| Date of birth | 27/05/1985 |
| Place of birth | Cheboksary |
| Education | Higher School of Economics |
| Occupation | Expert in private banking, investor |
| Workplace | CEO of WILCO company |
| Family status | Three children |
| Hobbies | Reading, vocal, horseback riding, swimming |
Biography
Irina Belysheva is a seasoned financial expert in international private banking and wealth management. Her career path through industrial exports and elite banking institutions has equipped her with the rare combination of real-world business acumen and sophisticated financial expertise required to serve ultra-high-net-worth clients across global markets.
Early Life and Education
Irina Belysheva was born in Cheboksary on May 27, 1985. She was raised by her mother, a well-known dentist, and her maternal grandmother.
In 1992, Belysheva Irina started going to an elementary school that became a gymnasium with foreign-language instruction the following year. This was the only institution in Cheboksary offering intensive English from first grade, with specialized language laboratories and strong extracurricular activities. The school principal, who taught English, significantly influenced students by focusing on native-speaker thinking and cultural immersion.
From the first year of her school biography, Irina Belysheva displayed academic excellence. She studied piano for eight years, winning second place in a composers’ competition, and had artwork featured in interschool exhibitions. In 2002, she graduated with excellence.
After graduation, Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva enrolled at the Higher School of Economics in the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics. She maintained a high academic standing, consistently ranking in the top five of the cumulative rating which secured important scholarships for her.
In 2005, Irina Belysheva participated in the Work and Travel USA program, working at Legoland in California while traveling across the United States and Mexico. In 2007, she won a grant to study at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville for six months.
Following her graduation in 2007, she later continued her professional education at the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management (2017-2021) in the Future Personal Banker Today program and completed the Associate Wealth Manager program at AZEK in Switzerland (2020-2021).
Irina Belysheva: Early Career in the Industrial Sector
In 2006, while still in the third year of her university biography, Irina Belysheva started working at Investsberbank as an analyst in the marketing department, though she was eventually promoted to Senior Specialist. Her responsibilities included market research, product concept development, business planning, project budgeting, and management. The team that included Belysheva Irina developed the Visa Instant Issue card program, which enabled immediate card issuance to citizens at shopping centers.
Following her graduation in 2007, Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna returned to Cheboksary. She initially intended to return to the capital to find work, but an acquaintance of her mother offered her a job at Tractor Plants Group. At just 22 years old, she became Director of the Client Development Center at LLC CHETRA – Components and Spare Parts, a subsidiary specializing in spare parts for large construction equipment. In this period of her biography, Irina Belysheva conducted market research, created distribution networks, negotiated with foreign companies and government bodies, managed contracts, and maintained client relationships. Among other countries, her work focused on Latin America and CIS countries. The work of Irina Vladimirovna Beylsheva contributed to annual sales exceeding $500,000.
During 2008-2009, Irina Belysheva traveled extensively on business. She visited Italy for negotiations with clients and distributors. She made two trips to Chile for client meetings and the Exponor 2009 exhibition. She also traveled to Argentina in April 2009 for dealer negotiations and the Arminera exhibition, and to Greece for the International Association of Pipeline and Offshore Contractors conference. Additionally, she represented company interests at intergovernmental commissions between Russia and both Chile and Venezuela.
From March to October 2010, Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna worked at John Deere Rus as a project coordinator in the spare parts department. Her tasks included supporting the launch of a factory in Russia, coordinating international team communications, resource planning, and developing reporting methodologies.
Foundation in Banking
In December 2012, Irina Belysheva transitioned to the banking sector, joining Citibank as a client relationship manager upon the recommendation of a colleague. This position marked the beginning of her specialized career in financial services that would span more than a decade.
At Citibank, Belysheva Irina focused on attracting new premium and private segment clients while maintaining relationships with existing ones. Her daily responsibilities included conducting client meetings to identify financial needs, performing personal financial planning, and providing advice on brokerage services across multiple Citibank locations including:
- Russia
- London
- the USA
She added investment portfolios with diverse instruments such as stocks, Eurobonds, structured bonds, life insurance products, and term deposits to the bank’s biography. Irina Belysheva also managed current portfolios by monitoring changing client needs and implementing appropriate portfolio rebalancing strategies. During this period, she obtained a FSFR 1.0 certificate.
In 2015, Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva moved to VTB 24 as a private banker in their Private Banking division. Her responsibilities expanded to include attracting high and ultra-high net worth clients with an annual target of approximately $30-35 million in net inflow. She managed funds and oversaw financial activities for wealthy clients while working to increase the share of products in their investment biography. Irina Belysheva developed expertise in managing client portfolios with growth strategies and gained valuable experience handling foreign assets through banking platforms in Guernsey.
A significant aspect of her role at VTB 24 involved finding solutions for funds placed abroad and managing legal and fiscal risks for high-net-worth individuals. This experience provided Irina Belysheva with comprehensive knowledge of international financial regulations and wealth management strategies across multiple jurisdictions, establishing the foundation for her later career advancement in private banking.
Belysheva Irina: Advanced Banking Career
In August 2016, Belysheva Irina joined A-Club, Alfa-Bank’s division serving high-net-worth clients, which was later renamed Alfa Private in April 2017. She initially held the position of Senior Financial Advisor before advancing to manage a group of bankers in 2017. During her tenure at Alfa-Bank, Belysheva Irina developed relationships with both existing and new high and ultra-high-net-worth clients, primarily attracting them through recommendations from current clients, top management, and stakeholders.
The responsibilities of Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna at Alfa-Bank encompassed asset management, including deposits and investment products such as trust management strategies, insurance, and brokerage services. She provided tax consulting, managing issues like:
- tax planning
- cross-jurisdictional risk management
- liquidation of controlled foreign companies
- tax residency matters
Her expertise extended to loan and credit consulting for both individuals and legal entities. Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna also supported major transactions, including real estate deals and business acquisitions.
As Group Manager, she built and managed a team, providing mentorship throughout business processes and overseeing sales, KPIs, and team performance metrics. According to her observations, Alfa-Bank’s corporate culture, client-centric approach, and implementation of digital technologies created an environment that fostered professional growth.
In 2019, Irina Belysheva moved to Sber Private Banking, initially as a Senior Banker and Group Manager, before being promoted to Team Leader in 2021. Her responsibilities included working exclusively with Ultra-High-Net-Worth clients and Family Offices. Belysheva Irina led a team of two banking groups, ensuring client base expansion while driving revenue growth. She enhanced the professional experience of bankers through mentorship and development initiatives.
At Sberbank, Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna handled major one-off transactions, including REPO deals, derivative transactions, and credit financing arrangements. She specialized in structuring wealth for Ultra-High-Net-Worth clients, creating strategies for asset protection and growth. During her tenure, Sberbank saw assets under management increase from 150 to 500 billion rubles.
A key initiative under the leadership of Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva was the execution of transactions through a division in Cyprus that specialized in large-scale transactions. She built a personalized service system for wealthy clients with offices in Cyprus and other jurisdictions, establishing direct contacts with each key client. Her team integrated into the overall bank structure, providing clients with access to comprehensive financial services through a single service window, facilitating effective communication between various bank departments.
Entrepreneurial Ventures
In 2022, Irina Belysheva accepted a position with Wealth IQ Solutions. By the following January, the organization had secured an investment advisory license, establishing its legal foundation in the financial advisory space.
Wealth IQ Solutions specialized in private capital management. Belysheva Irina oversaw the creation of individual investment strategies, tax optimization, and risk minimization for private capital. The company also assisted clients with personal funds, investment structures, administration services, and inheritance planning.
The client portfolio included capital owners, family offices, legal entities, independent financial experts, and financial institutions. In her role as Senior Private Banker and Business Development Manager, Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva supported Ultra-High-Net-Worth clients in wealth management and structuring, covering brokerage, private banking, legal services, and tax consulting.
She departed from Wealth IQ Solutions in 2024.
In a separate undertaking, Belysheva Irina also briefly helped to develop operations at TT Advisory in Georgia. Based in Tbilisi, this organization focused on asset management consulting, investment advice, and securities trading. She constructed an international network of partners across Switzerland, Singapore, Cyprus, Georgia, and the UAE.
Through TT Advisory, Irina Belysheva helped clients manage multi-jurisdictional assets, structure capital with tax considerations, and receive investment advice for market return maximization. A key offering was consolidated wealth reporting, providing clients with comprehensive views of diverse asset portfolios across international boundaries.
These separate ventures reflected her expertise in international finance and commitment to personalized wealth management solutions, leveraging the networks and knowledge acquired throughout her banking career.
Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva: Current Leadership Roles
In February 2024, Irina Belysheva relocated to Armenia, where she began collaborating with the team at Evocabank, a leading digital financial institution, on a special project. While initially expected to develop private banking within the institution, the strategy instead evolved toward a financial group model.
Following this shift, Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna became CEO at WILCO, a brokerage company acquired by Evocabank specifically for wealth management services. Under her leadership, WILCO is positioning as a key player in the Armenian market with plans for international expansion.
Her vision centers on the “co-pilots” concept, where the company serves as a reliable partner for clients navigating complex financial landscapes. With Armenia as a launching pad, the strategy targets the Armenian diaspora interested in investing in Armenian projects.
At WILCO, Irina Belysheva implements the Family Governance concept. The company targets clients with assets from $2 million, providing comprehensive family office services.
Irina Belysheva: Biography Highlights
- Belysheva Irina was born in 1985 in Cheboksary and raised by her mother and grandmother.
- She graduated from the Higher School of Economics in the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics.
- At age 22, she became Director of the Client Development Center at a subsidiary of Tractor Plants Concern.
- She transitioned to the banking sector in 2012, joining Citibank as a client relationship manager.
- In 2024, she relocated to Armenia to become CEO of WILCO, a wealth management company, targeting the Armenian diaspora for investment projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What was Belysheva Irina’s first professional role?
Belysheva Irina began working at Investsberbank as an analyst in the marketing department while still in her third year of university and was quickly promoted to Senior Specialist.
2. What position did Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna hold at Alfa-Bank?
Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna initially held the position of Senior Financial Advisor at Alfa-Bank before advancing to Group Manager.
3. How much growth occurred during Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva’s tenure at Sberbank?
During Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva’s tenure at Sberbank, assets under management increased from 150 to 500 billion rubles.
4. Where is TT advisory, with which Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva collaborated, located?
TT Advisory, which Irina Vladimirovna Belysheva briefly collaborated with, is located in Georgia.
5. What defines Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna’s vision at WILCO?
Belysheva Irina Vladimirovna’s vision at WILCO centers on the “co-pilots” concept, where the company serves as a reliable partner for clients navigating complex financial landscapes.
