VK holding singled out content services as a separate area

VK is changing its organizational structure. The holding has two key divisions, one responsible for social networks and content platforms, the other for the RuStore app store, Mail.ru mail service and a number of other services. The first direction will be headed by Stepan Kovalchuk, who has been in charge of VK’s media strategy since 2022, the second – by Alexander Aivazov.

VK announced on the creation of two large business groups within the holding. The first will combine social and content services – VKontakte, a number of services separate from it (VK Video, VK Music, VK Clips and VK Messenger), Odnoklassniki and Zen.

Stepan Kovalchuk, VK senior vice president for media strategy and service development, will head the first division.

The second subdivision will include the VK ID account system, the VK Pay payment system, the RuStore app store, Mail.ru mail services and educational services (Skillbox, Geekbrains, Sferum, etc.), as well as a “block of new businesses”. The latter, according to VK’s reporting for the first half of the year, include VK Play and the voice assistant Marusya. Alexander Aivazov, VK Senior Vice President for Business Development and Investments, will manage the second direction.

Services that are not included in business groups “will continue to develop within their divisions.” We are talking about the so-called technologies for business – cloud services VK Cloud and the VK WorkForce platform. VK clarified that the changes will not affect reporting and information disclosure.

Two months ago from VK gone three top managers responsible for the development of VKontakte are Marina Krasnova, CEO of the social network, Alexander Tobol, technical director, and Alexander Volodin, director of marketing and development. Kommersant’s sources explained the demarche by “a difference in views on the further development of VKontakte between its leadership and the parent holding VK.” Then the company announced that a certain “collegiate body” would manage the social network, without disclosing details. The creation of new business groups did not lead to a change in the operational management of VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, Kommersant was specified in VK.

The creation of large divisions simplifies business processes, and in the case of merging content services, “signals the market that it is ready to switch to a seamless model,” says Yulia Dolgova, Head of LabelUp: “In the case of serving advertisers, this will allow us to build work on the principle of one window.” In her opinion, the appointment of a person who was already responsible for media strategy to the post of head of such a group is “most logical.”

Yuri Litvinenko