Sergei Zuev has been removed from the post of rector of the Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences. The place of Zuev, accused in the case of fraud, was taken by Maria Sigova, the rector of the Sobchak International Banking Institute, Shaninka’s press service reported. What is known about the new rector of this university?
Maria Sigova is 41 years old, she is from St. Petersburg. Sigova graduated from St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance with a degree in national economics.
According to open sources, she previously headed the Anatoly Sobchak International Banking Institute (a non-state university founded in 1991) and was the director of the Institute of Financial Cyber Technologies at ITMO University in St. Petersburg. She is a Doctor of Economics. Her dissertation was devoted to consulting services in the strategy of ensuring national economic security. In the past, Sigova worked for Oleg Deripaska’s Basic Element and Lenenergo, as well as for “companies engaged in foreign economic activity.”
According to one version, people from the environment of the founders of Shaninka call Sigova an “external manager”, the founders of Shaninka decided to transfer students to the jurisdiction of the Sobchak Institute.
Former rector of Shaninka Sergey Zuev and ex-Deputy Minister of Education Marina Rakova were detained in October 2021, they are accused of embezzling 50 million rubles. In November, Zuev’s preventive measure was mitigated: house arrest was replaced with a ban on certain actions. Previously, Zuev was in jail. From there, he was repeatedly hospitalized with heart pains. Shaninka has had many problems over the past few years, and perhaps the appointment of Sigova will somehow help the university, says Vladimir Vasilyev, Rector of NRU ITMO, Chairman of the Union of Rectors of St. Petersburg:
– It was quite high among specialists who worked in the field of management, economics. Recently, it is clear that due to a number of events they are hooked, this is what I can say about Shaninka.
– Accordingly, will she be able to rehabilitate the previous story with Zuev and stabilize the situation in Shaninka?
– Probably because of this, she was recommended, but I don’t think it will be very easy, because the level was quite high and now the gap is colossal, that is, this is not a matter of one year or two years, if you are talking about maybe pick her up.
Nikolai Kudryavtsev, President of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, previously worked with Maria Sigova. Here is how he speaks about the new rector Shaninka:
– Very good, hard-working employee. She was very comfortable at work, so to speak, she is a very productive person, she works a lot. Together with Sberbank, we created innovative schools, she was the head of the school.
– The project of the school is ongoing, does it exist?
– Yes, sure. What it can lead Shaninka to is probably not a question for us. But a very strong person, it’s a pity to lose such a person, but I think that we will continue to cooperate with her.
After the announcement of a new rector, Olga Lukinova, head of the marketing and information policy department of the university, wrote a letter of resignation. She refuses to comment.