Born
into a Jewish family. His mother Irina Vasilevna was a musician
and his father worked as a supplier at a construction trust
in Syktyvkar. His mother, Irina Ostrowski Abramovich, died
from bacteremia as a result of a back-alley abortion when
Roman was one year old. His father Arkady Abramovich was
killed in an incident on a construction site when Roman
was three years old. Abramovich grew up as an orphan in
his uncle's family in Ukhta and with his grandmother, Tatyana
Semenovna[11], in Moscow.
Owns
U.K. soccer club, Chelsea.
Abramovich
was the governor of Chukotka from 2000 to 2008.
Boosted
his security staff to a 40-person "private army",
making him one of the best protected businessmen in the
world.
Purchased
Francis Bacon's Triptych for US$86.3 million (a record price
for a post-war work of art) and Lucian Freud's Benefits
Supervisor Sleeping for $33.6 million (a record price for
a work by a living artist).
Owns
a private Boeing 767.
Is the
world's greatest spender on luxury yachts (at least 5) -
themost expensive being the Eclipse, which is being built
in Germany by Blohm + Voss and when completed late in 2008
is expected to be 160 metres long - around 13 metres longer
than the initial designs. It is believed to cost Abramovich
around $300 million and will be the world's third largest
yacht with at least two swimming pools, two helipads, several
on board tenders and a submarine.
Quote:
"Investors have very short memories."
Quote:
"The goal is to win. It's not about making money. I
have many much less risky ways of making money than this
(buying Chelsea football club). I don't want to throw my
money away, but it's really about having fun and that means
success and trophies." |
