Dietrich Meller leaving Russia

Dietrich Moeller, accompanied by his successor Alexander Liberov, has visited the main office of TAIF PSC shortly before his departure to Germany

Former President of Siemens in Russia Dietrich Meller, who has lead the regional company for 13 years, is finishing his work in Russia. Shortly before his departure to Germany, accompanied by his successor Alexander Liberov, he visited the head office of TAIF PSC, where he met with the management of one of the company's key customers in the Volga Federal District.

The meeting with TAIF Group was chaired by the director general of TAIF PSC, chairman of the boards of directors of Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Kazanorgsintez Ruslan Shigabutdinov, and with the participation of the chief advisor to Director General for development of TAIF PSC Albert Shigabutdinov.

The parties discussed the implementation of current projects, and at the end of the meeting, Mr Meller agreed to give a short interview to the journalist of Realnoe Vremya.

Mr Meller, you have a lot in common with Russia and Tatarstan. Many projects have been implemented here, including with TAIF Group. What project, in your opinion, was the most prominent and interesting?

Certainly, this is the power plant for Nizhnekamskneftekhim. First of all, this is the biggest project. Second, we competed for it very intensively with our American colleagues. Third, this project has some initial significance because we are discussing other projects as well, for example, the construction of a new station. So, we really have even greater prospects as a result of the successful implementation of this project.

You are saying that “we have such great prospects”. However, you are leaving Russia, and the cooperation with TAIF will be continued by your successor, Alexander Liberov...

Alexander is a worthy leader of Siemens in Russia. He has worked for many years both in Russia and in other regions of the world. He has a great experience. I am very pleased that the transition went smoothly, and I am confident that he will continue with dignity what we started. Moreover, Tatarstan is a strategic region for us, not just a market. Here we see very good prospects: of course, first of all with TAIF. But there are also other clients who strategically work with Siemens. KAMAZ, for example. That is, the prospects here for our business are really good.

What are your personal future plans?

I am ending my service in Russia and after 13 years of work here I am going home — to Germany. Of course, the ties with Russia remain. I think that from time to time I will come to Russia. Not only to Moscow but also to Kazan. It has been estimated that from my professional career at Siemens, I worked exactly half the time in Germany and the second half — in Russia. So now I even have to restore ties with friends in Germany a little bit. In the last 13 years, I have made more good friends here in Russia (laughs). In general, I am experiencing very mixed emotions: one eye is crying, and the other is smiling.

By Arseny Favstritsky
Reference

Siemens AG is the world's leading technology concern. The company operates in more than 200 countries and specializes in areas such as electrification, automation and digitalization.

Siemens LLC is the parent company of Siemens in Russia, Belarus and Central Asia. In these countries, the concern operates in all traditional areas of its activities, is present in more than 40 cities and is one of the leading suppliers of products, services and integrated solutions for the modernization of key sectors of the economy and infrastructure.

TAIF Group is one of the largest industrial and investment companies in Russia, which has significant assets and has a strong production potential, the flexible form of management and a high level of management. TAIF Group, which unites 43 subsidiaries and affiliates, operates in many areas, the main of which are oil and gas processing and petrochemistry, power engineering, construction industry, investment and services. All enterprises are closely interrelated in terms of economics, engineering, technology and management.

Tatarstan