The SME Forum

New challenges for the IT industry are shaping the conditions for the widest possible adoption of domestic software in all spheres of life, including public administration, the economy, and the social sphere. One of the most important tasks is digital transformation of small and medium-sized businesses, which enhances the sustainability and competitiveness of SMEs. The Russian software market has been around for many years, it is diversified and ready to address a variety of challenges. In its turn, the government demonstrates a high degree of readiness to create favourable conditions for IT development, having formed a list of unprecedented support measures from tax incentives and grant programmes to measures that will retain high quality personnel in the industry. Is the software market in Russia in "turbulence" mode? State support for the IT sector: how will the tactical tasks change the industry's development strategy in the medium term? What is the role of development institutions and organized IT business in implementing support measures for the IT sector? Russian IT solutions for small business: high quality available to everyone? How can Russian software be found and implemented without losing time and money? What tools and opportunities can the IT sector offer to small businesses regardless of their sectoral affiliation?

Moderators
Elena Volotovskaya, Vice President for Investments at Softline; Head of Softline Venture Partners
Andrey Shubin, Executive Director, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA

Elena Volotovskaya

Vice President for Investments at Softline; Head of Softline Venture Partners

Andrey Shubin

Executive Director, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA

Panellists
Yury Zubov, Head, Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent)
Alexey Logantsov, Chief Executive Officer, Business‑Soft
Valentin Makarov, President, RUSSOFT Association
Aleksandr Pavlov, General Director, Russian Information Technology Development Foundation
Maxim Parshin, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation

Yury Zubov

Head, Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent)

Born on 20 April 1979 in Moscow.
In 2001 Mr. Zubov graduated from the Moscow State University of Culture and Arts, Faculty of Management and Social Information Technologies, the specialty in Information Systems in Social and Cultural Field. Candidate of pedagogical sciences.
From 2000 to 2008 he held management positions related to business development in LLC "Trading House BIBLO-GLOBUS" and was a member of the Supervisory Board of "BIBLIO-GLOBUS" Holding Group.
From 2008 to 2012 he served as Head of Division for Science, Innovation and Information Technology in the Department for Science and Education of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
In 2009 Mr. Zubov was promoted to the rank of Third Class State Civil Service Councellor of the Russian Federation.
In 2013 he served as Deputy Head of Department and Head of Division for Monitoring Quality Assessment of Vocational Education in the Department of Public Services of the Federal Service for the Supervision of Education and Science (ROSOBNADZOR).
From 2013 to 2016 Mr. Zubov served as Deputy Head of Division for Information Technologies in the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Main Production and Commercial Administration for Diplomatic Corps Services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation".
From 2016 to 2018 he worked as Director of the Federal State Budget Institution "Federal Institute of Industrial Property" (FIPS).
From 2018 to 2022 he served as Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent).
In 2020 he was promoted to the rank of Third Class Active State Counsellor of the Russian Federation.
In February 2022 he was appointed as Head of Rospatent.

Alexey Logantsov

Chief Executive Officer, Business‑Soft

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.

Aleksandr Pavlov

General Director, Russian Information Technology Development Foundation

Maxim Parshin

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

Born on July 23, 1976 in Mytishchi, Moscow Region. In 1998, Mr. Parhin graduated from Moscow State University and, in 2001, he completed a post-graduate course. In 2008, he graduated from the International Institute of International Business under the Russian Foreign Trade Academy (MBA).2002–2013: deputy division director, division director and then deputy department director at the Russian Ministry for Economic Development.2013: He was appointed Deputy General Director of FSUE Mail of Russia.2014–2015: Deputy Director, Federal Service for Labour and Employment. 2016–2018 — Head of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses and Competition of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. Maxim Parshin was awarded the Certificate of Honour of the Government of the Russian Federation. On August 16, 2018 was appointed to the position of Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation.

Front row participants
Andrey Balyakin, General Director, Smart‑Service
Alexander Kanatov, Executive Director, Stakhanovets
Anastasia Maklaeva, General Director, Vipro
Valentin Miklyaev, Founder, General Director, Bnovo
Lyubov Pshenichnikova, Director of Strategic Partnerships Development, VK

Andrey Balyakin

General Director, Smart‑Service

Alexander Kanatov

Executive Director, Stakhanovets

Anastasia Maklaeva

General Director, Vipro

Valentin Miklyaev

Founder, General Director, Bnovo

Lyubov Pshenichnikova

Director of Strategic Partnerships Development, VK