Kuzmichev was born in 1962 in Kirov, Russia. Between 1980 and 1982 he served in the army on the Soviet-Chinese border as a radio operator. During this time he joined the Communist party. In 1983, he enrolled in the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys where he met his Future Business partners, Mikhail Fridman and German Khan. In 1988 Kuzmichev, Fridman and Khan, along with Mikhail Alfimov, founded Alfa Photo, which specialized in the import of photo chemicals. Later, Kuzmichev convinced his partners to diversify into the export Business. Thus in 1998 Alfa Eco was founded. This venture would become the basis of Alfa Group Consortium. (In 2005, Alfa Eco was rebranded as A1).
The Babylon Project was founded by Kuzmichov in 2002. It is aimed at establishing an international foundation to preserve the ancient treasures of Iraq. Kuzmichev asked Russia, the U.S. and other countries to join in a cultural initiative to safeguard the ruins of Babylon, near the town of Hillah, as well as participate in restoration of the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, which suffered heavy looting in 2003. Due to ongoing unrest in Iraq, the project is currently frozen.
Mr Kuzmichev is one of the original founders of the LetterOne Group. The LetterOne Group (LetterOne) is an international investment Business based in Luxembourg. Its Investments are focused on the telecoms, Technology and Energy sectors through its two main Business units, L1 Energy and L1 Technology. Despite recently being required by the Government to sell their North Sea oil and gas fields, LetterOne have reportedly been told in a letter from a senior UK official that this ‘is not a judgement on the suitability of LetterOne’s owners to control these or any other assets in the UK.
Mr Kuzmichev’s wife, Svetlana Kuzmicheva-Uspenskaya, is founder and Director of Project Perpetual – a group which harnesses the contributions of the world’s leading contemporary artists and global influencers to raise funds and facilitate advocacy for children in peril. Mr Kuzmichev’s role in the charity was to be part of the lead sponsorship of the 2013 Global Leadership Awards Dinner at the United Nations. The project is partnered with the United Nations Foundation
