Actuality December, 11, 2007

Dmitry Medvedev heads Gazprom board of directors since 2000. He took a break only once. In 2001 he resigned the honorable post to Rem Vyakhirev, the dismissed chairman of the company board, for the year. Medvedev doesn’t interfere in the company activity straight, but always provides support on the most different questions: from liberalization of Gazprom stock market to MET freezing on gas and expansionisms in power industry.

Medvedev does not have friends, but he has partners.

The majority of respondents names Alisher Usmanov as the close businessman to Medvedev. His name emerges because he is the closest investor of Gazprom. “Why should one be friends with oligarchs, if you head Gazprom board of directors?” sets the rhetorical question the leader of one public company. But Usmanov, “Gazmetall” co-owner with the wealth of $5,5 bln as estimated by Forbes, is rather a business partner. He simultaneously occupies the post of the general director of Gazprom subsidiary – Gazprominvestholding.

Medvedev appointment is good for the Putin’s friend Yrij Kovalchuk, “Russia” Bank co-owner, whose business coalesces with Gazprom more and more. In 2004 under “Russia” Bank control appeared Gazprom and Rosneft insurers – Sogaz and Neftepolis. In 2006 Sogaz acquired Leader Company, managing pension plan of gas workers – Gazfond. Now Leader Company manages 49,9% stocks of Gazprombank.

It is possible to name Roman Abramovich, Alexandr Abramov, Ruben Vardanyan, Valery Zavadnikov, Leonid Mikhelson among the “convenient” businessmen for Medvedev, says the former governmental official. They are all cofounders of the Moscow Skolkovo School of Management, which school board headed Medvedev.

Changes are not expected

Businessmen hope nothing will change after Medvedev rise to power. “Wait for Putin’s course continuation”, answers Vladimir Evtushenkov, the basic owner of Sistema Corporation. “Medvedev will continue Putin’s undertakings. There will be economic and political stability, and it is good for business”, adds Alexander Ponomarenko, the chairman of board of directors and co-owner of NCSP (Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port).

The one is good – he is not KGB serviceman, is pleased the large Russian investment banker. The most important, he continues, is not to use force structures in the business matters’ solution. Election of Medvedev is good for business on the whole – there won’t be persecutions. In the end of 2003 Medvedev doubted the “legaljuridical efficacy” of YUKOS stocks arrest and appealed to the law-enforcement authorities for caution: “The consequences of thoroughly thought over actions will immediately affect the economy”, he warned then.

Hardly anything will change for Surgutneftegas, if Medvedev will become a president, is sure Nickolay Zakharchenko, the chairman of the oil company board of directors. However, Zakharchenko is sure that quite another successor candidate appears close to the elections.

Lately discussions about strengthening of the state role in the economy became more frequent, but Medvedev nomination will put the end to the talks about “velvet re-privatization”, says Alexander Shokhin, the head of RSPP (the Russian Union of Industrialists and Enterpreneurs).

“Medvedev is considered the most liberal, technocratic and friendly to business among the Putin’s successor candidates”, sums up Edvard Parker, department head of the international ratings agency of the developing European countries Fitch Ratings.