Programme

Born 1954, M.Sc. (Soc.Sc.). From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Esko Aho was the Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations and Responsibility at Nokia Corporation. Before joining Nokia Mr. Aho served as a member of Finnish parliament for 20 years, from 1983. Mr. Aho has enjoyed a distinguished career, including the post of Prime Minister of Finland from 1991 to 1995. In 2000 he joined the Harvard University as a lecturing professor. Following the retirement from the Finnish Parliament, Esko Aho worked as a private consultant. In July 2004 he was appointed President of the Finnish Innovation Fund, SITRA. Currently, Mr. Aho is board member of the Board of the Skolkovo Foundation and Chairman of the Industrial Advisory Board of the Skolkovo Foundation since 2012. Mr. Aho is an invited member of the Club de Madrid, an independent organization of former heads of state and government dedicated to strengthening democracy. Mr. Aho is also visiting lecturer at Beijing University and Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy. In 2013 Mr. Aho was appointed as an Executive Chairman of East Office of Finnish Industries representing the leading Finnish corporations in Russia. He was also appointed to head the Business Team for Russia – the cooperation venture of the Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce, East Office and the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK’s Russia functions.

Born April, 11, 1958, in Moscow, Russian. Graduated from Moscow financial institute, faculty of the international economic relations.Member of the Board (Minister) at the Eurasian Economic Commission, responsible for the development of the integration and macroeconomics. The main objective of the Eurasian Economic Commission (permanent regulatory body of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia) is to ensure functioning and development of the EAEU, to prepare proposals for its further integration.Prior to her cabinet appointment (from the period of October 2001 till February 2012) Tatiana Valovaya was the Head of the Department of the International Cooperation of the Government of the Russian Federation. From 1989 to 1994 – member of the Permanent Mission of the USSRand the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union (Bruxelles), responsible for economic and monetary affaires. Later Valovaya hold different positions in the Ministries of the Russian Federation, in Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. Ph.D. in Economics, professor of the Financial University (Moscow). Author of numerous publications on international economic relations, regional economic and monetary integration, economics, and history of Europe and Eurasia.Fluent in English and French.

Prior to becoming CEO of RDIF in 2011, Kirill Dmitriev headed a number of large private equity funds and completed a series of landmark transactions, including the sale of Delta Bank to General Electric, Delta Credit Bank to Société Générale, STS Media to Fidelity Investments, etc. At the beginning of his career he worked at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company. He is Deputy Chairman of the Investment Council under the Chairman of the State Duma of Russia, Vice President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and was appointed by the President of Russia as a member of the BRICS and the APEC business councils; he also was selected as ‘Young Global Leader’ by the World Economic Forum. He serves as a member of the boards of directors of Rostelecom, Gazprombank, MDMG, Russian Railways and a member of the boards of trustees of the Mariinsky Theatre and Moscow State University. In 2011 he was the only Russian representative in the list of ‘100 most influential private equity professionals of the decade’ (Private Equity International). He holds a BA in Economics with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University and an MBA with High Distinction (Baker Scholar) from the Harvard Business School.

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.

Professor Igor Anatolyevich Maksimtsev, Ph.D. (Economics), Rector of St Petersburg State University of Economics, is a prominent administrator and director of a higher school. Professor Maksimtsev’s work is primarily geared towards the development of educational and research activities at the University and improving the quality of professional training. Professor Maksimtsev is the recipient of a St Petersburg Government Award for achievements in the field of higher professional education. He is responsible for overseeing the restructuring of the economics departments at three leading St Petersburg universities (St Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance, St Petersburg State University of Engineering and Economics and St Petersburg State University of Service and Economics). This work provided the basis for the creation of St Petersburg State University of Economics. Professor Maksimtsev is actively involved in the creation of legislative norms aimed at the improvement and development of higher education. He is a member of the Expert Council on the Legislative Provision of Education of the Council of the Federation Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Information Policy and a member of the St Petersburg Central Region Public Council. Professor Maksimtsev’s name is on the list of the ‘Top 100’ High-Potential Management Personnel Reserve under the patronage of the President of the Russian Federation.

Andrey Nikitin was born in Moscow in 1979. In 2001, he graduated from the State University of Management (Moscow). In 2007, he received an EMBA degree of the internationally accredited Stockholm School of Economics. In 2002-2011 he worked at the RUSKOMPOZIT Group, unifying Russian biggest companies in the fiberglass, composites and geosynthetics industries. Andrey Nikitin held different positions at the group, since 2009 he became General Director of «RUSKOMPOZIT Management Company» OJSC. Since July 27th, 2011 he has been working as General Director of a non-profit organization "Agency for Strategic Initiatives" (ASI). The Agency implements comprehensive projects aimed at enhancement of the investment climate, the development of vocational education and supplementary education for children. The ASI also coordinates the National Technology Initiative — a set of measures to create fundamentally new markets. Member of the Presidential Council on Economic Modernization and Innovative Development of Russia. Member of the Presidential Economic Council. Member of the Presidential Commission on State Service and Senior Executives Candidates Pool. Member of the Supervisory Council of the Single-industry Cities Development Fund and the Industry Development Fund. Board member of the Federal Corporation for SME Development. Has a Ph.D. in Economics. Andrey Nikitin was awarded a second-class medal of the Order of Merit for the Motherland He also received a personal note of acknowledgement from the President of the Russian Federation.

As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ernst & Young, James is committed to setting a clear "tone from the top" around the key issues of quality, integrity, and professionalism. James began his career with Ernst & Young in 1977 and has held a series of leadership positions. Based in New York and London, James also serves as senior advisory partner for many of Ernst & Young’s largest global clients. James is active with many stakeholders, reflecting Ernst & Young's commitment to enhance trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. He has encouraged dialogue with stakeholders regarding changes facing the global capital markets, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, IFRS, and the movement toward convergence of global accounting standards and global governance. Throughout his career, James has supported civic, cultural, and business organizations. James takes an active part in Foreign Investment Advisory Council under the Government of the Russian Federation. James holds a Master's and a BA in Accounting from Rice University in Texas, where he is a member of the Board of Trustees.