Elena Borisovna Skrynnik (; maiden name Novitskaya) (born 30 August 1961) is a Russian politician. She served as the first female minister of agriculture of the Russian Federation between March 2009 and May 2012. Early life Skrynnik was born on 30 August 1961 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Her father was a mining engineer. In 1986, she graduated from Chelyabinsk Medical Academy. In 1992, Skrynnik graduated from the State Academy of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and interned in Germany and France in the field of leasing technologies. Career Skrynnik worked at the Chelyabinsk Polytechnical Institute clinic and later as deputy chief surgeon of Chelyabinsk Metallurgy Enterprise clinic. She continued her medical career in cardiology at a regional clinic. In 1994, she founded an Inter-regional medical leasing company named Medleasing. She acquired the sobriquet "Madam Leasing" and was accused of money laundering. The inspection and audit of the accounting chamber did not confirm these allegations. As a result, the article was perceived by experts as an attempt to slow down the development of the leasing industry in Russia by attacking her as the Russian specialist in this field. In 1998, she was given an international award for best leasing project. In 1997, she assumed the chair of the Russian Association of Leasing Companies and in 1998 she became the chairwoman of Experts Council for Leasing. In 1999, the Russian Biography Institute declared her Person of the Year in economics and entrepreneurship. In 2000, she became a board member of the Union of Russian Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs. In 2002, she became the general director of state-run company Rosagroleasing. According to Kommersant, Rosagroleasing under her guidance had significantly higher turnover and greater transparency versus the leadership of Valery Nazarov. In November 2008, she was elected to the Supreme Council of Russian political party United Russia. On 12 March 2009, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appointed Skrynnik minister of agriculture. Her tenure ended in 2012 when she was removed from office due to her alleged involvement in nepotism and illegal activities. Skrynnik was not included in the new Russian government in 2012, while on maternity leave. Allegations of possible corruption connections were refuted by the report of the Accounting Chamber, according to which the lessees debt in 2008 amounted to 1 billion rubles and not 39 billion rubles, as the media claimed. The corruption component was not supported by the auditors of Accounting Chamber. In an