Business programme

Climate-related aspects include the physical risks caused by climate change, which could alter the fundamentals of supply and demand of many goods and services. These risks could have adverse effects on the environment, contractors, and societies. Climate-related transition risks may affect potential new businesses, investment and technologies. Climate and resource issues are essential for companies that are committed to sustainability. In order to successfully develop sustainable performance, all stakeholders have to take a common view on the priorities. The growing awareness and concern about climate change will increase demand for low-carbon and resource- and energy-efficient products and services. Finnish companies operating in Russia are committed to improving sustainability. Today, many companies are already operating based on circular economy principles and are utilizing waste stream materials efficiently. Employee wellbeing, health and safety are important for Finnish companies, and business ethics and compliance are monitored closely. Similarly, Russian companies operating in Finland and with Finnish companies have been keen to improve their ESG practices. There is still room to strengthen this co-operation even further. How could cooperation between Finland and Russia allow companies to achieve their sustainability goals more quickly? How could companies share best practice in corporate governance, stakeholder engagement and the use of green bonds and other financial instruments?

Moderator
Esko Aho, Prime Minister of Finland (1991–1995); Senior Adviser, East Office of Finnish Industries

Esko Aho

Prime Minister of Finland (1991–1995); Senior Adviser, East Office of Finnish Industries

Born 1954, M.Sc. (Soc.Sc.).
In April 2013 Mr. Aho was appointed as an Executive Chairman of East Office of Finnish Industries representing the leading Finnish corporations in Russia. He was also appointed to head the Business Team for Russia – the cooperation venture of the Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce, East Office and the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK’s Russia functions.
Mr. Aho enjoyed a long and distinguished career in government service. He served as a member of Finnish parliament for 20 years, from 1983. He was elected to the Prime Minister’s Office in 1991 at the age of 36, making him the youngest prime minister in Finland’s history. During his premiership, Mr. Aho chaired the Science and Technology Policy Council of Finland. Under his leadership, he also brought Finland into the European Union.
After leaving office in 1995, Mr. Aho spent one year as a Fellow of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University in 2000. He then served as the president of Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, from 2004-2008.
Currently Mr. Aho serves as elected member of the Executive Board at the International Chamber of Commerce. He is also an invited member of Club de Madrid, an independent organization of former heads of state and government dedicated to strengthening democracy. Since founded in 2010, Mr. Aho has been a board member at Skolkovo Foundation, a non-profit organization charged with creating a new science and technology development centre in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo. In May 2016 Mr. Aho was elected to the Supervisory Board of Sberbank.
In March 2015, he was named as Executive in Residence at Aalto University, where he works at the Department of Management Studies at the School of Business. Mr. Aho holds honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Vaasa, Finland, and the University of Alberta, Canada.

Panellists
Denis Butsayev, General Director, Russian Environmental Operator Public Law Company
Sergei Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport
Alexey Rakhmanov, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, United Shipbuilding Corporation
Demetrio Russo, Vice President for East Europe, Nokia Corporation
Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Finland Republic
Andrey Sharonov, President, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Denis Butsayev

General Director, Russian Environmental Operator Public Law Company

Born 07.03.1977. City of birth Moscow. Education: Graduated from Kutafin Moscow State Law University in 1999 in Law. Family: Divorced. Father of two. Work experience:1998–2004: lawyer, head of legal at IBM EE/A, IBM EMEA. 2004–2005: head of legal for CIS and Eastern Europe at Hewlett Packard LLC, Hewlett Packard LLC EMEA. 2005–2007: head of legal for CIS and Eastern Europe, board member at Hewlett Packard LLC. 2008–2009: Member of the Expert Advisory Board under the Chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. 2010–2012: Director and Managing Partner at the PANORAMA investment group. 2013: advisor to the Governor of the Moscow Region. 2012–2013: CEO of PAT Technology project company of ROSNANO JSC. 2013–2014: Minister of Investment and Innovations of the Moscow Region. 2014–2015: Deputy Prime Minister of the Moscow Region. 2015: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investment and Innovations of the Moscow Region. February 2019 - General Director, Russian Environmental Operator Public Law Company.

Sergei Ivanov

Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport

Born on 31 January in Leningrad. Graduated from the Translation Department of the Faculty of Philology of Leningrad State University and then completed higher courses of the USSR KGB in Minsk.
1981-1998 – Worked his way up from an operations officer of the First Main Directorate of the USSR KGB to First Deputy Head of a directorate of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation. Had three extended overseas assignments in Nordic countries and Africa. Following the reorganisation of the KGB, he continued work in the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation and then in the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation.
August 1998 – Deputy Director of the FSB and Director of the FSB Department for Analysis, Forecasting and Strategic Planning.
15 November 1999 – Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. Colonel General in reserve.
28 March 2001 – Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation.
14 November 2005 – Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation.
16 February 2007 – Appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
12 May 2008 – Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
22 December 2011 – Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration.
12 August 2016 - Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport.
Speaks English and Swedish.
Married with one son.

Alexey Rakhmanov

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, United Shipbuilding Corporation

Alexey Rakhmanov was born on July 18, 1964. In 1986 he graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering. In 2003 he graduated from the School of Business at the University of Chicago with a degree of Master of Business Administration. In the early stages of his career, he held various positions in the public and private entities. In 1996 he joined international auditing and consulting firm Ernst & Young where he worked until 2002. Between 2002 and 2008 he served as Director for Strategy and Business Development at JSC Severstal-Auto. In July 2008 he was appointed Director of the Department of Automotive Industry and Agricultural Machinery at Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, and in March 2012 – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. Since June 2014 he has been President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
Alexey Rakhmanov is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University (SPbSMTU), Chairman of the Shipbuilding Industry and Marine Equipment Committee of the Russian Engineering Union, Member of the Russian Engineering Union Management Board.

Demetrio Russo

Vice President for East Europe, Nokia Corporation

Demetrio Russo is the Vice President, Head of East Europe Market Unit, Nokia.

Prior to this appointment on October 1st 2016, Demetrio was the Head of Global 5G Sales, Nokia Networks, from February to September 2016.
Prior to that, from November 2014 to January 2016 Demetrio was the Head of Canada Market Unit, Nokia Networks.

During 2011-2014 Demetrio led several strategic activities of the Nokia company in Europe, including:
• February 2013 to October 2014 - Head of Vodafone South Europe Region, Nokia Siemens Networks
• May 2012 to January 2014 - Head of Sales Development & Technology, South East Europe Region, Nokia Siemens Networks
• May 2011 to April 2012 - Regional Head of Sales, South East Europe Region, Nokia Siemens Networks.
Demetrio has joined the Nokia company in 2000 and held multiple leadership and management roles in Nokia Networks Nokia and Siemens Networks.
Demetrio holds Degree in Bank, Financial and Insurance Economy, in Economy of the Financial Intermediary, University of Messina, Italy (1995-2000).
Married with a son. Hobbies: Football, jogging, tennis, squash.

Ville Skinnari

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Finland Republic

Andrey Sharonov

President, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Andrei Sharonov joined Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO in September 2013 as Dean, having left the position of Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy in Moscow City Government.Born in 1964 in Ufa, Andrei Sharonov graduated as an engineer from Ufa State Aviation Technical University and as a lawyer from Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation; in 1994 obtained his PhD in Social Studies.From 1989 to 1991 a Member of the Soviet Parliament, Congress of People’s deputies of the USSR; till 1996 chaired the Russian Federal Committee (Ministry) on Youth Affairs.In 1996-2007 occupied the positions of Deputy Minister, State Secretary and First Deputy Minister at Economics Development Ministry of Russian Federation.In the period from 2007 till 2010, Managing Director and the Board of Directors’ Chairman for Troika Dialog (Private Investment Company).Board Member for OJSC NOVATEK, ALROSA Group, Bank of Moscow OJSC, OJSC Sovcomflot, MC NefteTransService LLC and JSC Eco-System Management Company.As of December 22, 2010, by appointment of Moscow City Mayor Decree, Andrei Sharonov served at Moscow City Government as Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy in charge of budgeting, industrial and city business development, regional rate regulations as well as competition and public retail and procurement policy, trade and services.Since 2012, Andrei Sharonov is heading Executive Committees of Moscow Urban Forum and Open Innovations Forum.Andrei Sharonov received 2009 “Aristos” Awards as “Independent Director” and “Director of the Year”; the Person of the Year in Business Reputation for 2012.Andrei Sharonov was awarded with the Order of Honour and granted the title of “Honoured Economist of Russian Federation”.

Front row participants
Rostislav Baskakov, Director for Sales and Business Development, Solid Environmental Technologies Oy
Pekka Suhonen, Vice President, M&A, UROS Group
Esa Antero Hyvarinen, President, FORATOM; Head of CEO Office, Fortum Corporation

Rostislav Baskakov

Director for Sales and Business Development, Solid Environmental Technologies Oy

Pekka Suhonen

Vice President, M&A, UROS Group

Esa Antero Hyvarinen

President, FORATOM; Head of CEO Office, Fortum Corporation