Hiring a Local Director for a Foreign-Owned HTP Company: Legal Duties, Profile, and Pay

Many foreign owners now run their Belarusian Hi-Tech Park company from abroad. This works for a while. Then a bank asks for a signature in person, the tax inspectorate invites the director to a meeting, or a state body wants to know who is actually managing the company.

For most foreign-owned HTP residents, the answer is a local director: a person based in Belarus who manages the company, signs on its behalf and carries legal responsibility for it.

This article explains what the law requires, why a director on the ground matters more now than a few years ago, what the role involves legally, what kind of person fits it and how to structure pay. It is not a substitute for advice from a Belarusian lawyer.

Does the law require a local director?

Formally, no. In a Belarusian company, the director is the sole executive body and acts on the company’s behalf without a power of attorney. As VLO Law Firm explains, the director can be a Belarusian citizen, a foreign national or a stateless person, and there is no statutory requirement for the director to be resident in Belarus.

In principle, then, an owner can appoint someone who lives abroad, or even act as director themselves.

Appointing a foreign national who will actually live in Belarus is also relatively simple within the Park. Foreigners who sign an employment contract with an HTP resident do not need a work permit, according to Rödl & Partner, and they can obtain a temporary residence permit for the duration of the contract through a simplified procedure. So the case for a local director is not about meeting a formal requirement. It is about keeping the company manageable and protected in the current environment.

Why a director on the ground matters more today

The most serious reason is the risk of temporary external management. A 2023 law allows Belarusian companies with foreign owners to be placed under temporary external management for up to 18 months, and one of the grounds is that the owners have effectively stopped taking part in managing the company. In January 2026 the law was extended until the end of 2028, Interfax reports. A director who is present, active and visibly running the business is the most direct protection against that ground.

The second reason is the relationship with the Park itself. The director signs the business project that a company submits to obtain residency and is effectively the company’s main contact with the HTP Administration afterwards.

The third reason is the set of rules for owners from states that Belarus classifies as “unfriendly”, a list that includes all EU member states, the US, the UK, Canada, Switzerland and several others. Selling shares in a Belarusian company requires government consent and a payment to the budget of at least 25% of the market value of the shares. Paying out profits and dividends to such owners also requires a permit from the regional executive committee or the Minsk City Executive Committee, Myfin reports. In practice, the local director is usually the person who prepares the documents and deals with the authorities in these processes.

Finally, there are everyday operations: bank relationships, tax reporting, payroll, signing contracts and dealing with inspections. All of this is much easier, and less risky, when the person responsible is in the country.

Legal duties and personal liability

Before you look for candidates, it is worth understanding what the director takes on personally. Strong candidates will ask about it, and the answer affects who accepts the role and on what terms.

The most significant risk is subsidiary liability in insolvency. If paying one or more creditors would leave the company unable to pay the others, the director must file for insolvency within one month of that point. Missing this deadline can make the director jointly and severally liable for the company’s debts, and in serious cases it can lead to criminal liability for concealing or deepening insolvency, Sorainen explains..

Other points owners should know:

• Long exposure. Creditors and state bodies can bring subsidiary liability claims for 10 years from the start of bankruptcy proceedings, so the risk follows the director even after they leave.
• Accounting. Courts consider the director responsible for organising proper bookkeeping, even if accounting is outsourced.
• Compliance. The director answers for compliance with tax, labour, currency and personal data rules, and can face administrative liability for violations.

A local director is not only a manager but also the person who personally carries a share of the company’s legal risk. That is why the owner–director relationship needs clear rules, covered below. Specific situations should always be checked with a lawyer.

Your options for filling the role

There are several ways to staff the position, each with its own trade-offs.

One option we do not recommend is a nominee director who signs documents but does not manage anything. This does not solve the problem of management having effectively ceased, and it creates legal risk for both the owner and the nominee.

What a good local director looks like

The role sits between the owner, the team and the state, so the profile is broader than a typical general manager’s. The candidates who succeed usually combine:

• Working knowledge of the HTP regime and Belarusian corporate, tax and labour rules.
• Solid financial literacy: reading statements, managing cash flow and spotting early signs of trouble.
• Experience dealing with banks, tax inspectorates and other state bodies.
• Fluent English and the ability to report clearly to owners abroad.
• The integrity to tell owners bad news early, including when a decision creates legal risk.

Good candidates often come from IT outsourcing companies, where they worked as delivery directors or COOs. Others are CFOs who have moved into general management, or former country managers of foreign companies in Belarus. What matters most is experience of carrying responsibility for a legal entity, not just for a department.

Watch for a few warning signs during interviews: reluctance to talk about liability, no experience with state bodies, or a background that is purely technical. If you need help defining the profile and assessing candidates, our top management recruitment team works with exactly these roles.

Pay and contract structure

Public salary data for directors of HTP companies is limited. One reference point is TalentUp’s review of IT salaries in Europe, which estimates gross pay for an IT manager in Belarus at 187,000–197,000 rubles a year, or about €56,000–59,000, as Onliner reported. Director pay in a foreign-owned company is usually higher, because the role adds legal responsibility and a wider scope.

The main factors that shape the offer are:

• Company size and headcount. Managing a team of 300 is a different job from managing a team of 30.
• Scope. A director who also covers finance or delivery will expect more than one with a strong management team around them.
• Risk profile. Owners from “unfriendly” states, complex group structures or pending corporate transactions all increase the weight of the role.

For context on what senior IT specialists earn in the same companies, see our developer salary benchmarks for 2026. A director’s pay should sit comfortably above the most senior technical roles they manage.

In terms of structure, most packages combine a base salary with an annual bonus. It is worth linking part of the bonus to compliance and governance goals, not only revenue, so that the director is rewarded for keeping the company safe. The contract should also set out the director’s authority, reporting obligations and notice period. Experienced candidates often ask for an indemnity from the owner for decisions taken on the owner’s instructions, and offering one helps attract strong people. Employees of HTP residents currently pay income tax at the standard 13% rate, so factor that in when converting net expectations to gross.

Some owners also reduce the director’s administrative load to keep the role focused. Moving payroll and HR administration to a provider through Employer of Record and payroll services lets the director concentrate on management, finance and relationships with state bodies.

Setting up the owner–director relationship

Most problems between foreign owners and local directors come from unclear rules rather than bad intentions. A few arrangements help prevent them:

• Set authority limits in the charter and the employment contract, including approval thresholds for large transactions.
• Agree a regular reporting rhythm, with financial results, cash position and compliance risks covered every month.
• Use an independent accountant or auditor, so the owner has a second view of the numbers.
• Have a plan for what happens if the director leaves or becomes unavailable, including who can act in the meantime.

Clear rules protect both sides: the owner keeps control over key decisions, and the director knows what they can decide alone. If you are building these processes for the first time, HR consulting can help you set up policies, contracts and reporting that fit Belarusian requirements.

How to hire a local director

Director searches rarely work through job ads. The pool of suitable candidates is small, most of them are employed, and owners often need the search to stay confidential. Executive search, where candidates are approached directly, is usually the more effective route.

A typical process includes defining the profile with the owner, a direct search and first interviews, meetings with the owner, reference and background checks, and a legal review of the contract. For a role of this level, plan for at least two to three months from the start of the search to the director’s first day, including the candidate’s notice period.

Working with a partner that knows the Park helps here. A specialist in HTP recruitment will already know many of the people who have run resident companies and can approach them discreetly.

Summary

Belarusian law lets a foreigner direct an HTP company from anywhere, but the current environment makes a director on the ground close to essential. A local director keeps the company visibly managed, handles the authorities and carries real personal liability.

That combination makes the role demanding to fill. Owners who define the profile carefully, offer a fair package with clear protections and set transparent rules for the relationship will find it much easier to attract and keep the right person.

Need a director for your HTP company?

We run confidential executive searches for foreign-owned companies in Belarus and assess candidates on both management experience and legal awareness. Contact our team to discuss the role