On 18 December 2007 the Hermitage Museum Foundation in New York (formerly the American Friends of the State Hermitage Museum) announces the election of Paul Rodzianko as its new Chairman. Mr. Rodzianko is a well-known international executive with long experience in Russia. He is an investor in and serves on the Boards of a number of emerging market companies. Mr. Rodzianko will lead the Foundation’s endeavors to broaden and enlarge its activities in the United States in support of the State Hermitage Museum.

Mikhail B. Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, stated: "I am delighted with the election of Mr. Rodzianko as the Chairman of the Hermitage Museum Foundation. His energy, skills and enthusiasm should help revitalize the efforts to realize the goals that the State Hermitage Museum and the Foundation have set for themselves in America. Furthermore, Mr. Rodzianko comes from an illustrious and highly respected Russian family. In particular, his Stroganoff ancestors were among the most prolific and dedicated collectors of Imperial Russia and much of their collection is now on display here in St. Petersburg. I look forward to working seamlessly together."

In accepting the chairmanship, Mr. Rodzianko said: "Russia and America have enjoyed diplomatic, cultural and commercial relations for over 200 years - and we are still just getting to know each other. The Hermitage is one of the world’s greatest repositories of Russian and world culture since its inception in the 18th century. The Hermitage is now seeking to build its collection of contemporary and 20th century American art while at the same time launching projects that will increase Americans’ awareness of its unsurpassed world-class collections, containing over three million items. This Chairmanship will provide me with the opportunity to help the Hermitage Museum Foundation broaden the cultural relationship between America and Russia."

Mr. Rodzianko has previously served as Senior Vice President of Access Industries, Inc.; as the Chairman of the Board of GreenFuel Technologies; as Senior Advisor to the CEO of the Tyumen Oil Company (now TNK-BP); and as a senior executive of a number of other companies.

In addition, Mr. Rodzianko is a long-standing Director of the US-Russia Business Council; the US-Kazakhstan Business Association; and the International Tax & Investment Center. He is a founding member of the Kennan Council of the Woodrow Wilson International Center and Vice Chairman of the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation. He received his BA in Russian Area Studies from Princeton University and his MA in Russian Languages and Literature at the Institute of Critical Languages. He lives in Tuxedo Park, NY, with his wife and children.

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, was founded by Catherine the Great in 1764 and also incorporates collections acquired by Peter the Great. Today, the Hermitage is a unique international museum consisting of five linked 18th and 19th Century buildings including the Romanov Imperial Winter Palace as well as the 1830’s General Staff Building, a landmark crescent designed by Carlo Rossi and a new state-of-the-art multi-purpose open storage facility. Headed by its internationally renowned Director Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky, the Hermitage houses more than three million objects including European, Oriental, and Asian treasures.

The Hermitage Museum Foundation was founded in 1994 as a private not-for-profit 501(c )(3) organization and today counts over 4,000 friends across the United States. It supports the restoration and conservation of the select treasures of the museum begun as well as the historic building in which they are housed. The Foundation also sponsors public education programs, private curator tours, exhibitions of American Art in the Hermitage, and member trips to the Hermitage.