A picture of Andrei Skoch

Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, philanthropist and entrepreneur Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch was born in Nikolskoye village in the Moscow region. After graduating from school, he was drafted to serve in the army. Subsequently, Andrei Skoch received a higher education at the Moscow State Open Pedagogical University, where he specialized in Psychology. In 2000, he was awarded the degree ‘Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences’.

Entrepreneurship

In the early 1990s, Andrei Skoch began to take his first steps in the business world. At first, he was engaged in the sale of computer parts. Later, together with his business partner Lev Kvetnoi, he engaged in the sale of petroleum products, which brought him his first significant income. Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch invested this capital in the investment company “Interfin”, which was managed by Alisher Usmanov. The company’s holdings included large industrial enterprises which were also passed on to Andrei Skoch.

In business matters, Andrei Skoch always trusted his father Vladimir Nikitovich Skoch. They had already formed a strong partnership, so when Andrei Vladimirovich went into politics in 1999, he did not hesitate to transfer his Interfin assets to his father, knowing that he would find success.

Legislative initiatives

In 1999, Andrei Skoch ran as a candidate in the Belgorod region for the post of a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, and received 54% of the vote. Subsequently, he became a deputy of five convocations. Over his 20 years of work, he has managed to implement about 150 drafts and amendments. In 2000, he was appointed head of the Expert Council on Metallurgy and Mining.

In the list of legislative initiatives proposed by Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch, many were published and eventually became full-fledged laws. For example, Andrei Skochh spearheaded the law on “dacha amnesty”, which helped simplify the procedure for registration of ownership of a land plot or a house. He also put forward a law on the adjustment of the payment of monetary compensation to teachers who are engaged in conducting the USE and preparing students for the Main State Exam (OGE).

Andrei Skoch has repeatedly received departmental and state awards for his legislative and charitable activities. These include:

• The certificate of merit of the State Duma of the Russian Federation,
• The Order of Alexander Nevsky,
• The medal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia,
• The Russian President’ gratitude.

The “Pokolenie” (“Generation”) Foundation

Andrei Skoch founded a charitable foundation in 1996, which is now called the “Pokolenie” (“Generation”) Foundation. The organization allowed him to provide significant support to various organizations, large families, young professionals and individual Russian citizens in difficult situations.

One of Andrei Skoch’s social projects was the literary award “Debut”, which was awarded to young talented authors under the age of 25 (later the age threshold was raised to 35).

Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch’s organization also established an award for outstanding achievements in the field of pediatric medicine “Zdorovoe  detstvo” (“Healthy Childhood”). In addition, with the help of  the “Pokolenie” (“Generation”) Foundation, the politician founded an award for scientific achievements in the field of nano-materials and nano-technology. Applicants were not only scientists with professional experience, but also students. University students could also be awarded the “The Best Student of the Year” scholarship, which was also created by Skoch’s Foundation.

The Foundation has also provided assistance to large families living in the Belgorod region via initiatives like the “Parental Record” competition. The “Open Heart” prize is awarded to the largest family in the region, ie. the mothers and fathers who have produced the most children.