Alexander Vedyakhin
Alexander Vedyakhin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander Alexandrovitch Vedyakhin February 20, 1977 Volgograd, Russia |
| Occupation(s) | Business manager, banker |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Known for | First Deputy Chairman of Sberbank, member of supervisory board of Sberbank, member of board of directors at Skolkovo Foundation |
Alexander Alexandrovitch Vedyakhin (; born 20 February 1977) is a prominent Russian business manager currently holding the position of First Deputy Chairman of the board under CEO Herman Gref. He is also a member of the supervisory board of Sberbank. Vedyakhin is responsible for advancing business-to-business services aimed at corporate clients, managing the sales network, overseeing international operations, and heading Sberbank’s ESG division. Additionally, he serves on the board of Sberbank Corporate University and is a member of the board of directors at the Skolkovo Foundation.
Between 2020 and 2022, he was recognized in Kommersant's list of the Top 1000 Russian Managers. His career in banking began in 1999, and he has occupied the role of First Deputy Chairman at Sberbank since 2018.
Birth and education
Born on 20 February 1977 in Volgograd, a key industrial and academic hub, Vedyakhin graduated with distinction from Volgograd State Technical University in 1999, earning a degree in world economics. By 2001, he had obtained the academic title of Candidate of Economic Sciences.
He pursued an MBA specializing in banking management at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy, completing it in 2010. In 2012, he participated in an advanced training program co-organized by Sberbank and London Business School. From 2016 to 2018, he attended executive education at Stanford Graduate School of Business and finalized courses on artificial intelligence and machine learning at MIT in 2018.
Early career before joining Sberbank management (1999–2015)
Between 1999 and 2008, Vedyakhin progressed through roles at Sberbank’s Volgograd branch, starting as senior cashier-controller and ultimately becoming deputy branch manager. After Sberbank acquired Ukrainian bank NRB-Ukraine in 2007, he was appointed First Deputy Chairman of Sberbank Ukraine in 2008. Following Sberbank’s acquisition of Turkish DenizBank in 2012, he took on the role of Chief Risk Officer and joined DenizBank’s board.
Leadership roles at Sberbank (2015–present)
In July 2015, Vedyakhin transitioned to Sberbank’s headquarters as Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for Sberbank Group. He led the Risk Block alongside the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and Data Research Competence Centre.
Since June 2018, he has been serving as First Deputy Chairman of the board and executive board member. His portfolio includes supervision of Corporate and Investment Business, sales network operations, International Business division, Problem Assets department, AI and Machine Learning units, ESG Directorate, Partner Financing Centre, High-Potential Business Lines Centre, as well as Marketing and Communications.
His responsibilities extend to membership on the board and Academic Council of Sberbank Corporate University; directorship at the Skolkovo Foundation; participation on Russia’s FinTech Association supervisory board; and involvement in governmental working groups focused on industrial construction technologies and AI research centers.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko acknowledged Vedyakhin’s significant contribution to developing the National Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence and associated federal initiatives, positioning Sberbank as Russia’s federal competence center for AI.
Sanctions
In the spring of 2022, Vedyakhin, together with Herman Gref, was subjected to sanctions imposed by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand in connection with the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
Awards and recognition
On 17 November 2016, Vedyakhin was honored with the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class, acknowledging his notable impact on the advancement of the banking sector. In 2021, he received the Order of Alexander Nevsky. Within Kommersant's Top 1000 Russian Managers rankings, he secured third place in 2020 and advanced to second place in both 2021 and 2022 among Commercial Directors in the banking industry.
Family
Vedyakhin is married and has two daughters.
Profiles
- Alexander A Vedyakhin – Bloomberg profile
- Alexander Vedyakhin – Profile for AI for Good conference, ITU
- Alexander Vedyakhin – Skoltech team profile
- Vedyakhin Alexander Aleksandrovich – Ecumene Congress speaker profile
- Alexander Vedyakhin – Roscongress biography
- Vedyakhin Alexander Aleksandrovich – Tadviser profile
- Ведяхин Александр Александрович – BFM.RU profile (in Russian)
Interviews and columns
- Alexander Vedyakhin, Sberbank’s head of artificial intelligence – Intelligence Online, January 2022
- Interview Of The Week: Alexander Vedyakhin, Sberbank – The Innovator, 2021
- Sber is now the biggest business ecosystem in Russia – Bloomberg, 2021
- 1977 births
- Living people
- Russian bankers
- Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration alumni
- Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions
- Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions
- Recipients of the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class
- Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky