25
August
2004
Crown Corporation Appoints IFC Metropol as Financial Adviser in Russia. New offices opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg
Crown Corporation Appoints IFC Metropol as Financial Adviser in
Russia
- New offices opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg
-
London, U.K., August 24, 2004: Crown Corporation Ltd ("Crown" or
"the Company"), the active management group, announces today that
it has appointed IFC Metropol ("Metropol") as financial adviser
within the Russian market, Metropol will both advise on and
facilitate Crown‘s Merger and Acquisitions activities and the
appointment comes at a crucial stage in Crown‘s development when it
is reviewing several exciting opportunities within Russia.
Crown recently announced the formation of Crown Oil Corporation,
which will be the holding company for a number of operating
businesses within the oil and gas sector, incorporating related
exploration, transportation and construction activity on a global
basis. The Company believes that the present outlook for the oil
and gas sector offers the potential for high growth, particularly
in Russia, and has signified its commitment to developing a strong
presence in the country by opening two new offices; one in Moscow
and the other in St. Petersburg.
Metropol is one of the leading financial advisory firms in Russia
and will form an integral part of Crown‘s investment strategy by
helping to identify undervalued assets or companies. Metropol will
undertake due diligence on target acquisitions and advise Crown
throughout negotiations with target companies.
Dr. Mariusz Rybak, Executive Chairman of Crown, comments "We are
delighted to appoint an adviser of IFC Metropol‘s calibre and
firmly believe that they will be of great importance to Crown‘s
future. Their expertise and experience within Russia is proven and
will undoubtedly help to raise Crown‘s profile within this market.
Crown is moving forward with its strategy and we look forward to
extending our footprint in the Russian market."
Mikhail Slipenchuk, CEO of IFC Metropol, comments "The appointment
of IFC Metropol as financial adviser to Crown is an endorsement of
our strategy to work closely with all our clients and make their
interests of the highest priority. We look forward to a highly
capital-productive partnership with Crown, utilising our expertise,
long-term experience and deep understanding of the Russian
investment industry, and we aim to retain a long term
affiliation."
About Crown;
Crown is an independent investment and management company which
intends to tap into high return opportunities within emerging
markets. The Company will only invest in opportunities in which it
can obtain a controlling interest and seeks geographical and sector
diversification of its investment portfolio, in order to fully
mitigate risks for shareholders. Underlying Crown‘s strategy is the
aim to maximise total return to investors through the issue of
dividend payments.
About IFC Metropol
Investment Financial Company Metropol has been operating on the
Russian Stock
Exchange Market since 1995 and now ranks in 5th place on the RTS
classical market with turnover of US$517m. The company has an
office in Tokyo, Japan and a representative office - Metropol (UK)
Limited - in London, Great Britain. Metropol is a member of the
Russian-British and Russian-American Chambers of Commerce and a
member of Investor Protection Association (IPA). In 2001, IFC
Metropol was awarded the highest rating, an A+, by the National
Association of Stock Market Participants (NAUFOR).
The company is one of the most competitive companies on the Russian
stock market, which maintains partnerships with the top-ranked
Russian issuers and international financial structures. IFC
Metropol‘s highly professional team is always ready to seek new
solutions to the ever-changing challenges of the financial markets.
