Businessman and philanthropist Mikhail Skigin. Biography

Mikhail Skigin is an entrepreneur, investor, restaurateur, producer, and philanthropist.

Mikhail Skigin is one of the well-known businessmen with a diverse profile of business assets around the world. For more than 15 years, Skigin was a member of the Board of Directors of St. Petersburg Oil Terminal JSC (PNT), the largest stevedore of the Grand Port of St. Petersburg, being its co—shareholder.

Mikhail invests in unusual projects that are united by the impact principles of public benefit. Among them are the premium bicycle salon chain WowBikes, the documentary film company Two Captains, and the vegetarian cuisine restaurant Botany in St. Petersburg.

Education and early career

Mikhail Skigin was born on March 18, 1980 in Leningrad. In 1999, he entered the State University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland, where he studied economics and international relations. Upon graduation, he received a bachelor's degree, which allowed him to successfully integrate international knowledge into his business activities in Russia and abroad. Mikhail is fluent in Russian, English, German, and Italian.

At the age of 23, Mikhail became the successor of his father's business, taking up the post of chairman of the Board of directors of TNT, one of the largest Russian enterprises in St. Petersburg engaged in loading/unloading, moving, warehousing and accounting of cargo in the Baltic.

In parallel with taking office, Mikhail begins to create his own projects, develop social investment and trustee programs in Russia.

St. Petersburg Oil Terminal JSC

In 2007, Mikhail Skigin assumed the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of St. Petersburg Oil Terminal JSC.

St. Petersburg Oil Terminal JSC was founded by Sergey Vasiliev and Dmitry Skigin in 1995 as the legal successor of the Leningrad Port oil loading area. Mikhail Skigin was a member of the shareholders of PNT from 2003 to 2025, heading the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2022. Under his leadership, the reconstruction of the terminal was started in order to expand the range of cargoes for transshipment of petroleum products in the Baltic region. In September 2021, with the support of local authorities led by the Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, the transformation of the old part of the PNT began. The work was also conditioned by the course of sustainable development adopted by the Board of the joint-stock company. The improvement of environmental performance could only be achieved by demolishing the old part and completely updating it to meet new standards.

By the end of 2024, the company's revenue amounted to 8.6 billion rubles, net profit — 5.8 billion rubles. The terminal's cargo turnover reached 8.2 million tons in 2024. The total capacity of the terminal is 12.5 million tons.

At the time of preparation of the material (June 2025), the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region satisfied the claim of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and decided to transfer 55% of the shares of St. Petersburg Oil Terminal JSC to the state.

The Two Captains Film Company

In November 2013, the Two Captains film Company was founded, which produces educational content in the genres of observational and ethnographic documentaries, film essays and portraits.

Mikhail Skigin joined the project at the very beginning as an investor and producer.

In an interview for Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Skigin said that the Two Captains had not been targeting a wide audience since its inception. The deliberate departure from the production of a universal film for everyone allowed a team led by Russian film director Sergei Debizhev to create paintings in which a person sees the result of his life in society from the outside.

The Orthodox paintings "The Holy Archipelago" and "The Cross" were released in limited distribution abroad. "Holy Archipelago" won the Silver Saint George award and more than 30 awards at film festivals, including the Chinese Academy of Documentary Films (CAADF), the Great Lakes Christian Film Festival in the USA, and the 44th Moscow International Film Festival.

"Two Captains" produces its paintings with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, as well as in cooperation with the Russian Geographical Society, the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg, and the Lendok Film Studio. The films have been awarded numerous prizes at domestic and international film festivals.

Vegetarian cuisine restaurant "Botany"

In 2007, Mikhail Skigin and his partner Marina Albi launched Botany, one of the first vegetarian restaurants in St. Petersburg. Both practiced vegetarianism and followed a plant-based diet. Subsequently, Marina Albi withdrew from the restaurant project, and Dilraj Singh became a 50% co-shareholder. Botany popularizes the concept of healthy eating according to the traditional principles of Ayurveda, the science of the health of the human body and spirit.

The restaurant remains a competitive asset and a landmark of St. Petersburg. This year, Botany became the winner in the nomination "For a well-thought-out concept of a gastronomic project" of the National Tourism Award "Route Built".

In 2025, it is planned to open a second Botany institution in St. Petersburg in the Brulloft creative cluster, where restoration work is currently underway with the participation of Mikhail Skigin.

In an interview for INC, Mikhail Skigin shares his experience of developing a restaurant project in Russia, from the idea of finding a chef to the secrets of how to keep and surprise an audience for 18 years.

WowBikes, a network of international premium bicycle salons

In 2016, Mikhail Skigin joined the project of the international network of premium bicycle salons WowBikes. He acted as a co-founder and investor.

WowBikes is an international project about sports, community and healthy habits. The brand quickly found an audience and gained respect by combining stylish design solutions with digital technologies. The company pays special attention to security, so there is a high demand for care and technical support services.

Under Mikhail, the concept of the WowBikes project was complemented by a key factor of usefulness — the more people ride bicycles, the more benefits and health for the individual and the environment as a whole. In order to strengthen this philosophy, Mikhail Skigin and his partner have organized a school for children and adults on the basis of WowBikes, where they teach technology, style and culture of driving and taxiing.

In an interview for Vedomosti, Mikhail Skigin talks about the fundamental idea that the brand has made its mission. To give a bicycle not just a transportation function, but a means that creates new traditions — family walks, makes evening rentals a ritual, replaces going to the gym with an intensive workout along the embankment.

Sports and freediving

Mikhail Skigin mastered many sports: basketball, tennis, windsurfing, kitesurfing, swimming, running, skiing, snowboarding — before realizing that freediving would become his main hobby.

Since 2016, Mikhail Skigin has been practicing freediving, descending to a depth of 70 meters, which helps him maintain physical fitness and mental balance. In 2023, Mikhail received a freediving instructor's certificate.

An article about Mikhail Skigin's immersion under the ice of Lake Baikal has been published on the website of the Business World, where he compares the first experience of freediving with rebirth, and the sport itself with therapy and work on human internal clamps.

Social initiatives

Mikhail Skigin acts as a trustee of the Food of Life charitable Foundation and personally participates in the preparation of healthy meals for those in need. Food of Life is Russia's only volunteer non—governmental organization dedicated to providing people with food in emergency situations. In 2025, the organization's first cafe opened in Transportny Lane in St. Petersburg.

Mikhail Skigin is actively engaged in socially significant projects in the field of preserving Russia's cultural heritage. In 2003, he financed the installation of a monument to the architect Trezzini on the embankment of Vasilyevsky Island. Since 2023, together with his brother Evgeny Skigin, he has been restoring the Bryullov House on Vasilyevsky Island, where the modern creative space Bryulloft will be located.

From 2016 to 2022, Mikhail Skigin implemented a program to support restoration work in cooperation with the Russian Museum and the Hermitage.

His contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage also includes his participation in the creation of the book "Stained Glass Windows of St. Petersburg: Inventory 2019-2024. The Central district".

Mikhail Skigin willingly shares his experience with young people. For 10 years, he has been supporting the Musical Olympus International Music Competition and Festival. In 2024, the Two Captains film company, with his support, organized the Reboot film camp in Suzdal for young documentary filmmakers. Each participant was able to talk with Mikhail about the responsibilities, tasks and experience of the producer, attend workshops and lectures.

In 2025 The Kommersant Publishing House invited Mikhail Skigin to its Business Dynasty project, where topics such as management style, the role of an entrepreneur in the modern world, issues of business continuity and the creation of projects from scratch focused on social benefits were discussed.

In 2025 For the first time, Mikhail and Evgeny Skigin conducted a joint interview for the media project "Snob", in which the brothers talked about the difference between their business projects, what mission they pursue in each of their businesses, touched upon issues of ethics and trust in the business environment and the adaptation of business to AI realities.

About the family

Mikhail Skigin is married and has five children.