Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Polytechnic University graduate Vitaly Savelyev became the thirteenth guest of the discussion club. "The floor is yours!" project "Lepota".
The Semenov Hall was over 100 percent full. First, Vitaly Gennadievich was congratulated on being awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of SPbPU: the mantle presentation ceremony took place on the same day, two hours earlier.
Vitaly Savelyev graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the M. I. Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in 1977, specializing in mechanical engineering for construction and road machinery and equipment. After ten years of engineering experience, he received a second degree from the Leningrad Engineering and Economics Institute, earning a PhD in economics.
He worked on the construction of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant, rising from a commissioning engineer to the manager of the All-Union Trust "Sevzapmetallurgmontazh" (Sevzapmetallurgmontazh) of the USSR Ministry of Construction and Special Construction. He also worked for large commercial organizations, including Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation and CEO of PJSC Aeroflot. In 2020, he was appointed Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation. On May 14, 2024, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. That same year, he became the Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Development of the North-South International Transport Corridor.
At a meeting with Polytechnic University students and staff, Vitaly Savelyev gave a short lecture on the construction of high-speed highways in Russia and on future technologies such as magnetic levitation (maglev) and vacuum travel (Hyperloop). He emphasized that today's students will be working with these technologies. Afterward, Vitaly Gennadyevich answered questions from the audience and offered some valuable advice.
After graduating from the Polytechnic University, you rose through the ranks from an engineer to high-ranking government positions. What principles and inner values helped you along the way?
— For me, maintaining balance has always been fundamental. In everything you're building now—your body, your health, sports—and I played a lot of sports at university. And secondly, you need to constantly learn. You have to constantly push yourself, never let yourself slack off. You should have a professional hobby. It distracts you, gives you a different perspective on what you're doing. I was a professional photographer; I was the Nikon ambassador in Russia. I still shoot, and I find time on Sundays. Yesterday, I was out for a walk with my eldest son, and I was photographing autumn Moscow. You have to be able to distract yourself. I teach this to my children too; I have three (applause), and I also have four grandchildren (applause). You have to always be balanced. That's the most important thing.
— Vitaly Gennadievich, what sports did you do?
— I'm a candidate for Master of Sports of the USSR in boxing (applause). I was a two-time Burevestnik champion and a prize winner of the Leningrad student championship. But it's important to keep your mind in shape, not just your body. If you don't develop it, it starts to deteriorate. I picked up my latest hobby after COVID. In my spare time, I'm learning pi. I can recite the first 376 digits from memory. So there has to be something that motivates you to keep doing something. Brains are trained like muscles—believe me. If you maintain balance, you'll succeed. You're studying at one of the best universities. I've always been and remain proud to have graduated from the Polytechnic University. My teachers and mentors, Vladimir Vachaganovich Badalov and Albert Yakovlevich Bashkarev, are here in the audience today. The foundation you learn at university lasts a lifetime. You are now being imbued with knowledge, taught things that will definitely be useful in life. Your teachers are developing you and teaching you how to think.
— How will high-speed transport impact regional development and tourism?
"One of the key parameters of quality of life is mobility. That's why the construction of high-speed roads creates significant opportunities for regional development."
— If students have ideas for high-speed transportation technologies, such as autonomous vehicle repairs, where can they apply?
"Nobody considers ideas directly. But ideas can be patented and obtain a copyright certificate. Another option is to publish an article in a professional publication, and you'll definitely be found if the idea is innovative. We monitor all publications in our industry."
— What are the environmental advantages and disadvantages of high-speed transport, and how is automation of traffic on the line ensured?
"A high-speed railway will have an even greater environmental impact than an airplane. Airlines generally operate on clean kerosene, and air pollution is less than two percent per year globally. You're absolutely right to ask how safety will be ensured, since the project calls for trains to run at 15-minute intervals; maintaining such a discrete interval is impossible without automation. Several institutes are working on this issue. We must achieve this; this is our technological sovereignty."
— Why are you focusing on high-speed rail instead of promoting airspace, given that air transport is considered safer?
"An airplane can't always compensate for the train. Yes, Moscow-St. Petersburg flights fly every 15 minutes, 70 flights a day. But how will you land in Tver? In Veliky Novgorod?"
— Given your successful experience as a manager, what key principles of process management can you highlight?
Management is the art of achieving results through your subordinates. You need to set goals so that employees achieve at least 4% of the desired results. If you accept their lack of accomplishment and do it yourself, you've lost. You should never do anything for your subordinates. There are several important functions. The main one is planning. It binds. If you set a date, that's it, you're its hostage; explaining why you didn't complete it by the deadline will be difficult. Sometimes you've planned everything, but 20 minutes later the conditions change. That's when the "regulation" function comes in. Once you've adjusted the process, the control function appears. You must constantly monitor your subordinates. Finally, the function of analysis and reaching a new level is new planning. You make adjustments to the plan. If you work like this, I guarantee you'll be successful. I read about this when I was starting my career, I still use it, and I always say: there are no unsolvable problems, only complex solutions.
At the end of the meeting, Vitaly Savelyev received a branded Lepota project T-shirt with the lucky number thirteen as a gift.
"I love this number!" Vitaly Gennadievich rejoiced. "I had a car with the license plate number 13 and an apartment number 13." And on the second T-shirt, which remained at the Polytechnic University, the hero of the evening signed a wish for everyone good luck.
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