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 invas ...

-based British-Pakistani 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 loc ...

, 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, Zahoor has mobilized funds and aid to evacuate Ukrainian refugees 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 enti ...

. He has reportedly bought two fighter jets for the Ukrainian military, 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 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 ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. His father was in the Pakistani Civil Service. During his first year at NED University of Engineering and Technology 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 Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sci ...

at Donetsk National Technical University (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 Donetsk National Technical University, Zahoor moved back to Pakistan to work at

Pakistan Steel 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-la ...

. 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 million ...

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. ...

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 KP Media was a Ukrainian publishing company who published several magazines, including ''Korrespondent'', ''Novynar'', an English language newspaper, ''Kyiv Post'', and owned several internet websites. History KP Media was founded in September ...

. 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, Nikke ...

'' 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-eigh ...

n economics and politics.

Personal life

In 2003, Zahoor married Ukrainian singer Kamaliya. 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 Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area ...

, (North Pakistan), and the Cardiac Research Center in Pakistan. Zahoor supports sport teams and the

Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine The Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine (, ''Federatsiya khokeyu Ukrayiny'' (FHU) is the official governing body for ice hockey in Ukraine. It became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on May 6, 1992. Presidents * 1992-1997 ...

. 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, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, 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'', a British reality show produced by

FOX TV The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations a ...

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