Protecting investments, strengthening existing economic and trade relations, and achieving both countries’ strategic goals are just a few of the issues on the Russia-India commercial agenda. What is the correct role of state development institutions and commercial banks in promoting greenfield and brownfield projects in both Russia and India? And what joint innovation projects, including in the IT, telecommunications, energy, and biotechnology sectors, should be undertaken to accelerate collaboration?
Moderators Adi B. Godrej ,
President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Sergei Cheryomin ,
Minister, Head of Department for Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations, Moscow City Government; Chairman of the Board, Business Council for Cooperation with India
Adi B. Godrej
President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Adi Godrej is chairman of the Godrej Group, which is one of India’s largest conglomerates. Established in 1897, Godrej is today one of India’s most trusted brands, enjoying the patronage and trust of around 500 million Indians every single day. Structured into 7 major companies with interests in real estate, FMCG, industrial engineering, appliances, furniture, security and agri care – to name a few – the Group employs over 25000 people worldwide and its turnover crosses 3.9 billion dollars. The Godrej Group is present in more than 60 countries and more than 25% of the Group’s business is done overseas. The Godrej group is broadly divided into two major holding companies, working independently under the Chairmanship of Mr. Adi Godrej: Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. and Godrej Industries and Associate Companies. He is also chairman of Godrej Industries Ltd., Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Godrej Properties Ltd., and Godrej Hershey Ltd. Mr. Godrej is currently the President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Mr. Godrej received his undergraduate and Master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Sergei Cheryomin
Minister, Head of Department for Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations, Moscow City Government; Chairman of the Board, Business Council for Cooperation with India
Born July 5th , 1963 in Kislovodsk. In 1989 graduated with honors from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with a specialization in international journalism and completed his postgraduate course at Moscow State University specializing in global economic issues. In 1992, he was an intern at the New York Institute under the Investments and International Accounts Program and in 1993 joined a course for banking specialists at Fairfield University (USA). From 1991 to 2003 Mr. Cheremin headed various banks. In 2004, he was appointed CEO of Moscow Bank of Reconstruction and Development (MBRD). From 2005 to 2009 he acted as the Chairman of the Board of MBRD, he also served as Senior Vice President and Head of External Relations of JSFC Sistema. From 2009 to 2010 — Deputy Chairman of the Board of JSFC Sistema. From 2009— Chairman of the Board of Business Council for Cooperation with India, member of the Russian-Indian Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation. November 8th 2010, Mr.Cheremin was appointed Minister of the Moscow City Government, Head of the Moscow City Department for External Economic and International Relations. In 2015 was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Russian-Indian Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation.
Alexey Repik ,
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
Alexey Repik ,
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
Alexey Repik ,
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) Krishnamurthi Venkataramanan ,
Chief Executive Officer, General Director, Larsen & Toubro
Alexey Repik ,
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
Alexey Repik ,
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) Aleksandr Ivanov ,
Chief Executive Officer, Waves Platform Alexander Kaznacheev ,
The First Vice-President, Gazprombank Amitabh Kant ,
Managing Director and CEO, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Ltd. Dmitriy Konov ,
Chairman of the Management Board, SIBUR Holding Ajai Malhotra ,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of India in the Russian Federation
Alexey Repik ,
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) Motupalli Venkata Ramana ,
Senior Vice-President, Head – Emerging Markets, Global Generics, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd Alexey Repik ,
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) Arun Sawhney ,
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited Dr. Vijay Chandru ,
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Strand Life Sciences Ltd.
Alexey Repik
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
<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>
Alexey Repik
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
<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>
Alexey Repik
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
<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>
Krishnamurthi Venkataramanan
Chief Executive Officer, General Director, Larsen & Toubro
Mr. K Venkataramanan is Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) which is a technology-driven USD 12.8 billion engineering, construction and manufacturing company that infuses engineering with imagination. Mr. Venkataramanan joined L&T in 1969 after completing B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT, Delhi, and helped transform the company from a fabrication driven EPC contractor to a technology led player. L&T has an international presence, with a global spread of offices. The new structure is built around multiple businesses designated ‘Independent Companies’ such as Hydrocarbon, Heavy Engineering Construction, Power Electrical & Automation, Machinery & Industrial Products, IT, Financial Services, Shipbuilding, Railway Projects. Mr. Venkataramanan is an “Honorary Fellow” of “Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)”, UK and the second Indian to receive this recognition from the world’s most reputed body in chemical engineering space. The “Davidson Frame Award” was conferred to him by IPMA, Switzerland for strengthening Project Management Profession in India and abroad for the year 2002.
Alexey Repik
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
<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>
Alexey Repik
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
<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>
Aleksandr Ivanov
Chief Executive Officer, Waves Platform
Sasha Ivanov graduated from Moscow State University in 2001, having studied in the Theoretical Physics faculty. He undertook further study at Leipzig University in Germany, and took an early interest in electronic currencies. From 2008-09 he was involved in programming bots to trade on the international forex markets, making use of artificial neural networks, later working on trading operations and neural network trading systems for banks. In 2013 Sasha launched Coinomat.com, the first instant cryptocurrency exchange, and in 2014 created CoinoUSD, the first fiat-backed crypto token. In 2015 he launched Coinoindex.com, the first tradeable cryptocurrency index, and the Cryptoasset.fund blockchain-based venture fund, which held $200K under management. In 2016 Sasha founded custom tokens blockchain platform Waves, which crowdfunded $16M (30,000 BTC).
Alexander Kaznacheev
The First Vice-President, Gazprombank
Alexander Kaznacheev was born in 1974 in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In 1996 he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute and in 1999 gained an academic degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences. At present time he is studying in the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. Alexander began his banking career in 1995 in Russian National Commercial Bank. In 1997 he joined “Gazprombank” (Open Joint-stock Company) as the Head of Division. At present he occupies the position of the First Vice-President of GPB (OJSC) and supervises the Bank’s relationship with corporate customers. During his employment in Gazprombank Alexander Kaznacheev was awarded with the Certificate of Honor and the Letter of Acknowledgement of the RF Ministry of Industry and Energy, as well as with the title of “Honored worker of the Gas Industry”.
Amitabh Kant
Managing Director and CEO, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Ltd.
DMIC is being developed by the Government of India as a global manufacturing and investment destination supported by world class infrastructure and enabling policy framework. In essence, the DMIC project is aimed at the development of futuristic, smart industrial cities in India which will converge and integrate technology across sectors. Mr. Amitabh Kant is a member of the Indian Administrative Service, IAS (Kerala Cadre: 1980 Batch). He is also the author of “Branding India – An Incredible Story” and has been the key driver of the “Incredible India” and “God’s Own Country” campaigns which positioned and branded India and Kerala State as leading tourism destinations. Both these campaigns have won several international awards. Mr. Kant has worked as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Secretary, Tourism, Government of Kerala, Managing Director, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, District Collector, Kozikhode and Managing Director, Matsyafed. During his tenure in Kerala he structured the Calicut Airport as a private sector project based on User’s Fee and developed the BSES Power Project and Mattanchery Bridge under Private Public Partnership.
Dmitriy Konov
Chairman of the Management Board, SIBUR Holding
Year of birth: 1970 1994: Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) with a degree in International Economic Relations. 2001: Received an IMD MBA degree. 2004–2009: Various positions at OAO AK SIBUR, including Advisor to the President, Vice President for Corporate Policy and Strategy, Senior Vice President for Corporate Policy and Strategy, President, member of the Board of Directors. 2005–2012: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAO SIBUR Russian Tyres. 2006–2011: President of the Management Company OOO SIBUR. 2007–2010: Member of the Board of Directors of OAO Polief. 2007–2010: Chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAO Sibur-Trans. Since 2007: Chairman of the Group’s Management Board. Since 2007: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OOO RusVinyl. Since 2008: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OOO SNHK. 2008–2011:Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAO Sibur-Fertilizers. Since 2009: Chairman of the Management Board of the Management Company OOO SIBUR. 2010–2013: Member of the Board of Directors of OOO Tobolsk-Polymer. Since 2014: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAO Stroytransgaz . Since 2014: Member of the Board of Directors of OOO STGM, ZAO STGM. 2011 - 2016: General Director of the Management Company OOO SIBUR. Since 2016: Chairman of the Management Board of OOO SIBUR. Mr. Konov served in the Treasury Department of OAO NK YUKOS, held various positions at AKB Trust and Investment Bank, including Vice President – Head of the Investment Banking Department and Managing Director of Corporate Finance Department, was a member of the Board of Directors of OAO Gazprom neftekhim Salavat and OAO Gazprombank.
Ajai Malhotra
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of India in the Russian Federation
Ambassador Ajai Malhotra has an M.A. in Economics from The Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977. His initial diplomatic assignments were at Nairobi (1979-1982), Moscow (1982-1985), and with the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Geneva (1985-1989). After serving as Deputy Secretary/Director at the UN Division, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi (1989-1993), he was posted to Moscow (1993–1996), returning as Director/Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi (1996–1999). He served as Minister, Embassy of India, Washington D.C. (1999–2003), Ambassador of India to Romania, Albania and Moldova (2003-2005), Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN, New York (2005-2009), and Ambassador of India to Kuwait (2009-2011). He assumed charge as Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation on May 16, 2011. He is married and has one daughter and one son.
Alexey Repik
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
<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>
Motupalli Venkata Ramana
Senior Vice-President, Head – Emerging Markets, Global Generics, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd
M V Ramana heads the Emerging Markets segment of Dr. Reddy’s Global Generics business. In his 20 year long tenure, he set up the business in several countries across Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and marked the successful entry of Dr. Reddys in China. In his most recent assignment, Ramana served as the Region Head of the Russia & CIS operations from 2004 while achieving the corporate objectives and exceeding market growth for 7 years in a row. Dr. Reddy’s is a global, vertically integrated pharmaceutical company producing and delivering safe, innovative, and high quality finished dosage forms, active pharmaceutical ingredients and biological products. Its products are marketed across the globe, with an emphasis on North America, Europe, India, Russia and other emerging markets. They conduct NCE drug discovery research in the areas of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular indications at our research facilities in Atlanta (USA) and Hyderabad (India). Through their Custom Pharmaceutical Services business unit, they provide drug substance and drug product development and manufacturing services on a proprietary basis.
Alexey Repik
President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
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".
Arun Sawhney
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited
Arun Sawhney is the CEO & Managing Director of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy), India's largest pharmaceutical company. Mr. Sawhney is an industry veteran, with over three decades of international experience in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical arena. He has held senior functional and management positions in global pharmaceutical companies like Max-Gb, Hindustan Ciba-Geigy, Bayer India Limited and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited. Mr. Sawhney is the Chairman of National Committee on Pharmaceuticals of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). He is also a founder member of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) and is currently a member of the Advisory Board of United States Pharmacopeia (USP), in India. Ranbaxy is an integrated, research based, international pharmaceutical company, producing a wide range of quality, affordable generic medicines, trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across geographies. Ranbaxy serves its customers in over 125 countries and has an expanding international portfolio of affiliates, joint ventures and alliances, ground operations in 43 countries and manufacturing operations in 8 countries.
Dr. Vijay Chandru
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Strand Life Sciences Ltd.
Vijay is an academic and an entrepreneur. After completing Electrical Engineering in India, Mr. Chandru went on to get a doctorate from MIT. His academic career in mathematical and computational sciences has spanned over thirty years as a research scientist and professor at Purdue University, IBM’s TJ Watson Center, Indian Institute of Science, UPenn, Stanford and at MIT. Vijay co-founded Strand Life Sciences, a leading computational biology company in Bangalore, India and currently serves as its Chairman & CEO. Strand Life Sciences specializes in applying decision sciences and systems modeling to molecular biology and drug discovery research. Over 2000 laboratories worldwide (about 30% of global market share) are licensors of Strand’s technology products and several leading Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies use solutions from Strand for complex problems in life sciences research. Vijay also serves on the “High Panel on Science and Technology for Development” at UNESCO, the Global Advisory Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum and the Governing Board of the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum. He has been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2006.
Broadcast
Key moments
Bilateral investments are growing and we hope that this trend will continue in coming years.
Adi B. Godrej
It is important that Russia’s predominant exports to India are not raw materials, but are goods with a high added value--technical output. India is a major supplier of pharmaceuticals for Russia; they account for over a quarter of Indian exports to Russia.
Dmitry Rogozin
Experience shows that cooperation with Indian specialists and participation in the development of software and electronic devices – including consumer products – are extremely beneficial for accessing the global market.
“Digital economy is a new paradigm for the development of the state, the economy and society.”
Greetings to participants, organisers, and guests of the
27th St Petersburg International Economic Forum
“For more than a quarter of a century, the Forum has provided an opportunity for politicians, experts, business leaders, academics, and media professionals from around the world to hold in-depth discussions on key economic development trends in Russia and the world. Participants in plenary sessions, roundtables and panel discussions exchange views on ways to promote international cooperation, encourage scientific and technological progress and the development of human capital, and to effectively tackle the challenges we face.
The theme of the current meeting, The Foundations of a Multipolar World – The Formation of New Areas of Growth, is highly relevant and meaningful. A growing part of the international community is in favour of building a just and democratic system of international relations based on the principles of genuine equality, consideration for each other’s legitimate interests, and respect for the cultural and civilisational diversity of nations. It is precisely these principles that underpin the activities of BRICS, which Russia is chairing this year. It is symbolic that the history of this dynamically developing association, whose members already account for more than a third of the global economy, began at the 10th St Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2006.
Our country is open to constructive dialogue and interaction with partners and is ready to work together to address the economic, social, scientific and technological challenges of our time.
I am confident that the Forum will jump-start new and promising initiatives and projects, fostering mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries and peoples.