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.
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.
Across all these projects, the emphasis has been on careful redevelopment, respect for historical context and alignment with international design and operational standards.
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.
He qualified as a Yachtmaster in the Solent and has since logged more than 100,000 nautical miles, including extensive experience in polar regions.
