Alexander Provotorov, the CEO of Russian telecom firm Rostelecom, appears to have been sent to Siberia, figuratively for daring to suggest that the company expand in the competitive mobile market. The government, which owns 53 per cent in Rostelecom via state holding company Svyazinvest has decided to list some candidates for the company board which did not include Provotorov.
It remained unclear whether Provotorov could hold on to the chief executive position if he was eliminated from the board. We would not have thought his shelf life was particularly long if you have all the board voting against you. Provotorov took the helm at Rostelecom in July 2010 when the communications ministry was headed by Igor Shchyogolev who is now an aide to President Vladimir Putin.
Last April Provotorov's contract was extended until mid-July 2015 so it is a little strange that the government is going for him.
Sent to Siberia
The Russian government appears to be inflicting nearly communist levels of control over its telecos.
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Nick Farrell
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