Viktor Khristenko


Viktor Borisovich Khristenko is a Russian politician who was Chairman of the board of the Eurasian Economic Commission from 1 February 2012 to 1 February 2016. He was First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 31 May 1999 to 10 January 2000 and Minister of Industry from 9 March 2004 to 31 January 2012.

Early life and education

Khristenko was born in Chelyabinsk on 28 August 1957. Kristenko graduated in 1979 from Chelyabinsk Mechanical Engineering Institute with a specialization in construction management and Economics. In 1983, he completed his Candidate of Sciences in Management at the Moscow Institute of Management. Khristenko has acknowledged the influence of Georgy Shchedrovitsky in his approach to management. He contributed three chapters to Methodological School of Management, a book based on the work of Shchedrovitsky's Moscow Methodological Circle and its successors.

Career

Ministerial posts in the Yeltsin Presidency

In 1998, Viktor Khristenko was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Finance in Sergei Kiriyenko's Cabinet. Described as a "little-known reformist", his appointment drew quite some attention as it was seen as a sign towards economic reform under the Yeltsin Presidency. He however didn't survive the government reshuffling under the following Prime Minister Primakov. From 1999 until early 2000, he was however appointed to Vladimir Putin's First Cabinet serving as First Deputy Prime Minister.

Ministerial posts in the Putin Presidency

In February 2004, Khristenko briefly served as the acting Prime Minister of Russia, when President Vladimir Putin fired Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov on 24 February 2004.
Khristenko was described as a "broadly reformist technocrat," who had shown "loyalty mixed with extreme caution," unlike the outgoing prime minister who had "openly disagreed with Mr Putin several times, criticizing the criminal investigations into the owners of Yukos. The Washington Post called Kasyanov "the most powerful ally of big business remaining in the Russian government." Khristenko, 46 at the time, was promoted from deputy prime minister to acting prime minister. Putin commented that Kasyanov's ousting was not related to the results of the government's activities, which he characterized as positive, but rather was caused by a necessity to once again confirm his position, which would guide the development of the country after 14 March 2004.
Two weeks ahead of the 2004 presidential election, Putin however nominated Mikhail Fradkov to become the next prime minister, four days later to be confirmed by the State Duma. On 9 March 2004, Kristenko was appointed Minister of Industry and Trade instead, a post which he held until 31 January 2012.

Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission

Khristenko became the first Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission, which started operations in February 2012. He resigned on February 1, 2016.

Personal life

Khristenko's second wife, Tatyana Golikova, was Minister of Health and Social Development from 2007 to 2012. They married in 2003.

Honours and awards