Russian state lender Sberbank confirmed Thursday that former Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko has been nominated to serve as deputy chairman of its board of directors.
The announcement immediately followed President Vladimir Putin’s decree officially relieving Grigorenko of his duties in the government cabinet. First Deputy Finance Minister Irina Okladnikova is set to succeed him, becoming the first woman to take on the role of chief of government staff.
At Sberbank, Grigorenko is expected to oversee strategic initiatives, including government relations and the deployment of artificial intelligence and digital services across the public sector, the lender said.
“His arrival will strengthen Sber and give impetus to the development of our systemic dialogue with the state and regions,” Sberbank CEO Herman Gref said in a statement.
Sberbank’s supervisory board is scheduled to formally vote on Grigorenko’s appointment at its next meeting on Nov. 10.
Sources close to the Kremlin and in Russia’s tech industry told the newspaper Vedomosti that Grigorenko could take charge of Sberbank’s entire digital agenda.
Russian political analysts have speculated that Grigorenko’s departure from the government will reduce Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s power in the cabinet given the close working relationship between the two men over the years.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, whom Putin promoted to deputy prime minister alongside his ministerial position, and other economic officials have seen their influence in government grow as balancing state finances has taken on greater importance amid surging war spending, rising inflation and high interest rates.
Grigorenko previously served as deputy head of Russia’s Federal Tax Service, which Mishustin headed for several years, before joining the prime minister’s cabinet in January 2020 as chief of government staff, where he led the digitalization of government affairs.
Reuters contributed reporting.
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