Business programme

The Russian Federation is chairing the Arctic Council for the next two years, and among the focal points of international cooperation is advancing joint projects to ensure the sustainable development of the Arctic and to preserve the cultural heritage of indigenous minorities. Maintaining basic lifestyle systems and effectively catering to the interests of local populations when implementing solutions to global socioeconomic issues depends on the government’s role as regulator as well as businesses’ dedication to social responsibility objectives. How do the government and businesses interact with indigenous communities? How can we balance the interests of industrial development and efforts to preserve the natural environment? What are the sustainable development priorities of indigenous communities, and what role do they play in decision-making?

Moderator
Kirill Tokarev, Editor-in-Chief, Anchor, RBC

Kirill Tokarev

Editor-in-Chief, Anchor, RBC

Born on 28 March 1984 in Kimovsk, Tula Oblast.
Graduated from the Department of the Political Science at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics (HSE).
Since 2011 has worked as editor-in-chief and TV presenter for RBC. Among his projects are 'Tokarev.Delo', 'New economics with Kirill Tokarev', 'Companies' news' etc.

Panellists
Igor Barinov, Head, Russian Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs
Andrey Grachev, Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs, Norilsk Nickel
Natalya Komarova, Governor of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area–Yugra
Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Lars Kullerud, President, University of the Arctic (UArctic) (online)
Grigory Ledkov, President, Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation; Member of the Committee of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Self-Government and Northern Affairs
Alison LeClaire, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada in the Russian Federation
Magomedsalam Magomedov, Deputy Chief of the Executive Office of the President of the Russian Federation
Aysen Nikolaev, Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Ellen Inga Turi, Vice-President, Association of World Reindeer Herders (online)
Antti Helantera, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland in the Russian Federation

Igor Barinov

Head, Russian Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs

Born on 22 May 1968 in Novocherkassk, Rostov Region.
In 1990, he graduated with honours from the Novosibirsk 60th Anniversary of October Higher General Military and Political School, in 2003 from the Academy of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, in 2011 from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
Since 1990, he served in the 103th Vitebsk airborne division, since 1993 – in the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (commander of the regional division of the Alpha group). Several times he was sent to the emergency zones, took part in counter-terrorist operations in the Chechen Republic. He was wounded three times.
In 2003, he was elected deputy of the 4th State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation from a single mandate district. He was a member of the following committees and commissions: International Affairs Committee, Anti-Corruption Council, Mandate and Deputy Ethics Commission; headed the subcommittee on legislative support for international cooperation of the Russian Federation in the fight against international terrorism and transnational organised crime. In the 5th State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, he worked in the Defence Committee, co-chaired the Commission for the Federal Budget Expenditures, aimed at ensuring the defence and state security of the Russian Federation.
In the 6th State Duma of the Federal Assembly, he was deputy chairman of the Defence Committee.
In 2009, he was included in the top 100 executive candidates pool of the President of the Russian Federation.
In April 2015, the Government of the Russian Federation appointed Igor Barinov as the head of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs.
Awarded the fourth-class medal for the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, Order of Courage, the Order of Military Merit, the Suvorov Medal, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class medals ‘For Distinguished Military Service’, the medal ‘For Strengthening Comradeship-in-Arms’.
Married with a son and three daughters.

Andrey Grachev

Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs, Norilsk Nickel

Natalya Komarova

Governor of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area–Yugra

Natalia Komarova was born on the 21st of October 1955 in Pskov Region, she is married and has two children. In 1978 she graduated from Kommunarsk Institute of Mining and Smelting, the faculty of Engineering and Economics, majoring in “Economics and organization of construction” with awarding of qualification Engineer-economist. She began to work at the Kommunarsk Metallurgical Factory as a labor engineer of the laboratory of industrial engineering in 1978. Then she worked as an economist of the planned-economic CCB department. In 1980 Natalia moved to Novy Urengoi of Tyumen Region, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. There she began to work in the municipal executive committee as a senior inspector. In 1988 Natalia became the chairwoman of the city planning commission. Then she worked as the deputy chairwoman of the municipal executive committee, the deputy of the City Council. In 1992 she became the first deputy of the Head of Administration in Novy Urengoi. In 1994 Natalia was designated as the Head of the city Administration. That year she was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and as a deputy of the NoviyUrengoy Municipal Committee. On the 16thof March 1997 Natalia Komarova continued working as the Head of the municipal formation of NoviyUrengoy up to October 2000 according to the elections results. From October 2000 to December 2001 Natalia worked as a deputy of the Governor of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, leading the Economic Committee of the Okrug. At the same time Natalia lectures at the University: she is an associate professor of the Social Management of the Yamal Oil and Gas Institute (branch) of the Tyumen State Oil and Gas University (since 1999). In December 2001 Natalia was elected as a Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation inYamalo-Nenets Autonomous Electoral Okrug. From 2004 to 2007 she is the Head of the Natural Resources and Nature Management Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. In December 2007 Natalia was elected as the deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Electoral Okrug for the third time. In the State Duma of the fifth assembling she continued to be the Head the Natural Resources and Nature Management Committee. On the 8thof February 2010 the President of Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev submitted a proposal to the deputies of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug Duma a candidature of Natalia Komarova as the Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug –Ugra. At the unscheduled meeting on the 15thof February the deputies in a unanimous vote voice supported her candidature.On the 1stof March Natalia entered the office of the Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug –Ugra.

Nikolay Korchunov

Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Lars Kullerud

President, University of the Arctic (UArctic)

Grigory Ledkov

Member of the Committee of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Self-Government and Northern Affairs

Alison LeClaire

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada in the Russian Federation

Ambassador to the Russian Federation
Education: BA Hons [Political Science], York University, 1987
Ms. LeClaire joined Canada’s Foreign Service in 1987. Her professional experience includes:
2016-2019: Senior Arctic Official and Director General for Arctic, European and Eurasian Affairs
2014-2016: Director General and Corporate Secretary
2009-2014: Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations at Geneva
2008: Special Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Minister for Human Resources
2005-2008: Director for North Asia (China, Mongolia and Taiwan)
2003-2005: Deputy Director, Policy Planning
1998-2002: Political Counsellor, Embassy of Canada to Sweden
1995-1998 Human Resources
1992-1995 Environment Division
1989-1991 Second Secretary, Embassy of Canada to Brazil
Amb. LeClaire is divorced, and has three children.

Magomedsalam Magomedov

Deputy Chief of the Executive Office of the President of the Russian Federation

Aysen Nikolaev

Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Born on January 22, 1972 in Leningrad
1994 - graduated from the physics department of Lomonosov Moscow State University
Started his career in finance corporation «SAPI»
1995 – Deputy Chairman of the Board of «Almazergienbank»
1998 – The Chairman of «Almazergienbank»
2004 – Minister of Finance of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
2007 – Chief of the Presidential and Government Administration of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
2011 – First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
2012 - 2017 – Mayor of the city of Yakutsk
May 2018 – appointed as acting Head of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
The Head of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) since September 2018
He was elected to the State Assembly (Il Tumen) of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).
Granted title of honor «Honored Worker of National Economy of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)». Decorated with diplomas of the Federation Council, The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
Married, with three children.

Ellen Inga Turi

Vice-President, Association of World Reindeer Herders

Dr. Ellen Inga Turi is vice-president of Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH), and belongs to Saami reindeer herding with reindeer pastures in Guovdageaidnu, Northern Norway. Turi has been a member of WRH since the organization was established in 1997 and was elected vice president 2017. Turi is Associate professor and post-doctoral researcher at Saami University of Applied Sciences where she her work focuses on Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and governance of reindeer herding. Turi has also been chair of the Indigenous Peoples Secretariat of the Arctic council, representing Saami Council, during the Icelandic chairmanship of Arctic Council 2019-2021.

Antti Helantera

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland in the Russian Federation

BORN 11.4.1971, Helsinki
MARITAL STATUS Married, two children
LANGUAGE SKILLS Finnish, English, Russian, Swedish

EDUCATION
2001 Lic.Phil. (Economic Geography). University of Helsinki
1998 M.Sc (Economic Geography). University of Helsinki

WORKING EXPERIENCE
2020 - Head of Mission. Embassy of Finland in Moscow
2019 - 2020 Head of the Host Country Secretariat of the Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty.
Unit for Northern Europe, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
2016 - 2019 Minister/Deputy Head of Mission. Embassy of Finland in Moscow
2013 - 2016 Counsellor/COEST Delegate. Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU
2010 - 2013 Deputy Director and Director. Unit for Policy Planning. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
2008 - 2010 Advisor. East Office of Finnish Industries
2005 - 2008 Second Secretary. The Embassy of Finland in Moscow. Unit for Trade Policy and Economic Affairs
2004 - 2005 Attaché. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
1998 - 2004 Various research positions at the University of Helsinki (Department of Geography and the Aleksanteri Institute), Helsinki School of Economics and IIASA
AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS
Russia’s unavoidable geography. (orig. Maantieteelle Venäjä ei voi mitään) Finlandia literary prize for the best non-fiction book published in Finland 2002.
Why they, why not we. Antti Helanterä & Simon-Erik Ollus: An analysis of the competitiveness of Finland and Russia. 2005.
Published also in Russian: Антти Хелантера, Симон-Эрик Оллус. «Почему Россия не Финляндия. Сравнительный анализ конкурентоспособности». (Авторизованный перевод с английского под ред. Л. Тодорова). Серия «Межстрановые социально-экономические исследования». - М.: Издательство Института экономики переходного периода. 2004.
Editor of the Finnish edition of the biography of Anatoli Chubais: Taustalla ja tulilinjalla (orig. Анатолий Чубайс. Биография, Andrei Kolesnikov. 2008)