OREANDA-NEWS. February 10, 2009. In Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Urals Federal District, network of audit and consulting firms PricewaterhouseCoopers in Russia (PwC) has officially opened its sixth office, reported the press-centre of PwC.

Peter Gerendasi, Managing Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Russia, said:
“In spite of the global economic crisis, we continue to expand our activities in Russia. The importance of Sverdlovsk Region to the country’s economy has been constantly increasing, and we hope that our presence in this rapidly developing region will be beneficial to both Sverdlovsk Region and to our business.

“PwC has been providing audit and consulting services to major companies here for many years. Companies such as Gazprom Transgaz, VIZ-Stal, Maxi-Group and Severnaya Kazna are among our clients. We decided to open an office in the capital of the Urals to be closer to our clients and provide them with timely, high-quality services,”

PricewaterhouseCoopers has been operating in the Russian market since 1989. Over the past 20 years, PwC has become the largest audit and consulting services provider in Russia. PwC offices in Moscow, St Petersburg, Togliatti, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Kazan and now Yekaterinburg employ over 2,500 people.

PricewaterhouseCoopers’ new office is located in the new Senat business center in downtown Ekaterinburg. It is designed for 50 people and has rooms for trainings and negotiations.

Maxim Matsiborko, director and head of the PwC Yekaterinburg office, discussed the office’s plans for development:

“There are currently 25 employees in the Yekaterinburg office. We plan to develop the firm’s activities to provide our clients with the full range of services: tax, consulting and audit, to meet Russian and international standards.”

PwC intends to partner with the Sverdlovsk Region government to facilitate the development of a favourable economic, investment and social climate in the region. The partnership is expected to promote cooperation and provide consulting services on economic issues as well as design a strategy for the development of industry in the region.

Peter Gerendasi remarked:
“The rich industrial and scientific potential of Yekaterinburg, combined with an advantageous geopolitical location, ensure a favourable outlook for the city’s development. It is important for us to contribute to the region’s economic development, helping it to raise investment on a global scale as well as advise Russian and foreign companies investing in the region.”

Education and the development of human resources are part of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ strategy in Sverdlovsk Region. PwC cooperates with higher-education institutions on training programmes and recruitment and arranges vocational training classes at schools and universities.

PricewaterhouseCoopers in Russia implements a corporate responsibility programme supporting child welfare, education, culture and sports. The first step for this programme in region was to organise the Charity Instead of Gifts initiative. Yekaterinburg office staff and representatives from the British non-governmental organisation Every Child arranged a New Year party for 60 children from Yekaterinburg orphanages as well as children with disabilities and children from disadvantaged families. PwC will provide financial support to child welfare and education initiatives in the Sverdlovsk Region and encourage employees from the local office to volunteer for charity events.