Valery Katkalo, Dean of the HSE Graduate School of Business, Awarded the Order of Friendship

Valery Katkalo, Director of the HSE Graduate School of Business, Doctor of Economics, Professor and Head of the Department of Strategic and International Management, has been awarded the Order of Friendship ‘for his achievements in teaching and research, training highly qualified specialists, and many years of conscientious work.’

For more than three decades, Valery Katkalo’s professional career has been devoted to establishing and developing world-class centres of business education in Russia. He was one of the founders of the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg State University (GSOM SPbU) and served as its dean for more than 15 years. It was the first business school in Russia to receive EQUIS international accreditation. He subsequently served as the founding rector of Sberbank Corporate University, which became the first institution in the history of Russian business to receive CLIP international accreditation. Valery Katkalo joined HSE University in 2019 and became the leader of the project to develop the HSE Graduate School of Business. Under his leadership, HSE has established Russia’s leading university-based business school, which has become a partner to the country’s largest companies in providing them with highly skilled management professionals and advanced management technologies. The HSE Graduate School of Business offers an integrated portfolio of highly sought-after programmes, ranging from bachelor’s and master’s degrees to MBA programmes and corporate training for senior executives. Its educational model is unique in combining innovative approaches with systematic quality management and close integration with leading companies in the Russian economy. The HSE Graduate School of Business has also become a recognised centre for research in management and business informatics and is actively expanding its network of alliances with leading business schools around the world.

The Order of Friendship is the latest in a series of state honours awarded to Valery Katkalo. Previously, he received the Medal of the Order ‘For Merit to the Fatherland’, 2nd Class, the honorary title of ‘Honoured Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation,’ and a Letter of Gratitude from the President of the Russian Federation.

We congratulate Valery Katkalo on receiving this prestigious state honour!

August 25