Kakha Bendukidze

Kakha Bendukidze
კახა ბენდუქიძე
Bendukidze in 2012
Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development
In office 1 June 2004 – 14 December 2004
President	Mikheil Saakashvili
Succeeded by	Lekso Aleksishvili
Ministry of Economical Reforms Coordination
In office 14 December 2004 – 24 January 2008
President	Mikheil Saakashvili
Head of Chancellery of the Government of Georgia
In office January 2008 – February 2009
Personal details
Born	(1956-04-20)20 April 1956 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR
Died	13 November 2014(2014-11-13) (aged 58) London, United Kingdom
Spouse	Natalia Zolotova
Children	Anastasia Goncharova
Website	http://kakhabendukidze.com/

Kakha Bendukidze (Georgian: კახა ბენდუქიძე; 20 April 1956 – 13 November 2014) was a Georgian statesman, businessman and philanthropist, founder of the Knowledge Foundation and head of the supervisory board of Agricultural and Free Universities.

A biologist by education, Bendukidze started his own business, Bioprocess, which manufactured biochemicals for scientific research in 1987. Soon he became known as one of Russia's leading libertarians. He led a working group on tax and currency within the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and pressed for changes in tax policy, which ultimately included adoption of a flat 13 percent tax rate. In Russia, he was a strong opponent of government intervention in the economy, a view that put him at odds with President Vladimir Putin. Soon Bendukidze sold his stake and moved back to Georgia.^[1]

After the Rose Revolution, shortly after returning from Russia, he was appointed as Minister of Economy by former President Mikheil Saakashvili and the late Prime Minister Zurab Jvania in 2004.^[2] He served as Georgian Minister of Economy (June–December 2004), Minister for Reform Coordination (December 2004 – January 2008) and Head of the Chancellery of Government of Georgia (February 2008 – February 2009). Bendukidze oversaw liberal reforms that overhauled Georgia's post-Soviet economy. Consequently, he became regarded by many as the Man Who Remade Georgia.^[3][4]

After the appointment of Bendukidze, Georgia experienced a yearly 9.3% economic growth in 2004–2007 and almost four times more foreign investments. The government managed to decrease the taxes fourfold, the number of licenses by 90% and to liberalize the labour market.^[2]

He created a charity called the Knowledge Foundation, and he was the force behind the establishment of the Free University of Tbilisi and the Agricultural University of Georgia.^[1]

Bendukidze took an active role in helping the new government of Ukraine during its confrontation with Russia in 2014.^[1]