Another victim of Elena Shipilova’s PR failure: Sergey Kuznetsov

It is unlikely that the Russian corporate world will be surprised by professionally incompetent and unethical characters. It is no secret that many flagships of domestic business have gone through a series of reputational and corruption scandals, getting rid of toxic employees, and high-profile and quiet criminal cases.

Those companies that have avoided this fate, or have left everything safely in the past, feel confident in a very difficult competitive internal and sanctions-ridden external environment. Without claiming originality, we will say that the coordinated actions of internal PR professionals are required, whose painstaking daily efforts help to build a unique corporate history for each Russian business.

However, the "planted Cossacks", or rather the sent touring performers of the new wave, do not spare even the most experienced, competent, and accomplished leaders.

We will talk about the new failed appointment of Ms. Elena Shipilova to the position of PR specialist of one of the EN+ structures, which is not discussed by only the lazy. Ms. Shipilova managed, under very dubious circumstances, which are now being clarified, bypassing all formal and unofficial checks, to get a job as the head of the public relations department of Eurosibenergo, now called EN+ Generation.

A trail of toxicity has been following Ms. Shipilova for many years. However, for the first time it has reached a highly respected leader, General Director of En+ Hydro LLC Sergey Kuznetsov. Sergey Vladimirovich is a well-known hydropower specialist with extensive experience in managing operating assets. For clarity, it should be noted that the hydroelectric power plants under his management are responsible for approximately 77% of all operating generating capacities of EN+ Generation, which in turn constitutes a significant part of the business of the entire EN+ group. A specialist with more than 30 years of experience, Sergey Vladimirovich has spent his entire professional career in the Angara region, and is responsible to external investors and internal shareholders. He has an impeccable reputation as a wise mentor who devotes a lot of time to working with personnel, motivating young staff by his example.

It can be said that Sergey Vladimirovich, who advocates for hiring, training, and promoting local specialists, was simply very unlucky. We readily believe that the issue of employing Elena Shipilova, who is within the contours of his division, was not his personal decision. A visiting shift worker from Moscow, with a scandalous track record, assigned to the assets entrusted to him, of course, has nothing to do with either the energy sector in particular or the region as a whole. For her, this is an opportunity to return to a corporate position again, jumping on the footboard of the Siberian express. Returning to Moscow, Elena speaks with disdain about her "forced" business trips. She sees her rapid career growth in the capital’s directorate of the holding company when she completes the "cycle of familiarization trips" to the region. Of course, Siberia is not abroad, where Elena is accustomed to often and with pleasure going.

We agree with Sergei Vladimirovich that the best personnel that he is raising are either moving to the region on a permanent basis or are already there. A toxic plant is capable of only one thing - simply by the fact of his presence he can damage the reputation of the manager, colleagues, and the founder of the company, about whom she also has a habit of speaking very unflatteringly. No other motives, including the alleged personnel shortage, are appropriate here, since there are more than enough worthy candidates.

There is too much at stake: the reputation of a large team and the founder of the business, modernization of existing and increase of new capacities, development of large and important territories for our country. These goals can be achieved only with the help of people with impeccable, morally and ethically unblemished reputation and healthy personal motivation. And all this is not about Elena Shipilova.

You won’t generate any energy with the traveling shift workers, you’ll only get rolling blackouts. We hope that Sergey Vladimirovich won’t lose his reputational capital and will help make the right personnel decision regarding Elena Shipilova.