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Chief Managing Director of Nezavisimost Group of Companies Oscar Akhmedov is leaving the company. Mr. Akhmedov decided to focus on his own projects in the Russian automotive business.

Chief Managing Director of the Nezavisimost Group of Companies Oscar Akhmedov
Photo: Petr Kassin, Kommersant / buy photo

The company said in a statement that Oskar Akhmedov, who has held the position of chief managing director of Independence Group for the past three years, is leaving his post. Starting March 14, Elena Zhuravleva, currently the group’s chief financial officer, will assume the duties of the group’s CEO. Previously, Ms. Zhuravleva headed the internal audit department at TNK-BP; she moved to Independence in 2007.

As Kommersant has already reported, since last year a deal has been discussed for the sale of 49.95% of the shares of the Independence car dealer by Alfa Group and Goldman Sachs. One of the contenders for the purchase is the founder and main owner of Independence, Roman Tchaikovsky. However, there is an alternative option, in which 100% of the company is purchased by Ela Group of Companies, which last fall already consolidated the large car dealer Avtospetstsentr (ASC).

GC "Independence" was founded in 1992. Its portfolio includes the brands Audi, BMW, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, Ford, Mazda, Peugeot, Porsche, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Kia. The company's revenue for 2012 amounted to 57.07 billion rubles. The year before last, Independence sold 42.1 thousand new cars (an increase of 24.9%), earning 57.07 billion rubles. Ekaterina Mikhailina

Oscar Akhmedov gained independence