Konstantin Sintsov, businessman and investor. Biography

Konstantin Sintsov is a businessman, investor and philanthropist from Kuzbass. In the early 2000s, together with a partner, he opened his own company, which was engaged in building the logistics of freight rail transportation. Subsequently, the RTK Group of Companies grew out of it.

1970s-1990s

Konstantin Sintsov was born in the capital of the Kemerovo region. In the 1970s he grew up and studied in Kuzbass. The most densely populated part of Siberia was actively developing at that time - new educational institutions and cultural facilities were opened.

In the 1980s, as a schoolboy, Konstantin Sintsov practiced freestyle wrestling at a professional level. The region has quite a strong school in this sport - its young wrestlers at different times became European champions among juniors, won at all-Russian competitions and even took the World Cup. Sintsov Konstantin also showed successes and before his adulthood managed to become the master of sports of the Soviet Union and the winner of the All-Union Youth Championship.

In the 1990s Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov received a diploma of mechanical engineer in KuzSTU. The specialty provided for the acquisition of broad knowledge in such areas as mechanical engineering, design, thermodynamics and other technical disciplines. After graduation, Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov first worked in various private companies. These structures cooperated with representatives of railway transportation, both in Russia and in neighboring countries, supplying them with components. At the end of the 90's Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov, having risen through the ranks, headed "TRANSCOMPLEKTSNAB". At that time, the company operated in the former Soviet Union and was engaged in the production and supply of parts for the upper structure of tracks, which include:

• rails;
• sub-rail base (sleepers, timbers, blocks);
• fasteners;
• butt joints.

Sintsov Konstantin and the creation of the railroad commodity transportation network

At the time of Sintsov Konstantin Vladimirovich's work in "TRANSCOMPLEKSNAB" in the Russian Federation due to hyperinflation the economy was demonetized. Many enterprises had nothing to pay their suppliers with. That is why, as the entrepreneur himself told us, the system of commodity offsets became popular. The volume of barter from the total mass of industrial products reached about 80-90 percent. Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov emphasized that an enterprise engaged in transportation by means of rolling stock preferred to settle accounts in this way, providing an export tariff in exchange for a service or product.

At that time, the issue of profitability of Russian railroads was also acute. Thus, in the period from 1992 to 1998, freight turnover decreased 2.5 times. Receiving tariffs instead of money, Konstantin Sintsov thought about how to transform their real income. Among the most promising areas, according to the businessman, were grain transportation. Around the mid-90s Russia resumed export of cereal crops - this was facilitated by the transition to a market economy and the departure from the state monopoly. On the other hand, Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov believed that the authorities were directly interested in increasing the cultivation of grain crops in Russia and began to develop various measures to support farmers. That is why this industry was becoming more and more attractive for the development of new business.

Additional stimulus to development was given by Russian railroads, which at that time, being in a difficult economic situation and not having a well-built and well-functioning logistics infrastructure, felt the need for intermediary services. At that time, Konstantin Zasov and Sintsov Konstantin, being partners, were already engaged in grain shipments. Therefore, they also assumed the functions of an operator for transportation of such wagons to their home country. At first, Konstantin Sintsov recalled, the income from transportation (received also by barter) was used for business development. First of all, it was necessary to build up assets that would allow to increase turnover, i.e. to acquire its own fleet of rolling stock. The first freight cars purchased were of open type, Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov shared. Renting them out led to the formation of a new structure. This is how LP Trans came into being in 2004.

In 2006, Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov, already successfully developing his business, decided to improve his knowledge in the field of management by completing specialized courses at Plekhanov Russian Economic University. In 2007, Sintsov received a PhD in Economics.

In 2008 Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov founded Rusagrotrans together with his like-minded friend Konstantin Zasov. In the same year the RTK Group of Companies was also founded.

The beginning of Rusagrotrans' activity

In 2008-2009, when Rusagrotrans, co-founded by Konstantin Sintsov, started operating, grain exports to Russia became one of the strategic directions of economic development. With 10 percent of the world's arable land, Russia planned at that time to ship about 20 million tons of grain abroad. At the same time, thanks to the competent steps of carriers, including Konstantin Sintsov and Rusagrotrans, a record 23 million tons of grain was transported abroad, 43% of which was transported by rail. This was possible, among other things, due to the introduction of new logistics technologies by Rusagrotrans.

In 2009, Konstantin Zasov, Konstantin Sintsov and Rusagrotrans planned to invest about 3 billion rubles in the development of the company's transportation infrastructure. The investment program then included such areas as:

• construction of elevator capacities;
• development of port infrastructure;
• purchase of new rolling stock.

Also in the very first period of its operation Rusagrotrans opened seven branches in Russia and was able to build a modern management structure. The acquisition of a railcar repair plant by RTK (the Group created on the basis of Rusagrotrans) also played an important role in the formation of a financially stable enterprise. Such an action was more cost-effective than regular recourse to intermediaries, Konstantin Sintsov believed. "Rusagrotrans" since 2011 was able to avoid unnecessary costs in this way. The new asset allowed the company to engage in its own developments.

Konstantin Sintsov and Rusagrotrans: increasing the Group's grain assets

In 2010, Konstantin Zasov, Konstantin Sintsov and Rusagrotrans signed an international contract with Azerbaijan Railways. An agreement was reached to operate the infrastructure necessary for the development of the companies and the grain market on a parity basis. A year later, Konstantin Zasov, Konstantin Sintsov and Rusagrotrans merged with a company from Kazakhstan, agreeing to create a new structure. Astyk Trans LLC began operations in 2013.

In 2011, Konstantin Zasov, Konstantin Sintsov and Rusagrotrans increased the cost of their investment program by a third. The money was used for modernization and renewal of rolling stock. Already in 2012, Rusagrotrans (Konstantin Sintsov was a co-owner of the company at that time) had the largest fleet of grain cars in the country. The company's further development could have been facilitated by additional capital raising through trading on the stock exchange.

In 2013, as Konstantin Sintsov recalled, RTK Group, which included Rusagrotrans, began preparing for listing. But then, due to external economic factors, it was decided to postpone the share offering. The next time, according to Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov, they returned to the preparation in 2017. By that time, Rusagrotrans had expanded its capabilities by consolidating assets with international companies. At the same time, Konstantin Sintsov added, the process of searching for new partners in the European market began. In 2019, the Group received approval from the London Stock Exchange to list the securities on its market. But at the same time the partners were made an offer from a large Russian structure, as a result of which the stock exchange entry was canceled and Rustranscom was bought by VTB.

Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov today: "Kuzbass Wrestling League" and other assistance to sports

Today Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov is an investor. His investment interests are characterized by a versatile approach. In addition to business, Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov is also interested in the active development of Kuzbass sports.

In 2013, Sintsov Konstantin first became one of the founders of the wrestling tournament "Miner's Glory". The authorities of the region noted that this competition among wrestlers is considered very prestigious. From the very beginning it gathered participants from all over the world.

In 2021, the "Kuzbass Wrestling League" came to replace the "Miner's Glory" thanks to Konstantin Vladimirovich Sintsov. The purpose of the event is to identify gifted Kuzbass athletes and raise wrestling in the region to a higher level.

Also in September 2024, the tournament "Miner's Glory", in the creation of which Sintsov Konstantin directly participated, again attracted athletes. Participants came from countries such as: Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.