The key business event of the Leningrad region unites three parties - business, science and government - to discuss industrial policy, business support and development in the region.
World trade wars and recession risks: challenges for Russian industry - are the main topic of the Baltic Regional Investment Forum BRIEF'25, which will take place on September 18, 2025.
The BRIEF'25 Forum program will include the following topics:
How increasing regional ties and global conflicts are changing the landscape of world trade
Whether there are signs of recession in the current phase of the economic cycle in Russia. What factors have a decisive impact on economic dynamics. What is needed to create a healthy business environment and successfully implement investment projects
How to use external pressure, including sanctions, as a catalyst for technological development and economic modernization. What results have already been achieved and which sectors have the greatest potential for a technological breakthrough
Who are interested in the forum?
Companies that are considering localisation in the region and want to know about support measures
Investors interested in a direct dialogue with the Leningrad Oblast authorities
Industrial companies in the region interested in the development of industry clusters and cooperation
Anyone looking for new business contacts for business development in the Leningrad region
Registration
Program BRIEF’25
Open dialog between business and government. How the “Green Corridor for Investor” system helps to reduce the timeframe for investment projects in the Leningrad Region
Plenary session “World Trade Wars and Recession Risks: Challenges for Russian Industry”
Meeting of the Council for Improving the Investment Climate in the Leningrad Region with the participation of the Governor of the Leningrad Region
Youth track "Personnel decide: the route is built"
Graduated from Leningrad Agricultural Institute in 1986, specialising in "Economics and Organisation of Agriculture". Awarded the degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences in 2007.
Experience and achievements:
Recipient of state awards: Order of Friendship, Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", First Degree, Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", Second Degree, Order of Honour, Order "For Merit
to the Fatherland", Fourth Degree.
Tadzio Schilling
Director General of the Association of European Businesses (AEB)
Tadzio Schilling holds an MA in International Relations and an advanced MA in International History and Politics from the Graduate Institute Geneva, as well as an Executive MPA from the Hertie School of
Governance in Berlin.
Tadzio speaks German, English, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, and some Chinese.
Experience and achievements:
In 2020, Tadzio Schilling assumed the position of Director General of the Association of European Businesses (AEB)
Before joining the AEB, he served as Deputy Head of Economic Affairs, Finance, and Science at the Swiss Embassy, then as Inbound Business Development Leader and Head of the German Business Center at EY.
In his professional career, he has worked in various finance, HR, and sales functions for companies such as Zurich Cantonal Bank, Dell Inc., Wesser & Partner, and FirstClimate. He has also worked as a researcher
and lecturer in Russian Studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin.
Graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1984 with a degree in Physics, qualification "physicist". Graduated from the Higher School of Economics of the Ministry of Economics and the State University of
Russia in 1996, Faculty of Stock Market and Investment. Candidate of Technical Sciences.
Experience and achievements:
Yuri Simachev specializes in applied research on the behavior of Russian companies, their demand for various market institutions, as well as assessing regulatory norms and the specifics of the impact on
companies of various government measures in the field of industrial and science and technology policy. He has extensive experience in conducting research and expert analytical work in the interests of the
Russian authorities, including the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the Russian Ministry of Finance, and others, as well as development institutions and
large businesses. He has participated in a number of major applied research projects, including projects related to evaluating various instruments for stimulating innovation, improving the system of
development institutions, a strategy for long-term socio-economic development (Strategy 2020), assessing the impact of crises on industrial behavior and restructuring, evaluating support mechanisms for
industrial exports, analyzing barriers to small and medium-sized enterprise development and assessing the business climate. He is a member of the Working Group on New Industrial Policy of the Expert Council
of the Russian Government, a member of the Committee on Industrial Policy and Technical Regulation and the Committee on Improvement of the Regulatory Framework for Industry Incentives in The Russian Union of
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP). He was awarded the Medal for the Achievements in Economic Analysis of the Association of Russian Economic Think Tanks (ARETT) in 2021. He has over 150 scientific
publications.
Anna Fedyunina
Deputy Director of the Centre for Structural Policy Research
Deputy Director of the Centre for Structural Policy Research
Education:
Graduated from the Master's program in World Economics at the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia, B. N. Yeltsin (2013). I completed internships at Humboldt University and the German
Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin, Germany (2012-2013). I hold a Ph.D. in Economics.
Experience and achievements:
Anna Fedyunina specializes in researching the behavior of companies, their needs, and the effects of their participation in foreign economic activities, innovation, and digitalization. She has experience in
developing and evaluating long-term strategies and forecasts for the socio-economic development of Russian Federation subjects and municipal entities of Russian Federation subjects. She also has experience in
conducting comprehensive monitoring of small and medium-sized businesses. She is a member of the expert council of the St. Petersburg Government's "Made in St. Petersburg" award and has received grants from both
Russian and international sources, including grants from the President of the Russian Federation, the Egor Gaidar Foundation, the Russian Science Foundation (RNF), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Academic
Foundation, and Erasmus Mundus. She has been awarded the Diploma of the National Center for Expertise and Analysis for Economists-Analysts "New Generation" and holds a medal from the Russian Academy of Sciences.
She has authored over 70 academic and analytical publications.
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences
Position:
Head of Department of Science and Innovation
Education:
Dr. Ivan V. Danilin graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1999 and gained his PhD degree at IMEMO in 2002.
Experience and achievements:
Primary area of specialization is innovation policies of the U.S.A. and Russia, digital economy and policies for digital transformation (U.S.A., China, Russia), analysis of long-term social and economic
implications of emerging technologies. He has more than 100 research publications and more than 50 reports on international academic conferences in Russia, USA, China and other countries. Since 2018 Dr. Danilin
holds position of Head of Science and Innovation Department at IMEMO. Before 2018 he worked at IMEMO as research fellow and, since 2010, as a Head of Innovation Policy Section. He is also the Associate Professor
at MGIMO University and the lecturer at Higher School of Systems Engineering, National Research Institute – Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT or Fiztech). In 2010-2015 Dr. Danilin served as a
part-timer at innovation departments and subsidiaries of biggest Russian power sector companies – ROSATOM (nuclear reactor manufacturing and nuclear power generation) and ROSSETI`s (transmission and distribution
grids), where he was responsible for foresights and for development/actualization of the Innovation Development Programs. In 2014-2019 he was engaged in the development of the Russian National Technology
Initiative (NTI), national Strategy for Science and Technological Development of the Russian Federation, Concept for the International Science and Technology Cooperation of the Russian Federation and other
high-level S&T documents and programs. Currently Dr.Danilin serves on board of several expert groups of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, State Duma (lower chamber of Russian Parliament),
and ROSATOM. In 2010s he was also on board of the North-West Technology Transfer Center`s Investment Committee (Russia, Leningrad Region) and an expert of the Skolkovo Foundation. Ivan V. Danilin is a member of
the International Studies Association (ISA). During his professional career Dr.Danilin gained awards from Russian Foundation for the Assistance to Domestic Science and Russian Academy of Sciences, in 2016 his
accomplishments were marked by a Honorary Charte from the Federal Agency of Scientific Organization of Russia (FANO, currently part of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education).
Anastasia Mikhalchenko
Director of Leningrad region Economic Development Agency
Eastern Faculty of St. Petersburg State University, Professional Retraining in Marketing Management at St. Petersburg State Economic University, Presidential Management Training Programme "Management of
Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship" at the Faculty of Economics of St. Petersburg State University.
Experience and achievements:
Director of State public institution AERLO since 2020. Public representative of the Agency for strategic initiatives in Leningrad region in the field of Entrepreneurship and Technology. Founder and head of the
Baltic Regional Investment Forum BRIEF - the main economic event of Leningrad region since 2019. Expertise: marketing, brand management, investment projects support, strategic planning, investment and industrial
policy. She has extensive experience in promoting major projects. She headed the marketing and sales of large-scale Russian resorts - Rosa Khutor and Igora, was engaged in the development of the sports and hotel
complex AquaLife in Bulgaria. Developed and led a regional project in Leningrad region to support investment projects "Green Corridor for Investor". Currently, 130 projects worth over 55,6 billion USD are being
supported by the Agency. Acknowledged by Governor of Leningrad region Alexander Drozdenko.
Novitskii Daniil
Sergeevich
General Director of “Professional Complex Solutions” Company Limited
2000 - School of International Business in Reutlingen, Germany. 2002 - Udmurt State University, "Economist with a degree in finance and credit". 2002 - internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Stuttgart, Germany.
2005 - awarded the ACCA Diploma in International Financial Reporting. 2005 - course "Advanced Training in Accounting and Audit," 2011 - retraining under the program "Finance and Credit (Enterprise Value
Assessment) at the St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance.
Experience and achievements:
Since 2006 - General Director of Professional Complex Solutions Company Limited:
- included in the Register of specialized companies meeting the requirements of the Consulting ВЭБ.РФ.
- Member of the Association of Consulting Companies of Russia "ASCONKO."
- accredited as an authorized consulting company under the Government of the Leningrad Region.
- included in the Register of Accredited Companies of the Monotown Development Fund in the areas of Financial and Technical Monitoring (Supervision) and Marketing
- is a member of the association of self-regulatory organizations "МежРегионПроект"
Since 2020 – General Director “PCS Analytics” Company Limited
- developer and operator of the digital platform "Investment Projects" (investprojects.info) (certificate of state registration of the computer program No. 2021616911 dated 28.04.2021)
- consists in the register of accredited organizations operating in the field of information technology (register of IT companies).
Konstantin Vishnevskiy
Director of the Center for Strategic Analytics and Big Data
Director of the Center for Strategic Analytics and Big Data
Education:
PhD, Lomonosov MSU University
Experience and achievements:
• Head of the iFORA system for intellectual analysis of big data (https://issek.hse.ru/ifora/)
• 15+ years of experience in high tech, digital economy and AI
• 150+ completed projects for corporate customers, federal and regional authorities
• 130+ scientific publications
• ~10 results of intellectual activity and patents
• Gratitude from the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, Minister of the EEC, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Director of the
Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Director of Roscongress, Rector and Vice-Rectors of the Higher School of Economics
• Commemorative medal and diploma of the President of the Russian Federation "XIX World Festival of Youth and Students 2017 in Sochi"
• Columns, articles and comments for Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia 24, RBC and RBC TV, Kommersant, Izvestia, Forbes, OTR, etc.
