorod residents and did a lot for the development of the region both as a deputy and as a philanthropist.
The political career of Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch developed steadily and successfully. He was re-elected to the State Duma in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2021. He worked as a member of various committees and commissions of the Duma, and in the new convocation of the State Duma, he became a member of the control committee.
During his 22 years in the Duma, the parliamentarian co-authored 162 legislative initiatives.
Helping People
In 1996, Andrei Skoch opened the international charitable foundation “Pokolenie” (“Generation”). The organization operates to the present day.
Initially, the foundation specialized in helping seriously ill children by financing the purchase of medications and expensive operations. Over time, however, the organization expanded its activities and implemented dozens of programs to develop healthcare, education, support large families, veterans and talented youth.
The Foundation initiated such projects as the literary award “Debut”, the network of medical institutions “Healthy Generation”, the award for gifted youth “Best Student of the Year”, a competition for families entitled the “Parental Record” and many others.
The founder of Pokolenie Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch has received numerous state and public awards and titles, including the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st and 2nd degrees.
