REIMAN, Leonid Dododzhonovich
Former Minister of Information Technology and Communications of the Russian Federation

Leonid Reiman (Леонид Дододжонович Рейман) was born on July 12, 1957 in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. In 1979 he graduated from the M.A. Bonch-Bruevich Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute of Communication (now the M.A. Bonch-Bruevich St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications).

From 1979 to 1983 Reiman worked as an engineer, the chief of a department on the Leningrad inter-city telephone exchange. From 1983 to 1985 Reiman served in the military as an officer of communication in the Armed forces of the USSR.

From 1985 to 1998 Reiman worked in the Leningrad Municipal Telephone Network (from 1991 - the Petersburg Telephone Network; from 1996 - privatized company "Petersburg Telephone Network") as an engineer, senior engineer, chief engineer, director of development, director of international affairs, first assistant director-general.

In July 1999 Reiman was named state-secretary and first assistant chairman of the State Committee on Telecommunications. In August of the same year, he was made chairman of this committee. From 1999 to 2004 Reiman served within the government as Minister of Communication and Information.

Since the year 2000 Reiman has served as the chairman of board of directors of Svyazinvest - the largest Russian telecommunication company. In his capacity as chairman, Reiman repeatedly advocates the proposals to privatize Svyazinvest, saying that privatization would be of benefit to the national economy and to the company itself. Reiman suggested 75 percent of the company's shares to be put up for sale, but at the same time to retain "a golden stock"; a vote from the board of directors decided that the state will initially take these shares following privatization. Originally privatization was planned for the end of 2006; however, on September 20, 2006 Reiman informed that privatization would be postponed.

From April to May 2004, Reiman was the assistant minister of transport and communication. In May of that year he was appointed minister of information technologies and communication.

According to some media reports, Reiman is a beneficary of the Bermuda-registered company IPOC. IPOC directly owns 8 percent of shares of the Russian mobile phone operator MegaFon. Moreover, IPOC controls the First National Holding fund to which posesses 58 percent of shares of the holding company Telekominvest. In turn, this holding owns 31.3 percent of shares of MegaFon and 29 percent of shares of telecommunications provider PeterStar. The present information has been published after a refusal of an arbitration tribunal in Zurich on May 16, 2006 to satisfy IPOC's claim to the company Alpha groups - about the recognition of the illegal purchase of the last 19.4 percent of MegaFon shares on the basis that the beneficaries of IPOC are state employees. [1]

On May 12, 2008 Russia's new cabinet following the inauguration of President Dmitry Medvedev was announced. Reiman did not retain his ministerial post, and was replaced by Igor Shchyogolev in the new capacity of minister of communication and mass media of the Russian Federation. The following day, Medvedev signed an ordinance on appointing heads of his administration, as well as his advisors and assistants. Reiman was included in this list, as presidential advisor on IT, microelectronics, manufacture of software and means of communication.

Reiman is also chief monitor of the Institute of Contemporary Development founded on the basis of the Information Society Development Center (RIO Center). Reiman also held the position of chairman of the board of trustees of RIO Center.

In July 2008, President Medvedev appointed Reiman as chief of the interdepartmental working group on introductory preparations for new generation-biometric Russian passport and visa documents, the presidential press service announced.

Reiman is married, has a son and a daughter.

Sources

1. CNews.Ru, "The 'MegaFon' Affair", March 10, 2006 (In Russian)

Lenta.Ru, Leonid Reiman's Biography (In Russian)

Last updated July 31, 2008