Russia starved of top professionals

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has called for the re-vamping of the country's human resources industry, which he says has needed restructuring since the fall of the Soviet Union. He said it’s necessary to create “an integrated system for the rep

The country is starved ofr home-grown specialists from top managers to elite execs. There aren’t enough trained Russians to fill those positions.

Ward Howell International has been a recognised leader in identifying and recruiting outstanding managers for Russia and the CIS since 1993.

“As far as businesses are concerned, I believe they realise that human capital is the core asset that needs to be cultivated,” says the company’s Georgi Abdushelishvili.

The problem’s now been outlined raised at the highest level.

 “The strategy we have adopted until 2020 makes provision for fundamental economic and social changes in our society. We need to find the best specialists and to form an integrated database for them on three levels: municipal, regional and federal.”

“The foremost objective is to make a so-called ‘presidential quota’ for the most perspective personnel. We’ve been disputing this subject for a long time since I was in a capacity of the head of administration. The time has come,” Medvedev said.

For the last decade Russia has looked abroad to try and re-vamp human resources and if that's going to change the education system must be the first place to start.

Studying to become a manager or businessman is relatively new in Russia. During the Soviet years the faculties didn’t even exist, and when the era ended the country began developing so quickly that there was almost no time to notice what was lacking.

Another part of the problem is nepotism, whereby people are placed in high positions because they know someone. Mass corruption also keeps those who are most qualified from getting top jobs.

Aleksey Makarkin from Moscow’s Centre for Political Technology says: “Everything is inter-connected. And that’s exactly what I think the President wants to change.”