Programme

Business continues to function and achieve results despite the complicated political relations between Russia and the European Union. Economic cooperation between Russia and Europe has great potential given the geographic, historic, and cultural prerequisites. Rapid technological developments, the opening up of new markets, and business opportunities provide additional stimulus. European manufacturers maintain faith in the Russian market; they are expanding their investments in Russia, and searching for new collaborative solutions in partnership with Russian enterprises. Meanwhile Russian companies are actively strengthening their export capabilities. How can European and Russian companies best overcome the obstacles they face? What strategies have proven to be the most effective and how do companies view their future prospects? What practical areas of cooperation between Russia and the EU can compensate for the crises in relations between two partners united by a common continent, historic and cultural proximity, and tried-and-tested economic ties? Could cooperation in education and science, research and innovation, and new technologies act as a driver for positive change?

Moderator
Johan Vanderplaetse, Chairman, Association of European Businesses; President, Russia and CIS, Schneider Electric

Johan Vanderplaetse

Chairman, Association of European Businesses; President, Russia and CIS, Schneider Electric

Johan has a wide and diverse experience in senior leadership roles in multinational companies in Russia and Europe. Before joining Schneider Electric he held the position of VP Europe, Eastern Region (including Russia/CIS) at Emerson Process Management since 2009. He began his professional career in the early 90s, after graduating with honors from University of Ghent, from College of Europe and from Pushkin Institute of Russian Language and Culture. A large part of his career has been spent in Alcatel. He started as Legal Counsel and moved over years to strategic and leadership positions in the CIS and Central Europe regions. He also spent a few years in an EBRD investment fund in Kazakhstan which generated substantial capital gains. Since June 2016 – President for Russia and CIS at Schneider Electric.

Panellists
Frans van Houten, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Management and the Executive Committee, Royal Philips
Florence Verzelen, Executive Vice-President for Industry Solutions, Marketing, Global Affairs and Communications, Dassault Systemes SE
Maxim Egorov, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing, and Utilities of the Russian Federation
Elisa Markula, President, Chief Executive Officer, Tikkurila Oyj
Alexander Misharin, First Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Russian Railways
Kris Peeters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumer Affairs, in charge of Foreign Trade, Combating Poverty, Equal Opportunities, and Disabled People of the Federal Government of the Kingdom of Belgium
Nenad Popovic, Minister for Innovation and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia
Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
Markus Ederer, Ambassador of the European Union to the Russian Federation

Frans van Houten

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Management and the Executive Committee, Royal Philips

Frans van Houten started his career with the company in 1986 in marketing and sales at Philips Data Systems. In 1993 he was appointed vice president international sales and operations of Philips Kommunikations Industrie in Germany. In 1996 Mr. Van Houten joined Philips’ Consumer Electronics division for which he led the region Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, based in Singapore.
In 2002, he became co-CEO of the Consumer Electronics division and was appointed member of Philips’ Group Management Committee in 2003. In 2004, Mr. Van Houten was appointed CEO of Philips Semiconductors and in 2006 joined Philips’ Board of Management until the spin out and creation of NXP Semiconductors in September of that year, when he became the CEO of NXP. Prior to re-joining Philips, Mr. Van Houten was leading a project to separate ING Group’s banking and insurance operations as an independent advisor to ING’s management board. In January 2011, Mr. Van Houten assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) within Philips.
Mr. Van Houten was born in the Netherlands in 1960 and holds a Masters degree in Economics and Business Management from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Florence Verzelen

Executive Vice-President for Industry Solutions, Marketing, Global Affairs and Communications, Dassault Systemes SE

Florence Verzelen started her career as a financial analyst in investment banking in New York. She then acquired more than 5-year experience in the public sector: she worked in the European Commission in Brussels where she has been responsible for the trade relationships between EU and China,
and thereafter of the antitrust case against Microsoft. She joined the team of the French Minister of European Affairs, as his advisor on trade and industry issue in 2007. From 2008 to 2017, she worked at Engie, a world leader in the energy sector. She was first in charge of Business Development for the Group, then became CEO of Engie in Qatar and later VP for the group procurement performance plan. She finally was appointed COO of Engie Europe and Russia. She is also an experienced board member, with board position at PSA and currently at Air France. Florence has been nominated Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2013. Florence is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique / Corps des Mines.

Maxim Egorov

Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing, and Utilities of the Russian Federation

23 May 1977 Born in the city of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod)
1999 Studied at the Volga State University of Water Transport
1999–2000 Worked in the Department of Economics, Industry and Planning of the Administration of the Leninsky district, Nizhny Novgorod.
2000–2005 Worked in various capacities in the Nizhny Novgorod Open Joint Stock Power Engineering and Electrification Company ‘Nizhnovenergo’, from first category economist to deputy director for economics – head of economic planning department.
2005–2015 Worked in various capacities in the Federal Tariff Service, Moscow, from the head of the Department of Regulation and Control of Electricity Buyers and Schedule Development of the Electrical Industry Pricing Regulation and Control Administration to the Head of Administration.
2016–2018 Advisor to the Governor of the Tyumen Region of the Representative Office of the Government of the Tyumen Region in the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow.
June 2018 – December 2018 Advisor to the Minister of Construction Industry, Housing and Utilities Sector of the Russian Federation.
From 29 December 2019 Appointed Deputy Minister of Construction Industry, Housing and Utilities Sector of the Russian Federation
Awarded:
Honorary Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation
Honorary Diploma of the Government of the Russian Federation
Holds class rank: Full State Counsellor 1st Class of the Russian Federation
An Honoured worker of the Fuel and Energy Industry
An Honoured worker of Pricing and Tariff Regulation
Married with three sons

Elisa Markula

President, Chief Executive Officer, Tikkurila Oyj

B. 1966.
M.Sc. (Econ.) International Marketing, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration.
2010 - Senior Vice President, Paulig Group, Managing Director, Oy Gustav Paulig Ab (Coffee division).
2006−2009 - Country Manager, Oy Suomen LEGO Ab (Finland), Member of the Management Team, Nordic-Benelux Business Unit.
2003−2006 - Sales Director, Oy Snellman Ab.
2000−2003 - Key Account Manager and Trade Marketing Manager, Oy SCA Hygiene Products Ab.
1998−1999 - Brand Manager, Oy SCA Hygiene Products Ab.
1993−1998 - Area Marketing Manager, Fazer Chocolates Ltd, (1994-1995 based in St. Petersburg, Russia).
Board memberships:
2015 - Olvi Oyj (listed).
2016 - President, European Coffee Federation.
2014 - The Association of Finnish Advertisers (Mainostajien liitto).

Alexander Misharin

First Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Russian Railways

Alexander Misharin was born in 1959. He graduated from the Urals State University of Railway Transport as a Railway Transport Electrification in 1981. He obtained his second university degree, in economics, from the same university in 1997. Misharin has a CSc degree in economics and a DSc in engineering.He started out as an electrician and rose through the company to become chief engineer of Sverdlovsk Railway. He served as Deputy, First Deputy Minister of the Railways, Chief of Sverdlovsk Railway, Director of the Department for Integrated Development of the Infrastructure of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, and Director of the Department for Industry and Infrastructure of the Central Office of the Government of the Russian Federation.He was Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region from 2009 to 2012.Alexander Misharin became First Vice-President of Russian Railways JSCo in December 2012.

Kris Peeters

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumer Affairs, in charge of Foreign Trade, Combating Poverty, Equal Opportunities, and Disabled People of the Federal Government of the Kingdom of Belgium

Born on May 18th, 1962. Married.
POLITICAL CAREER
2014 – Deputy Prime Minister, federal Government (Belgium)
2014 – Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumer Affairs, in charge of Foreign Trade, federal Government (Belgium)
2009-2014 Minister-President, Government of Flanders (Belgium)
2009-2014 Minister for Economy, Foreign Policy, Agriculture and Rural Policy, Government of Flanders (Belgium)
2007-2009 Minister-President, Government of Flanders (Belgium)
2007-2009 Minister for Institutional Reform, Administrative Affairs, Foreign Policy, Media, Tourism, Ports, Agriculture, Sea Fisheries and Rural Policy, Government of Flanders (Belgium)
2004-2007 Minister for Public Works, Energy, Environment and Nature, Government of Flanders (Belgium)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1999-2004 Managing Director, UNIZO (Organisation of Self-Employed and SMEs)
1994-1999 Secretary General, UNIZO, Brussels
1991-1994 Director Research Department, UNIZO, Brussels
1989-1991 Lecturer, Limburg University Centre, Hasselt
1988-1991 Counsellor fiscal matters, UNIZO, Brussels
1986-1988 Lawyer, Storme, Leroy, Van Parys and Doolaege, Ghent
EDUCATION
Special degree in Accountancy and Tax Law, Vlerick School of Management, Ghent
M.A. in Law, University of Antwerp, Antwerp
B.A. in Philosophy, University of Antwerp, Antwerp

Nenad Popovic

Minister for Innovation and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia

Education: in 1992 graduated from the University of Belgrade, faculty of electrical engineering. In 2000 and 2003 accordingly earned his Master’s and doctoral degrees in economics in Russia. Currently Mr. Popovic is actively occupied in strengthening Russian-Serbian cooperation in the area of innovations and high-tech economics. Occupation: strengthening Russian-Serbian relations; joint production and implementation of innovative and high-tech goods and services by both Russian and Serbian companies; implementation of new technologies in the areas of “smart city” infrastructure, economics, education, healthcare, pharma, armament industry, agriculture; development of research and technology hubs; development of innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems; Industry 4.0. Key events in piolitical activity: 2007 - 2014 – coordinated the cooperation activities between the Democratic party of Serbia and All-Russian political party United Russia; vice-chairman of the Democratic party of Serbia; deputy and vice speaker of the Parliament of Serbia, chairman of parliamentary committee on Serbia-Russia relations; Since 2014 – founder and chairman of Serbian People's Party; June 2017 - elected as the first ever Minister of Innovation and Technological Development in the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia.

Peter Szijjarto

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary

He was born on October 30th, 1978 in Komárom.
He is an economist who earned his degree in International Relations from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration in 2002.
He joined Fidesz in 1998. He was elected to member of the municipal government in the same year in the city of Győr, and then he obtained a mandate between 2006 and 2010 again.
In 2005 he was elected to president of Fidelitas, the youth organization of Fidesz. He occupied this position until 2009.
He first became member of the National Assembly in 2002. He received mandates in 2006, 2010 and 2014 as well; currently he serves his fourth term as member of the Parliament.
He served as communications director and spokesman of the Fidesz between 2006 and 2010, and he was chief of staff of the party’s president from 2009 to 2010.
During his parliamentary work he was deputy faction leader of Fidesz and chairman of the Parliament's Budget Committee.
He served as the Prime Minister’s spokesman from June 2010 to June 2012, and headed the Prime Minister’s staff in charge of press, international and organizational affairs.
In June 2012 he was appointed to State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations of the Prime Minister’s Office.
He served as Government Commissioner for Hungarian-Russian Relations and Hungarian Chinese Bilateral Relations from March 2013.
In June, 2014, he was appointed to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Since September, 2014, he serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Front row participants
Anatoly Artamonov, Governor of Kaluga Region
Eric Benedetti, General Director, Signify Russia and CIS
Marcus Huth, Finance Director for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Russia, Managing Director, Accenture

Anatoly Artamonov

Governor of Kaluga Region

Born in 1952 in Kaluga Region.
After graduating from Moscow Agricultural Production Engineering Institute, worked in agricultural and construction sectors of Kaluga Region economy.
In November 1996, he was elected Vice Governor of Kaluga Region.
Since 2000 – Governor of Kaluga Region.
Anatoly Artamonov is one of the most efficient Russian governors, which is proved by Kaluga Region dynamic development. For a number of years it has been holding leading positions among Russian regions according to various ratings.
Anatoly Artamonov holds many awards, including the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, Republic of Korea; the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; the Commander of the Legion of Honour, France, and others.
Doctor, Economics.

Eric Benedetti

General Director, Signify Russia and CIS

Marcus Huth

Finance Director for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Russia, Managing Director, Accenture

Marcus Huth has been the Finance Director for Accenture Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Russia since 2005. He is also a member of the German Management Board and a member of the Leadership of the German speaking countries and Russia, a region where Accenture has more than 10.000 employees.
In his role, Marcus is responsible for the financial management, statutory books, planning, forecasting and operational execution of Accenture’s business. He works with our internal and external auditors and the local tax authorities. In addition, Marcus has been the “Ethic & Compliance Lead” for the region from 2008 until end of February 2019.
Prior to his current position, Marcus served as Finance Director and later COO for Accenture’s manufacturing business in Europe, Africa & Latin America for more than 10 years. In this role he worked intensively with clients from the automotive and consumer goods sector in Germany and across Europe and also supported our growth in Latin America in the early 2000s.
Before joining Accenture, Marcus used to work several years as a Finance Manager for Mobil Oil in Hamburg and London and did an apprenticeship as Industrial Business Management Assistant at Hoechst AG in Frankfurt at the beginning of his professional career.
He studied Economics at the University of Mainz and Regensburg with a focus on industrial production and statistics and accounting and graduated in 1992 as “Diplom-Kaufmann”.