Mikhail Slipenchuk

Mikhail V. Slipenchuk was born on 20th January, 1956, in Rubtsovsk in the Altai Region of Russia. From 1982-87 he studied at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, his major being  Environmental Protection and Rational Exploitation of Natural Resources. Following his graduation, he served in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union from 1987-1989, reaching the rank of First Lieutenant. On leaving the army he took up the post of Chemist at the Environmental Protection Lab of Azot Plc. (later renamed Acron Plc.) in Novgorod. From 1989-1993 he undertook a full-time postgraduate course at the Geographical Faculty of the Moscow State University. In 1994 he became an Associate Professor of Geography. Mr.Slipenchuk went on to take an international qualification in Ecology at the Moscow State University's Department of Geography.

Mr.Slipenchuk embarked on his financial career in 1993. He initially worked as a broker on the Central Russian Universal Stock Exchange (TsRUB) and Russian Mercantile Exchange (RTSB). From 1996-1997 he studied at the Inter-Sectoral Institute of Advanced Management at the Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics (Department of Finance and Credit). In 1995 he joined the “Metropol” Commercial Bank as a Stock Broker, before being promoted to the posts of Head of Section, Head of the Securities Department and Deputy CEO with special responsibility for overseeing stock market operations. In 1995 Mr. Slipenchuk founded Investment Financial Company METROPOL (IFC METROPOL), remaining Director General up until 2011.

In March 2011, Mr.Slipenchuk was elected as the local councilor for the Eravninsky Municipal District in the Republic of Buryatia (Eastern Siberia). Then, in December 2011, he was elected as Deputy to Russia’s parliament, the State Duma. In this capacity he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Natural Resources and Ecology Committee of the State Duma.

In 2010 Mr.Slipenchuk defended his PhD thesis at the Systems Analysis Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The topic of the thesis was “Integration of Russia's new Economic Space: Global, Corporate and Regional Aspects”. In March 2011, he was appointed Professor and then Chairman (from November 2011) of Environmental Management in the Department of Geography of the Moscow State University.

Mr. Slipenchuk has been awarded several state medals and  honours including the medal of the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, II class (2010), and the Order of the Polar Star (Mongolia) for his contribution to the advancement of Russian-Mongolian relations. His other awards include “Person of the year” in the category for “attracting investments into the real sector of the economy” (2005), “Senior Manager of the Year” (2008) and “Businessman of the Year” (2010). The Association of Russian Managers and the “Kommersant” Publishing House  included Mr.Slipenchuk in their list of Russia’s 1000 most professional managers.

Mr. Slipenchuk is also a correspondent member of the International Academy of Ecology, Human and Nature Protection Sciences (Economic Section) and sits on the editorial boards of the encyclopedia Baikal: Nature and People, the atlas Sustainable Development of the Baikal Region, and the magazines Arctica: Society and Economics and World of Baikal. He is a research fellow at the Baikal Institute of Environmental Management for the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Since 1985 he has been a member of the Russian Geographical Society, and  recently took up the responsibilities of Head of the Supervisory Board of the Buryatian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. He is also a member of the Humboldt Club of the American Geographical Society, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Protection of Lake Baikal and founder of the charitable foundation for commemoration of the Russian Navy Cruiser “Varyag”.

Mr.Slipenchuk is a keen sportsman, with a particular love of swimming (he is a qualified Candidate Master of Sport) and kyokushin karate (1st Dan). He serves as both President of the Martial Arts Development Foundation and President of the Kyokushinkan Karate-do Federation in Russia.

Mr.Slipenchuk is married with three children: Grigoriy, Trifon and Miron.