Igor Yusufov
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Igor Yusufov is a former Russian energy Minister who served during Vladimir Putin's first term as President. He is Director on the board of Gazprom & founder and Chairman of Fund Energy, an investment vehicle focusing on operating companies in energy, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure in Russia and Europe. In 2012, media reports linked Fund Energy to a potential purchase of the Coryton Refinery in Essex, England.[1]
Education and early life
1979-1991
Yusufov graduated from Novocherkassk Polytechnic Institute, then worked for "Mosenergo", USSR’s major power plant and later spent four years in Cuba as the technology expert at Havana Thermal Power Plant construction site. Following this he enhanced his academic status and graduated the prestigious Foreign Trade Academy.[2]
Government service
1991
As a Foreign Trade Academy graduate Igor Yusufov was prepared for a high level government career and entered the civil service.
Soon he was appointed officer of the Committee for the Protection of Russia's Economic Interests directly reporting to the Vice-President Alexander Rutskoy, one level below the President of the ex-USSR.
When this post was in opposition to President Yeltsin, the committee was dissolved, but Igor Yusufov moved to Chair of Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, with even higher responsibility in promoting International Trade.
1994
Igor Yusufov was appointed as Director General of state and private enterprise “RV-Trading”.
1996
The functions of "RV-Trading" were integrated to the parent state-owned company. The Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin recommended to Igor Yusufov his return to Government service at the post of Deputy Minister of Industry with oversight of Gold and diamond recovery.
1997—2000
Yusufov worked as Deputy General Director then as General Director of Goskomrezerv (from 1999 renamed- “Federal Agency for State Reserves, Rosrezerv”) thus being responsible for all Russia’s mineral reserves. This State agency reporting directly to the Prime Minister manages and withholds state strategic reserves in case of war and natural disasters in the protected storage system across the country.
2001–2011
In the early days of Vladimir Putin’s first Presidency, Igor Yusufov became Minister of Energy for the Russian Federation (2001 - 2004).
Vladimir Putin appointed Yusufov to the post of Minister of Energy in 2001. Till late 2011 he served as Special Envoy of the Russian President for International Energy Cooperation, Ambassador at Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs whereby the Minister was profiled across the Global Energy Players from U.S. Policy Makers to the Saudi King and OPEC opening to the world Russia's Energy resources.
Timeline
- 1979–1984: Engineer at Mosenergo.
- 1984–1988: Senior Expert at the Havana thermal power plant (Cuba).
- 1988–1991: Foreign Trade Academy, Moscow, Foreign Economic Relations Economist
- 1991–1992: Administration of the President of the Russian Federation Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Economic Defence of Russia
- 1992-1993: Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of Russia
- 1994–1996: Director General of state and private enterprise “RV-Trading”
- 1996–1997: Deputy Industry Minister of the Russian Federation.
- 1998–2001: Director General of the Russian State Reserves Agency.
- 2001–2004: Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation.
- 2001-2004: Director RAO UES of Russia; Director Transneft
- 2002-2004: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Rosneft Oil Company.
- 2003–2013: Member of the Gazprom Board of Directors.
- 2004–2011: Special Envoy of the Russian President for International Energy Cooperation, Ambassador at Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3]
- 2011-present: private investment activity via Fund Energy, solely founded by him.
Awards and titles
- Active State Advisor, I class
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2005).
- Order for Services to the Fatherland, IV Class (2006)