Alexander Rovt American businessman of Ukrainian origin Date of Birth: 23.07.1952 Country: USA

1. Alexander Rovt: Biography of an American Businessman
2. Early Life and Career
3. Philanthropy and Personal Life

Alexander Rovt: Biography of an American Businessman

Alexander Rovt, an American businessman of Ukrainian origin, is one of the wealthiest Americans from the former USSR. He is a billionaire and the owner of several chemical industry enterprises. In 2008, Forbes magazine included him in their list of the "400 Richest People on the Planet."

Early Life and Career

Alexander Rovt was born in 1952 in a Jewish family in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine. At the age of 22, he obtained a degree in commodity science from Lvov Institute of Trade & Economics. In the year 1974, he moved to Hungary, where he started working as a loader, then a salesman, and later a sales manager.

In 1985, Rovt emigrated to the United States, where his parents were already living. Upon arriving in the States, Alexander changed his name and began working in the business sector, utilizing his old connections in the USSR. He joined the chemical company "IBE Trade" in the late 1980s and became a manager in 1988. Eventually, he became a co-owner and later the president of the company.

By 2008, Rovt's company controlled approximately 12% of global ammonia sales and around 6% of ammonium nitrate sales. In an interview, Alexander Rovt mentioned that he initially joined the company as an ordinary employee with a substantial salary of $60,000 per year. Soon, he received a "bonus" of 10% of the company's shares. Within a year, Rovt acquired 33% of the company's shares, and in 1997, he and a friend bought out the firm. By 2000, Rovt had full control of the company's shares, and from that time onwards, "IBE Trade" began to grow even more dynamically. They opened production facilities in Hungary and Ukraine, with New York remaining the flagship location.

Philanthropy and Personal Life

In 2008, Forbes magazine included Rovt in their list of the "400 Richest People on the Planet," with a capital of $1.57 billion. After the dissolution of the USSR, Rovt's connections in the former state became stronger. His longtime friend, Nikolay Olshansky, became a senator from the Voronezh Oblast, and his son became Alexander's partner.

In Ukraine, Rovt's company had a factory in Severodonetsk, which he sold to a friend of President Yanukovych in 2011. Although the deal amount was not disclosed, it received significant attention in the press. The sale of the Voronezh plant also became widely discussed. Following these events, Alexander Rovt's name gained a scandalous reputation in various sources. He was accused of various unsavory activities, including hints of child organ trafficking. However, none of these accusations had any evidence to support them.

There were also several controversial disputes at the European level. For example, Rovt was implicated in a corruption scandal in Norway. Despite these controversies, the Ukrainian-American billionaire remained calm and continued to conduct business and make new deals, such as purchasing a skyscraper in Manhattan. Overall, Rovt owns 14 buildings in New York.

It is known that he is a trustee of Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center and serves as a member of the Advisory Council on Small Business in the state senate. In his personal life, Rovt is married and resides with his wife and children in an old mansion near Central Park.

Alexander Rovt is also known as one of the largest Jewish philanthropists and a patriot of the state of Israel. He states, "I know how to give and help all Jewish organizations that work for the benefit of the Jewish community and Israel. I am a patriot of my nation."

When it comes to his wealth, Rovt remains level-headed, stating, "I like to face the truth. Even when I was poor, money couldn't buy or change me. When I became rich — even more so."