Eduard Shifrin
Eduard Volodymyrovych Shifrin (alternative spelling: Shyfrin) (; ; born 12 July 1960) is a Ukrainian entrepreneur who is a co-owner of the Midland Group. He is a resident in London. Biography. Early life and education. Shifrin was born in Dnipropetrovsk, Soviet Ukraine, the son of metallurgy professor Vladimir Moiseyevich Shifrin. In 1976–7 he came first in the National Ukrainian Physics Olympiad. From 1977–1983, he attended the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys, becoming a metallurgical engineer. He later returned to school and obtained a PhD in metallurgy in 1992. Business career. From 1983 to 1993, Shifrin worked in Zaporizhia  at the steel company Dniprospecstal, rising from assistant foreman to manager of the steel plant and then head of marketing. He then rose to prominence as a business oligarch in newly independent Ukraine, taking control of privatized steelmaker Zaporizhstal. He co-founded, with Alexander Shnaider, Midland Group, a holding company headquartered in Guernsey that embraces interests in steel (including Zaporizhstal, Ukraine's fourth largest steel mill), shipping, real estate, agriculture and sports. Together they own a share in The St. Regis Toronto and formerly owned Maccabi Tel Aviv and a Formula One team, Midland F1 Racing. In the 2006 edition  of the "Sunday Times Rich List", Shifrin was listed at no. 59 with an estimated wealth of £920 million. In "Forbes" magazine's ranking of "The World's Billionaires" in 2009, Shifrin was ranked 559th with an estimated fortune of $1.3 billion. In 2013, "Focus" magazine estimated his net worth at $893.3 million, making him the No. 20 richest person in Ukraine. Writing career. In 2006, together with his late father, Shifrin published a book titled "The Theory of Metallurgical Processes" for which he was awarded the State Prize of Ukraine. In 2018 Shifrin's book "From  Infinity to Man: The Fundamental Ideas of Kabbalah Within the Framework of Information Theory and Quantum Physics" was published in Russian, with an English edition being released in 2019. In 2019, his children's book "Travels with Sushi in the Land of the Mind" was published in English. In 2020 it was named a Distinguished Favorite by the Independent Press Award for Juvenile Fiction. He is a sponsor of Jewish Book Week. Philanthropy. In 2003 he financed the reconstruction of the oldest synagogue in Kyiv and Jewish educational center dedicated to his late father. He also co-sponsored the construction  of synagogues in Moscow, Volgograd, and Zaporozhye. He sponsors over 60 Chabad educational classes for children. He served as regional vice-president of the World Jewish Congress. Personal life. Shifrin and his wife live in London with their three children.