Programme

Michal Rutkowski is a newly appointed Country Director for the Russian Federation. He is also a former Director of the Office for Social Security Reform in the Government of Poland (1996-97) and a co-author of the design of the new Polish pension system. From 1998-2004, back in the World Bank, as Sector Manager for social protection, he led a team of professionals working on pensions, labor market and social assistance reforms in 28 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union, as well as in Turkey. In 2004 he moved to human development Sector Director position in the Middle East and North Africa Region, and in 2008 to an equivalent position in the South Asia Region. Mr. Rutkowski studied at the Warsaw School of Economics (Ph.D. in economics, 1987) and the London School of Economics (post-graduate studies). Before joining the World Bank in 1990, he was an Associate Professor teaching Economics and doing research work in Labor Economics, Comparative Economics, and Macroeconomics in the Institute for Economic Policy of the Warsaw School of Economics (1987-88).

Born in 1952 Krasnoye village, the Hvastovichi district of the Kaluga Region. In 1974 graduated from Moscow Agricultural Production Engineering Institute named after V.P. Goryachkin. On graduating the institute came to Hvastovici district of the Kaluga Region, where worked as a state farm “Hvastvichesky" repair shops’ chief. Since 1975 - Chief Engineer of the state farm "Shahtovsky" in Mosalsk district. In 1978 was appointed "Gruzdovsky" state farm Director. In 1985 - Chief of the Regional Agricultural Department, and a few months later was elected First Secretary of CPSU Mosalsk district committee. In 1991 was appointed Obninsk construction and industrial joint stock company CEO. Since November 1996 – Vice Governor of the Kaluga Region. November 12, 2000 was elected Governor of the Kaluga Region. March 14, 2004 was elected Governor of the Kaluga Region for the second time. July 22, 2005 according to the new order of forming executive powers of governmental authorities the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin introduced A.D. Artamonov’s candidature for considering of the Kaluga Region Legislative Assembly to appoint him the authority of the Kaluga Region Governor. July 26, 2005 the Kaluga Region Legislative Assembly deputies made up their minds to appoint A.D.Artamonov the authority of the Kaluga Region Governor for a five year term on a special session. July 26, 2010 the Governor came into office for another term on.

Eckhard Cordes was born in Neumünster/Germany in 1950. After studying business administration and obtaining his PhD in this field, he joined Daimler-Benz AG (today Daimler AG) in 1976. From 1976 until 1996 he held various operative and strategic executive positions within the DaimlerChrysler Group in Germany and abroad. From 1996 until 2005 he was member of the Daimler-Benz/DaimlerChrysler Group Management Board with shifting core responsibilities, inter alia the Commercial Vehicle Division and the Mercedes Benz Car Group. From 2006 until 2009 he held the position as CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH. From February 2006 until October 2007 he was also Chairman of the METRO AG Supervisory Board. From the 1st of November 2007 until the 31st of December 2011 he was Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of METRO AG. Since the 1st of December 2010 Eckhard Cordes is Chairman of The Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations. Eckhard Cordes is Partner of EMERAM Capital Partners GmbH since the 1st of May 2012. On November 5th, 2014 Eckhard Cordes was appointed Member of the Supervisory Board at Bilfinger SE. From the 1st of April 2015 Eckhard Cordes is a Member of the Board of AB Volvo.

Sergey Morozov was born on September 6, 1959 in Ulyanovsk. After graduating from high school, he worked as a machine operator at a furniture factory. He served in the Pacific Fleet from 1977 to 1980.Since 1981 he has worked at the law-enforcement bodies. He graduated from the All-Union Legal Institute with a major in law. He worked his way up from a criminal investigation inspector at the district office of internal affairs up to the head of a special anti-drug trafficking office of the Internal Affairs Department of the Ulyanovsk Region. In 1995, he was appointed head of the Internal Affairs Department of Dimitrovgrad. In December 2000 he was elected Mayor of Dimitrovgrad. In 2003, Dimitrovgrad won a federal competition and was granted the title of the “Cultural Capital of the Volga Region of 2004”. He has twice been awarded special government prizes for achievements in municipal improvements.In December 2004 Mr. Morozov was elected Head of the Administration of the Ulyanovsk Region. On March 28, 2006, the deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the Ulyanovsk Region approved Mr. Morozov’s candidacy for Governor of the Ulyanovsk Region as submitted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On March 6, 2011, he was re-elected as Governor for a new term.Mr. Morozov has a PhD in Economy. He defended his dissertation on the subject “Formation of a socioeconomic development strategy for the region”.He is married with five children: two sons and three daughters.

Svetlana Sagaidak was born on May 3, 1968 in Dresden, East Germany. In 1992, she graduated from the Economics Department from Lomonosov Moscow State University, and in 2000 she received her degree in Law from MSU. In 2011, she graduated from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration with a Masters in Business Administration and completed the Kingston University Executive MBA Programme (MBA). In 2007, Svetlana Sagaidak received a Ph.D. in Economics. From 1993 to 2008, she held senior positions in banks in financial institutions, including the organizations: Inkombank, Deposit Insurance Agency, and Rossiisky Bank Razvitiya. She has worked for Sberbank since 2008. She has held a number of positions within the organization: Director of the SME Department, Vice President and Director of Distressed Assets Department. In August 2013, she was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President. Her area of responsibility includes clients of large, medium and small businesses, the DIC segment, as well as regional and municipal authorities. Svetlana Sagaidak has been awarded the Order for Merit to the Fatherland of the II degree, as well as the gratitude of the Government of the Russian Federation for her contribution to the development of the banking industry and many years of diligent work.

Michael Harms began his professional career in 1993 as sales engineer at Philips Medical Systems in Hamburg and Moscow. After a stopover at the Liaison Office of German Business in Berlin in 2000 he was a member of the Management of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and was responsible for the region of Southeast Europe. From 2001 - 2003 he additionally worked in Brussels as Executive Secretary of the Business Advisory Council for South Eastern Europe. Since 2007 he worked in Moscow as the Delegate of the German Industry and Chairman of the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce. From 2012 to 2016 Michael Harms was World spokesman of the network of German foreign chambers of commerce (AHK). Since April 1, 2016 Michael Harms is the Executive Director of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations in Berlin.

In 1972 Mr. Yakunin graduated from Leningrad Mechanical Institute. He holds a DSc in Political Science. He began his career as Junior Research Associate at the State Institute of Applied Chemistry. After serving in the Army, he worked as engineer and senior engineer at the State Committee for International Trade of the Council of Ministers and Head of the Foreign Relations Department at the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute under the USSR Academy of Sciences. 1985 to 1991: in diplomatic service (Second and later First Secretary of the Diplomatic Mission of the USSR to the UN). In subsequent years, he was Head of the Government Accountability Office’s Northwest Region Inspectorate . From October 2000: Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation. From February 2002: First Deputy Minister of Railway Transport of Russian Federation From October 2003: Senior Vice-President of Russian Railways June 2005 to 2015: President of Russian Railways Mr. Yakunin is Chairman of the Board of Trustees, National Glory Centre and St. Andrew the Apostle Fund; Co-President of the Franco-Russian Dialogue Association; Head of the Public Politics Department in the Political Science, Faculty at Moscow State University; Visiting Professor at Stockholm School of Economics; Doctor Emeritus at the Diplomatic Academy under Russia’s MFA. He has received a Russian Government award for contribution to science and technology.