China Unit

Understanding Russia

Understanding Russia is an intensive short-term course for comprehending the business environment and trends in Russia.

We draft the program course Understanding Russia based on the interests of your company and your business sector.

The program consists of three conceptual blocks: theory, practice and cultural immersion. The theoretical part includes lectures, seminars and master classes. The practical part consists of company visits, discussion panels, communication with experts, businessmen, officials and networking. Cultural immersion is an introduction to Russia from the inside, to its unique historical and natural heritage.

We elaborate personal programs for each group of students so that they:

• look at the world from a different angle through understanding Russia;
• study methods to adapt their own strategies to the Russian market;
• see new opportunities emerging with changes in the Russian economy, politics and legislation;
• receive opportunities for successful development in Russia.

Our professors, speakers and guests bring together leading Russian entrepreneurs and top managers, political leaders and high-ranking officials, members of Russian and international associations, as well as experts in Russian-Chinese relations.

Understanding China

Understanding China is an intensive short-term course for comprehending China’s business environment. Taking into account your business sector and the company’s interests, we draft an intensive course for a deeper understanding of the business environment and trends in China.

During the program, participants get theoretical training on the campuses of China’s best business schools, make practical visits to the largest Chinese companies and “hidden champions” companies, as well as get acquainted with their representatives.

We elaborate personal programs for each group of students so that they:

• look at the world from a different angle through understanding China;
• gain practical tools to adapt their business processes to the Chinese market;
• see new opportunities emerging with changes in the Chinese economy, politics and legislation;
• master the best practices in change management.

Among our professors, speakers and guests there are successful Chinese entrepreneurs and current top managers, ex-representatives of major Chinese corporations, political leaders and high-ranking officials, members of Chinese and international associations.

Elizabeth Sadova

Academic Director of Executive Education Programmes
Professor of Leadership and OB
Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Elizabeth is SKOLKOVO's Leading professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior. Her areas of expertise include Leadership, Organizational development, Change management, Performance and Talent management. Elizabeth Sadova is the author of several unique multi-module programmes on Leadership for Top Executives and HR directors of Russian and multinational companies.

Elizabeth successfully combines her professional management and international experience with her expertise in business education. For over 10 years, Elizabeth Sadova worked for CBSD/Thunderbird. Among her clients were such companies as Boeing, Caterpillar, Coca Cola, Danone, ExxonMobil, ТНК-BP, Hewlett Packard, Unilever, Сorning and others.

Since 2007 Elizabeth Sadova holds the position of an Academic Director for SKOLKOVO Executive Education Department. In this capacity, she has been working with such companies as Federal Grid Company, Gradient, Ratiopharm, Evraz Group, Severstal, Sibur, Gazpromnef, Lukoil Overseas, Siemens and others.

Her latest development is the program Understanding Russia for Delta Energy Institute (Holland), HUST (Hong-Kong), SAIF (Shanghai).

As a visiting professor Elizabeth is participating in the seminars for MBA students in IAE University Aix-en-Provence (France).

Elizabeth Sadova also has many years of experience as an individual coach, working with top Executives of several International and Russian companies in the area of cross-cultural communication improvement, understanding of Russian business model, top team development, conflict management, relationship management. Among her clients: American Express, Corning, International Enterprise Singapore, Arcelor Mittal, Renaissance Insurance, Kaspersky Laboratories, L’Oreal, Danone-Nutricia and others.

In addition to her pedagogical education she holds a number of International certificates from SDA Bocconi (Italy), MBTI certification by OPP Oxford (UK), certified in Leadership programmes and Organizational Management from California State University (USA), Thunderbird (USA), IMD (Switzerland), Training Management Corporation (USA).

The area of her research interests – Russian leadership model and its influence on organizational efficiency.

Vladimir Korovkin

Head of the Digital Technologies of the SKOLKOVO Institute for Emerging Market Studies, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Vladimir Korovkin holds degrees in systems engineering and international business, and has over 20 years of experience in the area of digital technology.

Since 2014 Vladimir pursues an academic career being the Head of Research in Innovations and Digital at SKOLKOVO School of Management. In his writing and teaching he focuses on the issues of facilitating the economic growth and social development in emerging markets through innovations and digital technologies. He has taught on the programs for blue-chip Russian corporations as well as for the public administrations of Russian regions.

In the past years he had published extensively in Russian and international academic and business titles, and spoke at conferences and forums in Russia, India, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland.

Tomas Casas i Klett

Academic Advisor to the Dean, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO; Academic Director of EMBA for Eurasia Program.

Tomas Casas is a Professor of Macroeconomics and Innovation at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, as well as a Professor of International Business at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). In addition, he is a Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at Toronto University’s Rotman School of Management (Canada) and at Fudan University’s School of Management (China).

Tomas co-authored the book Japan’s Open Future and elaborated a large number of international cases.

In addition, Tomas successfully runs business in China for the past 15 years and is currently a private venture investor in 10+ companies based in Shanghai.

Tomas received a Bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania (USA), Master’s degree from Fudan University (China) and Ph. D.’s degree in Economics from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland).

Sergey Ryazansky

Russian Research Astronaut. Hero of the Russian Federation (guest speaker).

In 1996 Sergey graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in biochemistry.

In 1996 Sergey started working at the State Scientific Centre of the Russian Federation of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SSC RF—IBMP RAS) as a Junior Research Associate. By 2003 he was already in the position of Senior Research Associate, and the same year he was enlisted in the Cosmonaut Corps of the IBMP.

In 2005 Sergey received the qualification certificate of a cosmonaut-researcher at the meeting of the Inter-Departmental Qualification Committee.

In the end of 2010 Sergey was conferred the qualification of the test cosmonaut at the Inter-Departmental Qualification Committee meeting and accepted to the Cosmonaut Corps of Yu. A. Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Centre Federal State Organisation for the position of a test cosmonaut.

Sergey holds the title of Honoured Test Engineer of Space Hardware. In spring 2009, he was the commander of the Mars-500 project crew, which took part in the 105-day isolation experiment.

Sergey was awarded the Yu. A. Gagarin medal and the M. S. Ryazansky medal by the Cosmonautics Federation of Russia, a NASA certificate for his personal contribution to the Bion-11 international project, and a diploma for significant contribution to the international 240-day simulation of flight to a space station (SFINCSS).

Sergey Glazyev

Minister for Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) (guest speaker)

Graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1983 with a degree in economics and cybernetics and did his graduate studies at the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Professor; associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 2000, academician since 2008.

1992 – 1993: Foreign Economic Relations Minister of the Russian Federation.

1994 – 1995: State Duma deputy of the first convocation, chairman of the Economic Policy Committee.

1996: Head of Economic Security Department of the Russian Federation Security Council Administration.

1996 – 1999: Head of Information Analysis Department of the Russian Federation Security Council.

2000 – 2003: State Duma deputy of the third convocation, chairman of Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Committee. In 2002 – 2003: member of the Credit Organisation and Financial Markets Committee.

2004 – 2007: State Duma deputy of the fourth convocation, member of Health Protection Committee and Budget and Taxes Committee.

November 2008 – present: Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC).

February 2009 – April 2012: Executive secretary of the Commission of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

June 2012 – present: Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

July 2012 – present: Presidential representative to the National Banking Council.

Authored more than 200 research papers; awarded Nikolai Kondratyev medal for a series of studies on long waves in economic development.

Recipient of the Order of Friendship.

Alexey Maslov

Orientalist, expert in the area of the Chinese civilization, cultural and political traditions, member of the European Association for Chinese Studies, the American Historical Association and the RANS. Doctor of Historical Sciences, Full Professor (guest speaker).

Alexey Maslov, PhD, a Professor, one of the leading scholars and expert in East Asian studies, recognized as one of the most prominent sinologists by Chinese Media. He is one of the leading experts in Russian-Chinese relations, offering consulting for biggest state and commercial corporations on cooperation with China, and engaged as an expert for state-level political and economic negotiations with East Asian countries.

He is a member of Russian-Chinese state-level committees for educational cooperation, member of the Executive Board of Russian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

He is and official representative of Russia in APEC human resources development working group.

He was associate professor in State University of New York (2004-2005), Colorado State University (2000-2001) and visiting professor in Leeds, Cambridge, Heidelberg universities. He served as an advisor for the Minister of Higher Education of Russia from 2000-2004, co-head of the working group for establishing Shanghai Cooperation organization network University (2008-2012).

Vladimir Remyga

Doctor of Science, RANS academician, Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the International Congress of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (guest speaker)

Remyga Vladimir graduated from the Moscow State University, faculty of economics, PhD.

Mr. Remyga many times visited China including the first visit of soviet economists to China (1984). After that scholars in Russian started to research economic reforms in China. He was appointed the Head of the research department in this field.

He was co-organizer and secretary of the first Russian-Chinese Forum on researching reforms in our countries (1990), Investment and banking Forum in Hongkong and Taipei (1997), Russian-Chinese banking forums etc.

He was an active participant in the number of Russian-Chinese projects.

Currently he is the General Manager of International Strategic Innovation & Technology Alliance, Member of the board of directors of Eurasian Economic community, Center for high-tech technologies, Science adviser of Russian-Chinese Financial and Economic Center of Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Coordination Council for Cooperation with business associations of Asia (International Congress of industrialists and entrepreneurs).

Ruslan Pukhov

Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (guest speaker)

In 1994 Ruslan Pukhov graduated from Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the international information department.

In 1996, he completed the French-Russian Master’s degree program for the political sciences and foreign relations.

In 1997, he became the head of the Strategies and Technologies Analysis Center created by him. He is the author of multiple publications on the military and technical cooperation of the Russian Federation with other states, the defense policy of the state, and the process of military reform in Russia. He regularly gives the comments as an expert in these spheres in the Russian and foreign mass media. He participated in the meetings of Valdai international discussion club many times.

Since 2006, he is a member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Defense of the RF.

Since 2012, he is a member of the Expert Council of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Expert Council of the Chairman of the Military and Industrial Commission of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Since 2015, he is the COO of the Russian Armorers Union.