OREANDA-NEWS. On December 26, 2008 an Extraordinary General Meeting (“EGM”) of shareholders of OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (“MMC Norilsk Nickel” or the “Company”) took place in Moscow. The EGM was convened at the request of UC RUSAL, the owner of 25%+2 shares in the Company, reported the press-centre of Norilsk Nickel.

In line with the EGM agenda, the shareholders voted in favor of early termination of authorities of the existing Board of Directors.

According to the preliminary vote count, new Board of Directors of MMC Norilsk Nickel will include the following thirteen persons:

1. Dmitry Afanasiev,  Partner at “Yegorov, Puginsky, Afanasyev & Partners” Legal Firm, member of the UC RUSAL Board of Directors;

2. Sergey Batekhin, First Deputy General Director – Executive Director of MMC Norilsk Nickel;

3. Аndrey Bougrov, Managing Director of Interros;

4. Аlexander Bulygin, General Director of UC RUSAL;

5. Аlexander Voloshin, member of the Boards of Directors at OJSC MRSK Holding and OJSC Power Systems of the East;

6. Аndrey Klishas, Vice President  and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Interros;

7. Brad Mills, CEO of Lonmin PLC, the world’s third Platinum producer in 2004-2008;

8. Farhad Moshiri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Metalloinvest Holding;

9. Аlexander Polevoy, Deputy General Director for finances at Interros;

10. Мaxim Sokov, Director for Investments at UC RUSAL;

11. Vladislav Soloviev, General Director of En+, member of the Board of Directors at UC RUSAL;

12. Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, General Director – Chairman of the Management Board of MMC Norilsk Nickel;

13. Gerard Holden, formely Head of Metals and Mining Investment division at Barclay Capital.
Later today, at the first meeting of the new Board of Directors, Alexander Voloshin was elected to be the Chairman of the Board. Under another Board decision, Valery Matvienko was introduced as member of the Management Board of MMC Norilsk Nickel.

Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, General Director of the Company, appointed Valery Matvienko to be First Deputy General Director instead of Sergey Batekhin. Mr. Matvienko will be in charge of the Company’s operations.

Brief bio:
Matvienko Valery Alexandrovich
Born in 1955. Graduated in 1977 from Siberian Metallurgical Institute as qualified specialist in ferrous metallurgy.

From March 2007 to December 2008 – Director of Engineering and Construction Division of the United Company Russian Aluminum (UC RUSAL) after its formation in March 2007;

From July 2005 to March  2007  - Director of RUSAL’s Engineering and Construction Division;
From 2004 to 2005 – Director of RUSAL’s Aluminum Division;

From 2002 to 2004 – Director for Production at RUSAL;

2001 – Director of Novokuznetsk Aluminum Plant;

2000 – First Deputy General Director, Executive Director of Bratsk Aluminum Plant;

1998-2000 – Director of Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant;

Mr. Matvienko started his career at Ermakovsky Ferroalloy Plant (Kazakhstan) in 1977, rising from smelter worker to technical director over the period of twenty years.