Programme

Geopolitical turbulence, trade restrictions and economic sanctions continue to undermine trade and economic relations between the United States and Russia and hinder mutually beneficial investment cooperation. During this volatile period business has continued to evolve and has remained one of the few healthy areas of relations between the two countries. How are American investors evaluating the business climate and prospects for their business in Russia? What challenges have they faced and overcome when implementing projects in Russia? What is Russia’s role in the global value chain for the multinational today? What are the optimal models of relations in different sectors of the economy as seen by the companies today? Which are the most important sectors for the Russian companies to develop their business in the United States, which could contribute to the growth and stability of both economies?

Moderators
Alexis Rodzianko, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia
Zakhar Smushkin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ilim Group

Alexis Rodzianko

President, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia

Alexis Rodzianko, President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, came to this role after three decades as a banker in New York and Moscow. He held senior positions in IFC Metropol, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, and JP Morgan in Moscow from 1995 through 2013. Previously he was a senior banker at Chemical Bank in New York in the Emerging Markets business of the bank.
He serves as an independent member of the Board of SKB Bank in Russia and is a member of the Board of Centurion Capital (a Russian microfinance company).
Before receiving his MBA from Columbia University in 1980, he served as interpreter at the SALT II negotiations in Geneva. He is a 1973 graduate of Dartmouth College.
A fluent Russian speaker, he owns the Moscow Polo Club and represents Russia at the International Polo Federation (FIP). He is married and lives in Moscow with his wife Inna.

Zakhar Smushkin

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ilim Group

Born in 1962 in Leningrad. Graduated from the Leningrad Technological Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry. After graduation he worked at VNIIgidroliz, a scientific research institute.
In 1992, together with a group of aspiring businessmen founded a forestry company Ilim Pulp Enterprise where he served as CEO until 2001. From 2001 to 2007 Mr. Smushkin served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAO Ilim Pulp Enterprise and was involved in building Russia's largest vertically-integrated forest industry corporation.
Since July 2007 Zakhar Smushkin is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ilim Group.

Panellists
Andrey Bugrov, Senior Vice President, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, MMC Norilsk Nickel; Vice President, Interros Holding Company CJSC
Anthony Wong, Regional Vice President, Russia, Ukraine and CIS, AbbVie
Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer, Air Products and Chemicals Inc
Sergey Grigoriev, Deputy General Director, SUEK
Anatoly Karachinsky, President, IBS Group
Sergey Kravchenko, President, Boeing Russia/CIS
James Quincey, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company
Mark Andrus McCollum, President, Chief Executive Officer, Weatherford International Plc
Daniel Russell, President, Chief Executive Officer, US–Russia Business Council (USRBC)

Andrey Bugrov

Senior Vice President, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, MMC Norilsk Nickel; Vice President, Interros Holding Company CJSC

Andrei Bougrov is a Deputy CEO, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of MMC Norilsk Nickel and Member of its Management Board. He also served as Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors of MMC Norilsk Nickel and was Senior Managing Director of Interros Holding Company. Prior to that in 1993-2002 Mr. Bougrov was Russia’s Principal Resident Representative and Executive Director at the World Bank. Before joining the World Bank Mr. Bougrov was a senior staff member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London.
He received a BA and a Master’s Degree with first class honors from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations, completed post-graduate studies and received a Ph.D. in economics.

Anthony Wong

Regional Vice President, Russia, Ukraine and CIS, AbbVie

Tony Wong leads AbbVie business in Russia and the CIS countries as the General Manager since March 2013. Previously since the beginning of 2013 Mr. Wong held the position of the General Manager of AbbVie Russia and prior to it, since 2008, was the General Manager of Proprietary Pharmaceutical Division of Abbott in Russia. Tony Wong’s experience in the pharmaceutical industry of exceeds 17 years with previously held positions in Manufacturing, Finance and General Management. Before his roles in Abbott and AbbVie, Mr. Wong served as General Manager for Schering-Plough for eight years and five years as a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in M&A and Strategic Advisory Services in Russia. Tony’s experience includes 16 years of General Management experience for three US based Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies. For the past four years Tony Wong is a member of Association of International Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers (AIPM) and for the past two years is a Co-Chairman of InPharma Association. Anthony Wong graduated from Columbia University with Degree in Industrial Engineering, and with an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University.

Seifi Ghasemi

Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer, Air Products and Chemicals Inc

Seifi Ghasemi became chairman, president and chief executive officer of Air Products in July 2014. In this role, he is focused on setting the strategy and policies of the company, developing leadership, and meeting shareholder commitments. Mr. Ghasemi also serves as chairman of Versum Materials, Inc., the former Electronic Materials business of Air Products that was spun-off from the company on October 1, 2016.
Mr. Ghasemi is a member of The Business Council, an association of the chief executive officers of the world’s most important business enterprises. He also was the recipient of the 2017 biennial International Palladium Medal from the Société de Chimie Industrielle for his distinguished contributions to the chemical industry.
Prior to joining Air Products, from 2001-2014, Mr. Ghasemi served as chairman and chief executive officer of Rockwood Holdings, a global leader in inorganic specialty chemicals and advanced materials that was acquired by Albemarle Corporation in January 2015. From 1997-2001, he held leadership roles at GKN, a global industrial company, including positions as director of the Main Board of GKN, plc, and chairman and chief executive officer of GKN Sinter Metals, Inc. and Hoeganes Corporation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ghasemi spent nearly 20 years with The BOC Group (the industrial gas company which is now part of Linde AG) in positions including director of the Main Board of BOC Group, plc; president of BOC Gases Americas; and chairman and chief executive officer of BOC Process Plants, Ltd. and Cryostar.
Mr. Ghasemi earned his undergraduate degree from Abadan Institute of Technology, holds an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Lafayette College.

Anatoly Karachinsky

President, IBS Group

Born July 12, 1959 in Moscow. In 1981 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Railway Transport Engineers, Computer Science, Technical Cybernetics Department, specialising in System Engineering.
1981–1986: Computer Centre at the All-Union Research Institute for Railways.
1986–1988: Director, Prosystem (an Austrian company).
1988–1992: Director, Intermicro Joint Venture.
1992–1997: President, IBS.
Since 1997: President, IBS Group.
Member of the Interdepartmental Commission on Science and Innovation Policy.
Member of the Bureau of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chairman of the Union’s Committee on Professional Development and Professional Qualifications.
Member of the Public-State Council on the System of Independent Appraisal of the Quality of Professional Education.
Member of the Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on Federal State Educational Standards.
Member of the Expert Council attached to the Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Luxoft, an NYSE traded public company.
Married, with two sons.

Sergey Kravchenko

President, Boeing Russia/CIS

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.

Mark Andrus McCollum

President, Chief Executive Officer, Weatherford International Plc

Mr. Mark McCollum is President and Chief Executive Officer for Weatherford International plc. Weatherford is one of the largest multinational oilfield service companies providing innovative solutions, technology and services to the oil and gas industry. The Company operates in over 80 countries and has a network of approximately 610 locations, including manufacturing, service, research and development, and training facilities and employs approximately 26,000 people.
Prior to joining Weatherford, Mr. McCollum served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Halliburton. Mr. McCollum also served as senior vice president and chief accounting officer for Halliburton from 2003 to 2007.
Prior to joining Halliburton, Mr. McCollum served in various senior executive positions for Tenneco from 1995 through 2003. Before joining Tenneco, Mr. McCollum spent 14 years with Arthur Andersen LLP and served as an audit and business advisory partner of the firm’s worldwide partnership from 1991 through 1994. He earned a BBA in 1980 from Baylor University.
Mr. McCollum serves on the board of directors for Westlake Chemical Corporation. He is a member of the Board of Regents of Baylor University and he also serves on the board of trustees for Baylor College of Medicine and the advisory board of Every Village.

Daniel Russell

President, Chief Executive Officer, US–Russia Business Council (USRBC)

Daniel A. Russell is the President and CEO of the U.S.-Russia Business Council. Previously, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for relations with Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus and for international security and arms control issues in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs until July 2013. A career member of the Foreign Service, Mr. Russell served as Chief of Staff to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns from 2008 to 2009, as Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow from 2005 to 2008 and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 2000 to 2003.
Since joining the Foreign Service in 1983, Mr. Russell has held positions in Washington and abroad, including Director of the Office of Russian Affairs, Director of the Office of European Political and Security Affairs, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg, Special Assistant for Europe to the Under Secretary of Political Affairs, and First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Mr. Russell has worked in the State Department offices responsible for relations with the United Kingdom and Cuba and served at the U.S. Embassies in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
Mr. Russell holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Maine and an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Front row participants
Marcus Symington Montenecourt, Vice President, Managing Director for International Affairs, Amsted Rail Company Inc
Sergey Riabokobylko, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Partner, Cushman & Wakefield
Ivan Timofeev, Program Director, Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club
James Warlick, Partner, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners
Alexander Shokhin, President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Marcus Symington Montenecourt

Vice President, Managing Director for International Affairs, Amsted Rail Company Inc

Marcus Montenecourt has worked in the railway transport and railway engineering systems of Russia/CIS for over 25 years. In 1991-2006, he held executive positions with Global Development Service, Sea Land Service, Transsiberian Express Service, Transolutions CIS companies. In 2006 he joined Amsted Rail Company, Inc. He acted as Commercial Vice President for Europe, Russia, CIS and Asia, and was promoted to Vice President in February 2018, assuming corporate responsibilitites for all international activities of the company.
Mr. Montenecourt is a member of the board of directors of the EPK-Brenco Bearing Company, a US-Russian joint venture in Saratov that manufactures innovative railway tapered bearing units.
Mr. Montenecourt currently serves on the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, and leads the Government Relations Committee of the board.
Marcus Montenecourt pays much attention to educational and charitable activities. He enjoys playing golf and is an avid fly fisherman.
Mr. Montenecourt is a graduate of Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) and the Plekhanov Institute (Moscow, Russia).
Marcus and his wife Liubov raise the twins — son Nicholas and daughter Sofia.
Marcus Montenecourt was born November 1, 1968 in Pittstown, New Jersey, USA.

Sergey Riabokobylko

Chief Executive Officer, Managing Partner, Cushman & Wakefield

Sergey Riabokobylko is General Director, Managing Partner, member of the board of management and co-founder of Cushman & Wakefield Russia. He is responsible for the firm’s overall management and strategic development in Russia. Sergey has over twenty years of experience in the Russian real estate market, including consultancy, development, brokerage, corporate strategy, advisory, investment sales and marketing. Sergey has advised major corporate occupiers, owners and developers of commercial real estate projects, including land site holders, mixed-use developments, major industrial conversions as well as property investment portfolios in the Moscow, suburban and regional markets.
Sergey is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Sergey has been an active member of the American Chamber of Commerce, he has chaired the Real Estate Committee of AmCham for 12 years and since 2000 has served on the Chamber’s board of directors. He is currently vice-chairman of the AmCham board. Sergey has also served as an independent director on the boards of Open Investments (OPIN) and PSN Group, where he served as board chairman.
Sergey holds a BA Hon in Linguistics and Literature from Moscow State Linguistic University. He also studied International Relations and Shakespeare at Pomona College in Claremont, California, Real Estate Finance at CIREI, Chicago, and Executive Management and Corporate Governance at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. Sergey is currently enrolled in the Directed Studies in Grand Strategy program at Yale University. Sergey speaks English and French fluently.

James Warlick

Partner, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners

Ambassador James B. Warlick is one of the most respected senior diplomats, with decades of experience as a special envoy, negotiator, policy advisor, program manager, and educator. He has worked extensively with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS countries, and has experience in emerging markets around the world.
James has experience in working for the U.S. Government for more than 30 years. His senior assignments included: Special Envoy and the U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group (2013 - 2016); Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in the office of the Secretary of State; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Bulgaria; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, with responsibility for all aspects of U.S. foreign policy at the United Nations and a number of other multilateral organizations; Director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs, responsible for political-military and security issues for Europe and the former Soviet Union; Director of the United Nations Political Affairs in International Organizations; Principal Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador in Iraq, and Consul General in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Ambassador Warlick graduated from Stanford University.

Alexander Shokhin

President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Alexander N. Shokhin was born 25 December, 1951. Graduated from the Moscow State University in 1974. Doctor of Economics, Professor. Twice, in 1991-1994 and in 1998, Mr. Shokhin held the post of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. In 1991-1994 he also held positions of Minister of Labor, Minister of Economics, Chairman of the Russian Agency for International Cooperation and Development. From 1994 to 2002 – Deputy of the State Duma, with the posts of First Vice Chairman of the State Duma, leader of the Duma party bloc 'Our Home is Russia', Head of the Duma Committee on Credit Institutions and Capital Markets. Since 1995 - President of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics. From 2002 to 2006 – Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Investment Group "Renaissance Capital". From 2005 to 2009 – member of the RF Public Chamber. Since 2005 – President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Mr. Shokhin is a member of several deliberative bodies under the Russian President and Government. He is also an independent director on the Boards of several companies, including ALROSA, Russian Railways, TMK and others.