German Gref

Born February 8, 1964 in the Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan, where his parents had been evacuated in 1941. From 1982 until 1984 he has been serving in the army. He has graduated from the Omsk State University's Faculty of Law in 1990, majoring in law studies. Afterwards he has been teaching there for a while. In 1994 he has completed the graduate studies program at the St. Petersburg State University's Faculty of Law.

From 1991 until March 1992 he has worked as a law consultant at the Committee of Property and Economic Development of the Petrodvorets district of St. Petersburg. From March 1992 until October 1994 he has been Chairman of the Petrodvorets district's Committee for Property Management.

In October 1994 he has been appointed Deputy Director of the Committee and Director of the Department of Real Estate at St. Petersburg's Committee of State Property Management. In July 1997 he has been appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Committee.

On September 2, 1997 G.O. Gref has become Vice Governor and Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee of State Property Management, replacing Mikhail Manevich, who has been murdered on August 18. Gref has been offered this post by St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev.

Since September 1997 he has been a member of JSC Lenenergo Board of Directors. In January 1998 he has been made a member of the Russian Federation State Property Ministry Board by decree of the Russian government. Since April 1998 he has been a member of JSÑ St. Petersburg Marine Port's Board of Directors. Since June 1998 he has been member of JSC St. Petersburg - 5th Channel's Board of Directors.

On August 12, 1998 by order of the Russian government he has been appointed First Deputy Minister of State Property. On December 30, 1998 by order of the Russian government he has been made a member of the Co-ordination Council in charge of economical issues in Russia's regional politics.

During 1999 he has been in representative boards of companies like JSC Svyazinvest, Rosgosstrakh, FKCB and AK Transneft. He has also been a member of Boards of Directors in companies like Svyazinvest, Aeroflot (Russian International Airlines) and Gazprom.

Since December 1999 he has been Chairman of the Centre of Strategic Developments Council.

On May 18, 2000 he has headed the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. The Ministry has been handed over the functions of several extinct state agencies like the Ministry of Commonwealth, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Economics, the State Committee on issues of the Northern territories, the Federal Services for currency exchange and exports control and the restructured Ministry of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism.