A Backpage profile for Petroleum Economist’s April issue on Herr Schroeder.The full thing is on PE’s website.

The former German leader now includes Russia’s TNK-BP and Gazprom among his employers. It is not a post-political career that everyone respects. Derek Brower writes

GERHARD Schröder has been called many things, not all of them kind, but no-one has ever really considered him a genuine energy executive. Yet the last few months have seen him popping up around the world to trumpet the cause of his employer, Gazprom – the Russian gas monopoly – and its global interests. He might once have walked the corridors of German power as head of government, but now he’s completed his transformation into a corporate mogul.

In January, TNK-BP, appointed Schröder to its board as an independent director. BP boss Tony Hayward said he would bring “geopolitical experience and a history of strong relationships with Russia” to the position. TNK-BP had a bruising experience in Russia last year, an acrimonious dispute between the venture’s shareholders forcing chief executive Robert Dudley into hiding. TNK-BP could probably use whatever counsel Hayward believes Schröder will offer.

Someone with influence in the higher echelons of Russian government will also help. And Schröder certainly has that. Indeed, his remit now seems to include doing whatever he can to smooth Russia’s energy relations with the West. On his appointment to TNK-BP’s board, he said the company’s success would be “an important example of Russia’s co-operation with international investors, providing a significant contribution to Russia’s integration in the global economy”. After the company’s recent experiences, that will be some achievement. (…) The rest is for subscribers only, I’m afraid.