Sergei Pushkin

Business procedures in Russia differ from those in Europe in the financial and accounting aspects only. What rules do you expect to meet in the country, which has been running its own individual way through the whole of the history? (laughing)

When hunting my friends and I avoid killing animals. Not that I have joined the “green”, the thing is that I have outgrown this kind of attitudes, and what I do appreciate nowadays in the whole thing is the process in itself and my friends’ party.

Uralian Russia stands for the same country, the same people, the same principles, only the outer attributes differing. The main difference lies in the central Russia catering for the cooperation with the West and the Far East and the Siberia being guided by the Eastern countries’ business.

Some time ago I was addicted to ties, but I ceased wearing them at some definite moment. Nowadays the whole collection comprising over 140 pieces is just loitering in my wardrobe. Now I love luxurious pens and watches. As a matter of fact I’ve achieved the level, where proper accessories make the core of a man’s image.

It was my company that constructed the first country village ever built in Russia. We also possessed the concept of the first office-storage building in the centre of Moscow. The project in itself was genius as there had never been “everything-under-the-same-roof” constructions, either office or logistics centers being presented.

Fast footwork is the key to success in life, new projects are the passport to success in crisis times. I guess I maintain both (laughing).

I reckon success is to keep up with conscience in business, otherwise it won’t do. I say you will not find in my social round people with shaky reputation, and you know, I’ve got quite a wide social round.

I like to learn new things. Once a new stuffy with an engine arrives I try to master to drive it, let it be a water scooter or a paraglider. I’ve recently begun learning kite surfing. The later lacks the engine but it’s still breathtaking.

There’s no democracy in Russia, and I doubt it will arrive some day. Moreover it does matter what kind of democracy we mean, either this excessive American one or the Finnish maybe. Russians have always been ruled by tsars and as soon as we were demonstrated this vaunted democracy hard 90th arrived. A democratic society can emerge in the 5th or 6th generation only, we are growing only the second.

I can perfectly manage people and get the desirable results. And in this process all tools will do, depending on the person I aim at. You can’t learn the thing, it’s all about life experience.

My close friend and I started with the same wooden factory. The life has demonstrated the importance to go along together to us. We’ve been acquainted for more then 30 years. There were times we have not been in contact for a year or so, but the reason was not that we quarreled, we just were going our individual ways. Still we have never had troubles, when communicating to each other.