Head of Sberbank German Gref - about the trends of the new digital era

Margarita Vlaskina, website

Chairman of the Board of Sberbank of Russia German Gref today gave a public lecture at the Yekaterinburg Yeltsin Center on new technological trends and models of effective management. During it, he shared his thoughts on the prospects of cryptocurrencies, the death of traditional professions, and what specialists need to learn today in order to remain in demand in the market tomorrow. the site provides the main theses voiced by German Gref during a lecture and discussion with the audience.

About the digital age

Looking ahead another 10 years, according to IBM, the total volume of unstructured and structured data will reach 160 zettabytes by 2025, with the majority of this volume being unstructured data. What would happen if there were no big data processing technologies? We would have developed along a different line, and nothing terrible would have happened. But we have moved into a new era and we will grow differently. For example, medical data will grow, and the main breakthrough is expected to be here. Today, normal monitoring of the human body for an accurate diagnosis for preventive purposes, so as not to fall into the situation of detecting an advanced disease, is approximately 300 million pages of text data. This is the information that wearable and embedded sensors must generate every day. And this guarantees us a survival age of 120 years.

New technologies make it possible to analyze raw data without establishing cause-and-effect relationships, when “black boxes” are formed in the middle of processing. The system says - if this happens, this will happen. She doesn't understand why this will happen. And we can't explain.

We see that data processing and data science have affected all areas without exception. Banking is at the center of this maelstrom. There are industries that are still on the periphery. But the data maelstrom will swirl around everyone—there won’t be a single industry left that won’t be disrupted by new approaches in terms of using and processing data. Even objects that are traditionally difficult to analyze, such as the human essence and patterns of behavior, are today analyzed with sufficient accuracy.

There is a method for determining a person’s psychotype - the Hogan method (based on the analysis of five human characteristics: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness to experience - website note). There is such a person - Michal Kosinski, with whom we are now starting to cooperate and to whom one Swiss magazine attributed almost a key role in the US presidential elections. Why? He developed a technique that allows you to analyze your personality according to these five aspects based on Facebook likes. Just 11-12 likes are enough for the model’s predictions to coincide with colleagues’ assessments of [your behavior], and 230 will give us the opportunity to understand you better than your loved ones. These are, of course, completely different opportunities that appear as a tool in managing an organization, people, processes and client relationships. Mikhail is currently working on psychotyping people based on photographs, and the accuracy of such an assessment is 0.85%. This once again breaks the whole approach of using big data for behavior analysis.

About the property

The Uber company (taxi service) today does not own a single car, Airb’n’b, the largest company [in the hotel business], does not own a single hotel. And this is the creation of fundamentally new models - an approach based on an awareness of what the true needs of a person are. A person does not need things. Man needs the functions of these things. And this radically changes business models.

Previously, there was no such model that would allow a person to satisfy his needs directly, and he was forced to spend a huge amount of resources on this and buy transport, using it at 3-6% of its useful value per year. Now, Uberized models can extract utilization rates as high as 40%, and up to 60% of potential efficiency can be extracted. When the driver is replaced by autopilot, efficiency can be increased to 80%. And you and I will go to the bakery by taxi and spend less on it than on buying this very bun. Although I hope that there will be no need for this - what Alibaba does allows us to not have to go anywhere at all, because it is all delivered directly to our homes.

About the development of artificial intelligence

If a year ago or two years ago the main technological trend was “mobile first,” now everyone says “mobile dead, artificial intelligence first.” Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence, now it is being dealt with by global government agencies that are creating a fundamental basis for this, it is being dealt with by companies that have not yet found practical application for it, and by those who are actively implementing it into their products. Today you see it in almost every high-tech company product - Facebook, Uber, Amazon, and so on.

We see four stages of AI use - from descriptive to analytical, predictive and prescriptive. And the last one is the most important for us. This is the latest stage in the development of AI. Today he can describe situations that once happened, and in a situation of uncertainty he is unlikely to help us. But AI is already beginning to encroach on this area of ​​human monopoly. Now IBM says that they are making models that allow the use of AI in situations of uncertainty, when the models are not based on the analysis of historical situations - there is a factor analysis of the current situation. It’s difficult to talk about how successful this thing is - but if this happens, I don’t understand where our humble human place will remain.

Everything is heading towards the fact that the mobile phone will become a thing of the past. The apps are becoming so old and so inconvenient that everyone will prefer a digital intermediary so that they can satisfy their services.

The main asset of the companies I named is digital platforms. We have said for a long time that the most important thing is people. Today, the availability of a platform becomes the most important issue. Of course, the question is: what is it worth without people? But its presence gives much more stability and independence from people.

On the extinction of traditional professions

Today, the most active use of AI is in risk assessment, personnel selection and medicine. Data in medicine will work exponentially, and the use of big data is a key trend here. In this regard, medical universities that are under the Ministry of Health will obviously not be able to survive. In the world, all medical universities have been turned into medical faculties of large universities, because a doctor as a doctor without comprehensive competence in working with big data will be underqualified. We need to think seriously about this topic.

When we looked closely at blockchain technology while in Silicon Valley, we said: we don’t see where there is a place for us in banking, because artificial intelligence plus blockchain, when the technology matures, leaves no place for the banker. We started joking that we would go into agriculture. And then the professor stands and says, “Guys, you chose a bad field, because everything there is even worse than yours.”

And the next day he invited a professor who organized the Impossible foods company, which studies the problem of providing food to the people and came to the conclusion that key components are missing - from pastures to water. They concluded that the cow is a very poor and inefficient converter of grass and water into milk and meat. And then they decided to reproduce the biological process of processing grass and water directly into milk and meat. And they succeeded. They proved to American departments that this is not a chemical, but a biological process, and received all permits for the production of meat and milk. They guarantee that there is no chemicals there, it is absolutely safe and very useful for humans, because it contains a complete set of proteins and so on. This year they went further and showed a similar experiment with wine. And now they are working on reproducing one of the most elite wines.

This shows the breadth of application of new technologies. None of us will be able to sit in ambush, and we need to be prepared for this. I am more of an optimist in terms of employment and I think that the employment level will remain the same for a long time. But specialties will become history.

About new freedom

Stanford University considers the democratization of information to be one of the key trends of modern times. Nothing will be hidden, it’s simply impossible. Even if the information is buried underground, using big data technologies it will be possible to calculate with a high degree of probability that the event took place. And this is a fundamentally new trend for which we are absolutely not ready. And which will need to be comprehended - in personal life, in politics, in business, and so on. This is a very serious shift that will require time, reflection and some wisdom as we move into the age of transparency.

You say we will be more free, but if we talk from the point of view of trends, yes and no. Transparency, in my opinion, will greatly limit us. When you walk down the street and understand that you are being watched by approximately thousands of camera lenses and that your every step will be accurately analyzed, and even by your gait it will be possible to determine where you have been or where you are going, this is unlikely to contribute to you felt free. I don't know if this is good or bad. You will just feel different. Maybe we'll have a craving to spend time somewhere wild, without cameras, doing what you like, without thinking about the fact that you are being watched by cameras and microphones hearing and analyzing your every word. This is not a good or a bad world - it's just different.

Will moving there take place without incident? Of course not. Obviously, there will be huge contradictions. Any government organization will lag behind these trends, and it will have a desire to regulate them using yesterday's tools. If the society is developed, this may happen with fewer contradictions. If institutions are formed at the same time, this happens with a large number of distortions and contradictions. This is an absolutely natural process if you look at it from the outside.

How to construct a rational choice within this process is the question. But you can’t close yourself off from this - in today’s world it’s impossible to close yourself off. You need to integrate into this. You can’t block yourself from the wind with a wall—you need to build a windmill. The only thing I know is that we need to invest in education and learn to talk to each other, and not build barriers. Because any barriers will still be destroyed.

About education

I am a categorical opponent of the segregationist educational paradigm. We are always trying to take away some kind of pen, we raise people with flux - if you have an aptitude for physics, you go to the physics department, and we stuff you, stuff you, stuff you. And you go into sports - and as long as we can get something out of you, we push you there, and then one day we throw you out. The question is what is the purpose of the educational system. Now we want to raise very talented robots that run the fastest, jump the highest, or solve problems better than anyone. But these guys (robots) can already do this.

In my opinion, the key task of the education system is to raise a person happy, harmonious, to invest in him a sufficient amount of competencies so that he feels like an individual. And during the training period we must understand and suggest where a person is strongest.

You can, of course, force a turkey to climb trees and collect nuts, but for this it is better to use a squirrel. Our task is not to select ten people out of a hundred for a certain program, but to give ninety-nine out of a hundred [a high-class education]. And now we stuff, stuff, stuff, and when one stands out, we take him to a special school. What will come of him, will he be happy at all? Well, it might bring something to society. But it turns out to be a robot.

We've seen one of the most attractive models in Silicon Valley. The most ordinary school, 15 construction trailers, the composition there is mainly Latin American children. And at the entrance to it there is a note - last year, 100% of our graduates were accepted into colleges and five people were accepted into Stanford. And this is the quality of education! And in this school they don’t give knowledge at all - they are engaged in the formation of skills. And the role of the teacher is minimal. The most important thing is that there is a set of 36 new competencies - soft skills, but they are not taught separately either. They managed to integrate them into existing objects. Knowledge is dealt with by the students themselves, who take ready-made tracks and study themselves. This system is so transparent that it makes the examination system itself unnecessary.

Now we are trying to gather a pool of specialists who could build this system here. When I started my educational project (within Sberbank), teachers kept telling me about the “magic of the pedagogical process.” All I know is that if you don't control, you don't manage. We need a clear statement of goals - for the year, for the academic cycle, for the quarter, for the lesson. “No, no, no, you know, this is such magic, this is such an art, this is what a teacher is...” But during the time that I was doing this, I realized that this is the illiteracy of educators - they simply do not understand anything about management systems .

There are specifics in education management systems, but no other systems need to be created. There is a gigantic qualification gap between business management systems and education management. It just needs to be tightened up. The same as, unfortunately, in public administration. But we need to close the gap and there is no need to invent anything. You just need to take the best practices and implement them. That's all.

About cryptocurrencies and blockchain

You can think about blockchain in any way you like, but it is one of the breakthrough technologies that will change everything. Just like artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computers. We need to seriously invest in these things: we are on the threshold, and it will be very painful for the country to fall behind in this, because the technological difference will be significant.

However, blockchain is not ready for industrial mass use. It takes about a year and a half to eliminate the problems that prevent us from using this technology en masse. I think it takes ten years until she reaches maturity. Maybe eight, but definitely no less.

As for cryptocurrencies, their volatility will continue; the technology is obviously immature. I would suggest treating it like a casino - you can win, you can lose. We see that this is a claim on the traditional function of the state, and I think it will be impossible to stop it. Moreover, those who prohibit it will lose. This is simply an element of a new world, a new technology, and it will be built into blockchain technologies as an element of fiat currencies for direct mutual settlements between counterparties without any intermediaries.

You need to do this, but I would not recommend playing this - except for those who do not mind the money.

German Oskarovich Gref was born on February 8, 1964 in the village of Panfilovo, Irtysh district, Pavlodar region, Kazakh SSR.

In 1990 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of Omsk State University. F.M. Dostoevsky with a degree in Jurisprudence, in 1993 – Postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg State University. Candidate of Economic Sciences.

In 1991-1992 - legal adviser of the 1st category of the Committee for Economic Development and Property of the Administration of Petrodvorets and St. Petersburg.

In 1992, he was appointed head of the Petrodvortsovo district agency of the City Property Management Committee of the St. Petersburg City Hall.

In 1992-1994 - Chairman of the Property Management Committee, Deputy Head of the Petrodvorets City Administration.

In 1994, he became deputy chairman and then first deputy chairman of the City Property Management Committee of the St. Petersburg City Hall.

In 1997-1998 - vice-governor, chairman of the Committee for City Property Management of the St. Petersburg City Hall.

In 1998-2000 - First Deputy Minister of State Property of the Russian Federation.

In 2000-2007 - Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.

Since November 2007 - President, Chairman of the Board of Sberbank.

Awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II, III and IV degrees, the Order of Honor, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and the P.A. Stolypin Medal. II degree, Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, I degree, Certificate of Honor and Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation.

Awarded the highest distinction of France - promoted to officer of the Legion of Honor.

For special achievements in the field of banking and personal contribution to the development of Sberbank, he was awarded the Sberbank Gold Badge.

He is a shareholder of Sberbank: the share of participation in the authorized capital is 0.0031%, the share of ordinary shares owned is 0.003%.

Gref German Oskarovich is known for his political activities not only in Russia, but also abroad. His conceptual ideas are very popular. In 2007, Gref became the head of Sberbank, which he remains to this day. According to Forbes magazine, the banker was included in the list of nine Russian businessmen who are considered eccentrics and eccentrics. Who is German Gref? His biography is very eventful, and in this article we will take a closer look at the life of the politician.

Place of birth and family

Gref German Oskarovich was born on February 8, 1964 in the Kazakh SSR, in the village of Panfilovo, Pavlograd region. His parents are ethnic Germans who were exiled from Donbass to Kazakhstan in 1941. Back then we had to live under the harsh conditions of the commandant regime. It was in this environment that German Gref grew up.

His family was simple: his father worked as an engineer, and his mother worked as an accountant. The future famous politician was the third child; he had a brother and a sister. German Gref, whose nationality predetermined that he would carry two cultures within himself from childhood, grew up calm and neat. Parents communicated with their children in two languages: German and Russian.

German Gref: biography

German married his former classmate early and went with her to Omsk to enter the university, but this attempt was unsuccessful. Soon he was drafted into the army, where he served for two years in the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After serving in the army, he made a second attempt to enter university. And this time his long-awaited dream comes true - he becomes an applicant to the Faculty of Law of Omsk State University.

By the way, upon completion of his studies he was awarded a diploma with honors, and besides, during his years of study at the university he established himself as an active participant in public life. German Gref, whose nationality to some extent hampered his development during Soviet times, achieved success against all odds.

Later he became a graduate student at Leningrad State University (1990-1993). True, after finishing his graduate studies, Herman was never able to defend his dissertation. In order to provide for his family, while still a student, he went to work in construction teams.

In 1990, Gref became a teacher at the Faculty of Law of OSU. In 2011, at RANEPA, after many years, he managed to again attempt to defend his dissertation, which he successfully succeeded in.

He is fluent in German and loves to read Goethe.

Moving to St. Petersburg

In 1991, the family moved to the Northern capital and got a job in the administration of the Petrodvortsovo district. German Gref, whose biography is presented to your attention, has since received high-ranking positions over and over again. Here he first worked for a year as a lawyer, and then headed KUGI for two years and was deputy head of the city of Petrodvorets.

During his work, he proved himself to be an intelligent pedant who has professional acumen. Thus, for three years he oversaw the property of the town-museum in various positions, and later was engaged in the same activities, only at the St. Petersburg level.

In the early 90s, Mayor Sobchak was Gref’s scientific advisor at Leningrad State University, so from that time the latter had good connections with political figures, which could not but affect the development of his future career. In addition, he was familiar with Vladimir Putin. Sobchak and Putin are often even called “godfathers” of German Gref.

1994 was marked by a new round in the political career of German Gref - he became deputy chairman of the KUGI of the St. Petersburg City Hall. Later, namely in 1997-1998, he holds the post of chairman and vice-governor.

In 1997, German Oskarovich joined the board of directors of JSC Lenenergo and became vice-governor. And in 1998 he became a member of the board of the Ministry of State Property of the Russian Federation and first deputy minister. A year later, he becomes a member of the board of the Federal Commission for the Securities Market and, in addition, heads the Center for Strategic Research fund.

Moscow career

In 2000, after Gref moved to live in the capital, he was appointed Deputy Minister of State Property of the Russian Federation, and later - Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

From 2000 to 2007 He is the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation in the government of Mikhail Fradkov and Mikhail Kasyanov. At that time, he actively supported Russia's entry into the WTO (World Trade Organization). In July 2000, he was appointed manager for the Russian Federation at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and in the same year, a little later, he became deputy manager for the Russian Federation at the IBRD. From 2011 to the present, Genrikh Oskarovich is a Member of the RS Board of Trustees for International Affairs. And since 2007 - head of Sberbank.

Attitude to sports

German Gref has a positive attitude towards sports and has been interested in various types of sports since childhood, such as athletics, hockey and basketball. Later he showed interest in tennis.

He assures that he trains at least 4 times a week, but due to his busy schedule this is not always possible. In addition, the head of Sberbank insists that all of his top managers visit the gym at least 3 times a week.

German Gref: personal life

Gref got engaged for the first time very early, and soon after the wedding he and his wife Elena Velikanova had a son. German Gref's current wife is designer Yana Golovina, with whom he married in the throne room of the Peterhof nature reserve. In 2006, their daughter was born. And son Oleg, from his first marriage, has now graduated from Moscow State University and has become vice-president of the NEO Center company.

Banker

Since 2007, German Oskarovich has been president and chairman of the board of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation.

As German Gref states, Sberbank requires that competitiveness become a key point in its activities. Therefore, from the moment he began his activities at the main bank of Russia, he set out to create a flexible and reliable structure, responsive to market signals, and friendly to depositors. Under his leadership, Sberbank was updated not only externally - the team of top managers was also updated.

Harsh but fair

German Gref’s statements about the people and what is happening in the country are sometimes somewhat harsh and carry the harsh truth about reality. In the recent past, a situation arose when German Gref in his speech called Russia a downshifter. Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Nikolai Levichev did not like this statement, who, in response to these words, suggested that the politician resign voluntarily.

German Gref once spoke about the people as follows: “As soon as all people understand the basis of their “I”, self-identify, it will be extremely difficult to manage, that is, to manipulate them,” meaning by this that it will be difficult and difficult to live in such a society manage it. Regarding the current position of our country in the world economy, he states the following: “Russia is losing the competition, and the oil age has come to an end. From now on, the country’s only chance is the development of the following three components - science, education and business.” It was then that a scandalous statement was made, which some did not like, that Russia is a downshifter country - that is, it is a loser.

To change the current situation, Gref proposed joining the technological revolution and changing the education model, which has remained since Soviet times. This is where, in his opinion, it is necessary to start in order for any changes for the better to occur.

Here are some more of his quotes:

• “We are creating an absolutely incredible number of universities training accountants; soon our whole country will become accountants!”
• “The media must be allowed into all the secret processes of civil servants.”
• “The most difficult choice - you can’t throw anyone out” (about the creation of special economic zones).

Scandals

Four criminal cases were associated with Gref’s name while he served as vice-governor and chairman of the KUGI of St. Petersburg. One of them has to do with the privatization of the palace of Prince Gorchakov. The politician decided to privatize it, but the status of a monument of federal significance contradicted these actions on his part.

The next time he was suspected of receiving a bribe. This happened due to the situation when German Gref transferred the Sennaya market without competitive bidding to the director of one commercial center. After this, one businessman who wanted to get the said object was informed that Gref was helped in making this decision by a bribe - but he was never questioned in the case.

The third case was associated with JSC Color Printing Plant. German Gref issued an order according to which the position of general director was to be filled by a person from the politician’s close circle. The prosecutor's office saw this as government interference in the organization's activities. This time the case also did not proceed.

And finally, the last criminal case was related to the redistribution of the real estate business in St. Petersburg. At that time, four large companies could not divide their spheres of influence, and Alexander Moshkalov, who at that time was trying to subordinate large real estate agencies to his influence, arranged a meeting with the president of the city Association of Realtors in Gref’s office.

Conclusion

German Oskarovich achieved great success in politics, but not only. For a long time he has been at the helm of the board of the largest bank in Russia. His personality is partly contradictory and certainly bright. German Gref, whose biography is outlined in the article, is known for his hard work, perseverance and big goals. He is an ambitious and versatile person.

German Oskarovich Gref- Russian statesman, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation (2000-2007), president and chairman of the board of Sberbank of Russia. Co-chairman of the board of trustees of the Mariinsky Theatre, member of the board of trustees of the Russian International Affairs Council and chairman of the board of trustees of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, chairman of the board of trustees of the So-edinenie foundation for the support of the deaf-blind. Chairman of the Board of the Center for Strategic Research. Member of the Board of Directors of Yandex. Member of the board of directors of the American banking holding Morgan Stanley.

Family of German Gref

German Gref was born on February 8, 1964 in the village of Panfilovo, Irtysh district, Pavlodar region, Kazakh SSR, where his family, ethnic Germans, was deported in 1941.

Herman's father, Oscar Fedorovich Gref, worked as an engineer. German Gref's ancestors, German colonists, settled in Russia more than two hundred years ago. Paternal ancestors initially lived in Western Ukraine, in the Volyn province, but during the First World War they were resettled in the Donbass.

German Gref's mother, Emilia Filippovna, worked as an economist in the village council - she comes from Volga Germans. There were three children in the family (Herman is the youngest son). When Herman was one and a half years old, trouble happened in the family - his father died.

Education of German Gref

German Oskarovich studied well at school. The young man was involved in Komsomol work and was a class Komsomol organizer. In high school, German had a dream - to continue studying in Moscow. German Gref dreamed of entering MGIMO. But when he asked for a Komsomol reference at his home school, they explained to German that given his biography (or rather, pedigree), they could not give him a referral to such a prestigious university.

Then German Gref went to Omsk to enter the law faculty of Omsk University. But I failed to become a student. One teacher advised him to serve in the army, and thereby acquire the necessary work experience. Gref did just that.

German Gref served in the city of Chapaevsk, Kuibyshev region, in the 28th division of the Directorate of Special Units of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, which guarded sensitive defense facilities. At the end of his service, German Oskarovich received a recommendation from the command to enter a university and, having retired to the reserve, in 1984 he entered the preparatory department of the Faculty of Law of Omsk University, and in 1985 German Gref became a student.

In 1990, German Oskarovich graduated from the Faculty of Law of Omsk State University with a degree in jurisprudence and remained there as a teacher.

Students of the Faculty of Law of Omsk State University, class of 1990: German Gref (bottom row, first from left) (Photo: superomsk.ru)

In 1990-1993, Gref studied at the graduate school of the Faculty of Law at Leningrad University. His scientific supervisor was Anatoly Sobchak, to whom he came on the recommendation of the dean of the Faculty of Law of Omsk State University S. N. Baburin.

In 2011, already as the head of Sberbank, German Gref defended his dissertation at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation.

Work and career of German Gref

While studying in graduate school, German Gref simultaneously worked in St. Petersburg in 1991 as a legal adviser to the Committee for Economic Development and Property of the Petrodvorets Administration. In 1992, German Gref’s biography includes working as the head of the Petrodvoretsky district agency of the Property Management Committee of the St. Petersburg city administration. In 1992-1994, German Oskarovich Gref was the chairman of the Property Management Committee, deputy head of the administration of the Petrodvortsovo district of St. Petersburg.

In 1994, German Gref became deputy chairman and then first deputy chairman of the City Property Management Committee of the St. Petersburg City Hall.

In 1997, German Gref became vice-governor and chairman of the City Property Management Committee of the Administration (KUGI) of St. Petersburg. At the same time, Gref became a member of the board of directors of JSC Lenenergo. In 1998, German Gref joined the board of directors of the Sea Port of St. Petersburg company and the board of directors of the Petersburg - Channel 5 company.

German Gref was appointed Chairman of the City Property Management Committee of the City of St. Petersburg (KUGI) (Photo: Ivan Kurtov/TASS)

While working in the administration of St. Petersburg, German Gref met Vladimir Putin, Alexei Kudrin, Dmitry Kozak, Dmitry Medvedev. German Oskarovich and Vladimir Putin (then deputy mayor) were consultants and members of the advisory board of the German real estate company SPAG, created on the initiative of the mayor's office of the northern capital.

German Gref and his work in the government

In 1998, German Gref became a member of the board of the Ministry of State Property of the Russian Federation and first deputy minister, and in 1999, a member of the board of the Federal Commission for the Securities Market, head of the Center for Strategic Research.

When the government of Mikhail Kasyanov was formed, German Gref was invited to the post of Minister of Economic Development. German Oskarovich held this position from 2000 to 2007.

German Gref was the main lobbyist for Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Also, at various times, he was a member of the board of directors of many state-owned companies (Gazprom, Svyazinvest, etc.). On February 24, 2004, Kasyanov's government was dismissed. Gref also resigned from his post as minister.

In the next government Mikhail Fradkov German Gref again took up the post of Minister of Economic Development and Trade. As a minister, German Oskarovich acquired a reputation as a “die-hard” marketeer and liberal, ready to implement the most unpopular reforms at any cost. He believed in private property and the need for the state to withdraw as much as possible from the economy.

In 2007, President Putin accepted the resignation of the Fradkov government.

German Gref and his work at Sberbank

Since October 2007, the biography of German Gref has been associated with Sberbank. German Oskarovich holds the position of Chairman of the Board of the largest bank in the country - Sberbank of Russia.

At Sberbank, German Gref first carried out a purge of management. According to media reports, German Gref also raised the salaries of Sberbank top managers. German Oskarovich himself is among the top five highest paid managers in Russia. In 2013, Gref entered the TOP 5 of the Forbes list (5th place) of the most expensive managers in Russia with an annual income of $ 15 million. The share of shares of Sberbank of Russia owned by G. O. Gref: 0.003096% (package price - $ 2 .19 million). In 2014, he again found himself in a similar Forbes ranking in 4th place with an income of $16 million. In 2015, German Gref was on the list of the most expensive company executives of the same publication, taking 6th place with $13.5 million. at the end of 2016, Gref is in third place with an income of $11 million.

In 2016, German Gref’s arrival in one of the Sberbank branches in a disabled person’s costume made all the news; the head of the bank tried to get a loan incognito. To feel like he was in the shoes of a disabled person, Gref was dressed in a special expensive specialized suit from Gert, which simulated various physical limitations. According to the top manager, wearing glasses he saw only blurry outlines of faces and large numbers. Based on the results of the experiment, the head of Sberbank noted that service to clients with disabilities should be improved.

The head of Sberbank German Gref (in the foreground) in a specialized GERT suit (Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS)

Many Russians did not understand why they needed to spend money on Gert suits to improve service for disabled customers. There is probably a lot of free money in the bank; at least in eight months of 2016, according to Gref, Sberbank earned a record profit for all the years of its existence.

On May 29, 2015, at the annual meeting of shareholders, the powers of German Gref as head of Sberbank were extended until December 2019. German Gref noted that he intends to manage the largest bank in Russia until the expiration date of the current contract with shareholders.

Scandals and loud statements of German Gref

At the same time, there are difficulties in the Russian economy outside of Sberbank, according to ex-minister German Gref. Gref’s statement at the January 2016 Gaidar Forum caused a great resonance, in which he noted that Russia had already lost competition in the global economy and was included in the list of downshifter countries.

German Gref during a speech (Photo: Viktor Chernov/Russian Look/Global Look Press)

Gref's words caused a lot of negative reaction. Vice Speaker of the State Duma Nikolay Levichev called on German Gref to resign. Member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Igor Morozov called Gref a “complete brute” for this, recalling German Oskarovich’s statements that it was easier for him to buy 100 Boeings than to give this money to Russian manufacturers.

Assistant to the Russian President for regional economic integration Sergei Glazyev said that “if Russia lost the competition, it was thanks to Gref and his colleagues,” who “formed an anti-Russian model of the state in the 90s.” Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said on this occasion that the Kremlin “does not join one or another camp” in the discussion between presidential adviser Sergei Glazyev and the head of Sberbank German Gref.