KLEBANOV, Ilya Iosifovich

Ilya Klebanov (Илья Иосифович Клебанов) was born 7 May, 1951 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg.) A Russian politician, he served as presidential envoy to the Northwestern Federal District from 2003 to 2011.

In 1974, Klebanov graduated from the Kalinin Polytechnic in Leningrad, specializing in electrical engineering. He then started his career at the Leningrad Optics and Mechanics Association (LOMO), where he worked until 1997, spending the last seven years as its director.

Klebanov entered politics in 1997, when he joined the St. Petersburg City Administration as first deputy governor with responsibility for the economy and industrial policy. In May 1998 he was appointed deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation responsible for Military Industries.

Klebanov served in this post until February 2002, when he was appointed minister of Industry, Science and Technology. On November 1 2003 he was nominated presidential envoy to the Northwestern Federal District and in the same year was made a member of the Security Council.

On September 6, 2011, Klebanov was replaced by Nikolai Vinnichenko as presidential envoy to the Northwest Federal District.