Business programme

Amidst changing geopolitical realities and increasing turbulence in the global economy, businesses require conducive conditions for sustainable development and clear, predictable rules of engagement. Many members of the business community anticipate that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will be able to create such an environment. It is widely agreed that we presently have a historic opportunity to capitalize on the robust trade and economic potential of SCO cooperation. Together, how can we address new external challenges and foster more open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial business cooperation, ultimately shaping a common economic space for the benefit of all member countries? What practical measures can be taken to further enhance business relations in key sectors, including transport and logistics, innovation and high technology, and investment cooperation, which are in high demand among businesses?

Welcome Remarks
Zhang Ming, Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Bakhtiyer Khakimov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Affairs (online)

Zhang Ming

Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Born in June 1957 in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, graduated from the Faculty of Asian and African Languages of the Beijing University of Foreign Studies, has a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Since 1983, he has worked in the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, at the Chinese Embassy in P.D.R. Yemen, and at the Chinese Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman.

1992-1997 Deputy Director of the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China;

1997-2001 First Secretary, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the State of Israel;

2001-2006 Deputy Director-General of the General Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China;

2006-2009 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to the Republic of Kenya, Permanent Representative to UNEP and Permanent Representative to UN-Habitat;

2009-2010 Director-General of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China;

2010-2011 Director-General of the General Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China;

2011-2013 Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China;

2013-2017 Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China;

2017-2021 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union;

2022 — Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Bakhtiyer Khakimov

Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Affairs

Bakhtier Khakimov, born 1950
1974: graduated from MGIMO Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. He is fluent in Persian, Pushtu and English.
Bakhtier Khakimov has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1974. He has held various diplomatic positions at the central office and foreign offices.
1994: First Deputy Director of the Third Asian Department;
1994–1998: Russian Ambassador to Namibia;
1999–2002: Director of the First CIS Department, Member of the Board of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
2002–2006: Russian Ambassador to Portugal;
2006: Ambassador-at-Large.
August 2006 – January 2010: Director of the Department for ASEAN and Asian Issues.
January 2010 – September 2016: Director of the Department for Asian and Pacific Cooperation.
Since September 2016: Ambassador-at-Large of the President of the Russian Federation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Bakhtier Khakimov has the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Moderator
Sergey Katyrin, President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

Sergey Katyrin

President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

Born on October 2, 1954 in Moscow. Graduated from the Moscow Car and Road Construction Institute and the International Business School of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). Took an active part in establishing and developing the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, which held its founding Congress on October 19, 1991. At the 7th congress in March 2016, he was elected President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation for a second term. The range of Sergei Katyrin's activities as President of CCI Russia includes effective coordination within the national network of chambers of commerce and industry of Russia, which incorporates territorial chambers of commerce and industry, associations and business unions. Establishment of productive cooperation with legislative assemblies and executive authorities at both national and regional levels constitutes yet another area of his daily concern. Sergei Katyrin represents Russia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry in major business unions where he is among the board members.
He is a member of the working group for joint anti-corruption measures of representatives of the business community and government authorities under the Presidium of the Presidential Council for Counteracting Corruption and takes part in meetings of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for Counteracting Corruption. He sits on the government's Commission for Development of Small and Medium-sized Businesses and is a member of the Public Council for Development of Small and Medium-sized Businesses, which works under the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly. At the same time, Sergei Katyrin fulfils functions related to the international activities of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, being Chairman of the Russian chapter of the BRICS Business Council and Chairman of the Russian National Branch of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Business Council. In addition, he is a member of the Committee of the Chief Executives of CIS Chambers of Commerce and Industry. During the term of Sergei Katyrin’s presidency, the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed the Anti-Corruption Charter of Russian Business.

Panellists
Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank
Tribhuvan Darbari, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Texmaco Defence Systems Private Limited (TDSPL); Chairman of the Business Council, Shanghai Cooperation Organization of the Republic of India (online)
Dzamshed Dzumakhonzoda, Chairman, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan (online)
Igor Drozdov, Chairman of the Board, Skolkovo Foundation
Sergey Pavlov, First Deputy Managing Director, Russian Railways
Ren Hongbin, Chairman, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade; Chairman, Chinese-Russian Business Council (online)

Alexander Vedyakhin

First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank

Graduate degree (with honors) in Economics and Global Economy from Volgograd State Technical University
Candidate of Economic Sciences (PhD)
Between 1999 and 2008, Alexander Vedyakhin worked in a Volgograd branch of Sberbank of Russia, where he advanced from senior cashier-controller to deputy branch manager
2008-2012 – First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank in Ukraine
In 2012-2015, Alexander Vedyakhin was a member of the Executive Board and Chief Risk Officer (CRO) in Sberbank-owned DenizBank (Turkey)
In 2015-2018, he held the position of Senior Vice President of Sberbank, CRO of Sberbank Group
Since June 2018 — member of the Executive Board, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board.
Alexander Vedyakhin is in charge of the Corporate and Investment Business, the Finance, the Sales Network, and the International Business Blocks, as well as the Problem Assets Department, the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Department, the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Control and Coordination Division, the Centre for Partner Financing and Special Projects, the ESG Directorate, and the Centre for High-Potential Business Lines.

Tribhuvan Darbari

Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Texmaco Defence Systems Private Limited (TDSPL); Chairman of the Business Council, Shanghai Cooperation Organization of the Republic of India

Igor Drozdov

Chairman of the Board, Skolkovo Foundation

Born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in 1977.
In 1999 graduated cum laude from the law faculty of St. Petersburg State University. Has PhD in law.
Between 2004 and 2005 he worked as an advisor to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.
From 2005 headed the secretariat of the Chairman of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation.
2006-2010 - chief of staff/administrator of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation.
In December 2010 he was appointed director of legal issues of the Skolkovo Foundation, and in November 2011, he was in addition appointed a vice president of the foundation. In September 2012, he became senior vice president for legal and administrative issues.
Member of the council on intellectual property of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia. Member of the expert council of the Russian government.
Associate professor at the civil law faculty of St. Petersburg State University. Has authored more than 30 studies of civil law issues.
Member of the board of the Association of Lawyers of Russia.
Has received state awards including the gratitude of the Russian President.
Chairman of the Board of the Skolkovo Foundation since June 14, 2016.

Sergey Pavlov

First Deputy Managing Director, Russian Railways

First Deputy Managing Director, International Business Development and International Affairs

Mr. Pavlov was born in 1964.

He graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Railway Transport Engineers with a degree in Railway Construction, Track and Track Facilities, and from the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation.

1987–2007: Held various positions in the Ministry of Railways and JSC Russian Railways

2007–2009: Head of Department for Railway Research and Design, Lengiprotrans

2009–2013: Technical Director, JSC Zarubezhstroytechnologia

2013 – Head, RZD International, a subsidiary of JSC Russian Railways which manages the holding company’s projects abroad

Ren Hongbin

Chairman, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade; Chairman, Chinese-Russian Business Council

Front row participants
Dmitry Antonov, Senior Vice President, Resurs Group of Agricultural Enterprises
Sergey Voronkov, General Director, ExpoForum International; President, Russian Union of Exhibitions & Fairs

Sergey Voronkov

General Director, ExpoForum International; President, Russian Union of Exhibitions & Fairs

Born on 30 September 1965 in Orenburg.
Education:
Graduated from the Electromechanical Department at the Orenburg Polytechnical Institute, the Graduate School of the Moscow Youth Institute (Moscow University for the Humanities) (with a PhD in Economics), and the Higher School of Management at St. Petersburg State University (with an MBA).
Key work positions:
1990–1995 – Chairman of the Committee for Youth Affairs, Orenburg Municipal Administration.
1995–1998 – Head of the Innovation Department at the Committee for Family, Childhood and Youth Affairs, St. Petersburg Municipal Administration.
1998–2004 – Director for Commerce and Development, Petersburg-Express LLC.
2004–2006 – Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Press and Mass-Media Relations, St. Petersburg Municipal Administration.
2006–2011 – Director of Restec Group Enterprises.
2011–2013 – Executive Director of ExpoForum CJSC.
Since 20 September 2013 – CEO of ExpoForum International.