Early Life and Education
Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko was born on September 26, 1965, in Bolhrad, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). He graduated with a degree in economics from Kyiv University in 1989.
Rise to Success
Poroshenko's business career began in the late 1980s, and he started selling cocoa beans. He acquired several confectionery plants and combined them into the Roshen Confectionery Corporation in 1996. Roshen grew to become Ukraine's largest confectionery producer and one of the largest in Eastern Europe. In 2012, Forbes placed him on the Forbes list of billionaires at 1,153rd place, with US$1 billion.
Career in Politics
Poroshenko entered politics in 1998, serving as a lawmaker. He held various governmental positions, including Minister of Foreign Affairs (2009-2010) and Minister of Trade and Economic Development (2012). He was elected as the fifth President of Ukraine in 2014, serving until 2019. During his presidency, he led the country through the first phase of the war in Donbas.
Philanthropy
Poroshenko has been involved in various philanthropic activities through the Poroshenko Charity Foundation. The total amount of expenditures for social charity and strengthening of the country's defense capacity for the period from 2014 to 2017 exceeded UAH 800 million.