February 19, 2021 — Ernesto Ferlenghi, Chairman of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) Energy Committee and Steering Committee, joined the Gazprombank Council for the Introduction of Sustainable Development Principles as an independent member. His extensive experience will help Gazprombank solve the long-term problems that it currently faces regarding the achievement of sustainable development goals.
Now, the Council has expanded to three Independent Members: it already included Jean-Claude Knebeler, Head of the Sustainable Development Department at the International and Comparative Law Research Center (ICLRC), and Vyacheslav Fetisov, a United Nations Environment Progam (UNEP) National Goodwill Ambassador.
The Council for the Introduction of Sustainable Development Principles was established in September 2020 to systematize the Bank’s social, environmental and economic projects. The Council is headed by Alexey Matveev, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board. Aside from Independent Members, the Council also includes chief executives of Gazprombank who curate field-specific areas of work in accordance with the Council’s objectives.
Ernesto Ferlenghi is also a Member of the Management Board at the Association of European Businesses, Head of the Representative Office of oil company Eni in the Russian Federation, and Head of the Russia and Central Asia Market Development business line at Eni. Since 2008, he has been a member of the Board of Directors at FGC UES PJSC. In 2019, he was appointed a Co-Chairman of the Russian-Italian Civil Society Dialogue Forum from the Italian side, and in 2020, he joined the Management Board of the Lisbon – Vladivostok: a Common Economic Space international initiative. Additionally, Ernesto is an Executive Vice President of the Association of Italian Industrialists in Russia.
In 2012, Ernesto Ferlenghi was honored with a commendation from the President of the Russian Federation for his contribution to the promotion of Russian-Italian relations in the energy sector.
“It is a great honor for me to join the Gazprombank Council on Sustainable Development, such an important area of work in the modern world. The work of one of the largest Russian banks aimed at achieving the sustainable development goals adopted by the UN is particularly significant and relevant nowadays. Among all areas of the Bank’s work in the field of sustainable development, it is the development of renewable energy resources for the prevention of climate change that deserves special attention, in my opinion. I hope that the knowledge and experience I have accumulated in this area will enable the efficient work of the Council, which is sure to make a critical contribution to the future of Russia and the entire world,” said Ernesto Ferlenghi.
“We are proud that such an internationally-renowned expert as Ernesto Ferlenghi has agreed to join the Gazprombank Council for the Introduction of Sustainable Development Principles. I am certain that his longstanding professional experience in the field of social and international relations, as well as all of his accumulated knowledge and high qualifications as an expert in the energy sector, will enable the enhanced performance of the Council, which fulfills the critical task of implementing the Bank’s sustainable development strategy and systematizing the Bank’s extensive activities in this area,” commented Alexey Matveev, Deputy Chairman of Gazprombank’s Management Board.