Andrey Kovalev

Andrey Kovalev is a Russian businessman, public figure and musician. He is known as a songwriter and performer, TV and radio host, music producer, organizer of rock festivals and leader of the Pilgrim rock group. Owner of the EcoOffice group of companies, the Art & Food Sunflowers project and the Grebnevo estate.

Early years and education

Andrey Kovalev was born in 1957 in Moscow. Andrei's mother sang at the Bolshoi Theater for 35 years, his father is a colonel of the Soviet Army.

He mastered the violin and piano in the preschool period. Studied cello at the Dunaevsky Music School. He was going to enter the school at the Moscow Conservatory in the double bass class, but on the advice of his father, he entered the Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University. He graduated in 1979. Carried away by sculpture and art furniture, he entered the Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry, where he studied for several years.

Entrepreneurial activity

Since 1979, he has been engaged in the individual production of exclusive custom-made furniture. After the adoption of the law on cooperation in 1988, he organized his first company - the cooperative "Prestige" for the production of furniture. Two years later, the cooperative grew into the Moskvorechye Furniture Production Association, which included 12 enterprises producing all types of furniture, and the number of employees reached 2000 people. MPO "Moskvorechye" was a part of the territorial concern "Tsentromebel" of the USSR Ministry of Lesprom. Andrey Kovalev was known in his industry as a market-oriented leader.

From 1996 to 1999, he was the head of the Mosprom intersectoral industrial concern, which unites more than 20 enterprises from various industries.

In the late 1990s - early 2000s, he was engaged in real estate. He began to create large business centers, business parks and shopping and entertainment centers on the territories of closed Moscow factories, reconstructing them according to his own sketches. All of them were part of the EcoOffice Group of Companies.

Repeatedly entered the TOP-30 of the largest owners of commercial real estate in Russia according to Forbes. In 2009, the turnover was 100 million dollars (12th place).

In 2003 he became the owner of the largest Moscow taxi company number 20.

In August 2007, he acquired the First Pasta Company, which was the second largest in Russia in terms of pasta production.

In 2008 he created a media holding, which included more than ten magazines and a satellite TV channel.

Since 2018, he has been engaged in the reconstruction and restoration of the historical estate Grebnevo.

Civil service, politics and social activities

In 1992 - Vice President of JSC Russian Timber Industrialists, which was the legal successor of the USSR Ministry of Forestry.

1994-1995 - Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Timber Company "Roslesprom", which carried out the functions of state management of the timber industry complex.

Under the leadership of Kovalev, was developed and signed an agreement with the US Eximbank for $ 2 billion in investments in the Russian timber industry.

1999-2000: Head of the Department for Antimonopoly Policy and Entrepreneurship Support of the Ministry of the Russian Federation.

In 2000 - Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of the Forest Fund of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation.

He was a member of several intergovernmental commissions.

1997-1999 - Counselor (Deputy) of the District Assembly and Deputy Chairman of the District Assembly of the Yuzhnoportovy District of Moscow.

2005-2009 - Deputy of the Moscow City Duma.

He became known as an active supporter of the bill to ban the use of phonograms, as well as the fight against audio piracy. Famous Russian musicians supported him in this endeavor.

Defends the interests of small and medium-sized businesses. In October 2019, he was appointed Ambassador of the Moscow Business Protection Headquarters.

In August 2020, he was accepted as a permanent member of the Izborsk club. In March 2021, he was elected Co-Chairman of the Council of Entrepreneurs of Moscow.

Andrey Kovalev is a popular blogger. There are over 2 million subscribers in his social networks.

Since the beginning of 2019, he has regularly held free lectures, seminars, forums and consultations for aspiring entrepreneurs. In 2019 and 2020, the Grebnevo estate hosted Business picnics, which were attended by more than 15,000 people.

Andrei Kovalev created the All-Russian Movement of Entrepreneurs, which included more than 80,000 people. 53 territorial offices were organized.

Andrey Kovalev is a member of the Council under the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for interaction with civil society institutions.

In the elections to the Council of Entrepreneurs of Moscow, he took first place in the number of those who voted for him.

Andrey Kovalev organizes charity concerts for boarding school children, large families, invalids and war veterans, and he himself performs at them. In 2008, he opened five free rehearsal centers for beginner musicians.

Creative activity

In 2000, Andrei Kovalev began writing poetry and songs. Has released several albums. He has recorded duets with famous pop singers (Katya Lel, Diana Gurtskaya, Danko, Tutsi, Lyubasha, Sasha Project). The songs were actively rotated on various radio stations, and the clips on TV channels.

Famous actors and actresses such as Pamela Anderson, Dolph Lundgren, Nastasya Samburskaya, Anastasia Panina, Elena Korikova, Olesya Sudzilovskaya and Agata Muceniece took part in the filming of Andrei Kovalev's videos.

In 2005 he became interested in heavy metal and created the "Pilgrim" band. In 2005-2008 he held rock festivals "Glory to Russia" in more than 100 cities of the country.

In 2007 he received the title of People's Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia.

In 2016, he gave several concerts at the Russian military base Khmeimim in Syria.

Wrote more than 700 songs, author of 5 books of poetry.

He was a presenter at the radio stations "Moscow Says", "Pioneer FM" and "First Popular Radio". At present, he is conducting an author's program on the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station. He was also a presenter on Stolitsa, REN-TV, Mir, Music Box, Kultura and others.

Additional information

Gratitude of the Government of the Russian Federation-Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 204-r dated 17.02.2003;

The title of People's Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia - Decree of the President of the Republic of Ingushetia MM Zyazikov No. 161 of 12.06.2007;

Jubilee Medal “In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow, 1997;

Order of St. Stanislaus, 2004;

Order of St. Alexander Nevsky "For Labor and Fatherland" 2005;

Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, III degree;

Medal "To the participant of the military operation in Syria" 2016