Programme

Gov. Bill Richardson, chairman of APCO Worldwide’s Global Political Strategies (GPS) group, has extensive experience in public service, academia and the private sector. He completed his second term as governor of New Mexico in 2010, having been elected to the office in 2002. During his time as governor, Gov. Richardson was responsible for making New Mexico the “Clean Energy State” by requiring utilities to meet 20 percent of New Mexico’s electrical demand from renewable sources, including nuclear. Prior to his election as governor, he served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy under President Bill Clinton from 1998–2000. He was the first Energy Secretary to implement a plan to dispose of nuclear waste. Gov. Richardson was also as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, where he handled sensitive Congo transition negotiations and dealt first-hand with the issue of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction in the UN Security Council. For 15 years earlier in his career, he represented northern New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional district. Gov. Richardson has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sergey Kirienko was born July 26, 1962, in Sukhumi. On finishing school, he entered the shipbuilding department of Gorky Institute of Water Transport Engineers from which he graduated in 1984. 1991-1993, studied at the governmental Academy of National Economy, specialising in Finance and Banking. April 1998, became Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and held this office till August 1998 when Boris Yeltsin dismissed the Government. May 2000, President Vladimir Putin appointed Sergey Kirienko as Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in Volga Federal District. November 2005, Russian Government appointed him as Head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency. December 2007, following President Putin’s order, he took the position of Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom” and is still holding this office. Sergey Kirienko has been awarded the Order of Honour.

Jukka Laaksonen (born 1948) is Director General of Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) of Finland since 1997. He got his M.Sc. in Engineering from Helsinki Technical University in 1972. After two years of nuclear research in the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), he joined STUK in 1974 the where he has held various posts before appointment as Director General. He has served as a visiting expert at US NRC, in 1981–82 and as senior officer at IAEA, in 1987–89. Mr. Laaksonen has actively participated in international co-operation in the area of nuclear safety and safeguards since 1970s and has held several chairmanships in international organizations, among them OECD/NEA Committee for Nuclear Regulatory Activities (1998–2007) and EC group coordinating EU’s programme of Nuclear Regulatory Assistance to Eastern Europe (2001–2003). He has also conducted several IAEA safety missions, chaired numerous international meetings and task groups. Currently he is Vice Chairman of INSAG (International Safety Group, invited by the IAEA Director General).

Since 1993, Michael Abyzov held senior positions in several fuel and energy companies. In 1998 Abyzov became a board member and head of the department of investment policy and business projects at RAO "UES of Russia". Since 1999, Abyzov has been the Deputy Chairman of the Board at RAO "UES of Russia". From 2003 to 2005 Abyzov was chairman of the board at JSC "Russian Communal Systems". Since 2004, due to organizational structure changes at RAO "UES of Russia," Abyzov was appointed a member of the Executive Board and managing director of business unit number 1. From 2005 to 2007 he was the general director of CJSC "UK KRU." From 2006 to January 16, 2012 Abyzov M. A. was Chairman of the Board of Directors to the business group RU-COM. From July 2007 to January 16, 2012 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC "E4 Group" From August 2007 to January 2011 Abyzov was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC "Mostotrest". By Presidential Decree on 18 January 2012 (Decree no. 81) he was appointed Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation. By Presidential Decree on 21 May 2012 he was appointed the Minister of Open Government.

Al Kaabi has helped since 2006 lead the UAE assessment of the possibility of developing a peaceful nuclear energy program , and has served as a primary interlocutor on matters relating to nuclear energy and nonproliferation between the UAE Government and international organizations and governments, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He is currently the UAE’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and was named in 2008 as the government Special Representative for International Nuclear Cooperation. He has been personally involved in all key milestones of the nuclear energy assessment , Drafting and release of the Policy of the United Arab Emirates on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy , and Bilateral agreements related to cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy between the UAE and various nuclear supplier nations. Ambassador Al Kaabi was trained as a nuclear engineer, getting his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University in Indiana (USA). His graduate work focused on nuclear safety.

Mark Benson is the Chairman of APCO Insight®, the organization’s global opinion research division, and the Strategic Counsel to APCO Worldwide, a global communications consultancy. Mr. Benson and his associates provide survey research, message development and strategic communication services to corporations, trade associations, governments and public policy campaigns throughout the world. APCO Insight specializes in research-driven communication strategies. Mr. Benson’s strategic counsel has informed public affairs campaigns and corporate communications initiatives in 70 countries. His work includes extensive research on energy issues among the world’s policymaking community. Mr. Benson’s group offers a full range of research and consulting services, including proprietary tools to enable corporate communicators to create more effective messaging strategies. He is a member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research and ESOMAR, the European research standards association. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Healthstore Foundation, an organization that originated micro-franchising to establish sustainable health clinics in African countries.

Alexander Bychkov, President-General Director of PJSC “IC RUSS-INVEST” Born September 1961 From 1992 he heads IC RUSS-INVEST, a diversified investment company with 20 years of successful experience in the Russian financial market. Company has been among Top-5 of the largest investment companies in Russia in terms of own capital for many years. Graduated from Moscow State University and the University of Chicago Booth, School of Business, with a Master of Business Administration (MBA); he is a Doctor of Economics as well. Alexander Bychkov, President-General Director of PJSC IC RUSS-INVEST, became a winner of the Entrepreneur of 2011 competition in Russia in the Financial & Legal Services Russia category in a competition held by Ernst&Young. Member of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Since 2013–CEO of SGM Agency LLC, a company that measures sustainable development of cities and regions in Russia and rates them. Mr. Bychkov is an expert on sustainable development, corporate management, world economy, green economy, Russian financial market and investment.

Mr Tapio Kuula is President and CEO of Fortum Corporation since May 2009. He joined Fortum in 1996 and has been a member of the Management Team since 1997. Tapio Kuula holds a Master's degree both in electrical engineering and economics. He is Dr.h.c. from Lappeenranta University of Technology. His earlier positions are within forest industry and managing director positions of several utility companies. He is the Chairman of the Board of OAO Fortum, Deputy Chairman of the Board of East Office of Finnish Industries, member of the Board of Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce and member of the Board of EURELECTRIC. He is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Varma Mutual Insurance Company and member of the Supervisory Board of Finnish Fair Corporation. He is Co-chairman of Northern Dimension Business Council. He has been the Chairman/Vice Chairman of the Boards of several power and heat and distribution companies in Finland, Sweden, Russia, Germany and the UK.

Deputy, Nord (France) -Member of the Committee on sustainable development of the French Parliamentary Assembly -Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Energy of the Committee on Environment of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Born on 9 April 1951 German studies – Degree (Licence) Elected Mayor of Jeumont in 1995 - 2008, in 1998 - 2007 Regional Councillor, in 2007 Deputy of the North Region, in 2008 joined the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Today Deputy – no other mandate. Interested in nuclear energy as AREVA is situated in my town (Jeumont) and proceeds to nuclear tests in Maubeuge, my constituency. Member of these two committees.

Andrei has over 17 years of management consulting experience in Russia, USA and Europe managing client projects in energy and industrial goods and services industries. His consulting assignments have focused on CEO-level strategy, restructuring and business-model-innovation topics for a wide variety of companies. Since 2006, Andrej has been leading major projects for Russian government-owned corporations on their path to business growth, globalization, and efficiency improvement. Among his clients are major Russian natural monopolies that are in the middle of reform and liberalization. He holds a master's degree in economics from University of Kiel, Germany, and an executive MBA from the University of Michigan. Since December 2013, Andrej is a member of the Transportation Infrastructure Projects Development working group under the President's Economic Council of Russian Federation.

Has over 26 years’ experience in professional services. His focus is thermal power generation and its critical role in delivering affordable, reliable and environmentally sound power as an economic enabler. He draws on 17 years in the sector, covering assignments ranging from policy advisory work for the UK government to advising finance providers to UK power-generating assets and auditing the UK’s electricity trading arrangements. In 2 years with Nuclear Electric, worked first with the nuclear fuel cycle team, then on establishing the UK’s first Nuclear Liabilities Management team and creating Magnox Electric plc. Recent assignments include the UK’s Nuclear regulator, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and UK nuclear operators. Advised Centrica on the acquisition of a stake in EDF’s UK nuclear business; advised on power station acquisitions and selling. Tony is engaged in the financial and commercial review of a major nuclear technology development project for its majority shareholder and the development of stakeholder-influencing papers on the UK energy market, Bio-fuel production regulations and other issues.