Rustam Minnikhanov was born on March 1, 1957 in the Novyi Arysh village of the Rybno-Slobodsky District in the Tatar ASSR.

Education:
He graduated from Kazan Agricultural Institute in 1978 as mechanical engineer and from Correspondence Institute of Soviet Trade (Moscow) as a commodity expert in 1986.
He is a doctor of economic sciences.

Career:
1978-1980 – engineer in the Saby District Association of Selkhoztekhnika
1980-1983 – senior engineer and chief power engineer in the Saby timber industry enterprise
1983-1985 – deputy chairman of the District Consumer Society Board
1985-1990 – chairman of the District Consumer Society Board in the Arsk District
1990-1992 – chairman of the Arsk District Executive Committee
1992-1993 – first deputy head of the Arsk District Administration
1993-1996 – head of the Vysokaya Gora District
1996-1998 – minister of finance of the Republic of Tatarstan
In 1998, Rustam Minnikhanov was appointed Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan
From March 25, 2010 – President of the Republic of Tatarstan
From March 24, 2015 – Acting President of the Republic of Tatarstan
From September 18, 2015 – President of the Republic of Tatarstan

State awards:
Order of Friendship (2002);
Order of Services to Motherland 4th class (2007);
Order of Services to the Republic of Tatarstan (2007);
Medal in memory of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg (2003);
Medal in memory of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan (2005);
Medal to mark the three billionth ton of oil in Tatarstan (2007);
Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (2008);
Laureate of the Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology (2009);
Certificate of Honor of the President of the Russian Federation (2009);
Certificate of Honor of the Government of the Russian Federation (2010);
Gratitude of the of the President of the Russian Federation (2012);
Gratitude of the of the Government of the Russian Federation (2012, 2013);
Order of Honor (2014)

Married, one son.

Keen on motor sport. Honoured Master of Sports.