Russian Regional Forum was held 31 October -1 November 2011 in Moscow. Organised by Adam Smith Conferences, it became a platform to discuss the most pressing issues the business has to face in the process of expansion into the Russian regions, as well as the government tools for regional development.
Their view of the issues of Russian regional development was presented by Yuri Osintsev, the deputy minister of regional development, Pedro Alba, The World Banks’ Country Director for Russia, Irina Makieva, the deputy chairwoman of Vnesheconombank, Alexei Kubrin, the The Deputy Envoy of the Russian Pesident to the Privolzhsky Federal Disctrict, Natalia Khanzhenkova, the head of the EBRD’s Director for Russia.
The Forum offered an opportunity to talk directly to the high-ranking representatives of the Ylyanovsk, Kaluga, Yaroslavl regions, as well as Moscow and Saint-Petersburg City administrations, who took part in a lively discussion re the investment climate in the regions, while many other regions participated on the delegate’s level. The sessions’s moderators, the head of the FRI Cemtre Igor Vdovin pointed to the political will of individual regions, such as Kaluga, Tatarstan and Ulyanovsk as a decisive factor, helping to change dramatically the investment image of those regions.
Interactive discussions became the Forum’s trademark, covering the role of PPP projects in spurring regional development, the benefits of Russia’s industrial parks and free economic zones as well as first-hand experience of regional expansion from individual companies, including such leading investors as Phillips, Metsaliitto, Fortum, Ahlers, Dega and many others.
The Forum offered a chance to talk to Wilfred Loo, the Vice President of Singapour’s state Jurong corporation, the company which has just started its entry into the Russian markets, as well as to experts from Germany and Great Britain, who highlighted the role of science and technology parks as an engine of local economies, their importance for SMEs and job creation.
Russian Regional Forum was supported by sponsors: the Eurasian Development Bank,
Ernst & Young and Gaztechleasing.
