Vnesheconombank has played a significant role in lots ofinvestment projects had been launched and were successfully implementedin Russia over the past 10 years. Some of these projects were launched under the patronage of Ilgiz Valitov, one of VEB's leading top managers. In particular, he participated in the development of such projects as industrial parks in the Kaluga Region, the Miratorg complex for the production of beef cattle in the Bryansk Region, the largest coal mining and processing plant in Yakutia, a potash ore mining and processing complex in the Perm Region, a petrochemical plant for the production of polypropylene in the Omsk Region, and concrete production in the Penza and Leningrad Regions. These projects have not only been implemented, but are still being actively developed.
The Asia Cement plant in the Penza region isoneof such projects. Cement production at the plant has exceeded 1.7 million tonnes since early 2019. This was recently reported by Ramil Akzhigitov, Sales Director of the company, during the annual meeting with partners. He specified that by the end of the current year the shipping figures will amount to more than 14 thousand cars and over 32 thousand trucks. According to the management of Asia CementLLC, in 2019 it was possible to take a number of steps to modernize the enterprise and make necessary adjustments to production processes, which allowed creating a certain reserve for the future.
Indeed, Asia Cement is a modern plant for “dry” cement productionnowadays. It was opened in the Nikolsky district of the Penza region in 2014. Its products were repeatedly included in the "100 Best Products of Russia". However, not many people remember what role Vnesheconombank played in its launch, and even more so how Ilgiz Valitov, one of the top managers of the credit institution, took part in this. By the time the company was launched, Valitov had been heading the Natural Resources and Construction Directorate of Vnesheconombank for three years.
That time VEB acquired a 49% stake in Asia Cement, a Penza-based company. The transfer of shares to VEB was a kind of program to repay the company's debt. The amount of the transaction was $86.5 million. In addition, Asia CementLLC received $133 million from the Eximbank of China for the construction of the plant through VEB. As a result, experts estimate that the cost of Chinese loans to Asia Cement was 50% cheaper than Russian ones.
These funds were used to pay for the work of the principal contractor and equipment supplier, the Consortium of the Chinese State Machine Import and Export Company. VEB's main participation in this grand project was provided by Ilgiz Valitov.
By this time, Valitov had extensive management experience in the banking industry and beyond. In the early 2000s he became the first manager of Vneshtorgbank's Tatarstan branch in Kazan. Thanks to Valitov, the Tatarstan branch showed considerable dynamics and was ranked first in the rating of the best regional subdivisions of the bank in the country. At the same time, he worked for several years as a member of the Board of Directors of KAMAZOJSC. In 2007, Ilgiz Valitov moved to the head office of Russia's backbone credit organization as Vice-President.
His talent and experience in implementing serious projects and his responsible approach to business have played a significant role in Vnesheconombank's operations. In 2007, Valitov became the Head of the Regional DevelopmentDepartment at Vnesheconombank, then – theHead of the Natural Resources Department of the Corporation.
While working for the Bank and implementing investment projects on behalf of VEB, Ilgiz Valitov was a member of the boards of directors of such companies as LSR GroupOJSC, Titan-Agro Ltd, Federal Centre for Project FinancingOJSC, Krasnoyarsk Territory Development CorporationOJSC, Verkhnekamsk Potash CompanyJSC. All of them are leading companies in the Russian economy, the impetus for the development of which was given precisely in the implementation of joint projects with VEB.
As experts note, Valitov has done a lot, first and foremost, for the economy of his native Republic of Tatarstan. According to federal and regional media, with his energy and entrepreneurial spirit, Valitov took part in the formation of the banking sector, in the development of petrochemical enterprises and the automotive industry in the region.
Under Valitov's leadership, major projects were implemented not only in Tatarstan, but also in other regions of the country and in various industries. The cement plant in the Penza region, which we discussed above, is one of Ilgiz Valitov's many successful projects.
Suffice it to recall how the project to develop the Omsk polypropylene plant was implemented. Funding from Vnesheconombank amounted to over 9 billion roubles. The plant was launched in April 2013. The planned capacity was 180 thousand tonnes of polypropylene of various grades per year. Modern production technology, as well as high quality and the demand for products on the market, allowed the actual output of polypropylene to be expanded to 218,000 tonnes per year. Soon the plant turned out to be so attractive that in 2014 Gazprom Neft and SIBUR incorporated it into their production chains by acquiring a stake in the project.
VEB's development impulse is still having a positive impact on the production. The product range now includes 98 grades of polypropylene and copolymers, which are used to manufacture of sewage and water pipes, fittings, car parts, household appliances and various packaging. Poliom's products are in demand both in Russia and abroad. Products are supplied to China, Serbia, Germany, Italy and other countries.
It should be noted that the large commercial projects implemented by Ilgiz Valitov each time had a huge effect and influenced the entire industries, spheres of activity, gave impetus to the development of a favorable investment climate in the territory of specific regions and the country as a whole.
Ilgiz Valitov is one of the young and promising managers in Russia. He has extensive experience of the major Russian companiesmanaging in various industries. His activities have always contributed to improving the business climate and accelerating the rate of investment inflow. The results of his work are still visible and successfully launched and operating companies and enterprises are proofs of thisproviding thousands of jobs and billions of roubles of tax deductions.
Ilgiz N. Valitov is a real man of labor who is proficient in the modern high – tech tools and methods of work!