Evgeny Alexandrovich Lebedev (born 8 May 1980) is the chairman of both Evening Standard Ltd, which owns the Evening Standard

Evening Standard

The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...

 and also Independent Print Ltd which owns the Independent newspapers

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

, which he bought in January 2009 (Evening Standard) and March 2010 (Independent and Independent on Sunday). He is the son of Russian tycoon, Alexander Lebedev

Alexander Lebedev

Alexander Yevgenievich Lebedev is a Russian businessman, referred to as one of the Russian oligarchs.In May 2008, he was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the richest Russians and as the 358th richest person in the world with an estimated fortune of $3.1 billion...

.

Under his tenure the Evening Standard has become the first quality newspaper to go free, its circulation tripling to 600,000 copies.

Other business interests

Other business interests include: Japanese Restaurant in St James's’ Sake no Hana, noted for its exceptional architecture, designed by Kengo Kuma

Kengo Kuma

is a Japanese architect.- Biography :Kuma was born in Kanagawa, Japan, and attended Eiko Gakuen junior and senior high schools. After completing a major in architecture at the University of Tokyo in 1979, he worked for a time at Nihon Sekkei and TODA Corporation. He then moved to New York for...

; and a boutique luxury hotel in Umbria, Palazzo Terranova. He is also credited as designer and co-owner of Hush restaurant in Mayfair, and co-owner with Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...

 and Sean Mathias

Sean Mathias

Sean Gerard Mathias is a British theatre director, film director, writer and actor.Mathias was born in Swansea, south Wales. He is known for directing the film, Bent, and for directing highly acclaimed theatre productions in London, New York, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Sydney...

 of The Grapes

The Grapes

The Grapes is a public house backing onto the Thames waterfront, located at 76 Narrow Street, London E14 8BP . It is owned in partnership by Evgeny Lebedev, Sean Mathias and Ian McKellen, and managed by Paul Mathias.- History :...

 pub in London.

Arts and culture

Lededev is an avid supporter of the arts and chairs the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

He has a special interest in the Moscow Art Theatre

Moscow Art Theatre

The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...

 and the Chekhov Theatre in Yalta which has been restored by the Lebedev family.

Charity

He is the founder and chairman of the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation which was established in 2006 with President Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...

, to raise money to help children with cancer. So far it has raised many millions of pounds.

Initially the Foundation furnished two Russian paediatric cancer clinics and has in recent years broadened the scope of activities to have an international reach. The Foundation commissions research into the fight against childhood cancer, provides training for those involved in the diagnosis, treatment, control and care of those who treat and support children diagnosed with cancer. Since 2008, the Foundation has worked closely with Marie Curie Cancer Care

Marie Curie Cancer Care

Marie Curie Cancer Care is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which provides nursing care, free of charge, to terminally ill people, giving them the chance to choose to be cared for at home...

, one of the UK’s largest charities and the foremost provider of high quality care to those suffering from terminal cancer in the UK.

Early life and education

Unlike most of his fellow Russian tycoons who base themselves in London, Lebedev has spent most of his life in Britain. He was eight when his father, Alexander, took a job at the Soviet embassy in London. He went to school in London and has chosen to base himself in the capital, recently receiving British citizenship.