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Author: Alexander VOROBYOV
The ex-shareholder and general director of "Yugtranzitservice", Kirill Podolskiy, calls the statement about theft of 55 million roubles absurd. The company new administration found guilty for this the old management apparatus. Kirill Podolskiy considers this was the attempt to threaten the managers of YuTS and prevent their leaving for the new recently created grain trading company "Valars". He is to register a claim about defense of his honor and dignity. During his interview to "YuR", he told why conflicts with main owners of YuTS were inevitable and that such things would not have place in the new company. Podolskiy intends to make the company "Valars" the number one on Russian market. Timely built terminal and thoroughly selected team helped him to bring YuTS to leaders; now he counts on experience and reputation.
Ex-general director of the largest grain exporters in Russia the company "Yugtranzitservice" Kirill Podolskiy calls the suspicions of new administration of YuTS funny: at the end of January, the company declared the old management apparatus wanted to steal 55 million roubles while purchasing agricultural enterprise "Don".
- It was very profitable deal - I have never seen before the enterprises with such a thorough structure, with wisely processed property. The deal amount was 150 million roubles, and 55 - was a prepayment. It was prepared in my presence, but to some reasons, the new administration refused the deal and 55 million roubles were incriminated to us. At that, YuTS represented itself as the company that does not carry out the obligations. They have either not examined the deal thoroughly or make this advisedly.
"We will answer"
- What may be the aim of this?
- It is quite evident - to threaten people who are still working for company and think what to do further. Just after my leaving, all top-managers also leaved YuTS: executive, commercial, financial directors, deputy director on juridical questions and others. In addition, people who worked under their command are leaving the company now. According to my estimates, 40 people already left the company.
- It is obvious that top-managers were linked to you, but what is the reason of dismissing the middle chain?
- The new administration has another work style. They got into the habit of ordering about the enterprises, of solving everything with the help of force and cry. However, YuTS is a trading company, it does not produce anything, but provides the services, and the level of its staff is higher. We never had global security, now it appears from the first steps - everybody became listened in, spied on.
People from YuTS leave the company for mine, though the administration tries to keep them with salaries. They talk with the rest ones saying, "You will leave, and we will imprison them (Podolskiy and his team - "YuR")". Mister Korobko (Andrey Korobko, general director of "Yugtranzitservice" since November 2006 - "YuR") constantly refers to his good relations in Moscow. He always uses the words "General Office of Public Prosecutor", "Federal Security Service", and "President's Administration".
Some of our partners are interested in these accusations, we are forced to justify ourselves. We will answer to this. Now, we are preparing the claim about defense of our business reputation, honor and dignity.
New old company
- You have declared about the creation of new grain trading company. What is the stage of its creation?
- The company is already created and registered. It repeats the structure of "Yugtranzitservice", includes many divisions, subsidiary enterprises. After the example of YuTS we have already opened four offices: in Taganrog, Moscow, Kiev and Switzerland. The company name is "Valars". Main enterprise is CJSC "Valars".
- What does the name mean?
- Have you read "Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien? His valars are godlike creatures, higher than hobbits, elves and dwarfs. I do not like fantasy very much, but our financial director likes it. Actually, it is a joke. The name is not tied to anything; we just did not want to create some abbreviations.
- Where has it been registered and who are its founders?
- The divisions are registered at the place of job where the taxes will be paid. I own 51% of shares, 49% are for the rest of management apparatus who leaved YuTS with me. I will be Chairman of Board of Directors. In fact, the company begins working from February 1.
- That means that you have created the company without attracting investors from outside?
- To start trading operations, we have enough our own forces. In the future, we will need borrowed funds and investors. YuTS had good reputation; the level of trust to the company was very high. The trust remained even after my leaving. Many banks and companies offered cooperation - it was unexpected.
- YuTS has large agricultural and infrastructural assets; the new company does not have them.
- We will be interesting in production assets, but to enter the market and to start the work we will work without them. Many foreign companies do not have assets and nevertheless they are highly regarded on the market. For example, YuTS grew only 300.000 tonnes of wheat and exported almost 3.5 mln. tonnes.
- How much grain do you plan to export during the first year of work?
- I would not like to make our export plans public. For 2-3 years, we will try to place leading positions on Russian as well as on Ukrainian markets. YuTS kept on referring mainly to Russia - while creating the company we did not have enough experience and means to work evenly in two countries at once. We have started to cope with Ukraine only a couple years ago.
Now, we will consider Ukraine and Russia as one single market as many international companies do.
Inevitable breach
- Large Russian holdings and transnational companies deal with grains export. How have you managed to make YuTS the leading exporter?
- The idea of building the elevator in Taganrog (2000) made a good start. By that time, Russia have not exported wheat for several years, the country had big problems with terminals. Russia had export goods but did not have terminals. Everything has started from this elevator: for several years, it gave us big advantage over our rivals. We could work more or less calmly, gather the team and accumulate the experience. We could make mistakes, for example to sell grains not to the end-buyer but to large companies-resellers, we could work on simple conditions. Anyway, we had large margin.
The other factor of success, as I have already told, was experienced and competent team.
In addition, terminals of "river-sea" type lost their current importance. That is why, when Korobko (general director of YuTS - "YuR") tells that I made a mistake when have not built deep-water terminal, the grains market just laughs at him.
- There are other defects the current administration of YuTS finds in your work.
- I wish if wise and competent people said that! If the person from Glencore (transnational corporation - "YuR") came to me and said, "I think this and that probably is made wrong", everything would be good. However, even he is to use the word "probably". Nevertheless, when people from outside that never proved themselves say about creation of fleet consisting of 50-100 vessels (some global steam navigation!), I am not offended.
- Anyway, why chief shareholder of ITF Group (owns 70% of shares) dismissed you from the position of general director?
- It was due to difficulties because of business and personal misunderstanding. Conflicts were inevitable as YuTS has wrong structure of share capital - the share of management apparatus in service company should be not less that controlling stock (Kirill Podolskiy owned 30% of YuTS shares - "YuR"). There are few examples in the sphere when people that do not belong to administration owned such large stock. Business is difficult, they do not see and do not control the situation, and they just begin to imagine something.
Anyway, I never expected that shareholders would dismiss me, appreciate my work like this. It was great shock for me; it was hard for me to leave everything. However, everything is over.
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