[1] She worked in various Murmansk government agencies, including tourism management, prior to her appointment to the governorship in April 2012.

From 1994 to 2005 she worked as deputy chairman of the Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee for the Administration of Murmansk Oblast.

From 2005 she was the Chief Deputy of the local Department of the Federal Tourism Agency.

From 2006 til 2009 she led the Department for Tourism Development of the Directorate for Economics in the Murmansk Oblast Administration.

In April 2012, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev appointed Kovtun as acting governor of Murmansk Oblast, when the previous governor, Dmitry Dmitriyenko, resigned from office.