Born in Leningrad in 1962, Nesis studied radiochemistry at the prestigious Lensovet Leningrad Institute of Technology. After graduation he worked as master supervisor at the Baltic Shipbuilding Yard (the largest and one of the oldest in Russia, est. 1856), which produced a variety of ships including nuclear icebreakers and submarines. In the early 1990s, Nesis left the shipyard to set out as an entrepreneur, opting to work for himself rather than for the state.
