OREANDA-NEWS. November 13, 2009. Alfa Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Szopo as Head of Research in the investment banking division. He will supervise a team of leading professionals analyzing equity and fixed-income investment opportunities in Russia and the CIS. In addition, he will be responsible for creating new analytical products, reported the press-centre of Alfa Bank.

— Peter Szopo has extensive experience leading research teams. He has a detailed knowledge of emerging markets and an excellent track record in Eastern Europe. I am confident that under Peter’s leadership, Alfa-Bank’s research department will continue to develop while remaining a leader on the Russian market, said Edward Kaufman, Head of Alfa-Bank’s investment banking division.

Peter Szopo was born in 1955 and is a citizen of Austria. Peter holds an MBA from the University of Vienna. Before joining Alfa-Bank, he headed the research team at Bank Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie (Austria). From 2000 to 2005, he worked at Bank Austria Creditanstalt Group, where he served as chairman of the board of CA IB International Markets Ltd., London and supervised a team of analysts covering Eastern European markets.

In 2003–2005, he led the research team at Bank Austria Creditanstalt, Vienna. From 1997 to 2000, Peter was managing director at East Fund Management (EFM), Vienna. In 1996–1997, he headed a research team specializing in East European markets at Robert Fleming Securities, London. In 1994–1995, he was head of equity market analysis at Creditanstalt Investment Bank & Creditanstalt Bankverein, Vienna. From 1990 to 1994, he was a managing director at GiroCredit Research, Vienna, where he was chief of the analytical department. In 1989–1990, he was a consultant at Osterreichische Investitionskredit AG, Vienna. In 1978–1990, he served in a variety of positions at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research and the Austrian Ministry of Finance.

Peter Szopo has written numerous analytical studies. From 1990 to 1995, he was a member of the board of the Austrian Association for Consulting Services in Financial Analysis and Investments.

Founded in 1990, Alfa-Bank is a full-service bank operating in all sectors of the financial market, including retail and corporate lending, investment banking, trade finance and asset management.

Alfa-Bank is the Russia’s largest private bank in terms of total assets, total equity and customer accounts.

According to its reviewed by auditors IFRS financial statements for the first half of 2009, total assets of Alfa-Bank Russia, which comprises OJSC Alfa-Bank as well as subsidiary banks and financial companies, amounted to USD 23.0 billion, gross loan portfolio — USD 15.3 billion, total equity increased to USD 2.5 billion. Net profit after tax attributable to equity holders of Alfa-Bank Russia comprised USD 14 million.

The corporate and retail client base has grown considerably during the last several years — by September 1, 2009 Alfa-Bank Russia served over 55 000 corporate and 3.6 million retail customers, while the branch network has been extended to 341 offices across Russia and abroad, including a subsidiary bank in the Netherlands and financial subsidiaries in the United States and the UK.