Mohammad Zahoor (born 1 August 1955) is a

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

-based

British-Pakistani British Pakistanis ( ur, (Bratānia men maqīm pākstānī); also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people born in ...

businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and owner of the ISTIL Group, a diversified trading company that included a steel mill in

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loca ...

, which he sold in 2009 for between US$700 million and US$1 billion; a former owner of the ''

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

'', which he sold for approximately $5 million; and a co-founder of the Ukrainian Music Awards (YUNA). Since the beginning of the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, Zahoor has mobilized funds and aid to evacuate

Ukrainian refugees Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and other parts of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. He has reportedly bought two fighter jets for the

Ukrainian military , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

, and has continued to meet with various heads of state and other influential figures to ensure safe passage for Ukrainian refugees.

Early life

Zahoor was born to a

Muhajir Muhajir or Mohajir ( ar, مهاجر, '; pl. , ') is an Arabic word meaning ''migrant'' (see immigration and emigration) which is also used in other languages spoken by Muslims, including English. In English, this term and its derivatives may refer ...

family in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. His father was in the Pakistani Civil Service. During his first year at

NED University of Engineering and Technology The NED University of Engineering & Technology is a public university located in the urban area of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest and best engineering universities in Pakistan, acknowledged for its best teaching practices a ...

in 1974, he received a scholarship to pursue higher education in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Zahoor studied metallurgy at

Donetsk National Technical University Donetsk National Technical University (DonNTU, formerly Donetsk Polytechnic Institute and other names) is the biggest and oldest higher education establishment in Donbas, founded in 1921. In its early years, it was attended by Nikita Khrushchev. ...

(then Donetsk Polytechnic Institute) in the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

; he later obtained his PhD from the same university in 2007.Business Council (USUBC)'', Mohammad Zahoor: Waiting for the good times
/ref>

Career

After earning his PhD from

, Zahoor moved back to Pakistan to work at Pakistan Steel. In 1987, he moved to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

where he entered a partnership with a Thai steelmaker and ran Metalsrussia, a Hong Kong-registered trading company. In 1996, Zahoor bought Donetsk Steel Mill. He bought other steel mills in various countries. In 2008, Zahoor sold Donetsk Steel Mill to Russian

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

arian Vadim Varshavsky, for a sum believed to be around $1 billion. In 2009, Zahoor bought the Kyiv Leipzig Hotel for $36 million. That year he bought Ukraine's oldest English language newspaper, the ''

,'' for $1.1 million from its founder, American-born Jed Sunden. In 2018, he sold the ''Kyiv Post'' to Syrian Adnan Kivan for $3.5 million. Zahoor was interviewed by the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'' on the economic situation in Ukraine, specifically the prospects for inward investment. Zahoor contributed to the '' Huffington Post'' on topics relating to Ukrainian/

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n economics and politics.

Personal life

In 2003, Zahoor married Ukrainian singer

Kamaliya Kamaliya Zahoor ( uk, Камалія Захур, russian: Камалия Захур; born Nataliya Shmarenkova on 18 May 1977), known professionally as simply Kamaliya, is a Ukrainian singer, actress, television personality, model and former Mrs ...

. They have two daughters, Mirabella and Arabella. He has a daughter, Tanya, and a son, Arman, from his first marriage.

Philanthropy

Zahoor takes part in many different projects, in Ukraine and abroad. He donated to the restoration of the Odessa State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, a building in a university in Taxila, (North Pakistan), and the Cardiac Research Center in Pakistan. Zahoor supports sport teams and the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine. He and Kamaliya founded the Kamaliya and Mohammad Zahoor Charitable Foundation to help children in need. The foundation organizes annual charity nights to raise money. Since 2015 the Foundation is supported by his close Friend Ignace Meuwissen. In 2017, during the annual charity event 4th St. Nicholas Charity Night in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

, Ukraine, $50,000 was raised through auction and ticket sales for buying 10 Drager Siemens Infinity Delta XL patient monitors for the State Children’s Cardiac Center in Kyiv. In 2011, Zahoor became the co-founder of the Ukrainian Music Awards (YUNA).

In the media

In 2013, Zahoor and Kamaliya appeared on ''

Meet the Russians ''Meet the Russians'' is a 2013 British reality show produced by Fox about wealthy Russians and Russian speakers who live in London, England. It premiered on 25 September 2013. It was directed by Emma Walsh. According to ''The New York Times ...

'', a British reality show produced by FOX TV about wealthy Russians who live in London, England.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahoor, Mohammad 1955 births Living people Pakistani emigrants to Ukraine Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Pakistani expatriates in the Soviet Union British billionaires Ukrainian billionaires Donetsk National Technical University alumni Ukrainian businesspeople in the United Kingdom Pakistani billionaires