Chechen officials manage Danone Russia without drawing weapons – Kommersant

Enterprises that previously belonged to the Russian business of the French dairy products manufacturer Danone, and which came under the control of the Federal Property Management Agency in the summer, continue to operate almost as before. How reports Financial Times (FT) citing informed sources, including those close to the Russian government, the new management of Danone Russia JSC and Danone Trade – Deputy Chairman of the Government of Chechnya, Minister of Agriculture of Chechnya, nephew of Ramzan Kadyrov Yakub Zakriev and his assistants rarely appear at production facilities and offices, FT sources note.

As the FT notes, the new top managers conduct business “like an MBA, quite professionally and without pulling out a gun.” The main daily work of enterprises and companies is carried out by the previous management and employees.

The newspaper notes that although Yakub Zakriev is listed as the general director of H&N, unofficially all responsibilities for this position are performed by Charlie Cappetti, who headed the Russian division of Danone before his transfers Rosimushchestvo. The previous executive committee remains in place, and none of the former management of Russian Danone has been fired yet. Charlie Cappetti and other managers maintain contact with Danone’s head office in Paris to ensure the smooth running of the business.

According to FT sources, the appointed external managers clearly have no desire to “rock the boat” and devalue the assets. More often than not, assistants assigned to him appear at Zakriev’s enterprises, but they, as FT sources indicate, clearly do not have the deep knowledge necessary to run a business. True, in recent weeks there have allegedly been signs that the new management wants to expand control, including in matters of marketing and product release.

Alena Miklashevskaya