Early Life and Education
Sergei Viktorovich Popov was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on August 12, 1971. He received a Bachelor's degree in Bachelor of Arts/Science from Ural Polytechnic Institute.
Rise to Success
Popov's career began in the 1990s as a metals trader. In 1994, he co-founded Prodcontract, a company that supplied scrap metal to Russia's largest metallurgical plants. In 1996, he co-founded MDM Business Concern with Andrei Melnichenko. From 1997 to 1999, he served as a partner and business manager of the company. In 2000, Popov became a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of MDM Industrial Group. Under his leadership, the Group focused on producing pipes, fertilizers, and thermal coal, leading to the establishment of major businesses like OAO TMK (oil and gas pipelines), SUEK (coal energy), and Eurochem (mineral fertilizers).
Key Business Strategies
A key strategy was forming partnerships, particularly with Andrei Melnichenko, to build a diversified portfolio of companies. Popov was also involved in the creation of TMK (Trubnaya Metallurgicheskaya Kompaniya), one of the world's largest oil and gas pipe manufacturers. In 2003, Popov became a 50% partner in MDM Bank. He sold his assets in 2006 and exited his remaining active investments with the sale of his stake in MDM Bank in 2016.
Philanthropy
Popov founded Agat in 2010, a private fund, which has a mentoring program offering startup capital to young businesspeople.
