Russian truck manufacturer Kamaz CEO Sergei Kogogin has been offered the post of general director of car maker AvtoVAZ, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported on Friday, citing a businessman acquainted with Kogogin.
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According to a report carried by the Prime-Tass news agency, the businessman said the offer came from Sergei Chemezov, general director of Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport, which controls AvtoVAZ.
Kogogin took time to consider the offer, a source close to AvtoVAZ said. He does not want to accept the new position, but it will be difficult for him to turn down Chemezov’s offer, the source said.
Kogogin is believed to be one of the shareholders of Kamaz, the daily said, citing unspecified colleagues of Kogogin. Rosoboronexport is also believed to control a large stake in Kamaz, several unspecified officials and managers of automobile companies said, the daily reported. Chemezov is a member of Kamaz’s board of directors, it added.
This may be the reason why Chemezov invited Kogogin to become director of AvtoVAZ, experts said. Rosobornexport is looking for a loyal person, and Kogogin is one of a limited number of people who combine loyalty and experience in the automobile industry, Alexander Zhukov, an analyst of Russian investment company Metropol, told the daily.
Kogogin was not available for comment, the daily said. Kogogin’s aide Eduard Ropnitsky said he had no knowledge about such an offer to his boss, while a spokesman for AvtoVAZ refused to comment, the report added.
Kogogin, who will be 49 this month, has been CEO of Kamaz since 2002, the daily said. Before 2002 he was economy and industry minister of the constituent republic of Tatarstan, where Kamaz is based, Prime-Tass noted, adding that AvtoVAZ is the largest passenger car manufacturer in Russia and Eastern Europe while Kamaz is Russia’s largest heavy truck manufacturer.
