Vitaliy
Antonov

Vitaliy Antonov is the founder of he Universalna Investment Group that includes Galnaftogaz, OKKO Group, OKKO Agrotrade, Your Home and Progrestechbud construction companies, Concern Khlibprom, Effort, and economic security agency, and Business City, a business center in Lviv.

Born December 12, 1962 in Stryi city, Lviv region.

Education: Stryi School №8, Ternopil Financial and Economic Institute.

Vitaliy Antonov believes that the American manner of behavior allows one to do business better.

'He makes his employees smile. During the economic crisis, he organized a joke contest among drivers at his gas stations. For the best humor, he gave them several liters of gasoline,' Antonov’s acquaintances told reporters.

profiles

• In 1988-1990, he headed a mountain climbing/tourist club. His first money he got thanks to his hobbie, as he did industrial high rise works.
• In 1992, he started his own company Karat together with his wife Natalia and his friend Andrii Vyshnevskyi. The company conducted wholesaling of various groups of products. In an interview, Antonov mentioned that thanks to him, the first citrus fruits appeared on sale in western Ukraine.

Over time, he traded oil tproducts hrough barter. According to one version, the Russians transfered it to Hungary for processing, and from there, it came back to Ukraine as gasoline and diesel fuel. So, one of Antonov's colleagues in mountaineering that worked in Parliament helped him establish business in this industry.

• In 1995, he established OJSC Galnaftogaz and became the president of the company.
• 1999 — Antonov opened the first OKKO brand filling station in Stryi, and then they appeared in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Transcarpathian regions.
• In 2001, Vitaliy Antonov is head of the supervisory board of OJSC Galnaftogaz.
• In 2004—2009, he had been the president of Universalna Investment Group.
• Since 2006, he is a member of the supervisory board of Concern Khlibprom.

• In 2002, Vitaliy Antonov ran for the Verkhovna Rada elections in the Stryi majority district №127 from the party "For United Ukraine!" (leader: Volodymyr Lytvyn). He lost to the candidate from Our Ukraine party.
• In 2009-2010, he was a member of the Council of Investors under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
• In 2013, he was a member of the council on the Issue of Stimulating Investments and Entrepreneurial Activity under the Minister of Revenue and Duties of Ukraine Back then, the department was headed by Oleksandr Klymenko, who, after the Revolution of Dignity, fled to Moscow.

Antonov's fortune is estimated at $161 million. According to the list of the richest Ukrainians, compiled by Novoe Vremia magazine and Dragon Capital, Antonov "dropped down" from the 23rd to the 36th place as his fortune decreased by 27%.

According to Focus.ua, the founder of OKKO Group is in the 18th place with $520 million revenue.

• Daughter: Yulia Antonova, born November 5, 1985. She worked together with her father. Yulia created a chain of restaurants at gas stations. Now, according to the Ministry of Justice, she is the owner of X-Art, a company in Lviv that works with rental of real estate.
• Daughter: Victoriia Antonova, born April 29, 1992. In the 2000s, she built a career as a singer. In the media, she was called 'a Ukrainian Britney Spears.' The first video for her was made by Alan Badoev. In the video entitled 'Tochki,' you can see a gas station OKKO.

• Son: Vitaliy Antonov, a student of Pechersk School International.
• The first wife: Nataliia Antonova (born March 26, 1961) has a degree as a psychologist and works as the head of the Supervisory Board of Concern Khlibprom.
• The second wife: Nataliia Deminska (born June 19, 1977) is a businesswoman. Together with Antonov, she is a co-owner of Universalna Leasing Company LLC. She is also the owner of the group of security companies Effort that includes almost two dozen security companies, which names feature the words "Effort" and "Sapsan".

Most of these companies win almost all the competitions for the providing security services for educational institutions in Lviv. Since the beginning of 2020, there have been signed numerous agreements for several million hryvnias.

For instance, in January, the education department of the Shevchenkivskyi and Zaliznychnyi districts of the Lviv City Council announced a tender for security service for the protection of the territory and premises. One of the companies offered its services for UAH 1 million, but it was rejected. Effort-Garant, a subsidiary, in its turn, offered to protect the premises for UAH 1.45 million. The final contract was eventually signed with the company owned by Antonov's wife.

With no luck, the competitors are trying to challenge almost all the contracts, even those worth little money. Sheriff is one such companies.

• In 2018, Antonov sued Kostiantyn Likarchuk, a lawyer, former deputy head of the State Fiscal Service. Likarchuk published a post on social networks accusing the owner of filling station chain OKKO of corruption. Antonov won the case, and Likarchuk was ordered to refute the information defaming the honor and dignity and pay for the services of a defence lawyer, totalling UAH 60,660.

• Candidate for Master of Sports in Mountaineering and Rock Climbing.
• Since 1999, he is an Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Lviv.
• Since August 2019, he is an honorary citizen of the Skole district in Lviv region. According to the decision of the local district council, he was awarded the title for a significant personal contribution to the socio-economic development of the district.