MOSCOW (Reuters) – Alexei Kudrin, who resigned as head of Russia’s Audit Chamber last week, said on Monday he had accepted an offer from technology giant Yandex to become an adviser on corporate development.
Yandex last month announced a review of a possible sweeping governance overhaul that would leave its major business units in Russia under new ownership. Sources told Reuters that Kudrin had been discussing the move to Yandex with President Vladimir Putin.
“Together with the management team, I will develop the corporate structure of the new holding company, which will ensure the company’s long-term and sustainable development in all markets, including international ones,” Kudrin posted in his Telegram channel.
“One of the main tasks is to help preserve Yandex’s unique management and technological culture, so that it remains independent and Russia’s best IT company, where the most talented people strive to work,” Kudrin said.
Yandex confirmed that Kudrin was joining the company.
A veteran of around 25 years in public service, Kudrin was finance minister for more than a decade between 2000 and 2011, and while maintaining close ties with Putin, Kudrin kept a relatively low profile in his current role as head of the Audit Chamber, Russia’s public spending watchdog.
(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
