Business programme

Nowadays, to develop a successful business you need to be a progressive company driving growth or establishing an ecosystem. Companies in traditional industries have proven that they can do this, having undergone radical transformation and become national or even global leaders in their sectors. Initiatives to raise the efficiency and productivity of large companies can bring them billion-dollar profits. This can be a source of long-term investment and can increase earnings for individuals as well as fiscal revenue for the government. To undergo successful transformation, companies need to not only change their operational processes and technologies but also rethink their approach to work, internal culture and the management practices that they have established over the previous decade. Crunch periods and the development of new technologies are creating substantial opportunities to transform business, and these are often accompanied by processes of consolidation within sectors. What is driving the reforms in business and what challenges and opportunities are Russian businesses facing in the transformation process? What challenges does the future hold? How is international experience and best practice helping companies to overcome difficulties?

Moderator
Tom Blackwell, Chairman, Partner, Co-Founder, EM

Tom Blackwell

Chairman, Partner, Co-Founder, EM

Tom Blackwell is the CEO and co-founder of EM, an investor relations and strategic communications consultancy focused on Russia and other emerging markets, with offices in New York, London, Moscow, Hong Kong and Beijing. EM was created following the successful MBO and carve out from M: Communications, where he worked as the head of the UK agency's operations in Russia and CIS. Prior to joining M: Communications, Tom worked for The PBN Company, where he was Managing Director of the firm's Moscow office and led its financial communications practice. Blackwell served as adviser on dozens of IPOs and secondary listings on London and Moscow stock exchanges as well as on a number of high-profile international M&A deals. He is also a well-known expert in crisis communications and special situations in emerging markets. He has lived and worked in Moscow for 15 years and is fluent Russian

Panellists
Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates
Sergey Gordeev, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Management Board, PJSC "PIK-specialized homebuilder"
Pavel Grachev, Chief Executive Officer, Polyus
Andrey Guryev, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Management Board, PhosAgro
Dmitry Konov, Chairman of the Management Board, SIBUR Holding
Dmitry Konyaev, Chairman of the Board of Directors, URALCHEM
Dmitri Sedov, Co-Head, Goldman Sachs Russia
Yakov Sergienko, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Ksenia Sosnina, General Director, ILIM Group
Kirill Tuishev, Managing Director, Partner, BCG
Mikhail Shamolin, President, Chairman of the Board, Segezha Group

Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri

Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates

Sergey Gordeev

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Management Board, PJSC "PIK-specialized homebuilder"

Pavel Grachev

Chief Executive Officer, Polyus

Andrey Guryev

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Management Board, PhosAgro

Dmitry Konov

Chairman of the Management Board, SIBUR Holding

Year of birth: 1970
1994: Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) with a degree in International Economic Relations.
2001: Received an IMD MBA degree.
2004–2009: Various positions at OAO AK SIBUR, including Advisor to the President, Vice President for Corporate Policy and Strategy, Senior Vice President for Corporate Policy and Strategy, President, member of the Board of Directors.
2005–2012: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAO SIBUR Russian Tyres.
2006–2011: President of the Management Company OOO SIBUR.
2007–2010: Member of the Board of Directors of OAO Polief.
2007–2010: Chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAO Sibur-Trans.
Since 2007: Chairman of the Group’s Management Board.
Since 2007: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OOO RusVinyl.
Since 2008: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OOO SNHK.
2008–2011:Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAO Sibur-Fertilizers.
Since 2009: Chairman of the Management Board of the Management Company OOO SIBUR.
2010–2013: Member of the Board of Directors of OOO Tobolsk-Polymer.
Since 2014: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAO Stroytransgaz .
Since 2014: Member of the Board of Directors of OOO STGM, ZAO STGM.
2011 - 2016: General Director of the Management Company OOO SIBUR.
Since 2016: Chairman of the Management Board of OOO SIBUR.
Mr. Konov served in the Treasury Department of OAO NK YUKOS, held various positions at AKB Trust and Investment Bank, including Vice President – Head of the Investment Banking Department and Managing Director of Corporate Finance Department, was a member of the Board of Directors of OAO Gazprom neftekhim Salavat and OAO Gazprombank.

Dmitry Konyaev

Chairman of the Board of Directors, URALCHEM

Born in 1971, Mr Dmitry Konyaev graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University (Department of Economics), and he holds an MBA in Marketing from California State University Hayward.
Starting in 1998, he held a number of senior executive positions with major production and trading companies, including Sederrot International AB, Mineral Trading, Uralkali Trading SA (Singapore). In 2007-2011 he was the Commercial Director at URALCHEM. From 2011 to 2018, Mr Konyaev was the Chief Executive Officer at URALCHEM and a member of the Board of Directors at URALCHEM. Since 2018 – Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors at URALCHEM.
With almost two decades of expertise in the mineral fertilizers industry and a proven track record, Mr Konyaev is a member of Executive Board at IFA (International Fertilizer Association) and routinely named among the Russia’s «Top-1000 executives» by the Russian Managers Association.
Mr Konyaev is also a member of the Board of Directors of JSC Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers and is the Chairman of the Board of JSC «HaloPolymer» and SIA Riga Fertilizer Terminal.

Dmitri Sedov

Co-Head, Goldman Sachs Russia

Dmitri is co-head of the firm's Moscow office, co-head of the Russia/CIS business in the Investment Banking Division (IBD) and oversees M&A for Russia/CIS. He is also a member of the Russia Executive Leadership Group. Dmitri joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 as an executive director in the IBD Russia/CIS team in Moscow, focusing on Technology, Media and Telecom, Infrastructure, Industrials and Healthcare clients in the region. He was named managing director in 2010.
Prior to joining the firm, Dmitri worked in the Investment Banking Division of Lehman Brothers International in London, where he focused on telecom clients in EMEA. Earlier in his career, he worked in investment banking at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in London, in investment banking and equity research at CA IB Investment Bank AG in Moscow, and in the management consulting department of Price Waterhouse & Co in Moscow.
Dmitri earned a degree in telecommunication engineering from Moscow Technical University of Telecommunications in 1994 and an MBA from Duke University in 2001.

Yakov Sergienko

Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

Ksenia Sosnina

General Director, ILIM Group

Kirill Tuishev

Managing Director, Partner, BCG

Mikhail Shamolin

President, Chairman of the Board, Segezha Group

Between 2011 and 2018 Mr. Shamolin was the President of Sistema PJSFC and previously served as President and CEO of MTS Group from May 2008 until March 2011.
Mikhail Shamolin previously held the position of Vice President and Head of the "MTS Russia" business unit from August 2006.
Mr. Shamolin joined MTS in July 2005 as Vice President for Sales and Customer Service, prior to which he worked at Interpipe Corp. (Ukraine) as Managing Director of the Ferroalloys Division from 2004 to 2005, and at McKinsey & Co from 1998 to 2004.
Mikhail Shamolin graduated from the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation in 1993, and completed a Finance & Management course at Wharton Business School in 1997.
Mikhail Shamolin was born in 1970.