Programme

Alexis Rodzianko, President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, came to this role after three decades as a banker in New York and Moscow. He held senior positions in IFC Metropol, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, and JP Morgan in Moscow from 1995 through 2013. Previously he was a senior banker at Chemical Bank in New York in the Emerging Markets business of the bank. He serves as an independent member of the Board of SKB Bank in Russia and is a member of the Board of Centurion Capital (a Russian microfinance company). Before receiving his MBA from Columbia University in 1980, he served as interpreter at the SALT II negotiations in Geneva. He is a 1973 graduate of Dartmouth College. A fluent Russian speaker, he owns the Moscow Polo Club and represents Russia at the International Polo Federation (FIP). He is married and lives in Moscow with his wife Inna.

David Iakobachvili is one of the founders of the largest Russian company – JSC Wimm-Bill-Dann – the manufacturer of dairy products, juices and beverages. In 2001 JSC Wimm-Bill-Dann issued shares and successfully signed on the in the NISE. For more than ten years David Iakobachvili was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of this company. In 2011, PepsiCo bought the company. At present David Iakobachvili is the President of Orion Heritage Ltd, joint proprietor of Petrocas Energy Holding Ltd, and a Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sistema JSFC. He is a member of the steering bodies of influential Russian and international organizations. David Iakobachvili is the Vice President and a member of the BUREAU of board of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE), Head of RUIE Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility and Demographic Policy, Head of the United Committee on Ethics within the framework of RUIE, a member of the Task group of RUIE BUREAU of board on financial stability and economic growth. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (ChCI RF), President of the Russian-American Business Council, Chairman of the Directors Board of RusBrand non-commercial partnership, a member of Coordination Council on protection of intellectual property, a member of the General Council of “Business Russia” LLC, and a member of the World Economic Forum in Davos. He is the chairman of the Target group on job creation, unemployment and investments into the human capital of B20, the member of the International Business Advisory Council (IBAC was created within B20 in 2015), a member of Association the French-Russian dialogue, a member of Advisory Council on food security, a member of the Presidential international Council of University of New York (NYU), a member of Bureau of Presidium of the Russian-Jewish congress. David Iakobachvili is a member of the Public Council within the framework of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, a member of the Public council of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Communal services of the Russian Federation. David Iakobachvili is a member of the Musical Box Society of Great Britain.

Dimitry Afanasiev is the Chairman and co-founding partner of Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners, the largest law firm in Russia and the CIS. Dimitry specializes in international corporate transactions, dispute resolution and public policy issues. He has represented the interests of the Russian Federation and leading multinational and Russian corporations, including Bank of New York Mellon, Telenor, BP, ТМК и Evraz. He is a board member of UC RUSAL, the world's largest aluminium company.Dimitry was named European Managing Partner of the Year at The Lawyer European Awards 2015. In 2010, the Financial Times listed Dimitry among the 10 most innovative lawyers in the world. In 2011, the “Russian Reporter” listed Dimitry in the top 10 of the most respected lawyers in Russia. Dimitry holds a state award as an Honoured Lawyer of the Russian Federation (2015). He was awarded by the Federal Chamber of Lawyers and received commendations from the President of the Russian Federation. He is recommended by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA, IFLR 1000, Best Lawyers, Who’s Who Legal: CIS and other prominent legal guides as a leading practitioner in the areas of M&A and corporate law, dispute resolution, antitrust, banking and finance, investment, and restructuring/insolvency. Dimitry is a board member of Business Russia, an all-Russia public organization, a founding member of the Russian-American Business Council, a member of the Expert Council under the Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs' Rights, and a member of the Russian Council for International Affairs, a foreign policy body established by the Russian President. He is the Chair of the Non-Profit Partnership for Advancement of Corporate Law, and a member of the Competition Support Association.

Sergey Kravchenko holds post of president of Boeing Russia/CIS since 2002, he is responsible for leading all Boeing business activities in Russia and the CIS. Kravchenko joined The Boeing Company in 1992. He directly participated in Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner program design, held leading positions in engineering departments in Seattle responsible for production and relations with suppliers and partners. In Russia, he led Boeing projects on participation in ISS, establishment of two Boeing joint ventures with Rostec /VSMPO, Boeing Design Center in Moscow, Boeing Flight Training Center in Skolkovo. Before Kravchenko joined Boeing in 1992, he worked as a professor and as the lead scientist of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He also taught in Moscow and worked as a research consultant in Europe, the United States and Asia. Sergey Kravchenko is one of the leading specialists in Russia on modern management of large international projects and companies. Kravchenko is a professor and holds a doctorate degree of engineering science, earned in 1990. He holds over 20 patents in various areas of engineering and has published more than 50 research papers.

Alexey Likhachev was born on the 23rd of December, 1962, in Arzamas-75 (Sarov). 1985: the Lobachevsky State University of Gorky, the Radiophysical Department. 1998: Ph.D. in Economics, the Lobachevsky State University of Gorky. 1985 – 1987: Engineer at the Gorky Research Institute of Instrument Engineering. 1987 - 1988: Secretary of the Youth League Committee at the Gorky Research Institute. 1988 – 1992: the Second Secretary, the First Secretary, the Secretary of the Gorky Youth League Committee. 1992 – 2000: Director of Aval, Social and Industrial Insurance Company, Nizhni Novgorod. 2000 – 2007: State Duma Deputy of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, a committee member, Deputy Chairperson of the State Duma Committee of the RF for economic policy, business and tourism. 2007 – 2008: Councilor to the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. 2008 – 2010: Director of the Joint Department of Analysis and Regulation of Foreign Economic Activity at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. 2010 – 2015: Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. Since 13 February, 2015, A. Likhachev held the position of the First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. Since 5 October, 2016, Alexey Likhachev held the position of the Director General of ROSATOM.

Daniel A. Russell is the President and CEO of the U.S.-Russia Business Council. Previously, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for relations with Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus and for international security and arms control issues in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs until July 2013. A career member of the Foreign Service, Mr. Russell served as Chief of Staff to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns from 2008 to 2009, as Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow from 2005 to 2008 and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 2000 to 2003. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1983, Mr. Russell has held positions in Washington and abroad, including Director of the Office of Russian Affairs, Director of the Office of European Political and Security Affairs, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg, Special Assistant for Europe to the Under Secretary of Political Affairs, and First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Mr. Russell has worked in the State Department offices responsible for relations with the United Kingdom and Cuba and served at the U.S. Embassies in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. Mr. Russell holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Maine and an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Born in 1962 in Leningrad. Graduated from the Leningrad Technological Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry. After graduation he worked at VNIIgidroliz, a scientific research institute. In 1992, together with a group of aspiring businessmen founded a forestry company Ilim Pulp Enterprise where he served as CEO until 2001. From 2001 to 2007 Mr. Smushkin served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAO Ilim Pulp Enterprise and was involved in building Russia's largest vertically-integrated forest industry corporation. Since July 2007 Zakhar Smushkin is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ilim Group.

William Shor is building an affiliated fund focused on global venture opportunities, and then leveraging and deploying those disruptive technologies within the existing operations and geographies of the Group. Mr. Shor has been active in the European private equity and finance arena, and has headed up a European environmental finance firm for several years. Prior to that, Mr. Shor was Komi Aluminium's (RUSAL Group) CFO/CDO and was Deputy General Director of the largest greenfield mining project in Russia until he led its sale to a major strategic partner. He was managing director of investments at a Citigroup venture fund and earlier, a director of European Emerging Markets at Salomon Smith Barney. He also spent time at Chase Manhattan Bank focusing on emerging markets trade finance. Mr. Shor has a Bachelors degree from Binghamton University and an MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He also has a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. He is fluent in both Russian and English and has lived and worked in Europe, North America and the Middle East. He sits on the board of several companies and various non-profit institutions.

Alexander N. Shokhin was born 25 December, 1951. Graduated from the Moscow State University in 1974. Doctor of Economics, Professor. Twice, in 1991-1994 and in 1998, Mr. Shokhin held the post of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. In 1991-1994 he also held positions of Minister of Labor, Minister of Economics, Chairman of the Russian Agency for International Cooperation and Development. From 1994 to 2002 – Deputy of the State Duma, with the posts of First Vice Chairman of the State Duma, leader of the Duma party bloc 'Our Home is Russia', Head of the Duma Committee on Credit Institutions and Capital Markets. Since 1995 - President of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics. From 2002 to 2006 – Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Investment Group "Renaissance Capital". From 2005 to 2009 – member of the RF Public Chamber. Since 2005 – President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Mr. Shokhin is a member of several deliberative bodies under the Russian President and Government. He is also an independent director on the Boards of several companies, including ALROSA, Russian Railways, TMK and others.