PROFILE - Who is Mikhail Mishustin?

MOSCOW

The Russian State Duma has confirmed the head of the Federal Tax Service as the country's new prime minister Thursday.

Mishustin was nominated by Russia's President Vladimir Putin yesterday at a government meeting, which ended up with the resignation of Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev and his cabinet.

Putin quickly accepted the resignation, explaining the reshuffle by the need “to properly organize the work” to implement tasks voiced during the address to the Federal Assembly and offering for the consideration of the parliament Mikhail Mishustin as a new head of the government.

Mikhail Mishustin, who has served as a head of the Russian Federal Service for almost ten years, was born in Moscow, in 1966.

In 1989 he graduated from the Moscow State Technological University "Stankin" with engineer qualification and then entered a post-graduate program.

In 1992, Mishustin commenced work in the International Computer Club facilitating the integration of Russian and Western advanced information technologies.

Six years later, in 1998, Mishustin joined the state service as an assistant to the head of the Federal Tax Service for information systems in accounting and control over the receipt of tax payments.

He was promoted the same year as the deputy minister of tax and revenues, then worked as head the Federal Agency for Real Estate Cadastre from 2004 to 2006, when he was appointed as a head of the Federal Agency for managing special economic zones, which are structures of the Ministry of Economic Development.

In 2008 Mishustin left the state service to move to UFG Capital Partners, an investment company, specializing in launching venture, real estate and projects of business development in the regions, but in 2010 returned to the government as a head of the Federal Tax Service.

New Russian prime minister has a doctorate degree in economy, he is the author of three monographs and more than 40 research articles.

He is married and is bringing up three sons.

Mikhail Mishustin is widely praised for adoption of technologies in work of the Federal Tax Service. He also changed the system of the service's work, moving focus from inspections to the analytical work. Mishustin initiated number of innovations, facilitating the communications between the residents and the Tax Service, getting available a number of services online.