Biography of Andrei Skoch, public figure and State Duma deputy
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch, a prominent Russian politician and philanthropist, was born in January 1966 in the suburbs of Moscow. After graduating from high school, he served in the army. He received a diploma of a psychologist in M. V. Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities and later was awarded a Ph.D. in pedagogy.
In search of a vocation
Soon after returning from the army, Skoch Andrei Vladimirovich began to build his own business and tried different niches. In just a few years, he managed to earn significant capital and make several successful investments. Skoch’s business career went through several stages:
- the opening of a bakery;
- the sale of components for offices and computer equipment;
- the sale of oil products (from buying raw materials to selling fuel through the gas station network);
- Investing capital in Interfin (later Metalloinvest);
- appointment as deputy general manager of the Lebedinsky GOK (an asset previously acquired by Metalloinvest).
The leading position on the Lebedinsky GOK included active social work: personal meetings with citizens, finding solutions to regional problems, etc. This motivated him to move on to big policy. In December 1999, Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch was elected to the third convocation of the Russian State Duma. Having received a deputy mandate, he transferred his assets to his father, Vladimir Skoch. Currently, Skoch Andrei Vladimirovich is one of the co-owners of the USM holding (former Metalloinvest).
Political activity
For more than 20 years, Andrei Skoch has presented the interests of Belgorod residents in the State Duma. In 2003, for his election to the fourth convocation of the Duma, he joined the United Russia party.
The mainstay of his work in the Russian parliament is legislative. Over the course of two decades, he has taken part in the development and amendments to more than 160 bills. On his initiative, the Federal Law “Concerning monetary allowances for military personnel and the provision of individual payments” was amended. Andrei Skoch was also a co-author of regulatory acts related to the support of children deprived of parental care and the monitoring of children’s recreational institutions.
In 2000, he became head of the Advisory Council on Metallurgy and the Mining Industry. Later, he was part of the CIS and international affairs committees. Currently, he is a member of the State Duma’s Control Committee.
Skoch has received many awards for his activity. He was awarded second-class and first-class medals of the Order of Merit for the Motherland, the medal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Certificates of Merit, and Acknowledgements from the President of the Russian Federation and the Chairman of the State Duma.
Support to Belgorod residents
In 1996, Skoch Andrei Vladimirovich established the “Healthy Generation” Humanitarian Foundation. Initially, the Foundation supported children with severe heart conditions. Later, the Foundation expanded its activities and was renamed Pokolenie (Generation).
Andrei Skoch and his charity foundation support various public projects. With the assistance of the Foundation, three new medical centers were opened in the Belgorod region. Veterans, large families, educational and healthcare institutions, and socially disadvantaged citizens receive targeted support. The Pokolenie Foundation is actively engaged in the restoration of monuments to defenders of the Motherland, both in Russia and abroad.
