Since 1993, he has been a board member of several leading Russian metal producers, including NLMK, MMK and Sayansk and Novokuznetsk Aluminium Plants and has been a member of the board of directors of Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) since 1996 and its chairman since 1998. He previously worked as deputy chief engineer and as deputy general director of the Karaganda Steel Plant, one of Kazakhstan's four largest steel plants.