The Riki Group, a well known Russian animation company has brought on board Mark Zavadskiy as the new CEO.
In his new role, he will be responsible for running the company’s business units including two animation studios, digital content production, licensing and publishing agencies. Found and majority owner Ilya Popov will continue as the general producer and will be focusing more on the creative side of the business.
Prior to this, Zavadskiy served as the CEO of Alibaba’s Russian subsidiary, having worked for the Chinese company as its business development director for Russian and CIS markets. He was also the vice president of ecosystem development at Russian biggest bank Sberbank, and before that he spent 10 years in Asia.
Commenting on his appointment, Zavadskiy said, “The company shareholders were looking for an executive with the experience in management of larger companies. It is important that a visionary, who leads the creative part, works in a team with a business leader, who can make decisions based not only on creative approach, but also on the interest of the business.”
Riki Group is also in negotiations with potential investors, including foreign partners, as it aims further expansion. It already has a partnership with Alibaba Group.
Operating for 16 years, Riki Group produces animated content for all age groups. Its shows have been broadcast in more than 90 countries and translated into 50 languages and dialects. It has produced more than 100 hours of animation on projects including Kikoriki, The Fixies, Pincode, BabyRiki and Tina & Tony.