MOSCOW, September 14 (RIA Novosti) - Boris Alyoshin, who until recently headed Russia's Federal Agency for Industry, has been appointed president of the country's largest automaker AvtoVAZ [RTS: AVAZ], the company said Friday.
The carmaker's former boss, Vladimir Artyakov, resigned after being nominated governor of the Samara Region, where AvtoVAZ is based. Former Governor Konstantin Titov has headed the region since 1991.
Alyoshin has held leading positions at AvtoVAZ over the past two years. In December 2005 he was appointed a board member, and has been deputy board chairman since October 2006.
"Boris Alyoshin heads the board's strategy committee and is in charge of AvtoVAZ long-term development projects," the company said in a statement. "Alyoshin is also supervising negotiations on cooperation between the Togliatti plant and large carmakers."
The Russian Industry Agency said earlier Andrei Dutov, the agency's deputy head, could replace Alyoshin.
Last year, AvtoVAZ posted net profits of 2.5 billion rubles ($99 million), up 15%, year-on-year. The company expects revenues of 166 billion rubles ($6.5 billion) in 2007.
