Aleksandra Melnichenko

Aleksandra Melnichenko
Александра Мељниченко
Aleksandra Melnichenko
Born	Aleksandra Nikolić (1977-04-21) 21 April 1977 (age 47) Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Other names	Sandra Meljničenko
Occupations	Singer model
Spouse	Andrey Melnichenko ​ ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Pop
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1997–2001
Labels	City Records

Aleksandra Melnichenko (née Nikolić; Serbian: Александра Мељниченко, née Николић, romanized: Aleksandra Meljničenko; born 21 April 1977), also known as Sandra Meljničenko (Serbian Cyrillic: Сандра Мељниченко), is a Serbian [1] philanthropist and a former singer and model. She is married to the Russian billionaire entrepreneur Andrey Melnichenko.[2][3][4]

Early life

Aleksandra "Sandra" Nikolić was born and grew up in Belgrade, the capital of former Yugoslavia, to a Serbian father and a Croatian mother. Her father was an architectural engineer and her mother was an artist.[3][5] Since the breakup of Yugoslavia, Aleksandra held both Serbian and Croatian citizenship.[2][6]

Sandra was educated at the 11th Belgrade Gymnasium, before enrolling in the Faculty of International Management in Belgrade.[3]

Career

At the age of 15, while still in high school and before enrolling into Belgrade University's Faculty of Management, Aleksandra launched herself into a successful first career in fashion, winning international recognition as a model and, from 1996, regional fame as a member of the original cast of the Balkans' leading girl band Models. She returned to full-time modelling in 1998, working with leading international agencies while living in Europe's fashion capitals.[7][8][6][9]

Aleksandra Melnichenko has focused on philanthropy, mainly supporting children's education and the arts. Over time, the family's foundation and the companies the Melnichenko family invested in have donated nearly US$500 million to charity.[10]

Personal life

In 2003, in France, Aleksandra met entrepreneur and investor Andrey Melnichenko.[11] The couple married two years after their first meeting, in September 2005, and started to spend an international life between different continents and countries.[12][6]

Aleksandra and Andrey have since welcomed a daughter (2012) and a son (2017).[13][6]

Aleksandra and Andrey Melnichenko own two superyachts designed by Philippe Starck: Sailing Yacht A and Motor Yacht A, which reportedly cost $500 million and $350 million to build, respectively,[11][14] and are considered to be "one of the most advanced superyachts on the water" with "environmentally-friendly innovations."[15]

In 2023, Serbian singer Sara Jo collaborated with Serbian rapper Mimi Mercedez on a track called "Sandra Meljničenko", after Aleksandra. The track was included on Jo's debut album Bez kontrole that was released on 21 June of the same year.[16]

References

1. "Sandra Meljničenko: Modelsica koja je postala milijarderka – Ljudi – Dnevni list Danas" (in Serbian). 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
2. "ONA je najbogatija Srpkinja na svetu! | Poznati". Direktno (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
3. "NAJBOGATIJA SRPKINJA ne štedi samo za OVU STVAR: Evo ZA ŠTA je Sandra Meljničenko izdvojila neverovatnih 110 MILIONA DOLARA". www.srbijadanas.com (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
4. "Andrey Melnichenko". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
5. Татьяна Якимова 20 Июля 2010 в 12:09. "Сандра Мельниченко: быть женой миллиардера | Интервью и фотосеты | Наши люди | Tatler – журнал о светской жизни". Tatler.ru. Archived from the original on 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
6. "RODIO SE NAJBOGATIJI SRBIN NA SVETU! Porodila se Sandra Meljničenko, a kada saznate GDE..." espreso.co.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
7. "Aleksandra Melnichenko Video | Interviews". Ovguide.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
8. "Sandra Meljničenko Biografija". Biografija.org (in Serbian). 2017-05-08. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
9. Tozev, Ljubomir. "NEZAMISLIVO JE KOLIKO PARA IMAJU, "KUPAJU" SE U NOVCU: Sandra Meljničenko je i zvanično NAJBOGATIJA SRPKINJA!". Blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
10. "About the foundation". aimfoundation.info (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-05-14.
11. "Aleksandra Melnicheko Interview – Inside Aleksandra Melnicheko's Megayacht – Harper's BAZAAR Magazine". Harpersbazaar.com. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
12. Derek Blasberg, Smooth sailing: Aleksandra Melnichenko, Harper's Bazaar, November 16, 2011
13. [https.www.glossy.espreso.co.rs/poznati/vesti/103635/na-ovo-se-cekalo-pet-meseci-otkriveno-ime-sina-sandre-i-andreja-meljnicenka].Glossy.rs, 23.8.2017.
14. "The world's most expensive superyachts come with helipads, movie theaters, and swimming pools — take a look". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
15. Dobson, Jim. "World Superyacht Awards: The Best Motor And Sailing Yachts For 2018". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
16. Jovović, Pero (2023-06-21). "Kakve veze imaju Sara Jo i Sandra Meljničenko? Pevačica snimila pesmu o bivšoj modelsici, a stihovi su totalni urnebes". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2023-06-21.