In August 1934, in the village of Bolshaya Chernigovka in the Kuibyshev region, a manager and statesman, the future "gas king" Rem Vyakhirev, was born. From an early age, the oldest child in the teacher's family was not only distinguished by a thirst for knowledge, but also did not shy away from simple physical labor: like a few high school students, he unloaded ships on the Volga, thus earning his own money to help parents. In 1956, Rem Vyakhirev graduated from the Kuibyshev Industrial University, because future mining engineers studying in a specialty that had just appeared in the region were paid an increased scholarship. So spontaneously, but exclusively correctly, the profession was chosen, the main one in which is the development of gas and oil fields. Rem Vyakhirev devoted his whole life to this business.
Start
For the first fifteen years, a graduate of an industrial institute worked at the Kuibyshevneft corporation, where for the first time his ability to organize production and rally people for the common cause was noted. That is why in 1971 Rem Vyakhirev took over the entire management of Orenburggazdobycha. And two years later a fateful acquaintance took place.
Vyakhirev Rem Ivanovich met and made friends with the new director of the neighboring gas processing plant, Viktor Chernomyrdin. This circumstance, naturally, played a leading role in the sharp jump in Vyakhirev's career growth that followed many years later. Although even then, in the seventies, no one would say that his promotion was slow.
Career
In 1976, Vyakhirev Rem Ivanovich was already the director of Orenburggazdobycha software, and in 1978 he became the chief engineer of a much larger association - VPO Orenburggazprom. Five years later, while making the transition to the leadership of Tyumengazprom, he fell under the direct command of the Minister of Gas Industry of the country, Viktor Chernomyrdin, becoming his deputy.
Rem Vyakhirev, whose biography will be connected for a long time with his new brainchild - the Gazprom concern, in many respects only thanks to friendly relations, was able to bring his ideas to life. RAO "Gapzprom", where Vyakhirev is the first deputy chairman of the board, was originally created on the basis of the Ministry of the Gas Industry, but was later given to shareholders.
RAO Gazprom and not only
In 1992, when Viktor Chernomyrdin switched to government work, Rem Vyakhirev, whose biography was already closely associated with Gazprom, became the chairman of the board in this concern. Until 1996, he was also the head of the Board of Directors of RAO.
Since the nineties, he has gained more posts: this is work on the Industrial Policy Council in the Government of the Russian Federation, and the chairmanship of the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees of Imperial Bank, in 1995 - the Boards of Directors of Public Russian Television and Our Home - Russia ", since 1996 - chairmanship of the Board of Directors of the Siberian Oil Company.
Rescue of the drowning
In 1998, until 1999, Ram Vyakhirev was the head of the Supervisory Board of Promstroybank of Russia, until the moment when the bank lost its license. But the richest, largest campaign in Russia - RAO Gazprom was afloat all the time and enjoyed under the chairmanship of Vyakhirev the greatest influence in the country, being, as it were, the second cash desk for all kinds of crisis situations. It was Gazprom that at that time could help in maintaining the ruble exchange rate or pay off debt to unfortunate retirees. Naturally, the concern and its leaders received support from the authorities in all endeavors.
Underwater currents and stones
Having suspended Minister V. Lopukhin, the former Minister of Fuel and Energy, in 1992, Chernomyrdin and Vyakhirev thwarted the reform of their industry (and the reform carried out by Yegor Gaidar in those days was a parable by itself ). The plans of the “young reformers” were with respect to Gazprom - a huge deal, because Vyakhirev's concern is an exclusively tidbit. Moreover, it was possible to create even a special stabilization tax-free fund, where Gazprom allocated a portion of the proceeds, thus saving many billions of dollars. Privatization also took place on special conditions.
The government of Chernomyrdin in 1994 allowed the concern to obtain ownership of almost the entire package of shares owned by the state, that is, thirty-five percent, leaving the country only five. Under the terms of this trust, Gazprom could buy back these shares at par value in 1996, then sell them, and make the proceeds by investing in numerous programs of the entire gas monopoly. But the "young reformers" Chubais and Nemtsov did not doze off either, and therefore in 1995 the conditions of the trust were unfavorably reviewed for Gazprom, and in 1997 the agreement with Vyakhirev was terminated altogether.
What succeeded
It was Rem Vyakhirev, whose condition will be discussed below, that made Gazprom the richest company in the country, bearing its economy. Creating joint ventures (Wintershall, Wingas), the concern brought Russia for the first time in its history to the final European consumer.
Then (and Vyakhirev himself) created the largest-scale projects for the construction of gas transmission pipelines, including along the bottom of the sea (Blue Stream). The ties that the gas industry now has were created for the most part during the management of the Vyakhirev concern.
How it was
However, things never went smoothly, the criticism of his undertakings was at times unbearably harsh, especially on the part of the “minors” (a minority shareholder cannot directly participate in the management of the company, since he does not have enough shares for this). Most often, Vyakhirev did not like the actions of those who started business with American funds and firms.
For example, this concerns the former Minister of Finance Boris Fedorov (and his affairs with the finances of Russia turned out to be very bad, but he founded the UFG and Hermitage with Bill Browder at the head), who was constantly opposed to the leadership of Gazprom. Vyakhirev Rem Ivanovich, whose cause of death is acute heart failure, must have taken criticism to heart.
Resignation
The year 1998 became a turning point for the influence of Gazprom’s leadership on the country's policy: Viktor Chernomyrdin resigned, and therefore the next year the question arose of Rem Vyakhirev’s resignation. Well, at least they did not condemn both Goldovsky and Sheremet. With the departure of Yeltsin and Vyakhirev, he prepared to leave, because he ceased to be "omnipotent": even property transactions had to be coordinated with the board of directors, many of the conditions marked in the agreements were canceled. Vyakhirev, as it were, “got bored” and in 2002 left his native child completely, even the chairmanship of the Russian Gas Society.
There is no doubt that, having left Gazprom, Rem Ivanovich could settle down anywhere and everywhere would be in place. He is an active leader and no less inquisitive scientist, the author of more than sixty scientific papers - all of them relate to the development of gas fields and how to use gas both in agriculture and in industry. Many are devoted to the economy and ecology of gas, its compositions. Vyakhirev has thirteen copyright certificates for introduced inventions. But Rem Ivanovich seemed to melt into the air upon retirement. Not a single interview in eleven years. No business.
Homestead
Gazprom didn’t like to visit Vyakhirev after the resignation, but meeting friends with the extractive enterprises themselves is a sweet deal. The former leader circled the Gazprom north almost completely, where he was met everywhere more than cordially. He sometimes went to Miller’s office with requests. Here, for example, to arrange a granddaughter for work. True, it did not work out. Do not go forward. Children and grandchildren, however, are well-arranged, you can no longer worry about them. Rem Vyakhirev, whose family is almost completely connected with the gas industry, could not worry. He himself is a strangely unpretentious man, being the chief boss at Gazprom, along with his wife and children, he settled in a small two-room apartment above the Fish shop and lived there for many years. But you can walk to work on foot and quickly.
The children of Vyakhirev Rem Ivanovich inherited not to say that much. The son lives in the Moscow village of Gazprom on Kaluzhka, and her daughter built a house opposite her father’s - wooden, two-story and very small, next to which the Siberian powerful spruces brought up from Samsk, and above them, a wooden table, rise higher and higher. In no way does this estate resemble the palaces of other Gazprom men, and not only them. Here is Chubais, who constantly encroached on Gazprom and therefore hated Vyakhirev. He built a much more interesting summer cottage opposite Pasternak in Peredelkino, as well as in Zhavoronki — these are real palaces that previously belonged to Moscow kindergartens. “There wasn’t any man for Russia,” Vyakhirev said. “Yes, and it’s unlikely to appear.”
condition
Naturally, Vyakhirev had the opportunity not to live in poverty as a pensioner. True, in Forbes Russia magazine the list of rich people also left in 2004. He had a real estate near Moscow - about fifty hectares of land where you can watch squirrels and deer, fish. Well, there remained a stake in Gazprom for thirteen million dollars. He did not starve in the rest of his life: dividends brought annually up to twenty-three and a half million rubles. Plus a pension from the state.
In February 2013, he died in his country house - his heart failed. Many members of the government visited the memorial service, even Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. They buried the "gas king" next to his wife at the Vostryakovsky cemetery. Few people are interested in what he was a real “techie”: a candidate of science who defended his thesis in 1981, and ten years later, an academician engineer, full member of the Academy of Sciences, an honorary professor at the university and an honorary resident of the city of Barnaul (few people know for what merits, but, apparently, there were merits, because the city is honest). In addition, the "gas king" even before he occupied this "throne", was awarded many orders and medals for his dedicated work.
Children and other relatives
He left behind two children and four grandchildren Vyakhirev Rem Ivanovich. The biography does not indicate nationality anywhere, but many spiteful critics are sure that the “fifth point” is clearly “that”, putting the “gas king” on a par with the Jews Chubais and Nemtsov. Judging by how antagonistically he developed relations with the latter, it is unlikely, despite the fact that Vyakhirev’s career also developed brilliantly. But there was work! And then, the same spiteful critters and in the same texts even Makhmudov Iskander Kakhramonovich are called Jewish. Judging by the names and surnames - all Vyakhirev are Russian.
The son of Rem Ivanovich Yuri is a former director of Gazexport LLC. Daughter - Tatyana Dedikova - a Gazprom shareholder, has about three percent of the shares. Her husband, Yevgeny Dedikov, is involved in environmental protection at the Scientific and Technical Council of Gazprom, Deputy Head of the Department for Energy Saving and Ecology. Rem Ivan’s brother - Victor - until 2003 was the head of the Tyumenburgaz company.
Afterword
In conclusion, it should be noted that the "gas king" always fought desperately with the plans of the "young reformers" Nemtsov and Chubais regarding the restructuring of the country's gas economy. Privatization was carried out in such a way that made these, according to Vyakhirev, “enemies of the people” literally boil: Gazprom’s shares for the most part did not go into free distribution, but were given directly to employees in the concern — that is, in Siberia, in the North, directly in mining enterprises. For the dismemberment of Gazprom was fraught with a threat to the economic security of the country, which Rem Vyakhirev tried his best to prevent.