Globaltrans has in place a highly experienced Board of Directors, with the right blend of skills and experience necessary to lead the Group effectively. In addition to the significant operational and financial experience of the Board members, the independent Non-executive Directors bring their own external experience and objectivity to the Board’s deliberations and decision-making process, helping to support and constructively challenge the executive team.
The Board comprises 14 members, ten of whom are Non-executive Directors. Three of the Non-executive Directors are independent.
Chairman of the Board, Executive Director,
Chief Strategy Officer, co-founder of Globaltrans
Appointment
Mr. Maltsev was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors in April 2018 and has served as Chief Strategy Officer since August 2017.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Maltsev was instrumental in the development of the freight rail market in Russia and has worked in the industry for over 30 years. He co-founded Globaltrans and served as Chief Executive Officer from 2008 until 2015 when he left the Group. In 2017 he returned to Globaltrans as Chief Strategy Officer.
Mr. Maltsev was a founding member and Chairman of the non-profit partnership “Council of Railway Operators”. In recognition of his services to the rail industry, Mr. Maltsev received the “Honoured Railwayman of Russia” award. He has a degree in railway engineering.
Independent Non-executive Director,
Chairman of the Audit committee
Appointment
Mr. Colley was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-executive Director in April 2013.
Committee membership
Mr. Colley is Chairman of the Audit, Nomination and Remuneration committees. From 2021 he is a member of the ESG Committee.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Colley has extensive experience in international trade and risk management both in the public and private sectors. From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Colley served as country manager for Russia at Noble Resources SA. Prior to that, he held a variety of positions in the public sector, including at the office of the US Trade Representative and the US Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. He worked for Linkful Ltd and Noble Resources SA in Moscow from 1992 to 1999. Mr. Colley, a fluent Russian speaker, holds an MA in History and a BA in International Affairs and Russian Studies from the University of Virginia.
Other appointments
Mr. Colley is currently the principal of Highgate Consulting LLC, a global advisory consulting company.
Independent Non-executive Director
Appointment
Mr. Hadjivassiliou was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-executive Director in September 2019.
Committee membership
From 2021 Mr. Hadjivassiliou is a member of the Audit Committee.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Hadjivassiliou was a partner in Assurance and Advisory services at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Cyprus, from 1990 until 2018 when he retired. During this time he held various leadership positions with PwC including as an elected member of the Executive Board, Head of the Limassol office as well as a number of other offices in Cyprus and was a leading figure in business development. He has extensive experience in auditing, International Financial Reporting Standards and business advisory services having advised major local and international groups including companies publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange as well as in Cyprus.
Mr. Hadjivassiliou is a graduate of The University of Manchester and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
Other appointments
Mr. Hadjivassiliou holds directorships in a number of companies affiliated with his family and is also a Board member in a number of other private companies.
Independent Non-executive Director
Appointment
Appointment: Mr. Papaioannou joined the Board as an Independent Non-executive Director in April 2013.
Committee membership
Mr. Papaioannou is a member of the Audit, Nomination and Remuneration committees.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Papaioannou has more than 20 years’ experience in financial reporting, risk management, auditing, financial performance analysis and taxation. In 2004, he founded G. Papaioannou Auditors Ltd, which provides accounting, audit, tax and consulting services. From 2002 to 2004, he worked at Grant Thornton in Cyprus and before that for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Cyprus. Mr. Papaioannou holds a degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Essex. He is a qualified chartered accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Non-executive Director, co-founder of Globaltrans
Appointment
Mr. Eliseev joined the Board in March 2008.
External Appointments
Mr. Eliseev is Chairman of the Board of Globaltruck, a leading freight trucking operator in Russia, listed on the Moscow Exchange.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Eliseev co-founded Globaltrans in 2004 and has played a leading role in introducing market-based reforms to the Russian freight rail transportation market. He has spent more than 17 years in senior management positions, mostly within the rail sector.
Mr. Eliseev is a graduate of the Russian State Medical University, where he studied biophysics.
Non-executive Director
Appointment
Mr. Gomon served as a member of the Board of the Company from 2013 to 2016 and rejoined the Board in April 2017.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Gomon has over 13 years management experience in the railway industry. From 2006 to 2012 he was CEO of Transoil, one of the largest oil rail transportation companies in Russia, having previously served as CFO between 2003 and 2006. He sits on the boards of two Globaltrans subsidiaries, New Forwarding Company and BaltTransServis. Mr. Gomon studied economics at St Petersburg State University and holds an MBA from INSEAD.
Non-executive Director,
Company Secretary, Secretary to the Board
Appointment
Ms. Nicolaou joined the Board as a Non-executive Director in March 2008. She is the Company Secretary.
Committee membership
Ms. Nicolaou is the Chair of the ESG Committee.
Skills and Experience
Ms. Nicolaou has extensive experience in commercial, corporate and funds law. She is currently the Managing Director of Amicorp (Cyprus) Ltd. Previously, she was head of the Corporate Legal department at Polakis Sarris LLC and also worked at C. Patsalides LLC. Ms. Nicolaou participates in various associations of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and sits on the boards of other listed and private companies.
Ms. Nicolaou graduated with an LLB in Law from the University of Nottingham, and holds an LLM in Commercial and Corporate Law from University College London. She has an advanced diploma in Business Administration from the Cyprus International Institute of Management. She was admitted to the Bar in Cyprus in 2003.
Non-executive Director
Appointment
Ms. Pyrgou was appointed to the Board as a Non- executive Director in April 2013.
Skills and Experience
Ms. Pyrgou is a barrister and registered insolvency practitioner and has practised corporate law for over 25 years. She is currently Managing Director of Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm, a Cyprus-based corporate and commercial law practice. Previously she was Director of Legal Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Cyprus. Ms. Pyrgou served as the Chairman of EuropeFides Association, a European network of accounting, audit, tax and legal firms, from 2015 to 2016 and is a member of various business associations.
Ms. Pyrgou graduated from the University of Keele with a degree in Law and Sociology, and holds a diploma in Environmental Law from the University of Geneva. She was called to the bar in Cyprus in 1992 and in London (Grays Inn) in 1995.
Other appointments
Ms. Pyrgou currently serves as a member of the Cyprus Investments Promotion Agency (CIPA). She also sits on the Disciplinary Committee of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC). Ms. Pyrgou is also a Board member of the Health Insurance Organisation.
Executive Director, Head of Internal Audit
Appointment
Mr. Shirokov was appointed to the Board as an Executive Director in March 2008 and heads Globaltrans’ Internal Audit function.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Shirokov has over 12 years’ senior international management experience. Prior to joining Globaltrans, he worked in senior finance roles at Mechel and as an economist at Glencore International. He served as a non- executive member on the board of Global Ports Investments PLC between 2008 and April 2018 where he was a member of the Audit and Risk committee.
Mr. Shirokov graduated from the Finance Academy under the Russian government and studied business management at Oxford Brookes University.
Executive Director, Chief Procurement Officer
Appointment
Mr. Storozhev joined the Board as an Executive Director in April 2013.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Storozhev has held senior management roles over the course of a 20-year career in the rail industry and has been with Globaltrans since it was established. He is chairman of a number of Globaltrans subsidiary boards, including GTI Management and BaltTransServis and serves on the boards of other Globaltrans' subsidiaries, including New Forwarding Company and Ural Wagonrepair Company.
Since February 2015, he has been Director of Investments and Business Development at New Forwarding Company. Mr. Storozhev is a recipient of the “Honoured Transport Worker of CIS” Award.
Mr. Storozhev graduated from the Kiev Military Academy of Aviation and Engineering in 1990 with a degree in Engineering. He holds a diploma from the Mirbis Business School in Moscow and a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Finance.
Non-executive Director
Appointment
Mr. Thomaides was appointed to the Board as a Non-executive Director in April 2014.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Thomaides served as a director at Globaltrans from 2004 to 2008 and sat on the Board of Global Ports Investments PLC, Russia’s leading container port operator. He has been a director at Leverret Holding Ltd (Cyprus) since 2007.
Mr. Thomaides graduated from London Southbank University with a BSc degree in Consumer Product Management.
Non-executive Director
Appointment
Mr. Tofaros was appointed to the Board as a Non-executive Director in April 2013.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Tofaros is a director of the Client Accounting department at Amicorp (Cyprus) Ltd. He was a financial accountant at Depfa Investment Bank Ltd from 2004 to 2008 and a finance officer at Louis Catering Ltd from 2003 to 2004. He has held various positions in the Audit department at KPMG Cyprus.
Mr. Tofaros has a degree in Accounting,FinanceandEconomics and a master’s degree in Business Studies, both from the University of Kent. He holds a chartered certified accountant (FCCA) diploma and is a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus.
Executive Director, Managing Director
Appointment
Mr. Tolmachev was appointed to the Board as a Non-executive Director in April 2013 and as an Executive Director in October 2013.
Skills and Experience
Mr. Tolmachev became the Group’s Managing Director in October 2013. He joined N-Trans Group in 2001 and has held various management positions focused on corporate finance and treasury. He has extensive experience in financial analysis and modelling.
Mr. Tolmachev graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in Mechanics and Applied Mathematics.
Non-executive Director
Appointment
Skills and Experience
Mr. Foliforov has served on Globaltrans’ subsidiary Boards since 2018 including those of New Forwarding Company, BaltTransServis, GTI Management and Ural Wagonrepair Company.
Sergey has more than 18 years of management experience and has held various positions in a number of companies with a focus on financial management and analysis.
Mr. Foliforov graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University and has a Master of Science degree in Physics. He also holds an MBA from the MIRBIS Business School in Moscow.