Alexander Katsuba: what is known about the owner of ALFA GAZ?

We decided to deal with the biography of a Ukrainian entrepreneur and expert in the field of energy and sort out everything that is known.

What is on the surface?

Oleksandr Vladimirovich Katsuba, a well-known entrepreneur and leading expert in the field of energy in Ukraine. In 2022-2023, ALFA GAZ, the company founded by Katsuba, entered the list of leaders in the gas industry, producing more than 1 million cubic meters of natural gas per month.

Biography

Alexander was born on September 8, 1986 in Kryvyi Rih in the family of a military man, but then the family moved to Kharkiv. His father, Vladimir Mykhailovych Katsuba (born in 1957), former entrepreneur and politician, former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada. His mother, Natalya Ivanovna Katsuba (Gordyenko) (b. 1957), is also engaged in entrepreneurship. Alexander currently lives in Kyiv.

Education

Katsuba’s educational path began at the Kharkiv National University named after Karazin, where he received a degree in finance in 2008, and then continued his studies at the Kharkiv National Law Academy named after Yaroslav the Wise. In 2013, he received a master’s degree in financial management and became a candidate of economic and legal sciences.

Career

Having started his career in family business structures in Kharkiv in 2003, Katsuba showed an early interest in entrepreneurship. Already in the period from 2006 to 2009, he successfully combined work in the family business with education. And in 2009, he became the chairman of the supervisory board at PJSC “Kharkivsky Zavod elektromontazhnyh izdelij – 1”.

In 2010, Katsuba got acquainted with the gas industry, which was a new stage in his career. He held several key positions, including deputy director for economics and accounting in the gas industry management apparatus of “Poltavagadobycha”, a branch of PJSC “Ukrgazdobycha”. From September 2010 to December 2012, he worked as the Deputy Chairman of the Board and a member of the Board of PJSC “State Joint Stock Company “Chernomorneftegaz”. It was during these years that the company demonstrated significant growth in gas production.

In December 2012, Katsuba joined the board of Naftogaz Ukrainy as deputy chairman of the board. The stage of work in the public sector for Katsuba ended in 2014, when he returned to private business and began to actively invest in financial IT tools. In fact, he was one of the first to launch a civilized microcredit business in Ukraine. Headed by him as a managing partner, the MyCredit group of companies operated in Ukraine and abroad, including in Poland, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia, and became one of the most prominent companies on the market.

In 2019, Katsuba concluded a major agreement, selling 20% ​​of his company’s shares to businessman Sergey Tyhipko for $3 million, which was an important signal for the market of similar IT services. The next significant step was their acquisition in 2021 of “Autocenter”, the largest automotive portal in Ukraine, and “Autobazar”, the second most popular automotive portal in the country. These agreements were part of his business development strategy in the field of leasing, but the plans were interrupted by the beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion.

Political experience

Alexander Katsuba was elected deputy of the Kharkiv City Council of the 6th convocation in November 2010. But Katsuba refused the mandate and did not receive parliamentary powers. According to him, he quickly discovered that political activity did not meet his expectations due to the limitation of real opportunities to implement rapid changes. Later, in various interviews, he noted that he had completely lost interest in political activity and did not see himself in it. Since then, he has not participated in any elections and has withdrawn from political life, focusing on business and charity.

Charity

Katsuba actively supports the “Blagomai” foundation, which helps orphanages. Since February 2022, he has been helping various units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, purchasing cars for the front and making financial contributions to volunteer funds. During this time, he supplied the Ukrainian army with approximately 100 all-terrain vehicles thanks to the project “One car a week for the Armed Forces”, which he personally finances.

Public activity

In public activity, Katsuba is known for his author’s columns in the leading Ukrainian media on topics where he has expertise. Analyzing Katsuba’s publications, it is possible to single out two key topics that he deals with: “Digitalization and its role in modern Ukraine” and “Energy trends and challenges for Ukraine”.

Katsuba notes the importance of digitization in Ukraine, especially in war and post-pandemic conditions. He notes that Ukraine demonstrates stability and efficiency in difficult conditions thanks to the digitization of state and economic processes. Katsuba singles out the successes of Ukraine in the implementation of such projects as the state portal “Diya”, and notes that these achievements destroy the myth of the insufficient effectiveness of the Ukrainian state. He also insists on the need for further digitization in education, city management, tax and customs systems, as well as in the energy industry.

Also analyzing changes in global energy trends, including the growth of investments in alternative energy sources in Ukraine and the need to reduce dependence on gas imports, Katsuba emphasizes the need to adapt the energy industry to current realities, including war and global challenges.

Katsuba notes the importance of focusing on local projects, the efficiency of institutions, as well as the modernization and improvement of energy consumption. He draws attention to the role of the state in moving from a monopolist to a regulator of the energy market, restoring management standards in companies and restarting antimonopoly regulation. Katsuba is an active supporter of the gradual liquidation of JSC Neftegaz as an unnatural monopolist in the oil and gas market.

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