G avril Yushvaev is a Russian billionaire with a diverse business history that spans from car dealerships to mining and real estate. His is a controversial rags-to-riches story. He spent several years in a Soviet prison camp on robbery charges before being released and entering the world of business during the chaotic post-Soviet era. He was a co-founder of the major dairy and juice company, Wimm-Bill-Dann.

His biggest financial success came in 2011 when he and his partners sold Wimm-Bill-Dann to the American food and beverage giant PepsiCo for $5.4 billion. Since this massive exit, Yushvaev has reinvested his proceeds into a diversified portfolio of assets. He was a major shareholder in the gold mining company Polyus, though he has since sold his stake. He has also made significant investments in real estate and in technology startups, including a stake in the American ride-hailing company, Uber.