OREANDA-NEWS. On August 11, 2008 Sergey Batekhin was appointed as First Deputy General Director –Executive Director, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (MMC Norilsk Nickel or the Company), reported the press-centre of Norilsk Nickel.

In this position Mr. Batekhin will be responsible for the Company’s strategic management and day-to-day operation of production assets owned by MMC Norilsk Nickel, supervising as well new mining projects’ development, sales, procurement, fuel and energy business.

"I see my primary mission in raising the efficiency of MMC Norilsk Nickel production activities and  driving the development of its vast potential. Our plans are ambitious and I am sure that they will be accomplished by the new management team of MMC Norilsk Nickel", - Sergey Batekhin said.

The Company’s key objectives listed by Sergey Batekhin include production facilities upgrade, development of proprietary ore reserve base, optimization of production processes and improvement of ecological situation in the regions of the Company’s presence.

According to Mr. Batekhin, “being the industry’s leader, MMC Norilsk Nickel is one of the centers of ongoing consolidation in the mining sector, and it will not recede from this position in the future”.

BIOGRAPHY:
Batekhin Sergey Leonidovich.

Was born in 1965 to a family of a military serviceman.

1987 - graduated from the Krasnoznamenny Military Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense;

1998 - graduated from Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics with a major in Finance and Credits; MBA degree, candidate of economic sciences.
 
Worked for the USSR State Committee for Labor and Social Issues, for the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1990 – 1992: USSR Permanent Mission at UNESCO in France.

Since 1992: executive positions at the Russian Fund of Industry and Investments and at the international audit firm Deloitte and Touche.

Since 1995: worked in the sphere of military-industrial complex.

General Director of JSC Defense Systems, a holding company comprised of such enterprises as Moscow Radio Engineering Plant, JSC Design Bureau Kuntsevo, JSC Optronic Technologies Defense Systems, JSC DS. INFOCOM. Main areas of responsibility: production, supply and maintenance of air defense (AD) systems Pechora-2M, circular scan systems Phoenix, radio protection system, local automated system for air- and sea surveillance.

A special project of the company was the development of AD system S-300 PM.

In 2000 Mr. Batekhin worked as head of International Financial and Industrial Group (IFIG) Defense Systems, which was founded under the decree of the Russian President and under the agreement between the Russian government and the government of the Republic of Belarus. IFIG incorporated 6 defense research institutes and design bureaus, 8 industrial enterprises in Russia and Belarus with the total number of employees in excess of 20 thousand people. The company’s main project was the design and delivery of AD system Pechora-2.

Since February 2005: Deputy General Director of Interros.

Mr. Batekhin worked as member of the Board of Directors at Silovye Machiny Consortium, member of the Board of Directors at Polyus Gold. He was responsible for the projects related to mining operations.

Member of the Board of Directors at Plug Power Company.

Mr. Batekhin is laureate of the Russian Government Award for scientific and technical achievements. In 1999 he was awarded the Order of Friendship and in 2003  the Order of St. Sergey Radonezhsky 3rd Degree of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He speaks French, German, English and Italian.

Married, father to a son.