From his hilltop glass mansion in ancient Tbilisi, he’s accused of cultivating Georgia’s shift from the west over the past decade.

And, with his political party’s recent victory in the parliamentary elections, that trajectory appears set to continue for some time yet.

Bidzina Ivanishvili is the guiding force behind the Georgian Dream party, but what else do we know about the mysterious billionaire?

In this edition of Profile, Mark Coles takes a closer look at the man who keeps animals, collects rare trees, and who spent much of the 1990s in Russia founding companies.

Production team
Producers: Ben Cooper, Marianna Brain, Kirsteen Knight
Editor: Ben Mundy
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Credits
IMEDI TV