Yuri K.Shafranik (born February 27, 1952) – Russian entrepreneur, politician and public figure, Doctor of Economics.
One of a small group of Russian politicians and entrepreneurs who turned out to have enough willpower and wisdom to overcome the stereotypes of communist ideology and lay the foundations of a market economy and a modern democratic society.
Born in a worker’s family in the distant Siberian village of Karasul (Tyumen Oblast) he graduated from the Tyumen Industrial Institute (1974) and made a successful industrial career in the oil industry of the former Soviet Union, moving from a locksmith to the general director of the Langepasneftegaz one of the largest oil producers of the time.
Yuri Shafranik’s political career began on April 14, 1990, when he was elected the Chairman of the Tyumen Regional Council of People's Deputies and occupied the position that had become politically important. He was the youngest leader of the region in the USSR then. In September 1991 he was appointed the Governor of the region.
Y. Sharanik then became one of the initiators and authors of the Law “On Subsoil”, which laid the legislative basis for the development of mining based on different types of property rights to land, mineral resources and means of production. Through an appropriate Decree of the President Y. Shafranik managed to confirm the property rights of the Tyumen region to the share of its natural resources, the development of which gave a powerful impetus to the development of its economy.
In 1993–96, having entered the Government of the Russian Federation as the Minister of Fuel and Energy, he reformed the fuel and energy sectors, switched their functioning to market mechanisms and actively promoted the adoption of the Law on Production Sharing Agreements (1995) and conclusion of contracts for implementation of such major international projects as Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2.
He was one of the initiators of the creation and actively participated in the work of the Russian-American Intergovernmental Commission (Gore ‒ Chernomyrdin Commission).
Businessman. After leaving the government in 1997, he took up entrepreneurship and created the Central Fuel Company, which quickly became the leader in the wholesale and retail market for petroleum products in the Moscow Region.
In 2000 he founded the International Group of Companies “SoyuzNefteGaz” to implement oil and gas projects in Russia and foreign countries. A number of successful projects have been realized in Azerbaijan, Algeria, the UK, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Russia and other countries.
Public figure. With the beginning of the process of democratization of social activities in the country, he became one of the initiators of the creation and the elected Chairman of new types of public organizations: the Union of Oil and Gas Producers of Russia (1992) and the Supreme Mining Council (2002).
The founder and permanent president of the World Politics and Resources Foundation, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Energy Strategy, he has authored several books and many articles on Russian and world energy.
Y.Shafranik is also actively involved in charity work.
Being an active supporter of the development of contacts with associations of foreign businessmen and public figures, he initiated the creation of Business Councils with a number of countries. Since 2015 Y. Shafranik has been the Russian co-chairman of the Dartmouth Conference – association that develops closer cooperation between public organizations of the Russian Federation and the USA in the fields of politics, science, education and culture.
Spheres of personal interest: history, travel, theater.
Married, two children.