Business programme

While global trade has declined significantly during the crisis, there are signs that a recovery is building speed. A number of trends are clearly evident in the current phase of global economic growth, including the digitalization of infrastructure, manufacturing and other industries supporting foreign trade. By late 2020, a number of restrictions and prohibitions began to be lifted. In addition, government regulatory mechanisms were improved through the creation of global integrated information systems and the transformation of regional integration models, fuelling a possible stable recovery in trade. What cutting-edge information and communication technologies are helping to facilitate barrier-free trade? How might these trends impact potential integration in the EAEU, and the prospects for creating a single information space? What role should the business sector play in the digitalization of end-to-end trade processes? What benefits, risks and problems are associated with digitalization, both for the public and private sectors? What should be done to ensure that information is effectively shared between government bodies, industries, and national governments? What initiatives need to be put in place to ensure successful development?

Moderator
Lana Samarina, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Russian News Agency TASS

Lana Samarina

Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Russian News Agency TASS

Panellists
H.E. Saleh bin Majid Al-Khulaifi, Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar
Vladimir Bulavin, Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation
Zhou Daniel, President, Huawei Eurasia
Alexandrs Isurins, President, Chairman of the Executive Board, TransContainer
Alexey Mordashov, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Severstal
Veronika Nikishina, General Director, Russian Export Center

H.E. Saleh bin Majid Al-Khulaifi

Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar

Mr. Saleh bin Majed Al Khulaifi is the Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Prior to that, Mr. Al-Khulaifi held many leadership and administrative positions, including the Executive Director of Business Localization, Manager of Business Development at Qatar Development Bank, where he managed many initiatives, including the Islamization Initiative, the Waste Management National Program, and the Industrial Group. He was also the General Manager of the Bedaya Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development. He is also a member of several committees and boards of directors. Mr Al Khulaifi is a PhD candidate in Business Administration at the University of Warwick, UK. He holds an MSc in Technology Entrepreneurship from University College London, UK, and a bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship from Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar.

Vladimir Bulavin

Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation

Born in Lipetsk Region, Russia on February 11, 1953. Graduated from Moscow Institute of Railroad Transport Engineers (1975), and the Higher School of the KGB of the USSR (1979).
Starting from 1977, he was employed by state security bodies.
Starting from 1979, he served in KGB Administration, Office of the Ministry of Security – Administration of the Federal Counterintelligence Service – Administration of the Federal Security Service (UMB-UFSK-UFSB of the RF) in Nizhny Novgorod Region.
In 1992 – 2006 – the head of the UMB-UFSK-UFSB of the RF in Nizhny Novgorod Region.
Worked as the Chair of the Council of FSS Bodies Heads in Volga Federal District (since 2001), the Deputy Director of the FSB of Russia - Head of the Administration of the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (since 2006), Senior Deputy Secretary of the RF Security Council (since 2008), a standing representative of the President in the Northwestern Federal District (since 2013).
In 2016 he was appointed the Head of the FCS of Russia.
Awarded the orders “For Merit to the Fatherland” of the III and the IV degree, “For War Services”, decorations “Honorary Officer of Counterintelligence Service”, “For Service in Counterintelligence” of the II degree, medals of the USSR and RF.
Candidate of Legal Sciences, the distinguished officer of the security bodies of the RF.
Married, has two children.

Zhou Daniel

President, Huawei Eurasia

Alexandrs Isurins

President, Chairman of the Executive Board, TransContainer

Alexander Isurins became FESCO’s President in February 2016.
He has been with FESCO since 2014, consecutively working as the Group’s Vice President and Senior Vice President for Commerce.
His experience in transportation and container shipping exceeds 15 years. Before joining the FESCO team, Alexander headed the Russian and Central Asian Office of MSC, a world leader in container shipping. He started career in Maersk.
Alexander holds BA degree from Baltic International Academy. He took a course in water and intermodal transportation management from Maersk Training (Denmark). Additional education includes MBA from Swedish School of Economics.

Alexey Mordashov

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Severstal

Born in 1965, Alexey Mordashov has been working for Severstal since 1988. He started his career as a senior economist, becoming Chief Financial Officer in 1992. In December 1996, he was appointed as Severstal’s Chief Executive Officer. Between 2002 and 2006 he served as CEO of Severstal Group and was Chairman of Severstal’s Board of Directors. Since the introduction of the new structure of corporate governance in December 2006 Mr. Mordashov has been CEO of Severstal. From December 2014 till June 2015 Alexey served as CEO of AO "Severstal Management" - managing organization of PAO Severstal. In May he was elected as Chairman of Severstal’s Board of Directors.
Vice-Chairman of World Steel Association. Head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs’ Committee on Integration, Trade and Customs Policy and WTO. Serves on the Entrepreneurial Council of the Government of Russian Federation. Co-chairman of the “Trade as a Global Driver” Taskforce of the “Business 20” of “Group of Twenty”. Co-chairman of the Northern Dimension Business Council. Vice-President of Russian-German chamber of commerce, member of the Russian-German workgroup responsible for strategic economic and finance issues. Member of the EU-Russia Business Cooperation Council. Alexey earned his undergraduate degree from the Leningrad Institute of Engineering and Economics. He also holds an MBA degree from Newcastle Business School of Northumbria University (UK).

Veronika Nikishina

General Director, Russian Export Center

Panel member (Minister) of commerce in Eurasian Economic Commission since February 2016.
Born 29 April 1968. PhD in Economics, presented a thesis on Managing the access of Russian goods to foreign markets in modern conditions.
Prior to appointment as member of Commission had held a position of assistant to the First Deputy of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Veronika Nikishina held management positions in the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, including Deputy Director of the Department for Trade Negotiations, Head of the Department of American Countries and the Department for Coordination, Development and Regulation of Foreign Economic Activities.
After 17 years of working for the Ministry of Economic Development, Veronika Nikishina has extensive experience in identifying and eliminating various trade barriers, applying trade protection and veterinary, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, as well as experience in international negotiations.
Currently Veronika Nikishina supervises a number of key areas for the Eurasian Economic Union, such as customs tariff and non-tariff regulation, the establishment of preferential trade regimes with third countries (free trade area), and the application of protective measures by the Eurasian Economic Union.
From February 2020 - General Director, Russian Export Center.