OREANDA-NEWS. December 12, 2014. With deep sorrow we inform you all on the passing away of Mr Dmitry Orlov, founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Vozrozhdenie. He was 71.

“This is a terrible blow for the team of the bank and for me personally,” said Alexander Dolgopolov, Chairman of the Management Board of Bank Vozrozhdenie (CEO).

“Dmitry Orlov founded the bank over 20 years ago at challenging times and led it to becoming one of the top Russian financial institutions. Under his leadership the bank has sailed through all the economic and financial crises always honouring its obligations with long-term stability being the top priority.

Dmitry L’vovich was a person setting standards of decency and high integrity, which he placed to the foundation of the bank’s relationships with clients and partners. We are enormously proud to have been working with such an outstanding man for many years.

Dmitry L’vovich has put together a close-knit team that will maintain consistency of its strategy and will keep developing the bank in full adherence to the principles laid down by its founder.”

Dmitry Orlov was born in 1943 in Sukhumi. All his life was dedicated to banking; he was one of the “Founding Fathers” of the reformed banking system in post-Soviet Russia. After graduation from the Credit faculty of the Moscow Institute of Finance in 1968, he joined the system of the USSR State Bank (Gosbank) and later headed Moscow Regional Department of Agroprombank of the USSR. Dmitry Orlov managed the establishment of Bank Vozrozhdenie in 1991 and had been its CEO till 2012. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1994 and chaired it since 2012. He was the key shareholder of the bank, owning 30.7% of authorized capital.

Mr Orlov was famous for its charity and public activity. He was the Chairman of the Trustee Fund and the Supervisory Board of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, and a member of the Russian Banks Association.

His exceptional professional expertise in banking was highly appreciated by both Russian and international business community. Mr. Orlov was many times recognized as the Banker of the Year in the public competition arranged by the Audit Chamber. In 2014 he was named the Best Chairman of the Board of Directors by Global Banking & Finance Review.

Mr Orlov has been awarded with the title “Honored Economist of the Russian Federation”. He has also been awarded with the medal and the order of Ivan Kalita, the medal “In Memory of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow”, the medal “For Strengthening Military Cooperation”, the mark of distinction “For Contribution to Moscow Region”, the award of the Governor of Moscow Region “In Gratitude”, the award of the Governor of Moscow Region “For Contribution”, and the mark of distinction “For Impeccable Service to the City of Moscow”.