Director General, Chairman of the Board of the "Interros" Company

Born on January 3, 1961 in Moscow. In 1983 he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (specialized in international economy). 1983 — 1990 worked in the USSR Ministry of Foreign Trade. 1990 — he became President of the «Interros» Foreign Trade Association. 1992 — 1993 Vice-president and then he became President of the Joint Stock Commercial Bank «International Company for Finance and Investments» (MFK). 1993 — he became President of the United Export Import Bank (UNEXIM BANK). From August 14, 1996 till March 17, 1997 he was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Government. As First Deputy Prime Minister he supervised economic issues and coordinated the work of: the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation; the State Antimonopoly Committee of the Russian Federation; the State Committee of the Russian Federation on Management of State Property; the Russian Fund of Federal Property; the Federal Department for Insolvency; the Federal Commission for the Securities Market; the Federal Commission of the Russian Federation for Energy. He also headed about 20 federal and governmental commissions, including the Governmental Commission on Financial and Credit Policy; the Governmental Commission on Improvement of Payment and Settlement System, the Interagency Commission on Cooperation with Financial and Economic Organizations and the «Group of Seven». While working for the Government of Russia, Mr. Potanin was also Russia?s manager at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. Since May 1997 — he has been President of UNEXIM BANK. Since May 26, 1998, due to the reorganization of the «UNEXIM — MFK — Renaissance» Group, he holds the positions of the President and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the «Interros» Company. He is also a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the commission for developing of charity and NGO legislation improving; Chairman of the National Council on Corporate Governance; member of the bureau of «The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (Employers)»; Member of the presidium of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport, Excellence in Sports, and the Preparation and Execution of the 2014 XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. Since December 2001 he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Solomon  R. Guggenheim Foundation (New York). In April 2003 Mr. Potanin was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State Hermitage. Since May 2006, member of the Board of Trustees of The Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University). Mr. Potanin has been awarded the government's memorial medal «850th Anniversary of Moscow». He has also been decorated with the Russian Orthodox Church orders: the Order of St. Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles, Third and Second Degree; the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Third and Second Degree; The Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, Second Degree. In September 2002 Vladimir Potanin was presented with a commemorative award for philanthropy and charity from the Russian Ministry of Education. In 2003 he became a laureate of the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations' Award. In January 2007, Mr. Potanin was honored by the French Ministry of Culture and Communications with the title of Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters. In August 2007, awarded with the Order of Merit for the Motherland, IVth degree, by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for active participation in successful promotion of the Sochi bid for the XXII Olympic Winter Games to be held in 2014. He is fluent in English and French. His hobbies include: travelling, soccer, alpine skiing, various water sports and chess. He is married with three children.