Shubarev Maxim Valerevich is a significant figure in real estate development as the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Setl Group holding. He started his business in the mid-1990s, and since then, his company has evolved from a small firm into one of the leading industry players.
Under the leadership of Maxim Shubarev, Setl Group constructs residential properties and actively develops various infrastructures. The entrepreneur also focuses on the restoration of historic houses and other heritage sites, as well as charitable initiatives.
Шубарев Максим · Максим Валерьевич Шубарев ·Shubarev Maxim · Shubarev Maxim Valerevich · Maxim Valerevich Shubarev · Maxim Shubarev · Maksim Shubarev · Shubarev Maksim · Shubarev Maksim Valerievich · Шубарев Максим Валерьевич · Maksim Valerievich Shubarev · Максим Шубарев
Shubarev Maxim Valerevich: Educational background
Maxim Shubarev is a native of St. Petersburg. He was born in 1968 when the city was known as Leningrad. Several generations of his family had connections to the engineering field.
The future entrepreneur graduated from school with good grades. He initially planned to dedicate his life to military service.
Maxim Valerevich Shubarev began studying at the Leningrad Institute of Aviation Instrumentation (now known as the St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation) in 1985. He also started working at the scientific-production association Leninets, where he assembled radio equipment. A year later, he was drafted into the armed forces, and after serving in the navy, Shubarev Maxim decided not to pursue a military career. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that his time in the navy provided him with valuable life experience.
Maxim Shubarev was discharged from the military and then decided to transfer to the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (now the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University). With his assistance, a committee of the international student organization AIESEC was established at his school – one of the first chapters of this association in the country. As a result, students from the Institute had access to internships in the West, and vice versa, with students also coming from the West. Shubarev Maxim Valerevich graduated from the Institute in 1993.
Maxim Valerevich Shubarev also continued working at Leninets, eventually rising to the position of vice president, coordinating industrial and construction activities. He left the organization in 1994 to start his own business.
Shubarev Maxim Valerevich: His entrepreneurial start
Shubarev Maxim recalls that in parallel with the formation of a market economy in the early 1990s, real estate development was evolving into its modern form in the country. During this period, he founded the company Petersburg Real Estate. The firm completed its first project in 1995 – a residential building with an area of 15,000 square meters on Belorusskaya Street. A year later, the organization began developing its first projects from scratch. In 1997, the company opened a real estate agency, through which it sold not only its own apartments but also residential properties from partner developers.
Maxim Shubarev recalls that the early years of the young firm were challenging. It took time for the company to earn the trust of its clients, but this was ultimately achieved by responsibly fulfilling all commitments. Petersburg Real Estate adhered to this principle even during the economic shock of 1998.
Maxim Valerevich Shubarev led the transformation of the company he founded into a corporation in 1999. The entrepreneur, formerly the CEO of the organization, assumed the position of president. In the 2000s, the business structure gradually strengthened its position in the domestic real estate development sector. In 2006, the holding changed its brand.
Maxim Shubarev: Setl Group
The new name of the company founded by Maxim Shubarev, Setl Group, became increasingly well-known. In the mid-2010s, the corporation became one of the largest and most efficient developers in the country. It maintains this high position to this day.
Shubarev Maxim recalls that when his venture was still a small company, he tried to be involved in all production processes. However, as the business grew, the entrepreneur stopped intervening in such matters, entrusting them to his team of professionals, and instead began focusing on the company’s overall strategy.
Maxim Shubarev notes that some developers independently extract sand and gravel and produce bricks, concrete, and other building materials, but the businessman adheres to a different approach – not to disperse competencies but to focus on what his holding does best, which is construction.
Shubarev Maxim has developed the corporation to the points where it holds approximately 27% of the real estate development market in St. Petersburg today. Throughout its history, Setl Group has completed the construction of 346 multi-apartment buildings with a total area of 12 million square meters, accommodating 410,000 new residents. Last year, in the Northern Capital alone, the Group commissioned 864,000 square meters of residential space, which is 2.5 times more than its closest competitor.
Shubarev Maxim Valerevich especially points to the company’s project near the Vasileostrovskaya metro station. The Palacio complex there consists of several 10-story buildings painted in different colors. Within the block, there is a well-arranged courtyard, closed to outsiders. In 2016, the residential complex received the KAISSA Real Estate Award in the Business Class category.
Maxim Shubarev and the holding also constructed the Victory Plaza building, which belongs to the premium category. The appearance of the building on Gastello Street is inspired by French architecture from the pre-revolutionary era. Inside, there are 128 apartments and a parking facility. The interior of the residential complex features valuable wood species, marble, and Venetian plaster.
The One, located on Petrovsky Island, is another elite residential building constructed by the company managed by Shubarev Maxim. Many apartments in the building have open terraces overlooking the Little Neva River. Setl Group has improved the embankment area by adding pathways, planting greenery, and creating a rock garden. The public space is open to everyone.
Shubarev Maxim Valerevich also supervised the corporation’s work on the Emerald residential complex, adjacent to the Little Neva River. The complex consists of four 12-story buildings with comfort-class apartments. The ground floors of the buildings house shops, cafes, and other establishments. Below ground, there is a parking facility for 629 cars. The complex’s courtyard also features a fountain. Emerald is conveniently located near educational and medical institutions, museums, and theaters.
Setl Group also built the Petrovsky Block on the Water next to the Little Neva River. The residential complex includes a kindergarten and is equipped with advanced security and ventilation systems. This project of the company founded by Shubarev Maxim has received several prestigious architectural awards.
Another of the Group’s major projects is the Attraction residential complex near Big Sampson Avenue. The complex consists of seven nine-story buildings. Each apartment has a 3.2-meter ceiling, and the courtyards are complete with playgrounds and gazebos.
In 2021, the holding completed the construction of the Status at Victory Park residential complex, consisting of eight 12-story buildings. The ground floors of the buildings house businesses in retail, catering, and other service sectors. Additionally, the complex includes a kindergarten and a block of primary school classes with capacities for 185 and 100 students, respectively.
Maxim Shubarev also involves the corporation in the development of social infrastructure. 60 schools have already been completed, with approximately 20 more in the pipeline. In particular, in 2022, the Group built several kindergartens with a total capacity of 730 children and a school in Murino for 1,175 students. A notable feature of a kindergarten built for 250 children is the presence of a swimming pool, a medical office, a gym, a music classroom, rooms for clubs, and outdoor play areas.
The company’s projects are in demand not only among real estate buyers but also among small business owners. In September 2023, the company reported that over 200 cafes, shops, and internet order pickup points had opened in buildings constructed by the holding since the beginning of the year.
Shubarev Maxim Valerevich and Setl Group also work to expand the road network in St. Petersburg. To date, the company has laid approximately 27 kilometers of roads equipped with signs, traffic lights, and bike lanes. One of the latest additions was two additional lanes on Boris Shmelev Street, with a length of over 800 meters.
Maxim Valerevich Shubarev and the holding are planning to build a drawbridge across the Neva River, which will be the first of its kind in St. Petersburg since the early 1980s. The bridge will be located on the longest bridgeless stretch of the river to connect the October Embankment and Obukhovskaya Oborona Avenue. The infrastructure will be 1.587 kilometers long and will include six traffic lanes, tram tracks, 3-meter-wide sidewalks, and bike lanes.
The bridge, designed by the corporation of Maxim Shubarev, will be named the Big Smolensky Bridge. It is planned to open it for automobile traffic in 2025 and tram traffic in 2028.
Maxim Valerevich Shubarev: Restoration of architectural monuments
Shubarev Maxim Valerevich and his holding not only construct new housing and infrastructure but also take care of preserving historical buildings, including their full restoration. For example, Setl Group recreated the mansion of the industrialist Felix Chopin, which had stood for over 150 years and was destroyed in 2011. Experts used antique architectural plans and photographs to make it as close to the original as possible.
In the summer of 2019, the developer conducted emergency work on the industrialist Georgy Vega’s house. The mansion, built between 1900 and 1902, was in critical condition, but Setl Group workers installed a temporary roof, set up special support structures, and protected the gypsum caryatids with protective casings.
Shubarev Maxim notes that the company’s portfolio also includes projects for the redevelopment of old factories. For instance, the holding reconstructed the former cable workshop on Vasilievsky Island. The structure, designed by Yakov Chernikhov, was built in 1930 as part of a large metallurgical enterprise. In the early 21st century, it was abandoned and even planned for demolition.
In the end, the building was transformed into a co-working space covering 21,000 square meters and a viewing platform was installed on the water tower attached to the building. In this way, the remarkable example of constructivist industrial architecture was saved from demolition and adapted for modern needs.
Setl Group is also giving a second life to the buildings of the Kinovievsky Factory. Founded in 1876, it was the first enterprise in the empire to produce the inorganic dye ultramarine.
Maxim Shubarev oversaw the corporation’s extensive renovation of an apartment building erected at the beginning of the 20th century. After a hundred years, it had fallen into a dilapidated state, but the five-story building on Degtyarny Lane was restored to its historical appearance. The holding recreated the stucco and columns, painted the walls in the original golden color, restored the mansard windows, and refurbished the décor in the halls.
Setl Group also restored the bas-relief Electronika, which was placed on one of the buildings of the Svetlana instrument plant in 1976. The copper sculpture of a flying girl symbolizes the constant advancement of science and serves as the main symbol of the Vyborgsky District of St. Petersburg.
Maxim Valerevich Shubarev and the corporation also restored the stela in honor of the workers of the Trubostal plant who fell during World War II. The company also beautified the area around the monument to the Petrohof Landing Force, planting 3,800 violets of various colors and shades around it.
There is also a new monument in the Northern Capital dedicated to the navy, which was created with the participation of Maxim Shubarev. Setl Group acted as the trustee of the installation of the memorial panel. Its opening was dedicated to several anniversaries at once: 330 years since Peter the Great discovered his Botik, and 295 years since the founding of Kronstadt.
Maxim Shubarev: Philanthropic sphere
Philanthropy is another focus for Maxim Shubarev. Setl Group regularly allocates funds to various social projects. For instance, the corporation renovates healthcare and educational institutions and purchases furniture and equipment for them.
For example, the development company financially supported the reconstruction and re-equipment of a school in the Vasilievsky District. It is the only institution in the country where children with disabilities not only go through the general education program but also receive vocational training and learn to live independently without adults.
Under the leadership of Maxim Shubarev, Setl Group also designed dormitories for the theater and academy of the famous ballet master Boris Eifman. Two buildings with a total area of 18,700 square meters were designed for 430 artists and students.
Shubarev Maxim and his Group support various sports and cultural events, including the Classics at the Palace and Country of Light festivals, a soccer championship for children from orphanages, international dance competitions, and other events. In late September 2023, the company became the general partner of the Dynamo St. Petersburg soccer club which celebrated its centenary last year.
Maxim Shubarev and the management of the corporation donated tablets to 260 financially struggling students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company also organized food delivery to veterans.
Maxim Valerevich Shubarev and the holding are also active in the field of animal welfare. For example, in 2018-2019, the Group equipped a shelter for homeless animals on Glukhoozersky Highway at its own expense. In particular, the roof was repaired, engineering communications were expanded, and the interior finishings were completed. Outside, the corporation erected enclosures for walking dogs and renovated fences and gates. The company’s employees also collect food for abandoned animals. For example, in May 2022, they sent 320 kg of food to shelters.
Shubarev Maxim and his holding also support book publishing. In early 2023, Setl Group financed the publication of a children’s story called Blockade Trezorka, based on real events involving a yard dog who, thanks to its bravery and hunting skills, saved 16 residents of besieged Leningrad from hunger between 1941 and 1944. The book was sent to all school libraries in St. Petersburg.
