God Nisanov is a well-known Russian property developer and businessman with a large commercial real estate portfolio. His main role is that of co-founder and co-owner of Kievskaya Ploshchad, Russia’s top commercial real estate company. Nisanov also serves as chairman of the board of directors of JSC Olimpiyskiy Sports Complex and is the VP of the World Jewish Congress. Since 2012, the developer has been listed in Forbes magazine as a top Russian businessman.
Early Life and Career:
Born in 1972 in Azerbaijan, Nisanov completed his basic education before enrolling at Baku Finance and Credit College where he studied law. After college, Nisanov worked for a local cannery and then started his own business. In the 1990s he moved to Moscow where he entered the retail industry alongside his friend and fellow Azerbaijani Zarakh Iliev. They launched a company called Kievskaya Ploshchad in 1992 and began acquired a wide range of commercial real estate assets. These days Kievskaya Ploshchad is widely known as a leading Russian property development firm.
Business:
Together, God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev have finished a variety of commercial real estate projects, all with a special focus on opening Moscow to innovation in its retail and hospitality sector and on increasing tourism to the city. Nisanov regularly engages in development projects that involve restoring buildings that have a strong history and converting them into modern-day destinations. Other types of projects Nisanov has worked on include luxury hotels, transportation services and a variety of projects that involve food.
Special Projects:
These projects in Nisanov’s portfolio are of particular interest:
• Radisson Royal Hotel – Also known as the Hotel Ukraina, this luxury hotel was renovated by Nisanov and eventually achieved the illustrious status of becoming a Radisson Collection hotel.
• Radisson Royal Flotilla – A fleet of luxurious ice-breaking yachts that offer river cruises along the Moskva even when it is frozen over.
• Moskvarium – The largest landlocked oceanography centre and aquarium in Europe. Moskvarium features an ocean park with a great variety of marine animals and a marine biology facility.
• Depo Moscow – This trendy food mall is located in a historic building that used to be a tram station that fell into disrepair over the years. After Nisanov’s company completed extensive renovations and food-related businesses opened in it, the building became a major tourist attraction.
• Food City – An agricultural cluster that provides a complete service when it comes to food, from fresh produce directly from local farms to deli items and other groceries, Food City has everything under one roof.
In earlier years Nisanov and Iliev placed focus on shopping centres that specialise in a specific area, like the Grand which is focused on furniture and the Elektronnyy Ray mall which only provides high-end electronic goods.
Personal Life
God Nisanov is married and is the father of four children. In his free time, NIsanov enjoys diving and riding horses. He has an aptitude for linguistics and speaks six languages which include Juhuri, Russian, Arabic, English, Farsi and Turkish.