Founder – Victor Pinchuk

Victor Pinchuk is one of Ukraine’s most successful businessmen, whose role in civic, international affairs and philanthropic organizations has made him a leader in Ukraine’s growing interaction with Europe and the world.

Born in Kiev in 1960, he graduated with honors from the Dnipropetrovs’k Metallurgical Institute in 1983 and earned a PhD degree in 1987 before starting his career as a research engineer in pipe production.

In 1990, he founded Interpipe Company on the basis of his patented innovations in pipe design, engineering and production, which were successfully adopted by leading metallurgical factories in the former USSR. In 2006, he founded EastOne Ltd., an international investment advisory company whose portfolio comprises more than 20 businesses and large-scale projects, including Interpipe and media assets in Ukraine and internationally.

Mr. Pinchuk served two terms as an elected Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, from 1998 to 2006. In 2003, he decided to retire from politics to focus on his business and philanthropic activities.

For more than 12 years Mr. Pinchuk has been developing and supporting a number of philanthropic projects in Ukraine. In 2006, he consolidated these activities under the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, making it the largest private Ukrainian philanthropic foundation, known for implementing projects in important fields for social development.

In September 2006, Victor Pinchuk founded the PinchukArtCentre, one of the largest centers for contemporary art in the Eastern Europe. Mr. Pinchuk is a major collector of contemporary art.

Victor Pinchuk was listed as one of the "2010 Time 100 - The World's Most Influential People" in Time Magazine, published on April 29, 2010. Mr. Victor Pinchuk was listed in the "Thinkers" section, among the most influential thinkers in the world — along with Apple founder Steve Jobs, Minister Mentor of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, newly appointed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and designer Zaha Hadid. He was ranked #1 on the ranking of promoters of Ukraine abroad by the Institute of World Policy.

Victor Pinchuk was included in the lists of the ARTnews magazine “The ARTnews 200 Top Collectors” (each year from 2008) and the ArtReview magazine “ArtReview: 2012 Power 100” 2008 - 67th, 2009 - 53rd, 2010 - 37th, 2011 - 35^th, 2012 – 32^nd, 2013 – 38^th

Victor Pinchuk was presented with the Trebbia European Award for support of the arts and culture in 2011. In March 2013 he has received from Aurélie Filippetti, French Minister of Culture and Communication, the insignia of Knight in the “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres”.

On Feb 19, 2013 Mr. Pinchuk committed to give half or more of his fortune during his lifetime and beyond to philanthropic causes, joining the Giving Pledge, a philanthropic initiative founded in 2010 by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.