RUSSIA: Lord Owen's foreign & commercial office.

Middlesex holdings has dealt in many things, from aluminium and steel to oil. Now, by venturing into the former Soviet Union it may well have struck gold.

Lord Owen has come a long way since his days as foreign secretary in the '70s Labour government. These days, when Owen visits the Kremlin, it is in a new role - as businessman. As executive chairman of Middlesex Holdings, a trader with interests in the former Soviet Union, Owen is proving that there is money to be made for British companies doing business with Russia and the Confederation of Independent States.