Andrey Yakunin
investor and entrepreneur
About Andrey Yakunin
Andrey Yakunin is a British–Russian investor and entrepreneur with a portfolio spanning finance, hospitality and real estate. With more than 30 years of experience, Andrey has built a career focused on identifying and developing underperforming or overlooked assets, often in complex operating environments. He studied at London Business School, then moved to the UK upon graduation.
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Andrey’s major projects include the redevelopment of a 1,200-room hotel in Saint Petersburg with the largest indoor water park sold to the Norwegian investor - Wenaasgruppen, the very first transaction provided Andrey with the seed capital for the later investment activity: the first Four Seasons hotel in Russia; a first room-out-of-the-box project in Russia together with Holiday Inn Express; a hospitality project in Vienna in cooperation with Radisson Blu, and the transformation of the Antognolla estate together with Six Senses sold to the founder of EMAAR Mohamed Allabar.
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Across all these projects, the emphasis has been on careful redevelopment, respect for historical context and alignment with international design and operational standards.
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Andrey’s work today spans pan-European and global initiatives at the intersection of hospitality, experiential travel and technology-enabled services.
Sailing and Expeditions
Over the past decade, Andrey Yakunin has developed a strong focus on sailing, adventure travel and polar expeditions. What began as a family activity – sailing and off-piste skiing – has evolved into regular high-latitude voyages aboard his sailing vessel, FIREBIRD.
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He qualified as a Yachtmaster in the Solent and has since logged more than 100,000 nautical miles, including extensive experience in polar regions.
