Oleg Firer Showcases Success in Range of Efforts
In our work highlighting some of the more influential names in the business world, we often focus on the efforts of individuals who have a single, well-known success. While these individuals can be instructive for those just starting out on an entrepreneurial journey, they can sometimes have less to teach us than the stories of individuals who have found success in many different areas of their life. Such is the case with Oleg Firer, a noted businessman, diplomat, and philanthropist. We’ve made efforts below to showcase some of the many facets of the entrepreneur’s life in the hope that it can serve as inspiration for those seeking to achieve a similarly high level of success.
Early life and education
Born September 18, 1977, in city of Odessa in the USSR (now part of Ukraine), the story of Oleg Firer is of a person making his way in the world despite the obstacles. With a longstanding interest in organizational leadership, the executive knew early on in life that he wanted to make an impact in the world of business and state policy. To help support these goals, he studied computer science at the CUNY New York City College of Technology. Focusing on computer literacy as the internet was taking hold in the wider world would prove fortuitous as it would help guide his later efforts in supporting digital commerce.
After entering the workforce and utilizing his computer knowledge in a professional capacity, the businessman could see that it would be beneficial to further refine his leadership skills. Not only would such a course of action provide additional opportunities in his professional career, it could also help him enter the wider world of public service in a leadership role. In order to support these desires, he returned to school, this time to the University of Phoenix, to study business management.
This decision would also prove to be prescient, as we’ll see, since it helped prepare him for his later undertakings in diplomacy. It also led to one more stint of schooling, this time to further influence his effectiveness in the field of international affairs. To this end, he attended the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, a leading university in Russia for the training of specialists in international affairs. Founded in 1934, the university is known as one of Russia’s most storied institutions and has contributed significantly to Firer’s ability to carry out his diplomatic duties.
Diplomatic efforts
Those diplomatic duties revolve around his role as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Grenada to the Russian Federation. This role, which establishes the Ambassador as a representative of Grenada’s government, sees him directly in touch with members of Russia’s diplomatic corps. This role helps to facilitate working relations between the two countries and communicates the wishes of the heads of states of each government to one another.
Related to these efforts, the Ambassador also works as the representative of Grenada to the World Health Organization (WHO). The organization, which is a specialized agency of the United Nations, is responsible for international public health and for setting and advising on health policy throughout the world. In his work with the organization, the Ambassador helps to communicate the unique health needs of Grenada to both the World Health Organization and the United Nations. He also helps to disseminate vital health information to Grenada’s Ministry of Health.
Work as chief executive
In addition to his diplomatic efforts, Oleg Firer is also a notable businessman who currently serves as the Executive Chairman and CEO of Net Element (Nasdaq-listed: NETE). The technology-focused company specializes in mobile payments and value-added transactional services. Through this work, the firm aims for continued growth in both the United States and emerging countries. The company consists of a group of many different technology companies focused on the payments industry, including Unified Payments, which was ranked as one of the fastest-growing companies in North America by Deloitte in 2018. The group also includes Aptito, a next generation cloud-based point of sale payments platform, and Payonline, an electronic commerce platform known for being processor agnostic.
With the group’s suite of APIs and technological connectors, it can provide a host of innovative solutions to suit individual payment needs. This includes combining e-commerce, offline, POS, and office tools in one unified payment technology. It also makes intelligent use of the cloud to ensure that payments are tracked in a secure, consistent, and unobtrusive manner. This is further supported by end to end encryption services and tamper-resistant hardware.
The CEO’s role in these efforts is informed not only by his long history in the areas of computer science and technology, but also by his understanding of the field of payment processing. This understanding is supported by work at Unified Payments, where he served as Executive Chairman until its acquisition by TOT Group. He’s also held leadership-level positions at companies in private equity, wireless communication, and other technology-centric firms.
As a recognized leader in the electronic payments industry, Oleg Firer is a member of various committees of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA). Founded in 1990, ETA is the leading trade association for the payments industry.
Philanthropic efforts
In addition to his diplomatic and entrepreneurial efforts, Oleg Firer is also known for his philanthropic undertakings. Much of this work is conducted through the Firer Family Charitable Foundation. The foundation, created in recognition of the founder’s own family and its struggles to overcome obstacles throughout life, is focused on passing on the fruits of his success to those in need.
One of the organization’s signature programs is its scholarship fund. The fund, which focuses on supporting the Jewish community in the United States, seeks to provide support for Jewish students pursuing secondary schooling. Scholarships are based on financial need and priority is given to immigrant students. To that effect, Oleg Firer is also a board member of Chabad Russian Center of South Florida.
Though just an overview of his many efforts in the business, diplomatic, and philanthropic space, the above summary serves to showcase the multifaceted life of Oleg Firer. This is done to help others more tangibly understand how success can be simultaneously achieved in many different areas through a foundation of hard work, education, and determination. While much can be said about the efforts of a motivated individual to attain success in a single area, hopefully this summary can show that one need not limit oneself to a single area if they feel compelled to contribute to the world through multiple avenues.