8th Annual Russian Economic Forum
The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, 10-12 April 2005

On the 11th and 12th of April 2005, the 8th Annual Russian Economic Forum at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London brought together over 2000 Russian and international CEOs and industry chiefs; investment bankers and fund managers; journalists and political insiders; and many other key opinion formers, for a penetrating look at the business climate in Russia today.

The record number of delegates participated in a comprehensive programme featuring 177 speakers on 28 plenary and 'breakout' sessions, and the event was once again supported by a strong list of corporates, led by lead partners KPMG and UFG. Highlights included:

  • Key speakers on oil & gas and power reform, including James J. Mulva of ConocoPhillips, Anatoly Chubais of RAO UES, Victor Vekselberg and Bob Dudley of TNK-BP, Alexander Medvedev of Gazexport and Simon Vainshtock of Transneft, giving investors a unique opportunity to gauge the mood in the country's volatile energy sector.
  • Lively new sessions such as Rising Stars: The Ones to Watch and Russian Women Business Leaders, where delegates were treated to engaging and entertaining interchanges with Olga Dergunova of Microsoft, Evgeny Chichvarkin of Euroset, Oleg Tinkov of TINKOFF Beer Company, Anna Belova of Russian Railways, and other personalities.
  • A focus on Russia's rapidly expanding hi-tech industries. A specially dedicated plenary session on IT and Telecoms was opened by the Russian Minister responsible for the sector, Leonid Reiman, followed by presentations from William Owens of Nortel, Evgeny Novitsky of AFK Sistema and Rudi Lamprecht of Siemens. A series of well attended afternoon panels featured leading CEOs, including Valery Yashin of Svyazinvest and Vasily Sidorov of MTS.
  • A spotlight on St. Petersburg, with Governor Valentina Matvienko's first ever appearance at the Forum and a session featuring CEOs of major local companies Lenenergo and Baltika.
  • The 6th in a series of bi-annual media roundtables. The emphasis for this Forum was on the relationship between business and media, with a colourful lineup of speakers, including Alexei Venediktov of Ekho Moskvy, John Mann of Sibneft and Arkady Ostrovsky of the FT.

Numerous other new sessions included a CFO Roundtable, Trade and Investment in Ukraine, Debt Markets, and a panel exploring the nature of Russian Capitalism.