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Sanctions, the departure of Western companies, and programmes to phase out imports have all helped rebuild the Russian digital economy. Instead of a few foreign players, dozens of outstanding Russian companies and projects have emerged to fill the market that has been vacated. But now the question is how can we maintain growth rates as most Russian companies introduce the products that have replaced imports. Exporting Russian information technologies would seem to be the obvious answer to this question, but will the market be strong enough to compete with foreign competitors and offer an alternative to existing export approaches. The departure of Western companies and sanctions pressure have become tangible incentives for the accelerated development of Russian technologies. As a result of unprecedented measures taken by the government in early 2022 to support Russian IT solutions, Russian companies are actively phasing out foreign software and technological developments in all key industries. This technological leap has enabled an increasing number of manufacturers to promote their products on the markets of countries that have friendly relations with Russia, where they are competing with the usual Western software, and often surpass it in terms of functionality and comfortable cost. However, to take advantage of all the opportunities and achieve rapid growth, Russian exports need support. How should Russian companies enter foreign markets and what should their strategy be? Are BRICS+ members truly the most promising countries today? What export strategies are companies currently implementing? What achievements and mistakes are being made today? What are the specific barriers to entering markets, and do the IT support measures that currently work for other export products need to be intensified?

Moderator
Aleksandr Pavlov, General Director, Russian Information Technology Development Foundation

Aleksandr Pavlov

General Director, Russian Information Technology Development Foundation

Panellists
Renata Abdulina, Chairman, Association of the Largest Software and Hardware Consumers
Sergey Andreev, Managing Partner, Cyberus Foundation for the Development of Effective Cybersecurity
Nikita Gusakov, Chief Executive Officer, EXIAR; Senior Vice President, Russian Export Center
Valentin Makarov, President, RUSSOFT Association
Vladimir Sakovich, Chief Executive Officer, Sk Capital

Renata Abdulina

Chairman, Association of the Largest Software and Hardware Consumers

Nikita Gusakov

Chief Executive Officer, EXIAR; Senior Vice President, Russian Export Center

Valentin Makarov

President, RUSSOFT Association

Makarov Valentin was born 16.04.1955 in Leningrad, Russia. Graduated from the Leningrad Aircraft Instrumentation Institute in 1978, in 1978-1985 he had been working in the Defense Industry. In 1985 entered the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. Since “perestroika” time he has got good experience of organizing international cooperation (1988-1992 – secretary in the Russian Delegation to UNESCO, in 1996-2000 as deputy Chairman of International relations’ Committee of Administration of St Petersburg). He has also got extended managerial experience in private business (1992-1996 – in Interprivatization Foundation and in the EuroConseil Rusian-French JV consulting company).
President of RUSSOFT Association (earlier Fort Ross) since its foundation on 9.9.99, he has been organizer of lobbying campaigns in the Government and Chairman of numerous IT-events in Russia and abroad (RUSSOFT Forum, Software Outsourcing Summit, Mobile Software Forum, Russian IT-seasons). Chief-editor of the annual Russian export software industry survey since its beginning in 2003. Representative of Russian IT Association (APKIT) in WITSA in 2004-2006, 2012. Invited speaker at numerous international conferences and author of dozens of articles on IT in Russia.

Vladimir Sakovich

Chief Executive Officer, Sk Capital