Alexander Temerko

Alexander Temerko is a wealthy Russian businessman and energy industry investor whose company Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN) constructs oil and gas platforms and builds foundations for offshore wind turbines.

Temerko is Director of Business Development and Deputy Chairman of the OGN Board.

Conservative Party donor

Temerko is one of the Conservative Party's biggest donors, reportedly donating a total of £208,500 in the two years to September 2013. This includes £104,500 worth of contributions in the first quarter of 2013, making him the eighth biggest donor for the period. His company OGN donated a further £139,655 (117,300 of this in the second quarter).

The level of Temerko's donations have secured him direct access to Prime Minister David Cameron through his Leaders' Group. Since 2012 Temerko has attended two of its elite events.

Views

In September 2013 Temerko became the first high-profile investor to publicly criticise the government's green energy policies in what The Independent deemed 'an unprecedented attack' on George Osborne, David Cameron and Ed Davey. He accused the trio of squandering an opportunity to create thousands of jobs and billions of pounds of revenues by scaring off desperately-needed investors in the UK offshore wind industry.

Temerko called the Coalition's approach to energy policy 'hypocritical', arguing that Cameron should honour his pledge to 'lead the greenest government ever'.

Lobbying firms

Temerko's OGN Group is listed as clients of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs as of 4 February 2014 and previously also used Gardant Communications

Affiliations

• Russian oil giant Yukos - served as deputy to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a political opponent of Vladimir Putin jailed by a Russian court in May 2005, released in 2013
• David Cameron's Leaders' Group