About the Department

The Department of Finance was created on the base of the Department of Financial Markets and Financial Management. Established in 1998, the Department is the oldest in the branch, the first class having graduated in 2002. Until September 2006, the Department was headed by Professor Sergey Shvets, Doctor of Economics, who continues to work in the Department as the supervisor of the Finance Master’s Programme’s 'Risk Management at Companies and Financial Institutions' educational track. Elena Rogova became the department head in September 2006. Prior to 2009, the Department trained specialists in Finance and Credit. The Financial Management Master’s Programme was created in 2009 and later became the Finance Master's Programme in 2013. Between 2009 and 2014, the Department offered a Bachelor’s programme in economics, which focused on problems in corporate finance, financial markets and institutions, and banks, as well as financial monitoring. As a result of the commendable efforts of departmental staff, the Laboratory for Corporate Innovative Systems Research was opened at HSE’s St. Petersburg campus in 2010. Since September 2017 Professor Angel Barajas has headed the Department.

Each month the Department of Finance holds an academic seminar. The Department’s staff have a wide range of academic interests, including corporate finance, financial markets and institutions, risks, corporate tax planning, accounting, auditing, and innovations. The Department has four Doctors of Economics, and more than 80% of employees have an academic degree. One of the Department’s strong points is its continuity, and some of the best graduates end up working at the School each year. Over half of the Department’s staff receives academic bonuses, demonstrating the high academic activity that goes on within the Department. In addition, seven members of the Department of Finance are on the branch’s lists of best teachers.