Инициативная группа и Nexus Artists написали уникальную композицию ко дню рождения филантропа, создав ее из живого полотна голосов.

В начале мая в интернете анонсировали необычную акцию, посвященную Рубену Варданяну. Всем желающим предложили записать аудиосообщение, которое начинается словами «Рубен меня учит». Из собранного многоголосия инициативная группа и Nexus Artists записали песню.

«Ко дню рождения Рубена мы создаем живую песню – из голосов, чувств и благодарности. И ты можешь стать ее частью!» – призывали участников авторы инициативы.

За считанные дни организаторы собрали необходимое число комментариев и начали работать над песней. В итоге композицию презентовали 25 мая, в день рождения Рубена. Послушать песню и посмотреть клип можно по ссылке: https://t.me/songforruben/78

In Russia

• Ruben Vardanyan stood at the origins of the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo — a talent factory of Russian professional managers.

• He co-founded the Scholae Mundi Charity Foundation. In Russia, he supports the Surpass Dreams scholarship program for students pursuing finance, economics and mathematics. Another project of the foundation is the Hand-in-Hand Grant Contest aimed at encouraging the best integration and inclusion practices among children and adolescents in educational and cultural institutions.

• He joined the Board of Trustees of Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund

• Using Ruben’s personal funds, the temple complex of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of New Nakhichevan and Russia was built in Moscow. Vardanyan is one of its major benefactors.

• He launched the Philin project, and since 2014, it has streamlined the work of over 100 Russian NCOs and charitable foundations, 30 of which were created with Ruben Vardanyan’s participation. Since 2020, Philin has been part of the Philin Philgood Group of companies, which has won over 25 major industry awards.

• He co-founded the ANO Primakov Center for International Cooperation.

• He became a jury member for the Yidan Prize, the most prominent international prize for contributions to education development.

• He co-founded ‘Club 2015’, a community of professional managers, ImpactFuture — Russia’s first platform for socially transformative investments, as well as Noôdome, a unique space in Moscow for creative minds.

• He sponsored Doctor Liza’s Charity Foundation and the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute.

• He was a member of an Expert Council connected to ‘the Presidential Council for realisation of the higher-priority national projects and demographic policy’, the Board of Trustees of the Russian National Orchestra, boards of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts foundations, and Public Council of the Scientific and Practical Center for Interventional Cardioangiology of Sechenov Moscow Medical University Clinical Center.

• He provided managerial assistance to Podari Zhizn and Artist charity foundations, as well as to Konstantin Khabenskiy’s Charity Fund.

• He acted as a mentor in the Leaders of Russia management competition.

State and industry awards

• He received a letter of appreciation from Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and Patriarch Kirill for his contribution to the restoration of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos and the cell of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica.

• He won the AIB Presidential Award (USA) for his contribution to educational development. Over several years, Vardanyan has supported educational institutions such as Lomonosov Moscow State University, RANEPA, the Russian School of Economics, as well as the Guanghua School of Management (China), International Christian University (Japan) and the Fundação Dom Cabral Business School (Brazil).

In Artsakh

• Vardanyan launched the Aurora for Artsakh program to provide humanitarian aid to Armenian residents of the region affected by the 2020 military conflict.

• He founded the Artsakh Territorial Development Agency ‘We are Our Mountains.’ With Vardanyan’s funds and donations, the agency provided over 280 tons of food to the population, as well as electric generators essential for the uninterrupted operation of water supply systems in Stepanakert, Martuni and other settlements. Additionally they provided them with several hundred wood-burning stoves and building materials for the restoration of residential buildings damaged during the 2020 war.

• With support from ‘We are Our Mountains’, a mobile medical care team for remote area residents has been created and equipped.

• He launched educational projects for children and adults in Artsakh.

In Armenia

• He opened an international boarding school UWC Dilijan College in Dilijan. Tuition for over 70% of students is fully or partially funded through grants.

• He co-founded the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative to help the most vulnerable people of the world. Since 2015, the initiative has supported more than 400 social projects in 56 countries and regions. 2.7 million people worldwide have received direct or indirect aid, more than half of them being children.

Business

In 1991, Vardanyan began working at Troika Dialog. A few years later, he became their CEO and chairman on the Board of Directors.

From 2012 to 2015, he served as managing director at Sberbank CIB CJSC as well as adviser to the president, chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank of Russia PJSC.

In 2015, he founded Phoenix Advisors.

Over the years, he was on the board of directors, as well as expert and advisory boards of Ameriabank CJSC, KAMAZ PJSC, Global Blue Russia Holdings B.V., Sibur Holding PJSC, AvtoVAZ PJSC, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft JSC, Novatek PJSC, Avtovaz PJSC, and others.

Educational projects

In 2005, Vardanyan opened the Skolkovo School of Management. In 2013, the school launched the Wealth Management and Philanthropy Center, and Vardanyan became chairman of its expert council.

In 2021, he founded the Matena International School of Leadership and Professional Development in Yerevan.

In 2014, he opened the international boarding school UWC Dilijan for gifted teenagers aged 16-18. Currently, 220 students from around 70 countries study at the college. The vast majority of student tuitions are paid through grants.

Humanitarian projects

Since the mid-1990s, Vardanyan has been engaged in charity work. Several times he served on the board of trustees of the Russian National Orchestra under the direction of Mikhail Pletnev and the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra. He acted as an advisor to the founder of the Valery Gergiev Foundation, which supports young performers and creative projects of the Mariinsky Theater.

In 2004, he co-founded PHILIN (currently known as Philin Philgood Group). Since 2014, the company has helped more than 100 charitable foundations and NGOs to improve the work of accounting, legal, HR, IT and other back office departments.

From 2006 to 2022, he was a member on the Board of the Supporting Fund for Creative and Innovative Projects Chereshnevy Les.

In 2006-2012 he acted as a member on the Board of the Foundation of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

In 2008, he co-founded the AFGA Foundation (Armenia). Projects implemented by this charitable foundation include the restoration of Yerevan’s monument to David, and hosting music festivals and concerts.

In 2014, he established the foundation To Armenia with Arts. The program’s key project is the 100 Canvases exhibition of Armenian and Russian Soviet-era artists at the National Gallery of Armenia.

In 2015, he created the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. It provided support to over 400 projects in 56 countries and territories. Aurora programs have both directly and indirectly aided more than 2.7 million people around the world.

Since 2018, Vardanyan has been a member on the Board of the Rasshireniye Prostranstva foundation. Among other things, the foundation took part in reconstructing the historic former building of the HPP-2 in Moscow.

He financed the construction of the Armenian Cathedral of Moscow and restored the Cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Surb Gevorg Church in Georgia, the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, as well as the monastic cell of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica.

Moving to Artsakh

In the autumn of 2022, he announced his move to Artsakh. There, he created the Artsakh Security and Development Front. On November 4, he took position as state minister, explaining that his main goal was to assist ordinary residents through their challenging life and situation.

In the autumn of 2022, he announced his move to Artsakh. There, he created the Artsakh Security and Development Front. On November 4, he took position as state minister, explaining that his main goal was to assist ordinary residents through their challenging life and situation.

At the end of 2022, he established the territorial development agency ‘We are Our Mountains’ in Artsakh, which implements humanitarian projects aimed at protecting interests and expanding opportunities of the local population. On Vardanyan’s initiative, mobile teams of general practitioners and nurses were created in Artsakh.

The Aurora for Artsakh program supported around 93 regional projects aimed at solving urgent humanitarian problems. More than 150 thousand residents of Artsakh received aid.

The Dilijan international school (UWC Dilijan) and Tatev Revival are among the projects implemented by Vardanyan’s IdeA (Initiatives for Development of Armenia) charitable foundation.

The Holy Mother of God Cathedral in the village of Mushkapat in Artsakh was restored with the funds of Vardanyan’s charitable foundations, as well as and the Mosque of Gevhar Agha in Shusha.

Detention

On September 27, Vardanyan was detained by the Azerbaijani authorities while trying to enter Armenia from Artsakh.

All

The well-known philanthropist who devoted his life to humanitarian and cultural projects was detained during his attempt to enter Armenia from Artsakh. He was illegally charged with 42 indictments under 19 articles. The detention of this innocent figure attracted ECHR’s attention. Ruben Vardanyan must be released immediately so that he can return to his family.

Ruben’s trial: latest updates Support Ruben