Vitaly Savelyev


Vitaly Gennadyevich Savelyev is a Russian businessman. He has been the chairman and CEO of Aeroflot, Russia's largest airline, since 2009.

Biography

Vitaly Savelyev was born on January 18, 1954 in Tashkent. In 1977, he graduated from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, and earned a PhD in economics in 1986 from the Leningrad Engineering and Economics Institute.
From 1977 to 1984, Vitaly Savelyev worked at the USSR Ministry of Energy. He became Deputy Director of the All-Union SevZapMetallurgMontazh Trust in 1984, and Deputy Director of the GlavLeningradEngStroy Chief Directorate in 1987. In 1989, he was named President of Russian-American DialogInvest JV, Chairman of the Executive Board of Rossiya Bank in 1993, and Chairman of the Executive Board of Menatep in 1995. In 2001-2002, he was Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of OJSC Gazprom,
Vitaly Savelyev served as chairman of the boards at All-Russia Exhibition Centre, OJSC Russian Development Bank, MTS, Komstar, OJSC SMM, CJSC SkyLink, and Shiam Telelink.
In 2010, Russian president Vladimir Putin tasked Vitaly Savelyev to transform Aeroflot in Russia's first full-fledged airline group. Many regional carriers were merged with Aeroflot. In 2013, he made Aeroflot the main sponsor of the UK soccer team Manchester United. He introduced Aeroflot's new low-cost airline Pobeda in 2014 and actively contributed to bend Russia's aviation code to favor the development of airline activities. In June 2017, he announced that 40% of Aeroflot's fleet would be composed of domestic aircraft. Between 2009 and 2017, the number of passengers carried by Aeroflot grew from 8.9 million to 50.1 million. In August 2018, he was reelected CEO of Aeroflot.
In 2018, the US added Vitaly Saveley in its "Kremlin List", not a sanction, rather a way to identify Russia's top economic agents.

Personal life

Savelyev was a boxer and achieved the rank of Candidate for Master of Sport of the USSR. He is married and has two sons and one daughter.

Honours and awards