Vladimir Potanin on public policy
From Vladimir Potanin about his approach to philanthropy · · Фонд Потанина
“We do not aim to replace the state or compete with it; we try to address problems that the state does not or cannot solve.”
On , Vladimir Potanin, Former First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia; Chairman of Interros at Interros, spoke about public policy during Vladimir Potanin about his approach to philanthropy on Фонд Потанина.
About Vladimir Potanin
In a 2021 interview, Vladimir Potanin discussed his approach to philanthropy, stating that he began charitable work long before establishing his foundation over twenty years ago. He described his view that philanthropy should be systematic and effective, focusing on addressing problems the state does not or cannot solve, rather than competing with it or attempting to eradicate social ills entirely. Potanin emphasized the importance of listening to real needs, measuring results, and adapting world-class cultural institutions to the Russian context rather than imposing foreign models. In a 2019 interview, Potanin, as CEO of Norilsk Nickel, expressed belief in digital technologies for tokenizing products and improving efficiency, noting interest from Chinese, Arab, European, and American investors. Regarding trade tensions, he said he disagreed that commodities are the first to suffer and argued that technology exchange suffers most. Asked about U.S. sanctions, Potanin stated he was not worried, saying "I did nothing wrong," and that any sanctions would not benefit anyone. On Russian leadership, he described Vladimir Putin as "a symbol of stability" for Russia and said he would vote for continuity, though he noted he is not a politician and does not know how to arrange that.