From October 13 to 18, 2025, MGIMO hosted the training for the sixteenth cohort of participants in the advanced training program “Government Relations and Lobbying in Business and Non-Profit Organizations,” implemented by Baikal Communications Group in cooperation with the MGIMO School of Business and International Competencies.

Within the framework of the program, various aspects of Government Relations (GR) and lobbying activities in Russia and the EAEU countries were examined.

Topics included: building effective communication between business and public authorities under conditions of geopolitical uncertainty and sanctions regimes; GR in the context of sustainable corporate development and environmental protection; GR prior to IPOs and during M&A transactions; GR in public-private partnerships (PPP); cooperation with business and industry associations, expert and academic institutions, state corporations, and development institutes; as well as interaction with the Subcommission of the Government Commission on Monitoring Foreign Investments in the Russian Federation and the Subcommission on Customs, Tariff and Non-Tariff Regulation.

The core module of the program covered ethics and regulation of the GR and lobbying sphere; structure and KPIs of GR functions in private companies; internal and external GR and lobbying tools such as personal networking, written communication with public authorities, insider information, stakeholder mapping, GR and lobbying strategies, monitoring and analysis of the regulatory environment, assessment of regulatory risks and opportunities, industry and legal expertise of draft laws and other regulatory acts, use of PR tools and event management, as well as cooperation with lobbying firms and GR agencies, among others.

The program featured 23 guest experts, including:

  • Denis Abdrakhmanov, Director of the Center for Legal Initiatives, Agency for Strategic Initiatives
  • Irina Arkhipova, Professor at HSE University, Director for Corporate Relations and Sustainable Development, Kraft Heinz (Russia)
  • Alexander Bashkov, Deputy Director, Vseinstrumenty.ru LLC
  • Elena Bocherova, Executive Director, Cyberprotect
  • Eduard Voytenko, PhD (Political Science), Associate Professor at MGIMO, CEO, Baikal Communications Group
  • Ivan Voloshin, Managing Director, DOM.RF
  • Maria Dronova, Director for Government Relations and Corporate Philanthropy, EVRAZ
  • Anton Yeropkin, Director for Government Relations in Russia and the CIS, Olam Russia
  • Roman Kletskikh, GR Director, NAUMEN; Chairman of the Board, RUSSOFT
  • Dmitry Kononov, Head of GR, PJSC VimpelCom; State Counsellor of the Russian Federation, 3rd Class
  • Sergey Krzhanovsky, Member of the Management Board, Director for Regional and Federal Government Relations, Rosvodokanal Group
  • Dmitry Krokhmalev, Director for Government and Regional Relations, Engineering Division, Rosatom State Corporation
  • Alexander Kudinkin, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Government Relations Directorate, Polymetal UK JSC
  • Alexander Likhanov, CEO, Association “National Champions”
  • Andrey Lyan, Director for Government Relations, Cargill Russia
  • Anastasia Maletina, Head of Government Relations, VkusVill
  • Alexander Moskovkin, Head of Legal Department, Rossiyskaya Gazeta
  • Dmitry Polikanov, PhD (Political Science), Deputy Head, Rossotrudnichestvo
  • Roman Timoshenko, Head of Division, Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation
  • Kirill Tuzov, Government Relations Manager, Mindray Medical Russia
  • Irina Fedorova, Vice President for Government Relations, Baltika Brewing Company LLC
  • Anastasia Tsvetkova, CEO, Lake Baikal Foundation
  • Artem Yulegin, Head of SME Advocacy Department, Department for Business Development, Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)

Throughout the course, the speakers shared GR expertise drawn from various sectors of the economy and NGOs: GR in agriculture and the food industry, e-commerce and telecommunications, IT, mining and metallurgy, housing and utilities (HCS), GR and market access in pharmaceuticals, GR in retail, GR in state-owned enterprises and natural monopolies (particularly within the housing and utilities sector), GR in environmental NGOs, and other organizations.

Special emphasis was placed on the digitalization of GR processes within companies and on digital GR and lobbying tools.

A distinguishing feature of the 16th cohort was a series of practical workshops on assessing the economic efficiency of corporate GR departments and on the participation of lobbyists and GR professionals in the legislative process.

Participants represented a wide range of organizations, including:

The Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Accounts Chamber of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Avito (KEX eCommerce LLC), Polyus Management Company LLC, Roche Moscow JSC, the Association for the Development of Online Education, Nestlé Russia LLC, Russian Railways OJSC, Four Paws LLC, Minsk Dairy Plant No. 1 LLC, Lemana PRO (LE MONLID LLC), HeadHunter LLC, Beiersdorf LLC, Danaflex Group, Severstal PJSC, Astra Group LLC, PSB Bank PJSC, Dynamika-Center LLC, Multon Partners LLC, among others.

Upon completion of the program, 40 participants received MGIMO state-recognized advanced training certificates.

Registration for the 17th cohort is now open.
Program dates: April 6–11, 2025
Course duration: six days (60 academic hours).

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