Radius Group was founded by David Simons and Chris Van Riet. It is with great sadness that we regret to have to inform you that after an extremely arduous, yet very brave, battle against cancer, Christopher Van Riet passed away on Sunday, 16 May 2021. He is survived by his beloved wife and two sons. Christopher was dedicated to helping clients identify their real estate needs, creating solutions and safeguarding client interests.
Christopher moved to Russia in 1995 as he saw in the rise of Russia's new market economy a tremendous opportunity to apply intellectual and financial capital to build businesses aimed at providing the Russian people with high-quality goods and services.
Christopher succeeded in a wide range of business ventures: head of investment banking for the Alliance-Menatep subsidiary of Bank Menatep; CFO of Russia’s fourth largest airline, Transaero Airlines; debt workout advisor for Daiwa Securities, for whom he executed a successful recovery strategy for a defaulted $100 million loan agreement with Group Menatep while acting as a board member of the Yukos Oil Company; and private equity investor in Dixy Retail Limited. Christopher was responsible for over $1 billion in financing across a variety of businesses in Russia, including retail, entertainment, logistics and real-estate, while generating above-market returns for investors. Of special note, while executive chairman of Dixy Retail Limited, Christopher led the company to its $360 million 2007 initial public offering. Prior to moving to Russia, Christopher worked as an investment banker for Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette.
Christopher graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in psychology and a BS in economics from the Wharton School. Christopher has served on the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce of Russia, the US-Russian Chamber of Commerce, and the Young President's Organization (YPO) Russia Chapter.
Christopher believed that the Russian people share similar values with the leading, developed nations of the world, and was committed to increasing understanding of Russia and the Russian people within the United States of America.
He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by both the Radius team and the business community in general.