ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIAN FEDERATION.- The State Hermitage Museum hosted the first meeting of the Hermitage Board of Trustees including prominent Russian and foreign politicians, artists and businessmen.The Board includes Alexey Kudrin, Finance Minister of the Russian Federation, Hans Ulrich Maerki, Chair IBM Board Europe, Middle East and Africa, John Russell, art critic from the New York Times, Lord Rothschild, head of the Hermitage Development Foundation, London, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, Vladimir Potanin, President of Interros, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, President of YUKOS, and Mikhail Shvydkoy, Culture Minister of the Russian Federation. Interros President Vladimir Potanin was elected Chairman of the Hermitage Board of Trustees.
The Board is designed to become an efficient instrument for the museum’s development. "The Board of Trustees created by us is the first such body in Russia and may be used as a model for other Russian museums. Its task is to develop mechanisms for a combination of governmental and business efforts in the preservation of cultural heritage," said Director Mikhail Piotrovsky.
The Hermitage Board of Trustees will optimize the museum’s financial strategy, attract investments and provide for their efficient use. According to Mikhail Shvydkoy, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, "Boards of trustees are an instrument of the democratic society. Creation of the Hermitage Board of Trustees, headed by a representative of big business rather than a governmental official, is an important step in this direction. This is an international body including prominent public figures. Its creation implies obligations on the part of the museum administration, businessmen and government."
Functions of the Board of Trustees will include the consideration of the Hermitage consolidated budget, proposition of financial projects and plans, evaluation of the efficiency of the finance use and proposals for the improvement of the Hermitage investment activities. The Board is now governed by the temporary regulations, while it is preparing the draft Hermitage Statute for the Government’s consideration.