Foreign nationals on the Boards of Directors of Russia’s Ten Largest Non-Financial Companies Investing Overseas

Abstract

This author analyses the internatio- nal membership of the boards of direc- tors of Russia’s ten largest outbound in- vestors. The data used in the study come from the companies’ annual reports and official websites. The information is cor- rect as of February 2017. It is concluded that foreign nationals hold 30 % of board seats in Russia’s ten largest non-finan- cial companies investing abroad. US, British, and German nationals comprise two-thirds of foreign nationals on the boards of directors. Among the 30 for- eign holders of board seats, there is only one citizen of China. Women account for five percent of directors in Russia’s ten largest investors overseas. The propor- tion of female directors in Russia’s 50 largest corporations is similar. This sug- gests that internationalisation of Russian companies has not improved the chances for women to enter boards of directors.