[1] In 1989, Kononov was granted a Candidate of Sciences degree in Philosophy.

In 1985, while being the secretary of the Novosibirsk City Komsomol Committee, he created and headed the Youth Initiatives Fund (FMI), which became the first self-financing organization in the Soviet Union.

Two years later, together with his friend Aleksandr Korolev, Kononov founded and headed the construction and investment company "KONKOR".

[1][2][3] In 2013, Kononov was ranked 11th in the Forbes list of wealthiest federal officials.

[4] He was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian War.