President

President of Russian Railways Vladimir Ivanovich Yakunin

Born on June 30, 1948, in Melenki town, Vladimir Region.

Graduated from the Leningrad Mechanical Institute in 1972.

Mr Yakunin began his career as a junior research scientist in the State Institute of Applied Chemistry. Following service in the Soviet Army, he worked as an engineer and then as a senior engineer of the Directorate of the State Committee of the Council of Ministers of the USSR for Foreign Economic Relations, and as Chief of the Department of the Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Professional career:

1985–1991 — diplomatic service (Second, then First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the USSR to the United Nations).

After 1991 — Chairman of the Board of CJSC International Centre for Business Cooperation; Head of the Northwest District Inspectorate of the Main Control Department of the President of Russian Federation.

From October 2000 — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation.

From February 2002 — First Deputy Minister of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation.

From October 2003 — First Vice-President of Russian Railways.

June 14, 2005 — appointed President of Russian Railways.

V.I. Yakunin is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Centre of National Glory of Russia and the Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called, the Founding President of the World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilisations, Co-President of the Association for Franco-Russian Dialogue, Scientific Director and Chairman of The Board of Trustees of the Centre for Problem Analysis and State-Governance projecting at the Social Sciences Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of State Policy at the Faculty of Political Science of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the child welfare foundation Spread Your Wings!, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian World fund, a member of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chairman of the Transport and Transport Infrastructure Commission, Visiting Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics, Honorary Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (university) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Chairman of the International Union of Railways (UIC), Chairman of the Board of GEFCO, and Head of the Centre for Scientific Substantiation and implementation of the mega-project “Integrated Eurasian transport system” (ISPR RAS).

For his great contribution to the realisation of measures for reforming railway transport, for working out a strategy for the Russian Railways; providing constructive social policy, efficient interaction with the state authorities of the Russian Federation and the members of the Russian Federation, as well as with foreign railway administrations and international organisations, Mr Yakunin was given the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of Honour, the Fourth Class Order for Merit to the Fatherland, the Order of Friendship, the Medal for Battle Merit, the Medal “For the Development of Railways”, the merit Badge “Honorary Railwayman of Russian Railways” and other awards. He is a laureate of the Prize of Russian Government in science and technology. He was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit of the Republic of Serbia for organising humanitarian aid for Kosovo and Metohija; awarded the Order of Friendship; and awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for his great contribution to the preparations for the XXI Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games, Sochi 2014.