Deputy Economy Minister Max Nefyodov, 35, has won a competition to head the State Customs Service.
The Finance Ministry, which organized the competition, announced Nefyodov’s victory on June 26. Now, it will recommend his candidacy to the Cabinet of Ministers.
“I can’t say I feel joy in my heart, but who if not us will break through this mountain?” Nefyodov wrote on Facebook shortly after the results were revealed.
Nefyodov defeated two other candidates: Yevheny Harmash, vice rector of the University of Customs and Finance, and Andriy Savarets, head of the Digital Economy Development Center.
The Finance Ministry stressed that “creating an efficient, transparent and corruption-free Customs Service is the top requirement that comes from honest businesses and a key condition for accelerating economic growth.”
“The Finance Ministry entrusts the new head of customs with an ambitious task — to create a European-style customs office in Ukraine,” the ministry stated in a press release. It hopes the new customs head will eliminate shady schemes, simplify onerous procedures and digitize customs in Ukraine.
In April, the District Administrative Court of Kyiv blocked the competition based upon a complaint by lawmaker Andriy Antonishchak. But the Cabinet of Ministers appealed and the decision was overturned in June.
The State Customs Service is a new government agency in Ukraine. It was formed on March 6, when the Cabinet of Ministers decided to divide Ukraine’s State Fiscal Service into two bodies: the Customs Service and the Tax Service.
Commenting on his appointment to news agency Interfax-Ukraine, Nefyodov said he expects a full launch of the Customs Service in 2.5 months.
There are no candidates for deputy positions yet, he added.
Known for his hipster appearance and stylish dress, Nefyodov graduated with honors from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and has a master’s degree in economics.
In 2003–2006, he worked as an analyst for mergers and acquisitions at Golden Gate Business. In 2006–2010, he worked at investment company Dragon Capital, where he held the position of vice president and director of the investment banking department. In 2010, he became the managing partner of the Icon Private Equity investment fund. He became deputy economy minister in 2016.
Nefyodov is credited with playing a key role in the launch of ProZorro, an electronic procurement system which makes government purchases more transparent.
