EuroChem’s board of directors brings together people with a wide range of experience in strategic planning, financial control, auditing, human resources management and other key areas of governance. Their job is to ensure that proper checks and balances are in place to serve the interests of our stakeholders and that the management is accountable for its performance.
The Board has a one-tier structure and seven members, six of which are non-executive directors. At present, three of the Board’s members hold independent status. Other than their directorships, they do not have any relations with the company that could potentially influence the objectivity of their decisions. The criteria for independent status are set out in the Board of Directors Regulations, which are aligned with generally recognized international practices and are even more stringent than national standards. A member’s independent status is confirmed by the Board of Directors when he is elected. Independent directors must inform the Corporate Secretary of any changes to their status, including any events that may have an impact on their independent status, and any conflicts of interest that may arise during their directorships.
Andrey Melnichenko
Non-executive chairman of EuroChem since 2007
Born in 1972.
A company that holds Andrey’s business interests owns 92% of EuroChem Group SE. In 1993 Andrey co-founded MDM Bank, one of Russia’s largest private banks. From 1997 to 2001 he was the chairman of the management board, and then, until 2005, chairman of the board of directors. Over the past 19 years, Andrey has played a significant role in building some of Russia’s most successful corporations. These include EuroChem, the Siberian Coal and Energy Company (SUEK) and TMK, Russia’s largest manufacturer and exporter of steel pipes. He has been a director of RAO UES Russia and TMK, and is currently a chairman of SUEK. Andrey also sits on the bureau of the management board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
Andrey studied physics at Moscow State University and graduated from Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, majoring in Finance and Credit.
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George Cardona
Non-executive director since 2007
Chairman of the Strategy Committee
Born in 1951.
George was Head of Strategy at HSBC Group before being appointed as HSBC’s General Manager for International Banking. He was a member of the board of directors at several banks and financial companies in Europe and the Americas. In 1979 he was appointed as Special Adviser to the UK Treasury under the Margaret Thatcher administration. He is a member of the Boards of Directors of SUEK and Linea Limited.
George graduated from Trinity College (Oxford) with degrees in philosophy, political science and economics.
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Keith Jackson
Independent, non-executive director since 2007
Member of the Audit Committee and of the Strategy Committee
Born in 1949.
Keith has been senior vice president and a divisional CFO of Anglo American plc, the Chairman of the board of directors of Cleveland Potash Ltd, and the CFO of Cape plc and AMCORP SA. He has also worked with Charter plc, a diversified industrial group, and was CFO of Petrosur, an Argentinian urea fertilizer company. Keith is a non-executive director and the chairman of the audit committee at Chamberlin plc, a UK foundry and engineering group.
Keith graduated from Selwyn College (Cambridge) with a degree in economics, and received an MBA from Manchester Business School.
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Dmitry Strezhnev
CEO of EuroChem since 2003 and a board member since 2007
Born in 1968.
Dmitry owns 8% of EuroChem Group SE. Before joining EuroChem as CEO, Dmitry was the head of Agrodortekhsnab LL P and Tekhsnab-2000 LLC, trading companies that sell road and construction machinery and provide maintenance works. He was also deputy director of Dorstroykomplekt CJSC, a company specializing in highway engineering and then head of the Likino Bus Manufacturing Plant OJSC, a large vehicle manufacturer. For several years Dmitry combined two executive positions in RusPromAvto LLC, a car, trucks, buses, road and construction equipment manufacturer, and in GAZ OJSC, an automobile factory.
He graduated with honors from Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in physics and received an MBA from the Academy of National Economy of the Government of the Russian Federation.
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Richard Sheath
Independent, non-executive director since 2007
Chairman of the Audit Committee, Member of the Corporate Governance and Personnel Committee
Born in 1962.
Richard is a director and co-founder of Independent Audit Limited, a consultancy specialising in corporate governance. He advises the boards of major companies in the UK and overseas on all aspects of governance, with a particular focus on audit and risk committees, risk governance, control culture and corporate reporting. Previously he was a partner in the risk management consulting practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers and spent six years with the firm in Russia. He began his career with the Bank of England and HM Treasury (Finance Ministry).
He graduated in History from the University of York and received an MBA from City University (London).
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Vladimir Stolin
Independent, non-executive director since 2007
Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Personnel Committee
Born in 1947.
In 1989 Vladimir founded Ecopsy Consulting, a leading Russian company specialising in human resource management, motivation and development. He managed Ecopsy as general manager and is now chairman of the board. During his career Vladimir spent several years in the USA working as a consultant at RHR International in Chicago.
He graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in psychology and went on to be awarded a doctorate in psychology and a professorship. He is the author of numerous scientific and general publications about management and psychology. For many years his career involved education and research, including lecturing at university level.
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Nikolay Pilipenko
Non-executive director since 2009
Member of the Audit Committee
Born in 1965.
Nikolay was EuroChem CFO from 2006 to the end of 2008. Before joining the company he worked for ABB Group, one of the world’s leading
manufacturers of power equipment, automation products and technologies, holding various managerial positions in Russia, Spain, and Switzerland. Nikolay graduated from Moscow State University and holds a PhD in Economics.Close