Valdai Club

Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club

In 1985-1991, Andrey Bystritskiy was engaged in research as a Senior Fellow at the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences. He has been in the media industry since 1991, serving as a member of the board of Radio of Russia and as an author and host of radio and television broadcasts. From 1993 to 1996, he headed sociological research at the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK).

Between 1996 and 1997, he was in charge of the Society Department at the Itogi (Russian Newsweek) magazine. In 1997-1998, he held the position of Deputy Director General for Information at TV Tsentr. The following year, he worked as a Producer at the BBC Russian news service. In 1999, he also joined the Organizing Committee of the Unofficial Moscow Festival as one of its Co-Chairs, served on the Editorial Board of the Moscow Alternative newspaper, and was appointed Chairman of the Mayak State Radio Broadcasting Company. In 2000, Bystritskiy became Director General of the Vesti State Television Company.

From 2000 to 2008, he served as Deputy Director General of VGTRK and Director of the Department of Information Programmes for the Russia TV Channel. Concurrently, from 2000 to 2013, he was a member of the Board of Directors and Vice President of Euronews. Between 2005 and 2007, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Apologia monthly magazine. From 2008 to 2014, he held the position of Chairman of the Voice of Russia State Radio Company.

Since 2014, he has been Dean of the Faculty of Creative Industries at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics and Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club.

Andrey Bystritskiy is a Professor and holds a Candidate of Sciences degree in Pedagogy (1989). A member of the Union of Writers, he was awarded the Order of Honour in 2007 and received a Commendation from the President of the Russian Federation in 2024.

He is the author of several books and numerous publications in newspapers and magazines.