From 13 to 18 April 2021 the sixth advanced training program “GR and Lobbying in Business and Nonprofit Sector” has been successfully held. The program is a joint educational project of the MGIMO School of Business and International Proficiency and the lobbying company Baikal Communications Group.

All MGIMO Graduate Certificates have been awarded by Mr. Eduard Voytenko, Academic Director of the advanced program and, concurrently, CEO and Managing Director of Baikal Communications Group. At the graduation ceremony Eduard Voytenko emphasized that it was the first practice-oriented advanced training course in the domain of GR&Lobbying in Russia.

Upon the request of attendees, the program was extended from 5 to 6 days and comprised 60 academic hours, covering such topics as methodology, approaches and strategies to promote the interests of commercial and nonprofit organizations at the level of public authorities as well as technologies and instruments for establishing communication channels between society, NGOs, business entities and government, illustrated by a number of sectoral cases from the real economy and nonprofit sector.

All the lectures and workshops were delivered by CEO of Baikal Communications Group Eduard Voytenko as well as state officials, public activists and executive management of Russian and international companies. Among them were: Russian Corporate Affairs Lead for Cargill, Inc. Mr. Andrey Lyan, Director of Legislation and Legal Studies’ Practice of Baikal Communications Group Ms. Anastasia Parfenchikova, Deputy Head of “Rossotrudnichestvo” Mr. Dmitriy Polikanov, Director of Legal Affairs and Government Relations for Saint-Gobain Mr. Rafael Zohrabyan, President of the National Association of Professional Collection Agencies – NAPCA and Head of the Board of the Self-Regulatory Organization “Microfinance and Development” Mr. Elman Mekhtiyev, Managing Director of the National Union of Milk Producers “Souzmoloko” Mr. Artyom Belov, Director of Federal Government Relations Department for X5 Retail Group Mr. Stanislav Bogdanov, Director of Government Relations and Market Access for CJSC BIOCAD Mr. Alexey Torgov, Head of Government Relations for Russia and CIS Region of 3M Company Mr. Evgeny Makhortov, Senior Government Relations Director in Eastern Europe for Baltika Breweries/part of Carlsberg Group Ms. Irina Fedorova, Director of the Self Regulatory Organization “Union of Dietary Supplements Producers” Mr. Alexander Zhestkov, Head of the Law Section of the Russian newspaper “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” Mr. Alexander Moskovkin, Head of the Regional Communications Directorate for PJSC “Lukoil” Mr. Vladimir Gerasimov, Head of Government Relations for PJSC “Fortum” Mr. Alexander Pavlenko, Director of Government Relations and Charity Activity for EVRAZ Plc. Ms. Maria Dronova, Director of Government Relations for PJSC “Uralkali” Mr. Oleg Kalinskij, Director for Public Relations and Communications for “The National Transport Company” (“NTC”) Mr. Maxim Ignatiev, Public Affairs Director for Volvo Group Russia Ms. Yana Arzhanova, Director of Public Affairs Department of JSC “The United Shipbuilding Corporation” Mr. Nikita Pichugin, Government Relations and Policy Director for Russia & CIS for Cisco Systems Inc. Ms. Anna Smirnova, Director of Federal Government Relations for JSC “VimpelCom” Mr. Dmitriy Kononov, Director of Government Relations for Alibaba.com (ru) Mr. Sergey Lebedev, Head of Government Relations for Skyeng Mr. Makar Goncharov, Corporate Relations Manager in Russia for Diageo Plc. Ms. Elena Ushanova, Director for Legal Affairs and External Corporate Relations for British American Tobacco Russia Ms. Yana Guskova, Head of the Entrepreneurship Advocacy Section at the Department for the Development of Entrepreneurship of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mr. Artyom Yulegin and CEO of the Lake Baikal Foundation Ms. Anastasia Tsvetkova.

Among attendees were representatives of supervisory authorities, legal specialists and officials of educational and nonprofit organizations as well as top-level and middle-level managers of such commercial companies as: Baltika Breweries/part of Carlsberg Group, Baikal Communications Group, “New Cloud Technologies”, Debt Collection Agency “EOS”, Coca-Cola HBC Russia, Law Firm “Civil Compensations”, Charitable Foundation for Children and Young People “Galchonok”, Developer Group “INTECO”, Japanese Developer Group “YUNIKA”, regional department of the All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization “Association of Lawyers of Russia”, PJSC “Uralkali”, Uralchem Group and others.

In total, 17 professionals graduated from the advanced program.

The advanced training program “GR and Lobbying in Business and Nonprofit Sector” is to be held twice a year. Registration for the seventh graduate course in 2021 is still open.

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