Alexey Ponomarenko has worked at Sberbank since 1993, when he joined the Basmanny Department. He worked as a cashier supervisor and a specialist in the Deposit Department, servicing and lending to legal entities. He was appointed head of the department while taking night courses at the All-Russian State Distance Learning Institute of Finance and Economics. In 1994, he went to work at the Sberbank Moscow regional bank, and in 1996 was asked to join the management for organising service for legal entities and budgets for the Central Office. In 2002, Mr Ponomarenko transferred to the Cash Handling Department and helped modernise the bank’s cash systems.