Denis Cherkasov, a crisis management professional specializing in private equity and venture investment, has become the tenth Russian national  who was qualified as a Chartered Director – the highest qualification awarded by the UK’s Institute of Directors (IoD). 

The Institute of Directors, London, which is over 110 years old, runs the IoD Chartered Director certification program jointly with the Independent Directors Association. 

Denis Cherkasov is a Russian businessman and investor, an expert in management of fast growing companies. He was born in 1976 in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1999, he received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the International Economic Relations faculty of MGIMO University. After that, he spent three years working on his Ph.D. at the Institute for the Economy in Transition (IET). Alongside his studies, he taught a number of courses, including corporate finance and banking microeconomics, at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In 2011, he successfully completed his studies at the Institute of Directors, London.

In 2003, Denis founded Luch Publishing House. Investment in this project exceeded $2 million. The publishing house issued the Populyarnye Finansy (transl. “Popular Finances”) magazine which won Cherkasov the Media Manager of Russia award. Afterwards, Luch Publishing House was sold to a strategic investor. The decision was made all the shareholders.

In 2006, Denis Cherkasov was appointed Vice President of UFG Private Equity and then took over as the fund’s Co-Director. He was responsible for buying, selling and managing equity shares of several major Russian private companies' worth more than $250 million. He was an advisor to News Media Publishing House, the key asset of UFG Private Equity Fund I, and participated in its sale. The annual return on the transaction exceeded 50%.

From 2008 to 2012, Cherkasov worked at Wermuth Asset Management GmbH, Germany, as Private Equity Director. Under his leadership, his team managed a portfolio of private equity and venture investments worth over $220 million in Russian, European and US privately held companies. Their exit value reached about $140 million in the 5 years. The overall annual return on the projects exceeded 30%. Over this period, Denis Cherkasov participated in a shale oil and gas production project and the sale of Conquest Petroleum Incorporated. Other projects he was engaged in include the sale of a stake in the North Timber Group to an investor of the largest company in Arkhangelsk Region specializing in timber harvesting and processing, and restructuring of the debt of Dikaya Orkhideya (transl. – “Wild Orchid”), a Russian retail chain.

In 2012, Denis Cherkasov joined RUSNANO where he managed innovative projects and focused on industrial and technology investment. He also managed foreign investments. For example, he was involved in the restructuring of Italy- and Germany-based distressed assets of a state-run corporation, which allowed it to return the invested funds although it could have lost them altogether.

The investor was a member of the Boards of Directors at companies focusing on the development and production of high-tech products and innovative solutions, including Advenira Enterprises, Inc., Parallel Graphics Ltd., Biomimedica, Inc., iiko, and Cortona3D. On top of that, Denis Cherkasov served on the Boards of Directors at major Russian companies – Concern Kalina, Dikaya Orkhideya  and North Timber Group.

Denis Cherkasov currently serves on the Boards of Directors at Russian and foreign high-tech companies, including Canatu Oy, a Finland-based manufacturer of bendable touch films for the electronics industry. Since 2013, he has been CEO at SBVC Management Company (formerly, Troika Venture Capital Asset Management Company) which operates Russia’s oldest venture funds.