Robert Shetler-Jones British entrepreneur Country: Great Britain

1. Richard Shetler-Jones
2. Early Life and Education
3. Business Career
4. Gas Industry Involvement
5. Group DF and Alleged Intelligence Connections

Richard Shetler-Jones

Richard Shetler-Jones is a British entrepreneur who has played a significant role in the gas business in the former Soviet Union.

Early Life and Education

Shetler-Jones was born in 1969 in Winchester, England. From 1987 to 1991, he studied at the University of Surrey, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and International Relations. During his studies, he interned several times in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he enrolled in a special program for foreign students at the Kyiv Institute of Foreign Languages.

Business Career

After graduating in 1991, Shetler-Jones began his business career in Kyiv. From 1993 to 1994, he managed the Jones East 8 real estate agency in Kyiv, which primarily served foreign embassies and international companies. In 1994, he became the Co-Director of the Kyiv branch of DG Jones & Partners, a leading international consultant for construction project cost estimation.

From 1997 to 1999, Shetler-Jones worked for Commonwealth Property Investors, part of AEW International, where he coordinated a $50 million equity investment fund. In 2000, he was appointed CEO of the Kyiv development company "Dnieper Wharf."

Gas Industry Involvement

Shetler-Jones established RSJ Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft GmbH in Hamburg, Germany, which owns 90% of the shares of the Crimean Soda Plant (Krasnoperekopsk) and 50% of those of Crimean Titan (Armiansk). He was part of the management team of Eural TransGas and, after its successor RosUkrEnergo was created, became a member of its Coordination Committee.

Shetler-Jones officially represented Raiffeisen Investment on the RosUkrEnergo Coordination Council as a trust shareholder for Dmytro Firtash. However, after Raiffeisen Investment exited the company, he ceased to be a member of the Coordination Council. Nonetheless, as he remained as Dmytro Firtash's manager, he rejoined the RosUkrEnergo Coordination Council in March 2007.

Group DF and Alleged Intelligence Connections

In 2007, Shetler-Jones became CEO of Group DF (GDF), Dmytro Firtash's conglomerate. Some media outlets have alleged that Shetler-Jones has ties to the British Secret Intelligence Service.