Yuriy Zahorodnyi

Yuriy Ivanovych Zahorodnyi was born on 7 May 1959 in Hrebinky, in what was then the Soviet Union. He began his working career in 1976 as a locksmith in Hrebinky branch of agricultural machinery. In 1986, he graduated from the faculty of history at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.[1]

From 1986 to 1989, Zahorodnyi worked as a teacher in Hrebinky secondary school, and from 1989 to 1995, he was principal of the secondary school in Doslidnytske.[1]

In 1995, Zahorodnyi became a monitoring advisor of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and worked intermittently in the job for five years until 2000. Zahorodnyi was the head of the Department of the State Committee for Consumer Protection from 1997 to 1998, and from 2002 to January 2005, Zahorodnyi served as the first Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, under President Leonid Kuchma.[1]

In 1998, Zahorodnyi joined the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united), and was later elected to the party's political council that year. In 2000, he was chosen as the first Deputy Head of the Executive Committee of SDPU(o), and became the head of the executive committee only two years later. In 2003, Zahorodnyi was elected deputy chairman of the party. On 3 August 2007, he became the head of SDPU(o).[2]

• The civil servant of the first rank (August 2003)
• Excellence in education of Ukraine (2004)
• Chevalier of the 3rd class Order of Merit (2004)

Zahorodnyi is married.