Andrey Kostin, President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank, shared with students of Russian and foreign universities his views on the current situation and prospects for the development of the Russian economy. The open interview "The Banking System of Russia: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" took place on October 20 as part of the "Management of the Future" conference of the Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg University (GSOM SPbU). Ilya Kopelevich, editor-in-chief of the Business FM radio station, led the meeting at the Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus.

VTB Bank is a strategic partner of GSOM SPbU. Since 2007, top managers of the bank have been members of the Advisory Board of the business school. The priority national project "Education" initiated by the President of the Russian Federation gave a new impetus to the development of GSOM SPbU and set the task of creating a world-class Russian business school to train leaders capable of solving global economic problems and increasing the competitiveness of both individual sectors of the economy and the country as a whole. As one of the largest employers, VTB helps to update the knowledge taught to students at GSOM SPbU in accordance with the demands of the labor market and the economic situation. The promotion of GSOM SPbU in international rankings and the success of the business school alumni confirm the effectiveness of this partnership.

Andrei Kostin noted that the main asset in any business is people. The development of human capital is a task no less important than public investment or the development of public institutions. “It is very important for us to improve the quality of management. We really need specialists like you, a new generation of managers who would be energetic, professional, move our country forward and could make responsible independent decisions,” he said to the students.

The conference participants asked Andrey Kostin about the prospects of the cryptoruble, trade with China, the strengths and weaknesses of the Russian economy, and sanctions. Andrey Kostin also spoke about his acquaintance and communication with the President of Russia and important events in his professional life. The full version is available here (available in Russian only).

The tenth conference "Management of the Future" was attended by students from 26 universities from eight cities of Russia, as well as from Hungary, Germany and Switzerland, studying economics and finance, management, exact sciences, natural sciences and humanities, IT. More than 3,000 people applied; the competitive selection determined 100 winners who were able to personally meet with the leaders of leading Russian companies and take part in the sessions and discussions of the event.