7-12 April, 2025 MGIMO completed the 15th round of the advanced training program “GR and lobbying in Business and Nonprofit Sector”, implemented by Baikal Communications Group in cooperation with the MGIMO School of Business and International Proficiency.

The purpose of the program is to master and improve the activities of professional specialists in presenting and promoting the interests of business and NGOs in government bodies at the federal and regional levels, as well as in the supranational and international space.

The course program consists of disciplines dedicated to various aspects of GR and lobbying activities: building communication between businesses and government authorities (regional, federal, international, and supranational levels) amid geopolitical uncertainty; GR’s role in sustainable development and M&A transactions; cooperation with business and industry associations, think tanks and academic institutions, state corporations and development institutions; and interaction with the Subcommission of the Government Commission for Monitoring Foreign Investment in the Russian Federation. The core part of the program includes training in the ethics and regulation of GR and lobbying, internal and external GR and lobbying tools such as personal contacts, insider information, stakeholder mapping, GR and lobbying strategies, written communications with government bodies, monitoring and analyzing the regulatory environment, assessing regulatory risks and opportunities, legal and sectoral analysis of draft laws and other regulations, PR tools, event management, and more.

24 experts spoke during the course, including:

  • Denis Abdrahmanov – Director of the Center for Legal Initiatives, Agency for Strategic Initiatives
  • Lyubov Aksenova – GR Director, EkoNiva Group
  • Irina Arkhipova – Professor at HSE, Director of Corporate Relations and Sustainability, Kraft Heinz (Russia)
  • Dmitry Ashin – Head of Regulatory Initiatives, Yandex.Taxi
  • Eduard Voytenko – PhD in Political Science, Associate Professor at MGIMO, CEO, Baikal Communications Group
  • Kirill Dozmarov – Associate Partner, Baikal Communications Group; Expert, Center for Economic and Legal Expertise (MSU)
  • Anton Yeropkin – Director of Government Relations in Russia and the CIS, Olam Russia
  • Anastasia Ivanova – GR Director, Gaskar Group
  • Roman Kletskikh – GR Director, NAUMEN; Chairman of RUSSOFT
  • Dmitry Kononov – Head of GR, PJSC VimpelCom; State Councillor of the Russian Federation, 3rd class
  • Dmitry Krokhmalev – Director of Government and Regional Relations, JSC Mashinostroenie (Rosatom)
  • Alexander Likhanov – CEO, National Champions Association
  • Andrey Lyan – Director of Government Relations, Cargill Russia
  • Anastasia Maletina – Government Relations Lead, VkusVill
  • Alexander Moskovkin – Head of the Law Department, Rossiyskaya Gazeta
  • Evgenia Ovchinnikova – Head of Foreign Trade Support, BIOCAD
  • Dmitry Polikanov – PhD in Political Science, Deputy Head, Rossotrudnichestvo
  • Nikita Ryblenkov – Deputy CEO, Novostal-M LLC
  • Nikita Smirnov – PhD in Political Science, Associate Professor, Director of Government Relations, Krasny Oktyabr
  • Gleb Sukhanov – PhD in Economics, Head of Government Relations, PJSC T Plus
  • Irina Fedorova – Vice President of Government Relations, Baltika Breweries
  • Anastasia Tsvetkova – CEO, Lake Baikal Foundation
  • Artyom Yulegin – Head of Business Advocacy, Department of Entrepreneurship Development, Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)
  • Representative of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation

The speakers shared their GR expertise from various sectors of the economy and NGOs: agriculture and food industry, FMCG, e-commerce and telecom, IT, unmanned aviation systems, high-tech domestic companies, pharmaceuticals, retail, metallurgy and mining, companies with state participation, and natural monopolies (e.g., energy and utilities), environmental NGOs, and more. Special focus was given to GR strategies for mitigating political and regulatory risks under sanctions regimes.

During the six days of interactive sessions and master classes, participants explored the principles and functions of lobbying, its tools and methods, and GR practices in foreign and Russian B2G communications under sanctions and countersanctions, using real-life examples from different industries. The course also covered specifics of GR communications between NGOs and government bodies. A distinctive feature of the 15th edition was the inclusion of master classes on evaluating the economic efficiency of a company’s GR department and developing GR and lobbying strategies to address specific regulatory challenges in various industries.

Participants included representatives from organizations such as: Gazprom Neft PJSC, Gazprom Export LLC, KNGK-INPZ LLC (Ilsky Refinery), East Mining Company LLC, Polyus Management Company LLC, Steel Construction Development Association, Uzum Market (Uzbekistan), O2O Holding LLC, Expomobility LLC, MTS PJSC, ITMS JSC, Siglo de Oro Cigar Factory, AgroTerra Group, EkoNiva-APK Holding LLC, Port Alliance JSC, FESCO (DVMP PJSC), Petrochemical Transport Company LLC, Saint-Gobain Construction Products Rus LLC, Aero Disk LLC, Coldiz LLC, ACADEMIA Boutique Hotels, ADV LLC, Prosveshchenie Publishing House JSC, StandUp Innovations LLC, Alnilam LLC, Polyus Charitable Foundation, Office of the Microfinance Ombudsman (Kazakhstan), National Association of Healthcare Managers, Eurasian Economic Commission, and others.

At the end of the program, 32 participants received MGIMO state standard certificates of advanced training.

Registration is open for the 16th cohort, which is scheduled for October 13-18, 2025. The course duration is 6 days (60 academic hours).

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