Programme

Simon Nixon is Chief European Commentator of the Wall Street Journal. He joined the WSJ in 2008 and was previously European editor of the flagship Heard on the Street financial analysis column. From 2004 to 2008, he was executive editor of the breakingviews financial commentary service and before that he was City editor of The Week and a founder editor of Moneyweek. He started his career in investment banking, working for five years as an equity analyst. He has a first class degree in history from Trinity College, Cambridge University.

Born in December 26, 1953 in the Serpukhov city, Moscow area. Married, has two children. Education: higher, PhD (economy) 1978 – Graduated from the Moscow State Technical University n.a. N.E. Bauman (MSTU). 1991 - Graduated from the Academy for Foreign Trade. Worked in UNIDO. Was the founder and head of medium company in the fuel sector. 1997–2005 - the President of Moscow Fuel Association. 1998-2009 – the President of Russian Fuel Union. 2002-2012 – the President of All-Russian Non-governmental Organization of Small and Medium business “OPORA RUSSIA”. Since November, 2012 - the Chairman, Board of Trustees of “OPORA RUSSIA”. Since August, 2011 - the Vice-President of Sberbank Russia on development of small and medium business . The member of the Economic Council at the President of the Russian Federation. The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government Commission on Competition and Development of Small and Medium-sized Businesses. Head of the Chair of innovative entrepreneurship of the Moscow State Technical University n.a. N.E. Bauman (MSTU). The professor of the Chair of “Theory and practice of business and power interaction”, State University – Higher School of Economics. In 2009 awarded the Order of Friendship.

Mr. Pekka A. Viljakainen was born in Finland 1972. He studied engineering at the University of Technology in Lappeenranta. Thanks to his technical background, Mr. Viljakainen has for 25 years worked as an ambassador between business executives and technology teams. He started as an entrepreneur in 1986, by establishing Oy Visual Systems Ltd. (1986-2004). His company was merged with TietoEnator in 2000. Mr. Viljakainen is widely known by his nickname, Bulldozer. The nickname was earned by his reputation and track record for handling very complex governance and political topics inside large international organizations. During his corporate carrier he acted as trusted advisor for CEO’s and chairman’s specializing for the transformation related to enterprise digitalization and HR. After 26 years of his active Visual Systems-Tieto carrier, he left from operative roles on 2011 and focused to his non-profit leadership education project called www.nofear-community.com . Because of this he has been visiting speaker and advisor for several international corporations and faculties (like IMD Business School). In 2012 Mr Viljakainen was invited to act as senior advisor for the president of Skolkovo Foundation. Since that he has been acted as a founder and advisor for several nationwide entrepreneurship programs in Russian Federation. Russian StartupTour 2013-2014 (16 + 28 Russian cities) and StartupVillage concepts has key elements of those actions. During those programs he has build a strong network of entrepreneurs, local governmental institutions as well as universities across Russia and abroad. Mr Viljakainen is the member of Strategic Board of the Russian Postal Service and Board of Directors of Soprano Communications. Mr Viljakainen is also known as investor, business angel and advisor for several high-tech companies. Those activities are handled thru his family investment office called www.Aii.fi He is also well known supporter and philanthropic for several areas related to education, classical music as well as several social projects. His hobbies are helicopter flying PPL(H), cross country skiing, weight lifting and triathlon.

Mark Haefele joined UBS as Head of Investment for Wealth Management in March 2011. Starting in 1999, he has been a general partner and co-portfolio manager of a Boston-based hedge fund The Sonic Funds of which he was also a co-founder. He focused on using bottom-up research to locate misvalued stocks and building a long-short equity portfolio. Since 2002, he has been acting as an outside contributor for Street.com, financial publication. Before joining Matrix Capital Management LLC where he was as a managing director from 2005 until 2007, Haefele was a lecturer at the History Department of Harvard University. Haefele holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University (1993), a master's degree from the Australian National University (1996) and master's (1997) and Ph.D. (2000) degrees from Harvard University.

<p> Born in Moscow, Russia on 27 August 1979.Graduated from the State University “Higher School of Economics”, Diploma in Economy and Business Administration.Since 1995 in Healthcare and Pharmaceutics.R-Pharm Founder. President of All-Russia Business Association “Delovaya Rossiya” (“Business Russia”), actively participating in the improvement of investment climate in the Russian Federation and the establishment of the regional investment standard.Member of the Economic Council under the President of the Russian Federation.Member of the Presidential Council for Priority National Projects and Demographic Policy.Member of the Expert Council under the Government of the Russian Federation. Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Head of Commission on Investment Climate.Representative (public ombudsman) of the Commissioner of the Presidential Council on the protection of the rights of entrepreneurs on issues related to the protection of the rights of foreign investors.Board-member and Co-chairman of Committee of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs on pharmaceutical and medical industry.Co-Chairman of the National Rating CommitteeMember of the Public Council under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation (pharmaceutical, medical equipment and technologies).Member of the Supervisory Board of the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization "Agency for Strategic Initiatives". </p>

Andrei Sharonov joined Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO in September 2013 as Dean, having left the position of Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy in Moscow City Government.Born in 1964 in Ufa, Andrei Sharonov graduated as an engineer from Ufa State Aviation Technical University and as a lawyer from Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation; in 1994 obtained his PhD in Social Studies.From 1989 to 1991 a Member of the Soviet Parliament, Congress of People’s deputies of the USSR; till 1996 chaired the Russian Federal Committee (Ministry) on Youth Affairs.In 1996-2007 occupied the positions of Deputy Minister, State Secretary and First Deputy Minister at Economics Development Ministry of Russian Federation.In the period from 2007 till 2010, Managing Director and the Board of Directors’ Chairman for Troika Dialog (Private Investment Company).Board Member for OJSC NOVATEK, ALROSA Group, Bank of Moscow OJSC, OJSC Sovcomflot, MC NefteTransService LLC and JSC Eco-System Management Company.As of December 22, 2010, by appointment of Moscow City Mayor Decree, Andrei Sharonov served at Moscow City Government as Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy in charge of budgeting, industrial and city business development, regional rate regulations as well as competition and public retail and procurement policy, trade and services.Since 2012, Andrei Sharonov is heading Executive Committees of Moscow Urban Forum and Open Innovations Forum.Andrei Sharonov received 2009 “Aristos” Awards as “Independent Director” and “Director of the Year”; the Person of the Year in Business Reputation for 2012.Andrei Sharonov was awarded with the Order of Honour and granted the title of “Honoured Economist of Russian Federation”.