OREANDA-NEWS. October 24, 2011. PwC Russia has opened an office in Krasnodar, making it the professional services firm’s eighth office in the country. PwC and the Krasnodar Regional Administration began working together in 2009, when PwC and the Administration, led by Governor Alexander Tkachev, signed a cooperation agreement. This cooperation has been aimed at developing and carrying out programmes designed to promote the social and economic development of the Krasnodar Region, popularly known as Kuban, as well as to boost the competitiveness of local companies, identify their investment needs and seek out potential sources of financing, reported the press-centre of PwC.

Since then, PwC has already launched several successful projects in the Krasnodar Region, and continues to work on them today. In April 2011, PwC signed cooperation agreements with both Kuban State University and Kuban State Agricultural University to actively foster joint efforts in the development of educational programmes. And, in October 2011, both universities played host to a series of “Olympic Boost” information sessions, held jointly by PwC and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee.

David Gray, PwC Russia’s Moscow-based Managing Partner, was on hand in Krasnodar for the official office opening ceremony yesterday. Also in attendance were Anna Kalmykova, a Director with PwC Russia and head of the new Krasnodar office, and several local dignitaries, including Krasnodar Region Deputy Governor Alexei Agafonov, as well as Igor Slavinsky, head of the Regional Administration’s Capital Markets Department, and Krasnodar City Deputy Mayor Evgeny Moskvin, who is also director of the city’s Finance Department.

Deputy Governor Agafonov noted that the opening of PwC’s office in Krasnodar was just as significant an event for the Regional Administration as it was for the firm, as its presence in the Kuban region is critical for attracting investment into the area and modernising the local economy. He said:

“It’s really a pleasure for us that we have turned words into deeds, and that PwC’s office is already now up and running here in Krasnodar. Thank you for choosing Krasnodar; you won’t regret it.”

In his remarks, Igor Slavinsky thanked PwC for its constructive collaboration, noting that the firm’s entry into the Krasnodar Region serves as one more confirmation of the entire Kuban region’s investment potential.

Following a press conference in the new PwC office, David Gray and Alexei Agafonov cut a ceremonial red ribbon in front of the assembled guests and press, symbolizing the office opening and the start of PwC's permanent presence in sunny Krasnodar.

Anna Kalmykova, head of the new office, said:

“We are very pleased that PwC now has a presence in Krasnodar. PwC and the Krasnodar Region have been linked for several years already by a number of projects. These include our close cooperation on educational programmes as well as the Krasnodar Investment Guide, which we have published together with the Regional Administration in 2009 and in 2011. We intend to play our part in developing the region’s economic potential, by helping to attract investment and promote the growth of local business.  And, as we traditionally have done in every region of Russia where we’re active, PwC will support the development of the Kuban’s talented young people.”

Initially, PwC will provide audit services in Krasnodar, but in future will expand to offer tax consulting and other services. Currently, the PwC team in Krasnodar consists of 20 professionals. It is expected that the office’s staff will double within three years.

The opening of PwC Russia’s newest office in the Krasnodar Region is also an important step in preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games. PwC is a Partner and the Official Professional Services Provider to the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014. As part of the firm’s high-level cooperation with the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, PwC is carrying out more than 70 projects related to Games planning, preparation and organisation, as well as such areas as taxation, HR management, sustainability, marketing, financial planning and budgeting, among others.

In selecting Krasnodar as the site of its newest office, PwC is making a commitment to help enhance the investment appeal of the Krasnodar Region as a whole, as well as attract investment, promote investment projects, foster greater efficiency among local businesses, and develop the local market for audit and consulting services. Thus, the new Krasnodar office sees one of its main tasks as helping to train qualified professionals, who will then become the driving force behind the region’s future growth and development.

It is also worth noting that PwC’s new Krasnodar office received a certificate on 11 October 2011 for its participation in the “Vitality Leaf” voluntary ecolabelling programme from the St Petersburg Ecological Union, a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN). The certificate allows the office to use the “Vitality Leaf” ecolabel for up to two years. It also confirms that the office premises meet all the requirements of “Vitality Leaf” standard 3.02.9900-11-1.0 on “Assessing office compliance with environmental protection criteria.” This demonstrates the firm’s high-level commitment to social responsibility and fostering an eco-friendly corporate culture, which translates into an ongoing concern that its offices are highly energy efficient and have a minimal environmental impact.

The global PwC network of firms has been active in the Russian market since 1989. Since then, PwC Russia has grown to become the country’s largest audit and consulting services provider. The firm employs about 2,500 professionals in eight offices across Russia, including Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan, Vladikavkaz, Yekaterinburg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Novosibirsk and, now, Krasnodar.