Alexander Abramov

Got start as head of a research lab before Soviet Union collapsed. In 1992 established a precursor to Evraz Holding; made a fortune exporting metals and coal from the Urals and Siberia. After 1998 Russian financial crisis, bought up hobbled steel companies and coal mines on the cheap. In 2006, partnered with fellow billionaire Roman Abramovich in Evraz. In 2007, made a number of acquisitions, including U.S. firms Claymont Steel Holdings of Delaware and Oregon Steel Mills. Elected chairman of steel giant Evraz in December 2008 replacing fellow billionaire Alexander Frolov with whom he cofounded the group; at the time the group was struggled with $10 billion debt burden. Net debt is now down to $7.2 billion as of year-end.