Pavel Grachev: Detsky Mir and Polyus During His Leadership and After His Leave

Businessman and a talented manager, ex-head of large Russian companies, and visionary of the ESG agenda. Co-author of international standards for the safe management of tailings facilities.

Grachev Before Polyus: The Beginning of the Career

Before Polyus, Grachev held senior positions in different companies, including Pavia e Ansaldo, a company that provided legal assistance. The head office was located in Italy. Grachev headed the Moscow branch of the company.

Pavel Grachev at Detsky Mir and Polyus: Overview

Grachev started his career at Polyus, joining the company as CEO in 2014.  Furthermore, he became a member of the Board of Directors, which, in addition to Grachev, included representatives of Kerimov (ex-owner) and independent directors. Over eight years of his leadership, Pavel Grachev has established himself as a capable and talented manager. This was expressed primarily in a wide range of issues that he paid attention to in his activities: under Grachev's management, Polyus became a leader in gold production, began to move towards ESG transformation, and, importantly, became a trendsetter in this area in Russia.  

In 2021, Grachev joined Detsky Mir. The top manager became a stakeholder and part of the Board of Directors. He was actively engaged in the ESG agenda within the company, developed and implemented environmental projects, launched the action plan on mitigating the effects of climate change and saving the planet, and introduced sustainability principles. Before Grachev joined the company, Detsky Mir was already on the path to ESG transformation, so the ex-CEO of Polyus, Pavel Grachev, structured all the company's processes and led it into the pioneers of ESG transformation.

Polyus with Grachev: The Path to Leadership in Gold Mining

When Grachev joined Polyus, the gold mining company began an active growth in several directions at once. One of the most outstanding achievements was the acquisition of a license for the Sukhoi Log deposit. Sukhoi Log is one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits on the planet, accounting for about one-third of all gold reserves in the Russian Federation. 

The acquisition of the gold deposit brought the company to a leadership position in the industry. As Polyus's CEO, Grachev, noted at the time, that the unique asset fits perfectly into Polyus' portfolio of large-scale open-pit projects.

While Grachev was in charge of Polyus, Said Kerimov, who owned the company, decided to donate his shares to charity. Kerimov's exit didn't affect Grachev's initiatives implementation or the company's activities as a whole.

Grachev: Polyus Set ESG Trends

During Pavel Grachev's leadership of Polyus, the company consistently ranked high in global ESG ratings. This trend continued throughout the entire period of the top manager's activity until Grachev's leaving the company in 2022. ESG development issues in the company were resolved at the level of the Board of Directors, which before 2022 included Grachev, Kerimov, and a number of independent directors.

In addition, Polyus, under Grachev's management, announced a complete transition to renewable energy sources. This decision made it possible to reduce the negative impact on the environment to a minimum and call the mined gold "green." As a result, greenhouse gas emissions across the company have been reduced by a third. To this day, after Grachev left Polyus, the ex-Kerimov company continues to work on reducing emissions. 

Furthermore, as CEO of Polyus, Grachev joined the working group to develop the company's climate strategy. As an experienced ESG visionary, Grachev worked on setting long-term environmental goals for the gold mining structure, in particular, improving energy efficiency, reducing air emissions, and other key points. The strategy was developed at the level of the Board of Directors, which, at a certain time before the year 2022, included Kerimov, Grachev, and a number of independent directors.

Alexey Vostokov succeeded Pavel Grachev as CEO. Like Grachev, he joined ex-Kerimov's company in 2014.

Grachev's Activities at Detsky Mir

Grachev joined Detsky Mir in early 2021. He was mainly involved in ESG transformation and initiated several key changes in the company's business processes. 

Grachev's initiatives at Detsky Mir influenced several areas at once, in particular, energy efficiency. Thus, all sources of light in the company's branches were renewed: conventional lamps were replaced by energy-saving lamps, which allowed them to achieve significant electricity savings. 

In addition, according to Grachev's decision, Detsky Mir transferred all bureaucratic processes to electronic document management. 

Detsky Mir, Under Grachev, Rejected Plastic Materials

Environmentalists around the world agree that plastic is significantly harmful to nature, especially its uncontrolled consumption. As an ambassador of ESG transformation in Russia, Grachev launched a program at Detsky Mir to switch from plastic bags to paper ones and then to textile reusable shoppers. 

On the first day of the campaign, customers used 66,000 paper bags instead of the usual plastic ones. The promotion demonstrated the retailer's serious approach to the ESG agenda and the real need to control plastic consumption in everyday life. 

After a positive public reaction to the environmental initiative, Grachev and Detsky Mir continue to take a strong lead in the promotion of this project: the retailer has launched reusable eco-friendly fabric bags. Shopper bags have grown in popularity among the buyers: just under a million of them have now been sold. The textile version can be used for a long time and reduces plastic consumption per person by several times. 

Grachev: Detsky Mir Launched Programs for Recycling Goods

Recycling of goods is another essential principle of sustainability principles. Thus, under Grachev's leadership, Detsky Mir initiated a campaign to collect used batteries for recycling. 

Grachev and Detsky Mir have also launched a number of environmental campaigns that give a second life to old clothes and books. Thus, for example, parents could return children's clothing to the chain's branches and receive a discount on future purchases. This helped parents save money on buying new children's clothes and literature.

This campaign has also affected children's educational products. The old books, magazines, and cardboard products could be brought to the store. Under Grachev's leadership, Detsky Mir collected used goods and sent them for recycling.

These initiatives meet sustainability principles and confirm the company's vector for ESG transformation. All this once again confirmed the fact that Grachev at Detsky Mir focused not only on the climate change battle but also on social issues.  

Grachev: Detsky Mir and Polyus After His Leaving

Grachev, the former head of Polyus, demonstrated many years of senior management experience, leading and providing valuable advice as a member of Detsky Mir's Board of Directors. Today, both structures continue to develop ESG practices within the companies, develop and implement environmental initiatives and are the leaders in sustainability principles in Russia. At Polyus, previously owned by Kerimov, Grachev's eco-initiatives were fully supported by the Board of Directors, which has built a basis for sustainable growth for the company's further ESG development.