Programme

Russia’s legal system has seen a major overhaul in recent years, including a sweeping reform of the Civil Code, changes to the system for resolving economic disputes and the ongoing revision of the monitoring and oversight framework. Modern legal concepts have been introduced that allow for complex investment projects to be carried out, such as representations and warranties, escrow accounts and shareholder agreements. Reorganization of state courts and the introduction of procedures for forming arbitral tribunals and expansion of their powers have enabled parties to resolve economic disputes much faster than before. The legal community is well aware of these changes, but business owners and executives of Russian companies are slow to come on board, as they are used to thinking of English law as the only possible option. What new opportunities does the Russian jurisdiction offer businesses? How effective is the legal protection afforded to foreign investments in Russia? How successful are the measures being implemented to reduce administrative burdens on business? What steps need to be taken and what international best practices could be used to further improve the Russian legal system?

Moderator:
Victoria Burkovskaya , Partner, Head of White Collar Crime Practice, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners

Victoria Burkovskaya

Partner, Head of White Collar Crime Practice, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners

Viktoria Burkovskaya has a post-doctoral degree in Law and is one of the leading experts in Criminal Law, majoring in business-related crimes, criminal trial and compliance with anti-corruption law. Ms. Burkovskaya provides consult in personal data protection, licensing cryptographic activity and cryptographic services. Between 2006 and 2009 Ms. Burkovskaya held the position of Senior Research Associate at General Prosecutor’s Office Academy, where she prepared legal opinion on various business-related criminal cases, including illegal business operations, money laundering, smuggling, tax evasion etc., as well as crimes against public order and policies, cases tried by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and cases to extradition of Russian citizens. Viktoria Burkovskaya plays an active role in reforming criminal legislation of the Russian Federation. She’s a member of the Criminal and Commercial Court Working Group (under International Commercial Court in Paris) and the Co-Chairperson of Business Against Corruption (Center of Public Procedures under Delovaya Rossiya). She has authored over 80 works in law journals. Ms. Burkovskaya is a Professor of the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Process and Forensics at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where she teaches legal psychology and forensics. Viktoria Burkovskaya is an alumni of Voronezh State Teacher Training University (1996, cum laude), Moscow State Law Academy (2002, cum laude), post-graduate program of the Research Institute for Legality Consolidation and Public Order under General Prosecutor’s Office (2000) and post-doctoral program of the Management Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (2005). In 2015 the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation awarded Ms. Burkovskaya with a Certificate of Merit. In 2016 Boris Titov, the Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs’ Rights, awarded Viktoria Burkovskaya with a Certificate of Merit for her active pro bono work to defend entrepreneurs’ rights. Ms. Burkovskaya is a member of Moscow City Bar.

Panellists:
Alexander Afanasiev , Chairman of the Executive Board, Moscow Exchange
Vladimir Gruzdev , Chairman of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia
Pavel Krasheninnikov , Chairman, State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation State Building and Legislation
Shai Nitzan , State Attorney of Israel
Gokhan Sarac , Vice President for Legal Affairs, Central Asia, Africa, Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Unilever Plc
Boris Titov , Presidential Commissioner of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights
Yury Chayka , Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation

Alexander Afanasiev

Chairman of the Executive Board, Moscow Exchange

Alexander Afanasiev has been Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Moscow Exchange since June 2012. Prior to joining Moscow Exchange, he spent 13 years at Bank WestLB Vostok, a subsidiary of the German banking group WestLB AG, most recently as a Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board. Prior to his work at WestLB, Mr Afanasiev was an Executive Board member of Bank Imperial. From 2005 to 2011 Mr Afanasiev was Chairman of the MICEX FX Market Council. From 2009 to 2013 he co-chaired the National Foreign Exchange Association and from 2011 to 2014 the National Securities Market Association. Mr Afanasiev has been working in the Russian financial sector since 1991. He worked at the Bank of Russia earlier in his career, and was among the founders of the Russian Project Finance Bank, the first investment bank with foreign capital in Russia. He subsequently served as Executive Director of this bank. Alexander Afanasiev graduated from the Moscow Financial Institute with a degree in international economic relations and holds a PhD in economics.

Vladimir Gruzdev

Chairman of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia

Gruzdev Vladimir Sergeyevich – Chairman of the Executive Board of the Association of lawyers of Russia (ALRF). Born February 6, 1967 in Bolshevo, Moscow region. Education: 1984: graduated from the Moscow Suvorov military school. 1991: graduated from the Krasnoznamenny Military institute. 2000: graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Law Faculty). 2003: defended his PhD thesis. Foreign languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English. Career: 1991-1993 served in the Foreign Intelligence Service of the RF. 1993: founded the trading company “The Seventh Continent”, where he held management positions. 2001: was elected as a deputy of the Moscow city Duma. 2003: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fourth convocation. 2007: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fifth convocation. 2011-2016: governor of the Tula region. 2009-2016: member of the Presidium of the ALRF. Since 2016: Chairman of the Executive Board of the ALRF. Awards: - Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd Class; - Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd Class and 4th Class; - Russian Federation Presidential and Governmental Certificates of Honour; - Gratitudes of the President and the Government of the RF; - Medal “For Battle Merit”; - Honourary Title “Soldier-internationalist”; - Honourary badges of the State Duma and the Federation Council.

Boris Titov

Presidential Commissioner of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights

Boris Titov was born on December, 24, 1960 in Moscow. He is a graduate of the Moscow state institute for international relations in 1983. In 1983-1989 worked for the foreign trade association “Soyuznefteexport”. 1989-1991 – chemistry department chief at the soviet-dutch joint enterprise “Urals”. 1991-2012 - executive director of Solvalub group of companies. 2001-2002 – the president of the JSC “Agrochemical corporation “Azot”. 2006-2012 – chairman of board of directors, general director of “Abrau-Durso” wine producing company. 2000-2005 – member of the bureau of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. 2004-2012 – chairman of the All-Russia public organization “Delovaya Rossiya” (“Business Russia”). 2006-2009 – member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. In June 2012 was appointed the Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneur’s rights. Member of the Presidential Economic Council since July 2012. In April 2014 was appointed the Chairman of the Russian part of the Russia-China Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development Elected as the chairman of board of directors of the Association of Managers of Russia (AMR) in September 2014 In February 2016 became the official leader of the political party “The party for growth” Awarded the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, I degree and the Stolypin Medal, II degree, Order of Honor of the Russian Federation, Chevalier of the Legion of honor

Yury Chayka

Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation

Yu.Ya. Chaika was born in 1951 in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Territory. He started his working career in 1970 as an electrician at a shipbuilding factory in his native city. Having served in the army, he came back in 1972 to enter the Sverdlovsk Law Institute. In 1976, after graduation, Yu.Ya. Chaika was employed as a probationer in the prosecution service, later worked as an investigator, a Deputy Regional Public Prosecutor in the Irkutsk Region, a Taishet Transport Public Prosecutor of the East Siberia Transportation Prosecutor’s Office. In 1992, he became Public Prosecutor of the Irkutsk Region. In 1995, Yu.Chaika was appointed to the post of the First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. From 1999 to 2006, he headed the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. On June 23, 2006, by the Resolution of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Yu.Chaika was appointed to the post of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. He received state and departmental awards on numerous occasions for his contribution to promoting the rule of law and public order. He has the rank of Actual State Counselor of Justice. He is married and has two children.

Front row participants:
Boris Boltyanskiy , Editor-in-Chief, Pravo.ru
David Goldberg , Partner, White & Case
Sergey Slagoda , Attorney at Law, Managing Partner, S&K Vertical
Andrey Tsarikovskiy , State Secretary, Deputy Head, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation

David Goldberg

Partner, White & Case

David is a solicitor-advocate and a Chartered Arbitrator whose practice focuses on international commercial and investment arbitration. He is recognised by the leading legal directories for the strength of his Russian, CIS and Eastern European practice and is one of only three lawyers in the world ranked Band 1 for “Dispute Resolution - Russia (Experts Based Abroad)” by Chambers Global 2016. David also represents clients in court proceedings concerning the conduct of arbitral proceedings, including the enforcement or challenge to arbitral awards, the appointment of arbitrators and applications for interim measures such as disclosure and worldwide freezing orders. David has particular expertise in complex international arbitrations arising out of corporate transactions connected to Russia and the CIS. His experience covers a broad range of sectors, including oil and gas, metals and mining, telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services and insurance. David is also regularly appointed as an arbitrator, with recent appointments including arbitrations conducted under the LCIA, ICC, ICAC and UNCITRAL rules. David is a co-founder, trustee and the Secretary General of the Anglo-Russian Law Association and a founder and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Russian Arbitration Association.

Sergey Slagoda

Attorney at Law, Managing Partner, S&K Vertical

A lawyer, managing partner of the S&K Vertical law firm, member of the Russia-China Law Society He specialises in private international law, commercial, corporate and banking law, legal support for foreign investment in the Russian Federation, mediation, and also in the area of organising and supporting legal procedures in various jurisdictions. Sergei Slagoda has considerable experience of organising the work of legal consultants in such jurisdictions as China, Britain, the United States, Ireland, Switzerland, Finland, Cyprus, the British Virginian Islands, etc. For more than 15 years, he has advised leading international corporations, including in China, on legal regulation of foreign investments and entrepreneurial activities in Russia. He advises Russian companies on corporate debt collection and other legal conflicts in China.

Andrey Tsarikovskiy

State Secretary, Deputy Head, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation

Graduated from Saint-Petersburg Engineer-Economy Academy, specialization economy and organization of engineering industry, honored qualification engineer-economist. In 1995 he has became assistant to the Member of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg. A year later, he was appointed as a Chief of Staff of the First Vice-Governor - Chairman of the Finance Committee of St. Petersburg City Administration. Under his guidance a set of law enforcement acts and administrative rules of Saint-Petersburg Administration in the sphere of state finance management were elaborated. From 1999 till 2004 – Director of scientific-research programs, executive director of “EPICENTER –Saint- Petersburg Foundation”. Is a draftsman of several legislative initiatives at the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the sphere of economy, finance, taxes and antimonopoly policy. Since 2004 – Deputy Head of the FAS Russia, since July 2006 till now – Stats-secretary – Deputy Head of the FAS Russia. Andrey Tsarikovskiy is a member of Governmental Commission on legislative activity, Governmental Commission on Economic Development and Integration, Military-Industrial Commission under the Government of the Russian Federation. Andrey Tsarikovskiy is the active participant of the FAS’s Russia international cooperation with foreign organizations and competition authorities in the sphere of antimonopoly policy, combating unfair competition, state regulation of natural monopolies and control over public procurement.