Beautiful Things by Hunter Biden

Author:Hunter Biden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2021-04-06T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

I joined the board in April 2014.

Every organization’s board dynamics differ. They can be combative during times of crisis, leadership upheavals, or a looming takeover. Boards can act as referees or change agents. In the case of Burisma, we were largely guardrails, there in case operations veered off track, agendas diverted from the norm—or events blew up again with Russia.

Burisma ran like a machine, with the palpable confidence of a business that had plenty of room to grow. The board gathered twice a year for meetings or energy forums, in various locations around Europe. Concerns or disagreements that might arise about organizational decisions were worked out ahead of time. We received regular communications about hires, ongoing and potential projects, and other company matters, then signed off on them as needed. At meetings, we approved resolutions required by the charter and assisted in initiating ideas for expansion.

The company culture is both accomplished and nerdy. That springs from Zlochevsky. There is no not noticing him: he’s pure mass wrapped in tailored suits and gentlemanly manners. His jowly face holds an almost permanent smirk, which would be disconcerting if it didn’t so often seem directed at himself. He doesn’t suffer fools lightly.

He speaks primarily Russian and Ukrainian, not English. At board meetings, a translator sat behind soundproof glass while members wore headphones like those you see in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Yet during our board dinners, with his translator always seated beside him, Zlochevsky was not a big conversationalist or storyteller. He was a listener. Kwasniewski, who spoke Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, and English (and probably six other languages as well), regaled us with behind-the-scenes insights and colorful political histories from bygone days in Poland. Apter elucidated for us the reality of Brexit and the sustainability of the EU. Zlochevsky, meanwhile, merely leaned forward in rapt attention. He zeroed in on everybody like that—right down to the waiters.

Zlochevsky is an energy wonk. He’s most animated when talking about the geology, engineering, and heavy machinery behind Burisma’s drilling operations. He’s meticulous about details associated with his processing plants: their systems, their cleanliness. He loves to show off videos, filmed with drones, that give a bird’s-eye view of how the vast network of pipes used to extract gas fits together. His closest friends are the company’s young engineers and others at Burisma who do the actual hands-on work.

He isn’t just a cold technocrat, however. When he was ecology minister, Zlochevsky championed the end to the longstanding practice in Ukraine of chaining bears held in captivity in open pits. It was a politically unpopular stance, but he persevered and won reforms.

He was incredibly kind to me when Beau died. Two months after the funeral, Zlochevsky moved Burisma’s board meeting to a fishing lodge at the top of Norway, where the continental shelf breaks. The move was prompted by an offhand comment I’d once made about how Beau’s son loved to fish. Zlochevsky told me to bring little Hunter along, and I did, along with my daughter Maisy, who’s always up for an adventure.

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