Ekaterina Dmitrievna Rybolovleva is a businesswoman, equestrian and socialite. She is the daughter of Russian entrepreneur, Dmitry Rybolovlev. A keen competitor in equestrian competitions around the world, she is also the owner of several businesses and properties, including those on the islands of Skorpios and Sparti. Rybolovleva is the owner of football club AS Monaco FC via a trust in her name although her father serves as the president.
Equestrian career
After many years of instruction, on 17 March 2007 Rybolovleva took part in the Officiel d’Evordes showjumping competition, where she placed in the first round R2/L2. In August 2007, she participated in a show jumping competition in Verbier, where she took the third position R3/M. In 2008, she placed in the first round E3/M1 in the Officiel d’Evordes, riding her mare, Eole Perruques. She first participated in the Gucci Masters in 2009, and became a winner in December 2010, with Malin Baryard-Johnsson after performing to the music track "Rasputin" by Boney M. In 2011 she participated in the new Gucci Masters with Kevin Staut, with the choreography to musical "Moulin Rouge".
Acquisitions and properties
In 2011, a trust acting in the interest of Rybolovleva acquired a 627 square meter apartment in New York for $88 million. The price for the penthouse apartment at 15 Central Park West was, at the time of the transaction, a record for the city. The apartment has served as Rybolovleva's home in the US whenever she attended classes at Harvard Extension School. In 2013, a company belonging to a trust acting in the interest of Rybolovleva completed the purchase of a group of companies formerly owned by Athina Onassis, the granddaughter of shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Amongst the assets of this group of companies were the islands of Skorpios and Sparti. The island of Skorpios was made famous by Aristotle Onassis’s wedding to Jackie Kennedy there in 1968. Rybolovleva has said that she views the acquisition of the islands as a “long-term financial investment” which she plans to develop using “environmentally friendly technology.” Sparti is an uninhabited island 2 km north of Skorpios. The mayor of neighboring Lefkada, Kostas Aravanis, and other local officials met with Ryobovleva and her father shortly after the sale was announced. Aravanis said that Rybolovleva's investment in Skorpios "could help the local economy, because some people will be employed there, and it will promote the area internationally." Onassis stated in his will that the island would remain in the family as long as they could afford to cover its maintenance expenses. According to the will, if his descendants could not cover the expenses, the island would be donated either to Olympic Airways or to the state. Therefore, the island is now leased to the heiress for 99 years time, still under the ownership of Athina Onassis Roussel. Rybolovleva's ownership of some assets, including the New York apartment and Skorpios, was challenged by her mother, Elena, as part of an ongoing divorce case involving her parents. However, in a major ruling in May 2014 a Geneva court confirmed the validity of the trust structures through which Rybolovleva owns these assets, meaning they are immune from legal challenge in the case. Rybolovleva told Paris Match in May 2014 that she planned to hold a gathering on Skorpios of around one hundred friends to celebrate her 25th birthday.
Philanthropy
Rybolovleva revealed in Paris Match, in the same May 2014 interview that she has established a foundation dedicated to the welfare of children, particularly those with disabilities. In June 2014, she held an event on the island of Skorpios to celebrate her 25th birthday. Instead of accepting gifts for her birthday, Rybolovleva requested that her guests make a donation to a number of children's charities in Lefkada, through her foundation.
Personal life
Rybolovleva married Uruguayan businessman Juan Sartori on October 21, 2015 on Skorpios, one day after her parents announced that they had reached a settlement in their 7-year divorce battle.
