Sergei Kravchenko, vice president of Boeing’s cooperative programs and business development for Russia and the C.I.S., is the first Russian national to fly so high in the company. Nevertheless, the modest businessman says his main achievement is his 13-year-old son. Kravchenko was appointed in June 2000 and now manages the $1 billion in investments that Boeing has poured into Russia since 1992. The Leader talked to the successful manager and former scientist about this high-flying job with an aviation giant.

The Leader: How did you become interested in aviation?

Mr. Kravchenko: I was 12, a member of a school athletics team, and we were going somewhere — I don’t remember where. We were flying with an old Ilyushin model. I was amazed by the possibility of getting high in the sky and looking at the earth from above. I didn’t know how planes fly, and I wanted to find out.

I was not a typical Soviet teenager. I never dreamed of becoming a cosmonaut. I wanted to dedicate my life to science instead. My father was a scientist and in school in mathematics and physics I was in my element. I chose Moscow’s Auto-Mechanical University, which provided the best programs in applied mathematics. After my graduation, I enrolled for further studies in the Academy of Sciences and earned my doctoral degree and the title of professor there. From 1986, I participated in various international conferences, publishing my papers both in Russia and abroad. At the age of 30, I started teaching in Swedish, U.S. and South Korean Universities. I also have some 20 patents in engineering registered in Russia and foreign countries. The most important of them feature innovative methods of reducing vehicular noise and vibration.

The Leader: How did you come to Boeing?

Mr. Kravchenko: When Boeing was planning its Russian division in 1992 they were looking for a young person from the scientific community with strong achievements and a good knowledge of English to help in bridging the gaps between Russian and Western research culture. They interviewed some 12 people, including me, and eventually offered me a position in the newly opened Boeing Technology and Design Center in Moscow. I was also in charge of International Engineering Cooperation Programs in Russia.

The Leader: What are you responsible for in your current position?

Mr. Kravchenko: I coordinate the work of Boeing’s Moscow representative office in strategy development, technology design,and commercial aviation services. A very important part of my job is to supervise groups of 500 Russian engineers that work under technical research and design contracts for Boeing’s commercial aviation projects in Moscow as well as other cities in Russia. In Seattle, Washington, where Boeing’s headquarters are, I have another team of eight people to work with, so that my time is divided between these two offices and flights across the ocean. I travel from Moscow to Seattle and back twice a month.

The Leader: So, you must have discovered what the most comfortable plane to fly in is.

Mr. Kravchenko: Yes, it is the Boeing 777 in Aeroflot’s fleet, a plane with some Russian contribution to its design. No other carrier or plane can do better for me.

The Leader: Have you experienced any bias from Boeing’s top management because of your Russian background?

Mr. Kravchenko: My only difference from other Boeing managers is my Russian accent, I think. I am invited to every corporate meeting, and so far I have felt equal treatment and have never seen my efforts underestimated. Moreover, the Moscow office has been visited by many Boeing top-managers, who gave a very high appraisal of our work. Boeing’s globalization strategy implies use of the intellectual and cultural potential of people from different nations.

The Leader: Who has gained most from your work with Boeing — you or the corporation itself?

Mr. Kravchenko: I can’t speak on behalf of Boeing. As far as I am concerned, my career with this company has been a unique chance to work with research teams both in Russia and in the United States. I have dealt with so many interesting processes, managing people and projects in different fields, marketing of engineering projects and development of new business, evaluation of financial and business risks, airplane design and cooperation with airlines.

The Leader: What will be the next step in your career?

Mr. Kravchenko: What I would like to do next is to help Boeing in expanding cooperation with Russia from design to joint production. Boeing is already doing lots of projects here in Russia — in commercial aviation and space technologies. We cooperate with Energya Corp. and the Khrunichev complex in the International Space Station program. Boeing is also taking part in the Sea Launch project of four nations — the United States, Russia, Norway and Ukraine — to provide a mobile satellite-launch site. I believe if we further increase our collaboration with Russia, both Boeing and our country will benefit.

The Leader: Boeing is a foreign company; how committed is it to Russia?

Mr. Kravchenko: Boeing has invested $1 billion into various projects connected with Russia. Our Moscow office maintains very important programs in computer-aided design with Russian universities. Twenty Russian students receive Boeing scholarships. We have a raw material procurement project that provides Russian titanium for 20 percent of all titanium used in Boeing planes. As for working with Boeing, we don’t draw Russian engineers from their organizations for our projects. We sign contracts with the organizations, so that Boeing doesn’t compete with Russian research teams for people. The fact that the expat/Russians ratio in the Moscow office was three to one a few years ago and that now we have only five of them working here is important. As with anywhere in the world, the future of Russian airspace industry lies in integration into the global airspace industry. Many projects in this field can be better achieved by the joint efforts of truly cooperative international teams. The Boeing project means another chance for Russia to contribute to shaping the future of the industry.

The Leader: What should students do to land a career with Boeing?

Mr. Kravchenko: It’s a very difficult question. First, they must have a genuine interest in aviation. I don’t have an aviation science degree, but have always been interested in what’s going on. It is very important to master foreign languages and develop outstanding communication skills. Sports also will contribute to developing the ability work hard. My favorite sports were high-jumping and hurdle racing, and they’ve done much to mold my character. These are very general hints, because I think it is hard to plan such careers step by step. There is always a factor of chance, an unexpected opportunity that can influence many things. Just like my assignment to this position.

The Leader: How does Boeing treat its staff?

Mr. Kravchenko: Boeing pays for English-language courses and provides many opportunities in further education. We have a Learning Together program that sponsors professional education. The company’s Leadership Center in Saint Louis develops rather expensive programs for our personnel. Boeing can also cover MBA fees for its employees. One of my brightest colleagues, a Hero of the Soviet Union, cosmonaut Vladimir Titov, has recently recieved an MBA degree from an American college. Titov is director for Space and Telecom Business Development in the Moscow office. There are lots of opportunities for people in Boeing if they strive for personal growth and advancement.