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Baltic Regional Investment Forum

September 18, 2025
Registration
ИНВЕСТИЦИОННЫЙ ПОРТАЛ ЛЕНИНГРАДСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИВысшая школа экономики
Program BRIEF’25
09:15-11:30
Participant registration, welcome coffee
10:00-11:30
Open dialog between business and government. How the "Green Corridor for Investors" system helps to reduce the time frame for the implementation of investment projects in the Leningrad region
Moderator
    Anastasia Mikhalchenko  – Director of the Leningrad Region Economic Development Agency, Head of the BRIEF Forum, author of the Green Corridor for Business system
    Speaker
    Anastasia Mikhalchenko
    Workplace:
    State public institution AERLO
    Position:
    Director
    Education:
    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.
Participants from the business:
Experts:
11:45-14:15
Plenary session: “Global Trade Wars and Recession Risks: Challenges for Russian Industry”
Topics for discussion:
  • How increasing regional ties and global conflicts are changing the landscape of world trade
  • Are there 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
Moderator
    Yuri Simachev  – Director of the Center for Structural Policy Research at the Higher School of Economics, Candidate of Technical Sciences, scientific Director of the BRIEF Forum
    Speaker
    Yuri Simachev
    Workplace:
    State University "Higher School of Economics"
    Position:
    Director of Economic Policy
    Education:
    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.
Expert reports:
    Alexander Shirov  – Director of the INP RAS, Head of the Laboratory for Analysis and Forecasting of Production Potential and Intersectoral Interactions, Doctor of Economics
    Report: The Russian economy under budget constraints
    Speaker
    Alexander Shirov
    Workplace:
    Institute of National Economic Forecasting RAS
    Position:
    Director
    Education:
    Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Economics. Graduated from Plekhanov Russian Economic University and postgraduate program of INP RA
    Experience and achievements:
    Main area of activity - macroeconomic analysis and forecasting, analysis of inter-sectoral relations, justification of economic policy measures, sectoral modeling and forecasting, development of multi-level calculation systems based on inter-sectoral economic models. Consulting in the field of state and corporate governance. Main areas of activity: applied research in the field of analysis and forecasting of the Russian economy development; development of the methodology of inter-sectoral macrostructural forecasting; developed the concept of interaction of dynamic and structural characteristics of the economy development in the formation and justification of the development strategy; solving problems of complex assessment of multiplier effects associated with the implementation of national projects, the development of sectors of the economy, regions, corporations and individual large investment projects.
    Anna Fedyunina   – Deputy Director of the Center for Structural Policy Research, National Research University Higher School of Economics, PhD in Economics
    Report: Made in Russia: between forced adaptation and technological breakthrough
    Speaker
    Anna Fedyunina
    Workplace:
    State University "Higher School of Economics"
    Position:
    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 world economy and international political economy. Ms. Fedyunina has experience in the development and expertise of long-term strategies and forecasts of socio-economic development of constituent entities of the Russian Federation and municipalities of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, experience in comprehensive monitoring of small and medium-sized enterprises. Member of the Scientific and Expert Council of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences on management issues. Awarded a medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, diploma of the Association of Independent Centers for Economic Analysis (ANCEA) “New Generation”. Recipient of Russian and foreign grants, including grants from the Russian Science Foundation, the President of the Russian Federation, the Egor Gaidar Foundation, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Academic Foundation, and Erasmus Mundus. She was three times included in the rating “Top 100 most influential women of St. Petersburg” according to Delovoy Peterburg newspaper for her significant contribution to expert and analytical activities.
    Daniil Novitsky  – General Director of the PKR Investment Group
    Report: The practice and problems of investment activity in Russia and the Leningrad region
    Speaker
    Daniil Novitskii
    Workplace:
    “Professional Complex Solutions” Company Limited
    Position:
    General Director
    Education:
    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).
    Tadzio Schilling  – Director General of the Association of European Businesses (AEB)
    Report: New challenges of uncertainty: strategies and solutions of European business in the context of regionalization of trade and slowing economic growth
    Speaker
    Tadzio Schilling
    Place of work:
    Association of European Businesses
    Position:
    CEO
    Education
    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.
    Ivan Danilin  – Deputy Director of IMEMO RAS, Candidate of Political Sciences
    Report: Surfing in rough waters: Russia's opportunities in the era of global high-tech restructuring
    Speaker
    Ivan Danilin
    Workplace:
    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).
    Konstantin Vishnevsky  – Director of the HSE Center for Strategic Analytics and Big Data, PhD in Economics
    Report: AI in industry: hype or a catalyst for digital transformation?
    Speaker
    Konstantin Vishnevskiy
    Workplace:
    HSE University
    Position:
    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.
14:30
Business contacts exchange, coffee break
    The exchange of business contacts will be held in the format of online dating in an interactive chat for forum participants. It is on this platform that suppliers of spare parts, components, materials, raw materials, equipment and IT solutions for industrial enterprises will be able to present their products and services, as well as exchange contacts.
15:15-15:30
Signing ceremony of social and economic cooperation agreements with the participation of the Governor of the Leningrad Region
15:30-17:30
Meeting of the Council for Improving the Investment Climate in the Leningrad Region with the participation of the Governor of the Leningrad Region
    Welcoming speech Governor of the Leningrad Region
    Experts Program is in the process of preparation
18:00
Evening reception (by invitation)
Youth track “Personnel decide: the route is built”
11:00-11:15
Opening “The route is built - let's go to course
Welcoming speech:
    Governor of the Leningrad Region
    Anastasia Mikhalchenko  – Director of the Agency for Economic Development of the Leningrad Region, public representative of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) in Leningrad Region
    Speaker
    Anastasia Mikhalchenko
    Workplace:
    State public institution AERLO
    Position:
    Director
    Education:
    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.
    Lubov Baranova  – business consultant, head of the agency “LABO MARKETING”, PhD in Economics
11:15-13:15
Interactive event “Mentor Day”. Part 1
    Within the framework of the event the representatives of the existing business of the Leningrad region present to the student teams the problem areas to be worked out with the elements of industrial tourism integration into the business model of the enterprise. Integration of industrial tourism into the business model is considered for companies with existing industrial tourism practices and companies without experience in this sphere
13:15-13:45
Coffee break
13:45-15:15
Interactive event “Mentor Day”. Part 2
    Presentation of teams' projects and answers to questions from representatives of enterprises of the Leningrad region
Moderator:
Representatives of enterprises of the Leningrad region:
15:15-15:25
Break
15:25-15:55
Open microphone “Region of Opportunities”
    Dialogue with representatives of leading enterprises of the Leningrad Region. Lively conversation and honest questions to bring students and employers closer together, to give both sides an opportunity to hear and be heard
The main topics:
  • How do enterprises build career paths
  • What formats of interaction with young people work most effectively
  • What qualities do businesses particularly value in young specialists
Presenter:
Representatives of enterprises of the Leningrad Region:
15:55-16:25
Coffee break
16:25-17:25
Master class “Marketing and promotion of manufacturing enterprise on the basis of video content”
    As part of the master class, student teams in cooperation with representatives of enterprises of the Leningrad Region will prepare short videos. The project is realized in the format of a competitive team game aimed at developing practical skills in the sphere of business promotion in regional and international markets
Moderator:
17:25-17:35
Break
17:35-18:15
Awarding Ceremony
Where and when?
Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg
15 September 2022
Registration
The route
Agency for Economic Development of the Leningrad Region
Address: 195112, St. Petersburg, Malookhtinsky Prospekt 64 B, office 402
Industry Development Centre of the Leningrad Region
Address: 195112, St. Petersburg, Malookhtinsky Prospekt 64 B, office 406