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Yuri Shefler

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Yuri Shefler
Юрий Викторович Шефлер
Born (1967-09-10) 10 September 1967 (age 57)
Oryol, Oryol Oblast, Soviet Union
CitizenshipRussia, United Kingdom, Israel[1]
Alma materPlekhanov Russian University of Economics (1996)[2]
Known forOwner of SPI Group
SpouseTatiana Kovylina (divorced 2021)
Children4[2]

Yuri Shefler (Russian: Юрий Викторович Шефлер; born 10 September 1967) is a Russian-born[3] businessman. He is the owner of SPI Group, an international consortium that sells alcohol in 160 countries, most notably the Stolichnaya vodka brand.[4] As of March 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$1.5 billion.[2]

Business career

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Shefler left the Soviet Army in September 1987 and embarked on a career in business, which saw him running one of Moscow`s leading shopping malls and Vnukovo Airlines.[5]

He used to own one of the largest yachts in the world, Serene, with a length of 133.9 m (439 ft 4 in).[6][7][8] In 2015 he sold Serene to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a reported $550 million.[9] In March 2017 he bought Tulchan Estate on Speyside, Scotland's most expensive sporting estate.[10]

On 17 February 2022, Brad Pitt said that Angelina Jolie sold to Shefler's wine group Tenute del Mondo, which is a subsidiary of Shefler's Stoli Group, her interest in the Château Miraval at Correns in Provence, France, which Pitt and Jolie purchased in 2008 for $28.4 million.[11]

SPI Group

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SPI Group produces and sells alcohol under 380 brands in 160 countries, most notably Stolichnaya vodka. SPI Group also owns Louisiana Spirits Company, Fabrica de Tequilas Finos in Mexico and Achaval Ferrer in Argentina.[2]

Shefler's SPI Group has been involved in a decades-long dispute with Russian state-owned company FKP Sojuzplodoimport (FKP) over who owns the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya trademarks. In 2020 the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the rights belonged to Russia and ordered SPI Group to stop selling its products in Benelux.[12]

In 2022 Shefler was ordered to pay a former UK executive over £1.6 million after sacking him when he complained about pay cuts.[13]

Personal life

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Shefler was born to a Russian Jewish family in Oryol.[14] He has citizenship in the United Kingdom and Israel.[14]

He was formerly married to Tatiana Kovylina, a Russian model who once worked for Victoria's Secret, until their split in 2021.[4] They have four children together, and lived together in Geneva, Switzerland.[2][15] He has since been linked to Ksenia Sukhinova, who was Miss Russia 2007, and Miss World 2008.[citation needed]

As reported by Forbes in March 2022, Shefler had an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Bloomberg - Vodka Drinkers Are Changing Brands in Wake of Ukraine Invasion". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Forbes profile: Yuri Shefler". Forbes. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Vodka Drinkers Are Changing Brands in Wake of Ukraine Invasion". Bloomberg.com. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Who is Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, who bought Angelina Jolie's share of Chateau Miraval and upset Brad Pitt? 5 things to know, from his Victoria's Secret model wife to his drinks empire". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Russian vodka billionaire buys £25 million Scottish estate". The Herald. 31 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Serene". Super Yacht Fan.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  7. ^ "A 30-year-old Saudi prince could jump-start the kingdom – or drive it off a cliff". The Washington Post. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016.
  8. ^ Mazzetti, Mark; Hubbard, Ben (15 October 2016). "Rise of Saudi Prince Shatters Decades of Royal Tradition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Rise of Saudi Prince Shatters Decades of Royal Tradition". New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  10. ^ Auslan Cramb (30 March 2017). "Scotland's most expensive sporting estate bought by Russian vodka billionaire". The Telegraph.
  11. ^ "BRAD PITT SUES ANGELINA JOLIE... You Secretly Sold Winery To Russian Oligarch!!!". TMZ. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Russia wins rights to Stolichnaya vodka in Benelux region". Financial Times. 27 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Russian vodka tycoon to pay worker £1,600,000 after sacking him for objecting to job cuts". Metro. 11 July 2022.
  14. ^ a b Eshman, Rob; March 4, 2022. "The Jewish billionaire caught in the middle of the Stoli boycott". The Forward. Retrieved 8 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "US governors order state-run liquor stores to stop selling Russian vodka". the Guardian. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
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