Wiaczeslaw Smolokowski

Wiaczeslaw Smolokowski - Polish entrepreneur and investor of Ukrainian descent. 
== Background ==
=== Early life ===
Born 21st November 1954 in Ukraine. In 1975 he graduated from Gnesinych music college, faculty of clarinet.
Between 1975 and 1985 he played as a musician in different bands and became an enthusiastic collector of popular, jazz and classical records as well as modern musical instruments. The passion for music led to the meeting with Gregory Jankilevitsch who was to become his long-time business partner.
=== Career ===
In 1986 Smolokowski put his musical career on hold, sold his collection of records and instruments and emigrated to Poland. Jankilevitsch joined him in Warsaw in 1987 and together they set up their first proper business venture (TM Team) trading consumer electronics and fast-moving consumer goods, based between Poland and Germany. 
In 1992 Smolokowski, together with Jankilevitsch, set up J&S Trading, that evolved into a group of companies trading globally in oil and petrochemical products.
In 1997 they managed to sign their first long term supply contracts with Polish refineries Petrochemia Plock (later to become PKN Orlen) and Rafineria Gdanska (today Grupa Lotos). 
The later renewal of this contract attracted a lot of scrutiny and later controversy within Poland with regards to the dominant position of J&S Group in oil supplies. The position of J&S Group on the Polish market was one of the topics of analysis by a Polish parliamentary investigation commission established in 2004. (see: Controversy). 
In 2004 J&S joined forces with two Swiss traders, Marco Dunand and Daniel Jaeggi to create Mercuria Energy Group. Shortly after that Dunand and Jaeggi took over managerial leadership while Smolokowski and Jankilevitsch stepped back from their operational role within Mercuria whilst remaining as minority shareholders. 
Since handing over day to day responsibilities at Mercuria, Smolokowski has turned to investments, building a diversified portfolio of companies. 
In 2012 Smolokowski made a minority investment in the Impossible Project which operated the last factory producing Polaroid films, based in Enschede, Netherlands. 
In 2015 he partnered with his son to acquire full control of the Impossible Project. 
In 2017 together they purchased PLR (owner of the Polaroid brand name).
Smolokowski’s other investments encapsulate a wide variety of industries, including biotechnology, real estate, energy-transition and music.
=== Private life ===
Smolokowski has a wife and three children. The family is based in Switzerland.
== Controversy ==
The dominant position built by J&S on the Polish energy market was one of the topics of the “Orlengate” parliamentary investigation commission in 2004 and 2005. 
Despite repeated allegations, the final report produced by the “Orlen Commission” cleared J&S Group and its shareholders of any wrongdoing or illicit activity. No charges were pressed against J&S Group or its shareholders. In addition, the shareholders of J&S successfully filed a complaint and a claim against one of the leading magazines in Poland Wprost which had relayed a number of the allegations against J&S Group and its shareholders. 
The case ended with a settlement and apologies issued by Wprost editors and publishers. 
 
Category:1954 births
Category:Polish businesspeople
Category:Polish people