Golden Telecom - History

History

Founded in 1996 by the global corporation Global Telesystems ("GTS"). NYSE-listed Global TeleSystems ("GTS") was the owner of Ebone one of Europe's leading broadband optical and IP network service providers, a Tier 1 network). GTS had its IPO on the NASDAQ in 1998. In 2000, a new management including Robert A. Schriesheim as CFO, was brought in to help restructure and refocus the company. GTS was a pan-European communications services provider, backed by Alan B. Slifka and affiliates of George Soros and Soros Private Equity, with revenues of over $1 billion and operations in 20 countries in Europe. In October 1999 GTS did an IPO of on the NASDAQ of, Golden Telecom, which held communications assets in Russia, with GTS retaining a 65% interest. GTS was essentially a portfolio of communications assets in Western and Eastern Europe which went through an IPO in 1998 and subsequently experienced challenges with an over-levered balance sheet as Europe went through deregulation and from the overall fall-out of the dot.com boom and bust which impacted its customer base. In 2001, to facilitate the sale of GTS, Mr. Schriesheim helped lead it through a pre-arranged filing under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (U.S.B.C.) and, in prearranged proceedings, a petition for surseance (moratorium), offering a composition, in the Netherlands to restructure its debt, in excess of $2 billion. All such proceedings were approved, confirmed and completed by March 31, 2002 as part of the sale of the company.