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.

Stefan Dab, Senior Partner and Managing Director, is the Global Leader of BCG Transaction Banking activities as well as a member of the Global Leadership team of the BCG Financial Services practice. Stefan is a world class expert in payments and transaction banking, working with leading banks, acquirers, processors, networks and infrastructure player across the globe. His recent experience covers all key issues the payment industry is facing both in mature markets as in rapidly developing economies. Recent projects include: Supporting one of the top two global payment company in defining its e-wallet and mobile payment strategy; Supporting the largest global merchant acquirer in Latin America rethink its growth strategy; Helping one of the global infrastructure player assess the impact of mega-payment disruptions on the industry; Helping a leading European bank to boost its cash management business; Assess opportunities for faster payment infrastructure in mature and emerging countries; Helping Asian banks migrate customers for cash to non-cash; Helping European banks adjust their payments business models to respond to regulatory changes. Stefan is a thought leader in payments, having co-authored most recent BCG publications on payments, leading panels at Sibos with global leaders and being regularly cited in the press, most recently by The Economist, the Banker and Reuters. Stefan Dab earned a degree in engineering and business administration summa cum laude from the Solvay Business School of the University of Brussels in 1990. He also received a master’s degree in econometrics magna cum laude from the Economics Department of the same University in 1992.

As Head of Central & Eastern Europe, Christian Kothe has been responsible for SWIFT’s business in German-speaking countries and in Eastern Europe since September 2007. He has been the Managing Director of SWIFT Germany GmbH, a fully-owned subsidiary of SWIFT s.c., Brussels, the cooperative association of the financial industry, since July 2004. SWIFT is a member-owned cooperative that provides the communications platform, products and services to connect more than 10,000 banking organisations, securities institutions and corporate customers in 212 countries and territories. SWIFT enables its users to exchange automated, standardised financial information securely and reliably, thereby lowering costs, reducing operational risk and eliminating operational inefficiencies. SWIFT also brings the financial community together to work collaboratively to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest.

Marc Luet is the Cluster Head for Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan and Country Officer for Russia, based in Moscow. In Russia, Citi is one of the largest and best capitalized banks in the country with more than 3,000 institutional clients and over 600 thousand retail customers served by 3,300 employees in more than 35 branches located in 12 cities across the country. From 2014 until recently, Marc Luet was Citi Division Head for Central and Eastern Europe. He took this role after 3,5 years of serving as a head of Citicorp Consumer and Commercial Banking for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and an Interim Head for GCMIO when he rejoined Citi back in June 2010. Marc has over 20 years of retail and cards experience. He was previously at Visa, where he served as President for CEMEA, an area covering 80 geographies, from 2008 to 2010. Marc was responsible for Strategy, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Legal, Corporate Communications, and Regulatory Affairs for the region. He was also a member of the Operating Committee of Visa Inc. Prior to Visa, Marc was CEO of Consumer Finance and Retail International for Fortis Group from 2005 to 2008 and CEO of Egg France from 2002 to 2005. Prior to 2002, he spent 12 years at Citi where he held several Marketing, Risk and Operations positions in Europe and North America before becoming the Consumer Business Manager in Hungary and then Belgium. Marc has a BSc in Economics from the Panthéon Sorbonne University, is a graduate of Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, and holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. He is a Board Member of Citibank Europe Plc. Marc is a member of the Executive Board of Russian-American Chamber of Commerce.

Previously held positions: July 2012 – present time: Deputy Finance Minister September 2010 – July 2012: Head of Macroeconomy Analysis at VTB Capital 2004-2010: Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Research and Chief Economist, Renaissance Capital. 2001-2004: Chief Economist, Renaissance Capital. 1998-2001: Senior Sovereign Strategist, Emerging Markets Research, Fixed Income Department, BNP Paribas London 1995-1996: Senior Economist, Department for Foreign Exchange Regulations and Controls, Central Bank of the Russian Federation 2011: Ranked 2nd for Russian macroeconomy in Thomson Reuters Extel Survey 2011 and 3rd in “Economics” category in Institutional Investor 2011 All-Russia investor survey. 2004-2009: Ranked best analyst in at least one fixed income category in each of the Institutional Investor All-Russia Research Surveys. 2006: Ranked Top 3 economist in Emerging Europe in the Institutional Investor Emerging EMEA Research Team Report. Alexey graduated with honours (Beta Gamma Sigma) and received Master of Business Administration from the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Rochester, USA. He graduated with honours from the State Academy of Management, Moscow, Russia, in International Economics.

Born 1974, in Tashkent. 1996 - Graduate from the Tashkent Electrotechnical Institute of Communications. 2001 - Graduate from the Moscow State University of Economy, Statistics and Informatics, majoring in Finance and Credit. MBA degree from the University of Warwick. From 1995 work in various structures of ABN AMRO in Uzbekistan, Netherlands and Russia, supervising over programs of bank transformation in IT, corporate, retail and investment business. 2001 to 2006 work in Alfa Bank as IT Deputy Director, Senior Vice-President, Director on development and support of products and operations of Retail Block. 2006 to 2008 a partner of IBM Russia/CIS consultancy for financial and insurance companies. From January 2008 to now: Sberbank's Senior Vice-President, Member of the Board, CIO. From January 2014 to now: Sberbank's Senior Vice-President, Digital Bank. Member of the Supervisory Boards of JSC Subsidiary bank of “Sberbank of Russia", Ukraine and OAO "Belpromstroyank", Belarus, Chairman of the Board of Directors in OAO "Universal Electronic Card" and ZAO "Sberbank-Technologies" companies, Member of the Board of Directors of "Sberbank AST" company. From July 2015 till now Managing Partner of Sberbank Venture Fund.

In 1991 graduated from Bauman State Technical University (specialization “New Materials and Technologies”). In 1999 graduated from INSEAD business school, France (EMBA).About 20 years Mr. Strashnov held leading positions in various European companies working in the sectors of consumer goods and telecom services - Electrolux A.B., Philips Consumer Electronics Export B.V.In 2009 - 2013 - President and CEO of Tele2 Russia, Executive Vice-President Tele2 A.B.Since April 2013 holds a position of CEO, Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Post”.

Prior to joining RDIF, Kishan was managing director, international private equity at GE Asset Management. He has over 20 years of investing and financial services experience globally. During his 19 year career at GE he was one of the key senior managers responsible for attracting investment from institutional investors and investing in businesses globally. He also worked at Deutsche Bank and ICRA, a credit rating and investment information company based in India and an affiliate of Moody’s Investors Service. Kishan graduated with honors from the University of Delhi, India. He is a CFA charterholder and also holds certifications as a chartered accountant and a company secretary from India.