Chairman of the Supervisory Council at Alfa Group Consortium, Member of the Board of Directors at Alfa-Bank Russia, Mikhail Fridman, said:

"Alfa-Bank and Petr Smida have a long history of growth and success together. Petr played a leading role in the transformation of the Bank’s businesses to the next level of international standards, as well as in the creation and development of the highly regarded retail business of Alfa Bank.

The bank has grown six fold under his supervision. His professionalism in acting as CEO of the Bank from 2003 to 2008 led Alfa towards substantial market growth, and cemented Alfa’s position as the leading private bank in Russia.

Most recently, аs a Member of the Board from 2008 to 2011, Petr Smida took an active role in developing the bank’s strategy. I am certain that Petr’s experience and professional skills in his new role of the Chairman of the Board will become a key contributing factor for the success of Alfa Bank in the future".

Petr Smida commented:
"For me, my appointment is yet further confirmation of the validity of Alfa Bank’s long term strategy. As the Chairman of the board I am convinced that with the strength of the Shareholders’ support that we enjoy, and most importantly with the commitment that our team has to the leadership, we will ensure further successful growth of Alfa Bank as the largest privately owned bank in Russia".