Roustram Tariko is the creator of Russian Standard vodka and he has an estimated net worth of $1.75 billion as of March 2013 according to Forbes. He is also the 59th richest person in Russia and is ranked 868th in the list of World Billionaires.

Roustam Vasilyevich Tariko was born on March 17, 1962 in Menzelinsk, Tatarstan, Russia. He moved to Moscow at the age of 17. In 1989, he graduated from the economics faculty of Moscow Institute for Transport Engineering. He later earned his MBA from INSEAD in France in 2000.

During the economic reforms in the 1980's, Tariko saw an opportunity and took advantage. He earned his first money by helping foreign tourists find rooms in Moscow hotels. He then worked as a consultant for the Italian confectioner, Ferrero Rocher, and started selling Italian vermouth which led to his winning an exclusive contract with Martini & Rossi.

In 1998, Mr. Tariko founded the first upscale vodka brand in Russia called Russian Standard. Along with Mckinsey & Co., he set up Russian Standard Bank, a pioneer in the consumer credit market, in 1999. It later became the market leader three years after. Today, it is one of the 30 largest banks in Russia. Until the end of 2012, it had an exclusive Russian partnership with American Express.

In 2011, Roustam Tariko made several strategic investments such as buying a 9.9% stake in Polish CEDC, one of the world’s largest vodka producers, as well as a 70% stake in Gancia, an Italian producer of sparkling wines and vermouths. In 2012, he increased his shares in CEDC to 19.5%.