Business programme

Across the world, digital platforms are penetrating new markets, stimulating supply and demand, and transforming the long-standing practices of entire economic sectors. We have become used to saying things like “I’ll get an Uber” or “I’ll order it on Amazon”, but big companies could never become synonymous with everyday amenities without people. Every journey and every purchase is made possible by the work of taxi companies and self-employed drivers, small online stores and local restaurants. The IT companies that have created tech products for instant taxi bookings and online purchases are now launching projects that may seem unusual for the tech business, investing millions of dollars in insurance and support programmes for drivers and couriers, helping to improve the industry’s reputation, and establishing funds to support partners through the pandemic. Have the tech giants been forced into taking these steps, or is this a natural stage in their evolution? Where are the social initiatives launched by digital platforms headed and how can they be synchronized with government projects? How can digital business and the state work more effectively together to develop small businesses and increase people’s incomes?

Moderator
Elena Malkova, Chief Editor, The Bell

Elena Malkova

Chief Editor, The Bell

Panellists
Anton Kotyakov, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation
Aleksandr Laryanovskiy, Managing Partner, Skyeng
Oksana Sinyavskaya, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Policy, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Tigran Khudaverdyan, Managing Director, Yandex Group of Companies
Maksut Shadaev, Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation
Alexander Shulgin, Chief Executive Officer, Ozon

Anton Kotyakov

Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation

Born 15 August 1980 in Kuibyshev (now Samara).

2002: Graduated from the Samara State Academy of Economics with a degree in Economics.

2011: Graduated from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration with a Master’s degree in Administrative and Financial Law.

2001–2005: Held several posts in the Finance Department of the Samara Region Government.

2005–2007: Department head at the Samara Region Ministry of Finance.

2007–2012: Head of the Department of Regional Budget Execution and Reporting at the Samara Region Ministry of Finance.

2012–2014: Head of the Operations Improvement Directorate at the Federal Treasury.

2014–2017: Finance Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the Moscow Region.

2017–2020: Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation.

21 January 2020: Appointed Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation by Presidential Executive Order.

Has a PhD in Economics.

Married, with two children.

Aleksandr Laryanovskiy

Managing Partner, Skyeng

Alexander Vladimirovich Larianovsky, Managing Partner, Director of Business Development at Skyeng School.
He was born in Turkmenistan in 1971. He graduated from Novosibirsk College of Arts as a TV director, but as early as 1994 he got involved in the Internet and managed several Internet projects. Since 2003, he worked for Novotelecom (Novosibirsk) as a marketing director.

From 2008 to 2014 he managed Yandex's international development. In particular, he supervised Yandex's entry into the markets of Kazakhstan, Belarus and Turkey.

Oksana Sinyavskaya

Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Policy, National Research University Higher School of Economics

Born on October 11, 1974 in Leningrad.
1996 - graduated with honors from the Faculty of Economics of the Russian State Pedagogical University
2000 - received MA in Sociology by Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, validated by the University of Manchester
2002 - defended her PhD thesis in economics
2000-2015 - Deputy Director of the Independent Institute for Social Policy
2009 - present - Associate Professor at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, National Research University Higher School of Economics
2014-2016 - Leading Research Fellow, Center for Analysis of Income and Living Standards, National Research University Higher School of Economics
2016-2018 - Expert of the Center for Strategic Research in the direction of "Human Capital"
2016 - present - Head of the Center for Comprehensive Studies of Social Policy, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Policy, National Research University Higher School of Economics
For many years, she participates in different working / expert groups organized by the Russian government on the issues of pension reform, active ageing, social services and the development of a long-term care system.
Member of the "New Social Contract" working group on the development of a draft frontal strategy for the social and economic development of the Russian Federation; member of the Expert Advisory Council (ECC) under the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, etc.
Has a gratitude from the President of the Russian Federation.

Tigran Khudaverdyan

Managing Director, Yandex Group of Companies

Tigran Khudaverdyan was appointed Deputy CEO of Yandex N.V. and joined the company’s Board of Directors in 2019. Prior to this, from 2015, he served as CEO of Yandex.Taxi, and following its merger with Uber, served as the CEO of the combined business. He joined Yandex in April 2006, and since then has led several successful Yandex projects, including Yandex.Browser and Yandex.Navigator. Tigran Khudaverdyan is a graduate of Moscow State University with a degree in Physics.

Maksut Shadaev

Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation

Born in 1979 in Moscow

2004: Graduated from Moscow State Social University, now Russian State Social University

1999-2004: Held managerial positions in the IT and communications sector, including at IBC Group where he headed the internet solutions division’s business development department and also worked as Director for Business Development.

2004: Advisor to the Minister and Director of the Department of State Programmes, Infrastructure Development and Use of Constrained Resources at the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications of the Russian Federation.

2008: Assistant to the Head of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation. Oversaw the organisation of the work of the Russian Presidential Council for Information Society Development.

February 2009: Listed among the top 100 members of the Management Personnel Pool under the Russian President’s Patronage.

2012: Advisor to the Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

2014: Minister of Public Administration, Information Technology and Communications of the Moscow Region.

2016: Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Moscow Region.

September 2018: Vice President for Digital Platforms at Rostelecom.

February 2019: Combined this position with that of RT Labs Director General.

21 January 2020: Appointed Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation by Presidential Executive Order.

Alexander Shulgin

Chief Executive Officer, Ozon

Alexander Shulgin was born in May 2, 1977 in Yessentuki in the Stavropol region. Alexander has a degree in Management at the Rostov State University.
As a specialist in finance sphere with 13 years of experience in the field of consumer goods, Shulgin has held various financial positions at Coca-Cola Hellenic in 1997 and 2007. In 2007 he was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Coca-Cola Hellenic representation in Russia.
Alexander Shulgin joined the company Yandex as CFO in May 2010. On 1st September 2014, Alexander Shulgin was appointed as General Director of "Yandex".
On December 7, 2017 - appointed to the post of General Director of the OZON GROUP.