NARYSHKIN, Sergei Yevgenyevich

Sergei Naryshkin (Сергей Евгеньевич Нарышкин) was born October 27, 1954 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). A former head of the Presidential Administration, on December 21, 2011 he was elected speaker of the State Duma.

In 1978 Naryshkin graduated from Leningrad Mechanical Institute, specializing in radiomechanical engineering. He later received a second degree from the St. Petersburg International Institute of Economic Management.

In 1982 Naryshkin joined the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute, serving as an assistant to the rector. In the 1980s he also spent time at the Soviet Embassy in Belgium, where he worked as an expert for the State Committee on Science and Technology.

In the early 1990s Naryshkin worked under Vladimir Putin in the St. Petersburg Mayor’s office. In 1995 he took two years out of politics to work at Promstroybank in St. Petersburg.

In 1998, Naryshkin joined the Leningrad regional government Committee on Foreign Economic and International Relations.

In 2004 Naryshkin was appointed deputy head of the Presidential Administration's Economic Department and deputy chief of staff under Dmitry Kozak. In the same year he succeeded Kozak, when the latter was named presidential envoy to the North Caucasus.

Naryshkin maintained his business links as his political career strengthened. In 2005 he was named chairman of the board of state-owned television broadcaster Channel One. From 2005 to 2009 he was also on the board of directors of Rosneft. In February 2007 he was appointed deputy prime minister in charge of foreign trade, focusing on links within the former Soviet Union.

From May 2008 until December 2011, Naryshkin was the head of the Presidential Administration.

Following State Duma elections in early December 2011, Naryshkin was nominated to the post of parliamentary speaker. He was voted in at the new Duma's first session, by 238 to 88 votes and replaced outgoing Boris Gryzlov, who had served in the post for eight years. Naryshkin's first deputy speakers are Alexander Zhukov and the Communist Party representative Ivan Melnikov. He has a further six deputy speakers.

Sergei Naryshkin's Biography on the Presidential Administration Web site