Programme

David Schlesinger is the founder and Managing Director of Tripod Advisors (http://www.tripodadvisors.com), a consultancy that advises on political risk analysis, strategy and on running complex, dispersed global organizations with an emphasis on China and the media sector. He was formerly Chairman of Thomson Reuters China, responsible for government relations and businesses in financial markets, legal and regulatory databases, scientific information and journalism. He was appointed to that role after being the global Editor-in-Chief of Reuters News, running all aspects of the 3,000-journalist strong international news service. A graduate of Oberlin College and Harvard University, Schlesinger joined Reuters Hong Kong bureau in 1987 as a correspondent. From 1989 to 1995, he ran editorial operations in Taiwan, China and the Greater China region. He then transferred to New York to serve in turn as Financial Editor, Managing Editor for the Americas and Executive Vice President and Editor of the Americas before taking on global roles based in London starting from 2004.

Mikael Aro, 48 years, eMBA, has been working in his present position in VR Group since 2009. From 2001 to 2009 he worked in various positions in Carlsberg Group, including work as Senior Vice President, Northern Europe, Carlsberg Breweries AS for years 2007-2009 and CEO of Finnish beer brewery Sinebrychoff for years 2005-2009. He also holds numerous positions of trust as board chairman or board member in many companies and corporations. He is married and has three children.

He studied at the Cosmonautics and Flight Vehicles School of the Moscow Aviation Institute, graduating in 1994, and earned a financial management degree from the Higher School of Economics under the Government of RF in 1996. In 2004, Mr. Gurko founded and led M2M Telematics Group, which united the leading companies from various segments of Russian navigation information market. From 2009 to 2012, he was the CEO of JSC “Navigation Information Systems” (NIS GLONASS). Since May 2012, Mr. Gurko serves as the President of the Non-commercial Partnership for Development and Use of Navigation Technologies (GLONASS Union), Russian National Navigation Services Provider. GLONASS Union members are leading Russian companies in telecommunication, IT, and navigation markets, leading car manufacturers: JSC “VimpelCom”, JSC “MegaFon“, JSC “MTS”, JSC “Rostelecom”, JSC “Navigation Information Systems”, JSC “Summa Telecom”, JSC "Kronstadt", Cesar Satellite Group, Yandex LLC, Association “GLONASS/GNSS Forum”, CJSC “Russian Telecom Equipment Company” (RTEC), JSC “GLONASS”, JSC “Group T1”, PJSC “KAMAZ” and JSC NIIMA “PROGRESS”. Mr. Gurko is a member of the Presidential Council for Economic Modernization and innovative development of Russia since 2012. In July 2015, he is a member of the Board of Directors the Joint Stock Company "GLONASS", where he heads the Committee for Strategy and Investment.

Sergey Kravchenko holds post of president of Boeing Russia/CIS since 2002, he is responsible for leading all Boeing business activities in Russia and the CIS. Kravchenko joined The Boeing Company in 1992. He directly participated in Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner program design, held leading positions in engineering departments in Seattle responsible for production and relations with suppliers and partners. In Russia, he led Boeing projects on participation in ISS, establishment of two Boeing joint ventures with Rostec /VSMPO, Boeing Design Center in Moscow, Boeing Flight Training Center in Skolkovo. Before Kravchenko joined Boeing in 1992, he worked as a professor and as the lead scientist of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He also taught in Moscow and worked as a research consultant in Europe, the United States and Asia. Sergey Kravchenko is one of the leading specialists in Russia on modern management of large international projects and companies. Kravchenko is a professor and holds a doctorate degree of engineering science, earned in 1990. He holds over 20 patents in various areas of engineering and has published more than 50 research papers.

Luis became President & CEO of Amadeus on 1 January 2011. From January 2009 to December 2010, Luis was Deputy CEO of Amadeus, with responsibility for overall company strategy as well as line management of the finance, internal audit, legal and human resources functions. He has also been instrumental in Amadeus’ return to the stock market with the company’s successful IPO in April 2010. Luis joined Amadeus in 1999 as Director, Marketing Finance. In that role, he was instrumental in supporting Amadeus’ commercial organisation throughout its international expansion and consolidation, supervising the strategic and financial control of over 50 Amadeus subsidiaries around the world. He was promoted in 2003 to Chief Financial Officer (CFO), taking responsibility for the global Amadeus Finance organisation. Prior to joining Amadeus, Luis held several managerial positions at the Bertelsmann Group. A Spanish citizen, Luis holds a degree in Law from the Complutense University, Madrid, an MBA from the IESE Business School and further postgraduate qualifications from Harvard Business School and Stanford.

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”.

Mikhail Blinkin is a full Professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Head of the Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy Studies and Professor of the Graduate School of Urban Studies and Planning at the same university. He graduated from Moscow State University in mathematics in 1970. He received a Candidate of Sciences in specialty 05.13.17 ‘Theoretical Fundamentals of Informatics’ for his thesis entitled ‘Macroscopic models of transport flows within traffic management systems on motorways’ (1978). Until 1990, he worked in the industry scientific research institutes GYPRODORNII (Road Design, Survey and Research Institute) and NIIAT (Scientific and Research Institute of Motor Transport). In 1991, he organized a private research centre: Independent Transport Laboratory (TRANSLAB), which in 2003 was transformed into NP Scientific Research Institute for Transport and Highways (NIITDKh). Since 2011, he has worked at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Prof. Blinkin is one of the most published and quoted Russian transport scholars. The key spheres of his scientific activities are: national transport policy, urban studies, urban transport planning and management of city transport systems, economic and institutional problems of transport and highways, mathematical theory of transport flows and road traffic safety. In 2011–2012, he headed up the transport section of the expert project for current problems of Russia’s socio-economic strategy for the period up to 2020 (the Strategy-2020 project). He is a member of a number of expert and public structures: member of the Expert Council under the Government of the Russian Federation; member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation; member of the Civic Chamber of the City of Moscow; Chairman of the Public Council of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation; member of the Eurasian Executive Committee of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP); Professor of the International Academy of Architecture (IAA); member of the Expert Guild of the Union of Architects of Russia.

• He graduated from The Military medical Academy and St. Petersburg State University of finance and economics. • Dmitry started his career as an entrepreneur, founded several projects in the sector of trade, advertising services and financial consulting. • He is actively engaged in the sector of private investment since 1997. • Dmitry is the co-owners of a number of developmental projects and existing trading companies, in particular, the Rive Gauche chain of perfume and cosmetics stores, Obuv.com footwear chain, Wild Orchid Group and chain stores OPTOKLUB Ryady.