Roustam Tariko

“I believe there is not any big difference between any consumer business, whether it's a bank or insurance or vodka or chocolate, whatever it is.”

“I launched Imperia at the Statue of Liberty because I wanted to use something symbolic. I like American society because it always wants to do something new and better.”

“I believe in emotional branding.”

“From the country with limited hope to grow your own business and express your own personality, Russia has become the land of significant opportunity.”

“I don't very much distinguish when I'm working. I do what I like to do: the time changes and my activity changes.”

“I do not separate my job and my personal life; therefore, I never work and never rest.”

“Wherever I am, I start my day, it's the same. I'm not an early bird. I'm not waking up at five o'clock, six o'clock; it's usually seven-thirty, eight o'clock, and I will then read the newspapers, emails from around the world and make phone calls.”

“There are a lot of people who are trying hard to sell themselves as Russian vodkas.”

“The only warning I'd give is - make sure you are strong enough and committed enough in your business pursuits. It is commitment and belief, not just the bottom line, that should drive you.”

“Lots of businesses built in the early 1990s were not very transparent, not only by Russians, but also by foreigners.”

“What I'm primarily responsible for is products. Everything is developed with my personal involvement. Second is client communication. Everything to do with product and consumer is my primary focus. I also deal with everything which relates to investment and partnership. Distribution, finance, administration, I don't do.”

“I would prefer myself to own all of my brand, where everything I am responsible for myself.”

“When you have premium brands, you have to have the right balance of communicating all of your values.”

“Considering that Americans are now moving away from whiskey, moving away from brown spirits in general, I believe that they will all join Russians who drink vodka straight. They will sip it like cognac.”

“Money is always an indicator of a job well done.”

“I had English grammar book and started to teach myself. I read 'Catcher in Rye,' in Russian. I was amazed at freedom in 'Catcher in Rye!' Freedom to have those perceptions of life!”

“I was proud of my Soviet country, of wearing Young Pioneer uniform, bombarded by my mother's Communist propaganda.”

“I am president of Russian Standard Company, biggest luxury vodka in Russia. My bank, Russian Standard Bank, issues biggest number of credit cards in Russia. I want for Russian people to have their own best vodka, their own best bank, their own best credit card.”

“You need to be honest and always see new opportunities coming. So I call it intuition, innovation, execution - these are my working principles.”

“We buy the most expensive grain available growing on the best part of Russian land called black soil. We also play close attention to the purity of the water - we get it from Lake Ladoga. We store it ourselves to specific conditions. We carefully manage distillation at my distillery in Moscow.”