Lausanne, Moscow, June 16, 2020. – The Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland has published the well-respected World Competitiveness Ranking 2020 (WCR). The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO is the Russian Partner Institute for the IMD’s World Competitiveness Center, providing data from national sources to compile the Ranking.

The Ranking was based on the combined responses in Q1 2020 from business executives on questions about how they perceive their country’s economy and hard data from 2019. Economies are ranked on economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure, with five sub-factors within each of these four categories. According to the results of the Ranking, there is a trend of the current strength of many small economies. Their effectiveness has become much more noticeable on the international scale.

Singapore has retained its number one position for the second year in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2020 (WCR) for the second year in a row. It is followed in top-5 by Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Hong Kong SAR. Russia has lowered its position in the Rating from 45th to 50th place.

Professor Christos Cabolis, Chief Economist, IMD World Competitiveness Center:

“By the end of 2019 the global economy was already starting to look shaky, and Russia's declining exports was one of the first tangible signs of this. Business sentiment, measured through our Executive Opinion Survey, also showed small declines across the board. However, with its large internal market many of Russia's long-term indicators such as health, education, research and business finance continued to show stability. This resilience bodes well for Russia's rebound from the current situation.”

Vladimir Korovkin, Professor of practice at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO notes:

"In today's globalized and interconnected world, international competitiveness is a key factor for countries' strategic success. Russia still shows an ambiguous picture: with such strengths as a large domestic market and a high level of education, it loses first of all in the strength and effectiveness of institutions — common rules by which economic life is organized. It is in the area of institutional development that the key to the strategic success of the Russian economy lies."

Singapore's success factors are its strong economic performance in international trade and investment, employment, and labour market measures. Stable indicators in the education system, technological infrastructure — telecommunications, Internet bandwidth and high-tech exports also play a key role.

Denmark has excelled in international investment and productivity, and the country has become a European flag carrier in terms of business efficiency. In addition, Denmark has a positive assessment of the level of health and education.

Switzerland continues to move forward in the Ranking. Sustainable international trade affects high economic indicators. Scientific infrastructure, health care and education systems demonstrate stable indicators.

For the second year in a row, the USA failed to return to the top spot in the Ranking, — 10th in 2020 and 3rd in 2019. Trade wars have damaged both the USA and Chinese economies, changing their positive growth. China has dropped to 20th position this year from 14th last year.

According to the Ranking in terms of infrastructure, East Asia is the leader in technological and scientific infrastructure, while Western Europe leads the regional rankings in sub-factors of health, environment and education.

The analysis of economic indicators shows that North America and East Asia are performing well in terms of international investment and employment.

About the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking. Now in its 32nd year, it supplies data on 63 economies and works with a variety of governmental and private sector Partner Institutes to do so. It is a renowned global authority on competitiveness with libraries, governmental agencies, research centers and media outlets relying on its data on an ongoing basis. More information about the Rating here: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About IMD — The Institute for Management Development (IMD) is an independent academic institution with Swiss roots and global reach, founded almost 75 years ago by business leaders for business leaders. Since its creation, IMD has been a pioneering force in developing leaders who transform organizations and contribute to society. Based in Lausanne (Switzerland) and Singapore, IMD has been ranked in the top three of the FT’s annual Executive Education Global Ranking for the last nine consecutive years and in the top five for 17 consecutive years. Our MBA and EMBA programs have repeatedly been singled out among the best in Europe and the world.

The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO is one of the leading private business schools in Russia and the CIS. It was founded in 2006 by members of the business community. The school’s founding partners are 8 Russian and multinational firms and 11 individuals, each a leader of Russian business. Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO offers programmes for businesses of any type and size – from startups to large multinational corporations.

Moscow school of management SKOLKOVO has one of the most prestigious international accreditation EQUIS EFMD. The School is the official member of the GNAM Association, which unites 30 leading business schools from around the world, and the international network of the world's best business schools GBSN. In 2020, SKOLKOVO became the only one in Eastern Europe to be ranked in the Financial Times top 50 for corporate programs, and the gold medalist of the EFMD Excellence in Practice 2020 international business case competition.

About the Case

In 2013, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO launched an educational programme titled Practicum for Managing Owners of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.

The Association of Entrepreneurship Development “SKOLKOVO Community” also supported the programme. For 7 years, the Practicum has been focusing on business thinking, thus helping managing business owners, CEOs and their top teams to rebuild business models and transform the business through work on a personal project in an environment of like-minded people. By June 2020, the number of graduates will have exceeded 700 people from 75 cities and 11 countries.

Over these 7 years, the programme has been providing insights for entrepreneurs from most Russian industries: construction, retail, IT, finances, logistics and services for business as well as FMCG, HoReCa, metal production, automotive and agricultural sectors.

Participants complete the programme with projects of different scale and type and are willing to recommend it to other entrepreneurs. NPS, or willingness to recommend the programme, is 9.2 out of 10. 70% of potential programme participants join the programme based on recommendations of the graduates, and the number of participants grows steadily.

SKOLKOVO Practicum programme graduates stay in touch with the School, and we rejoice at their success. 83% of them open new businesses and 34% launch new lines in the existing business. Many graduates become trendsetters for other entrepreneurs. On average, their companies’ turnovers increase from 20 to 60%.

Professors and experts are an essential resource for programme participants. Among them are business practitioners Alexander Tildikov, Aleksey Komarov, Gennady Stankevich who analyse and share their experience and teach how to use the tools in real business practice effectively. The programme unites a team of educational designers-professors, including methodologists, moderators, role players, experts, and entrepreneurs. They do not just transfer the knowledge but help change the mode of thinking, teach on how to create models, schemes and build new expertise and solutions.

SKOLKOVO Practicum programme allows participants to develop a personal business scheme thoughtfully and safely.

Graduates in the Practicum Programme’s Case:

Irina Palchikova, managing business owner of Russian Bespoke—production of customized furniture—and a Practicum-14 graduate.

She increased her business turnover by 33%, from 180 to 240 M rubles per year. The number of employees increased from 50 to 70 people. Irina Palchikova opened her own store, participated in international exhibitions, and started a business project in Qatar.

Denis Dobryakov, founder of Artskils—production and marketing of customized gifts and souvenirs through own online shop—and a Practicum-13 graduate.

Denis Dobryakov has become an investor in two companies, raised investments in three companies and switched from production to IT—established an IT startup called Eggheads. The entrepreneur has raised his annual turnover from 70 to 310 M rubles.

Andrei Sharonov, President of Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO:
“For the last 7 years, the Practicum programme team has been helping entrepreneurs build business processes and develop their business. The Programme’s objective was to provide entrepreneurs with new and practical knowledge and a set of necessary tools. We were constantly changing and modifying the programme, and the programme was growing and developing just as our participants were. As the number of success cases of the graduates increased, the programme gained major attention from the Russian society of entrepreneurs. Today, we are proud to win one of the main international business case competitions—EFMD Excellence in Practice Awards—and get high appreciation of our efforts. I thank the Practicum programme team for ambition, patient work and desire to move forward”.

Elena Bondarenko, General Producer of Small and Medium-Sized Business Programmes of Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO:
“From the first day of the Practicum programme, we set out to develop an educational ecosystem for entrepreneurs—a specific environment for communication, exchange of ideas, support and development. We had to create it from scratch, put all the effort and time to accomplish this project and make it prominent in the market. Today, we see what our graduates have achieved, and we are confident that entrepreneurs can and should be educated in ecosystems. The EFMD Excellence in Practice 2020 award in the special category Ecosystem Development serves as a recognition of our efforts and another proof that our idea is correct”.

The Excellence in Practice Awards annual competition of cases recognizes the best achievements in business education and organizational development as well as efficient partnerships between educational institutions and corporations.

This year, other winners of the competition, apart from SKOLKOVO Business School, include Unilever Brasil Industrial & Fundação Dom Cabral (Brasil), oil and gas company Pertamina, INSEAD (France), Deloitte, Tjitra and Associates Consulting & Bob Aubrey Associates, Standard Bank, Gordon Institute of Business Science (RSA) and Henley Business School (UK), ArcelorMittal and EF Education First.

The full list of 2020 FMD Excellence in Practice Awards winners is available at the Association’s website. The winners will be invited to the online EFMD Executive Development Conference which is scheduled for October 21-23, 2020.

Programme background:

SKOLKOVO Practicum programme is aimed at development of business thinking and transformation of business in ever-changing environment. The programme design includes 5 modules: market, client, product, business model and resources. Participants investigate their own business based on these topics. SKOLKOVO Practicum includes 5 months of education: 5 educational modules, 3-4 weeks of intermodular work developed according to an individual accompanying track.

EFMD is an international association uniting business schools, corporate universities, consulting companies and employers’ associations. Its objective is to establish quality standards in business education. EFMD has been existing for over 30 years and unites over 900 institutions in 86 countries. Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and EFMD started cooperation in 2009, and in spring 2017 the business school has become a full-fledged member of the Association.

Additional materials:

EFMD Excellence in Practice Awards (EiP) (.pdf)

The youngest in the world ranking, the School outranks University of St Gallen (Switzerland), Cranfield (UK) and Chicago Booth (USA, Hong Kong, UK).

“For the first time, our school features in the FT world ranking and is among the top 50 for custom and open-enrolment programmes. This is a great success for a 15-year-old business school and a credit to the custom programmes team that has succeeded in building unique relationships with customers - the largest Russian companies in all sectors who believe that human development is today’s most important competitive edge,” said Andrey Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

АFT experts note that clients of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO “praise the quality of courses and the mix of western teachers and Russian practitioners with a good understanding of the local environment”.

SKOLKOVO Business School is 62nd out of 75 schools in the ranking of open-enrolment courses.

SKOLKOVO Business School is fourth in the custom ranking and first in the open ranking for revenue growth 2019 and is in the top five for oversees modules of open-enrolment courses.

The FT ranking is based on feedback from business school clients - participants of custom and open-enrolment programmes and criteria such as the number of overseas modules, programmes developed in cooperation with major world business schools, the faculty and its quality and others.

Marina Karban, Managing Director for Educational Programmes, Deputy Prorector for Coordination and Development of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, “The history of the School started with custom and open-enrolment programmes, and we are especially pleased that our rating history also started with these programmes. Our high rating was made possible by the whole custom and open-enrolment programmes team, professors and experts of the School. Thanks to the loyalty of our clients and students, we can develop a unique partnership and introduce the principle of co-creation for co-development between companies and the School, which is increasingly important during the crisis. I’m certain that together we will adopt new programmes, formats and methods to further consolidate our position in the world.”

Links to Financial Times rankings:

World ranking
Combined ranking of custom and open-enrolment programmes

All the educational modules (with the exception of those that are currently taking place at the School), public events, panel discussions, and intraschool activities have been postponed until April 19. The hotels and sports centres on the campus will temporarily cancel their activities.

Andrey Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO:
"We appreciate the trust of the students, staff, professors and guests of the School. In the current situation, the safety and health of everybody comes to the fore. Performing in line with the orders of Regional and Federal authorities, we have suspended activities at our campus, but remain online. The School team will continue to work on new programmes and current educational formats, plan new events for all members of the community."

Business schools and universities in most countries of Europe and the United States have stopped full-time programmes, some of them offer students to study online.

Evgeny Kaganer, Dean for Academic Affairs of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO:
“Experiments with new educational formats, including online, have been relevant for leading business schools and universities around the world in recent years. In my opinion, the current situation in the world will serve as an additional motivation to develop educational innovations, focus on new approaches to the formation of programmes and working with a dispart audience. The forced and temporary suspension of full-time work at the SKOLKOVO Business School opens up the possibility for us to launch several multi-modal and distance learning pilots.”

We will inform you about all next procedures at the SKOLKOVO Business School and the dates of the postponed educational programmes and events.

Order of the Mayor of Moscow dated March 16th, 2020 (in Russian)

GNAM was founded in 2012 and brings together business schools from diverse regions, cultures and economies at different phases of development. One of the objectives of the association is to foster the development of communications and connections between the professors, students and employees of these schools, in order to better understand each other and resolve global challenges together. Detailed cooperation makes it possible to conduct large-scale research, perform joint educational programmes and hold networking events.

According to GNAM Founder and Chairman, Yale Professor Edward Snyder: “We are delighted to expand our network into Russia by including the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO as our newest member. The SKOLKOVO Business school is on an impressive globalization trajectory which includes international accreditation, building global connections with premier business schools and increasing the diversity of its faculty and students. Our 30 member global network is enthusiastic about including the SKOLKOVO Business School, with its focus on Eurasia, in our many student oriented programs”.

Andrey Sharonov, President of Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, comments: “GNAM is the most exclusive club of leading global business schools, and it is an honour for us to become a fully-fledged member of this community. This provides our students and alumni with an opportunity to interact with representatives of global businesses, and our professors and experts to carry out joint research projects. In turn, as a proactive entrepreneurial school, we are ready to participate actively in the activities of the association and share our expertise.”

Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO is one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial private business schools in Russia and the CIS, which was founded on the initiative of the business community in 2006. The school’s partner founders include 10 Russian and international companies, 10 individuals – acknowledged leaders of Russian business. In summer 2019 Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO received EQUIS EFMD, one of the most prestigious international accreditation systems - only 1% of leading international business schools have received such accreditation.

UNICON is a global consortium whose members are the world leaders for executive education. Its major efforts include joint conferences, surveys, educational evaluation and exchange of best practices, professional development for teaching teams, information sharing, and broader partnerships to enable UNICON to always stay at the forefront of executive education.

Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO has been a UNICON member since 2010. It is an annual participant of the UNICON Directors Conference and a contributor to the UNICON Membership Benchmarking Survey.

Earlier this year, on April 24-26, 2019, the campus of Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO hosted the global UNICON Directors Conference. This major annual event took part in Russia for the first time ever and was a result of intensive three-year consultations. It was attended by 78 executive education leaders from 53 world top business schools, including MIT Sloan School of Management, Berkeley, University of California, HEC Paris, IMD, Cranfield School of Management, Singapore Management University, HKUST, BI Norwegian Business School, CEIBS, Columbia University, IE Business School, IESE, IBS India, etc. The mission of the Directors Conference is to discuss the most pertinent challenges and future prospects of executive education and share the best practices in providing educational programmes.

Marina Karban has been developing SKOLKOVO Custom Programmes for 10 years. She has been acting as the leader of the Executive Education since 2015 and is responsible for selling, building and delivering custom and public programmes for both Russian and international corporations, which have been historically a fundamentally important segment in the business school’s overall portfolio.

The Executive Education offers custom programmes to a number of corporate customers, including Roscosmos State Corporation, URSC, JSC, Multon, JSC, Unilever, Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corporation, Russian Railways, JSC, Rossetti, PJSC, VTB Bank (PJSC), Gazprom Neft, PJSC, MTS, PJSC, Rostelecom, PJSC, SIBUR Holding, PJSC, etc., while the number of students has risen to 22,000.

The simulator was developed by the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and translated into Arabic language specially for Jordan, followed by an adaption to its economic, demographic and social characteristics. It is planned that by the end of the year the training instrument will be transferred to the state level for independent use.

The computer simulator «Managing VET institution» is a simulation system that fully demonstrate the work of the modern college. Assuming head roles, training participants, working in teams, analyze various characteristics, make management decisions and compete for leading positions in the market of educational services.

By completion the computer training, participants will get a «helicopter view» of how a modern VET institution functions, get acquainted with the best world practices and business cases, and experience making decisions in a rapidly changing economic realities and labour markets.

Today the computer simulator «Managing VET Institution» is available in 8 languages and has been used in 6 countries. The uniqueness and adaptability of the tool is confirmed by its use in numerous international educational courses of partners, such as International training center in Turin (ITCILO), the Brazilian SENAI, the Luxembourg LuxDev, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, UNIDO, Cinterfor (Latin America) and UNDP. By the end of the year, simulator-based training will take place in Vietnam and Morocco.

Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and the Chairman of the International Advisory Board, congratulated the school on receiving the international EQUIS EFMD accreditation: “It is indeed a rare accomplishment achieved by only around 1% of all global schools, which places SKOLKOVO alongside with the acknowledged world leaders and confirms its high international standards of education. That was the goal we set for the School when discussing its establishment.”

According to the Prime Minister, today the School can be fairly considered the largest private business school in Russia and Eastern Europe.

“I hope it is known for its progressive educational methods and global perspective. For many people, studying here was one of the main steps towards success. It is a place where famous professors teach alongside with the leaders of business,” said Dmitry Medvedev.

The International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO includes the representatives of both Russian and international businesses, as well as public and political figures who provide strategic advice and are actively involved in the development of the School’s educational and research agenda.

During the IAB meeting, the participants discussed global trends and analysed best practices of developing new-generation leaders and managers. Speakers of the event included Jay Nibbe, EY Global Vice Chair, Mark Sutton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of International Paper, and Ann Cairns, Executive Vice Chairman at Mastercard.

The participants of the meeting also talked about developing opportunities for entrepreneurs and companies that had already succeeded in Russia and strove to enter international market. In autumn 2019, the School, together with the Russian Export Centre, launched the Exporters 2.0 programme for SMEs that are working to expand their markets and build up export strategies for Europe, Asia and America.

“We know how much this business area of focus means for the Russian Government. We want to steadily develop non-resource export and help Russian entrepreneurs find new markets,” said Andrey Sharonov, President of the SKOLKOVO business school.

During IAB meeting two partnership agreements were signed. The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and International Paper extended their three-year cooperation agreement for the third time, which means they will carry on with the joint research and educational projects, support the development of the Business School’s Campus infrastructure and SKOLKOVO MBA grant programme.

Mark Sutton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of International Paper, a member of the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO: “Nine years ago International Paper began this journey with SKOLKOVO Business School. We signed our Today we signed our third Memorandum of Understanding for the next 3 years of this strategic partnership with the School to support SKOLKOVO in further delivering world class business education programs in areas such as strategic leadership, sustainability and talent development. For International Paper, sustainability and the responsible use of natural resources are a core value and I applaud SKOLKOVO’s increasing focus on sustainability. Through our partnership with the School, we are proud to be providing knowledge and skills that the leaders of today and tomorrow will need to succeed in the global business world.”

The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO also signed a three-year agreement on strategic partnership in education with PepsiCo. The cooperation between the two companies entails supporting and conducting joint events aimed at the development of business education and research projects.

Ramon Laguarta, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of PepsiCo and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO: “At PepsiCo, we invest in more environmentally-friendly solutions and scenarios that can help decrease the level of pollution. It is an honour for us to become a partner of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO. We hope to create joint projects that will contribute to the development of people and the region.”

SKOLKOVO Business School and Indian School of Business have agreed to jointly develop educational modules for executive training, as well as other special programmes in the area of business education with particular focus on the leading companies and corporate institutions in India, Russia and other countries. Business schools also intend to exchange faculty to conduct joint academic and analytical research as well as to develop the connections between the alumni communities of the two schools representing the entire spectrum of business and corporate circles in Russia and India.

In particular, ISB and SKOLKOVO Business School agreed to jointly develop EMBA for Eurasia, Practicum Global Shift, India Inside, Russia Deep Dive and other educational programmes for entrepreneurs and executives. In the framework of the partnership, the parties will jointly create business cases that highlight the characteristics of entrepreneurial ecosystems in India and Russia and reflect the practical specifics of doing business in both countries. The parties intend to join their efforts in such perspective areas of business education as innovation and entrepreneurship, digital transformation, training executives to be educators, corporate governance, family business, governance for educational institutions and others.

Andrey Sharonov, President of SKOLKOVO Business School:
“India is going through a major transformation of business and society. The diversity of this country, the rate of its economic growth, internationally recognized achievements in such areas as information technology, the automotive industry, pharmaceuticals or creative sphere, the developing human capital – all this attracts entrepreneurs from all over the world who are eager to study India, learn from India and work in India. We strive to raise awareness of these changes among Russian entrepreneurs, and by establishing a strategic partnership with Indian School of Business (ISB) - the No. 1 business school in India, we can offer our Russian corporate and government clients, as well as foreign students, the opportunity to better understand India as a market, and as partner and to look at this country as an example of aspirations and changes. Given the scope of the opportunities that are opening up, this is only the beginning of our work”.

Rajendra Srivastava, Dean of Indian School of Business:
“India and Russia have always been strategically close. By joining forces with the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, we are building another bridge between India and Russia, which will help Russian and Indian businessmen and politicians to understand each other better and to learn to work together in Russia, India and around the world. We are convinced that this raising of awareness and mutual interest pave the way for joint business for the common good. We are very inspired by the real international vision and the ability of the SKOLKOVO Business School to work with both managers in the public sector and with entrepreneurs. We look forward to working together as a strong association in a global network of business education that connects people and ideas around the world”.

Indian School of Business (ISB) is one of the leading world-class business schools in Asia. According to the 2019 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking, Indian School of Business is 24th in the world, 4th in Asia and number 1 in India. The school has two campuses, located in Hyderabad and Mohali. Hyderabad is widely known for its advanced technological and scientific infrastructure, achievements in the field of innovation and business. The school is supported by large Indian and international entrepreneurs, private corporations and foundations. ISB is accredited by both AACSB and EQUIS, and is a member of the Global Business School Network (GBSN).

Indian School of Business (ISB) aims to educate young leaders with a deep understanding of emerging economies and global economic processes through innovative training programmes, highly qualified faculty and intellectual leadership.

Indian School of Business (ISB) has partnerships with the London Business School, Wharton School of Business, Kellogg School of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management, Tufts Fletcher School and is part of the SKOLKOVO IEMS international network, which also includes SKOLKOVO Business School and HKUST.

The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO is one of the leading private business schools in Russia and the CIS, founded in 2006 on the initiative of the business community. The founding partners of the school include 10 Russian and international companies and 11 private individuals, leaders of Russian business. The range of educational programmes including development of businesses from startups to large corporations entering international markets. The business school has international accreditation by EQUIS EFMD and is also a member of the Global Business School Network (GBSN).

HKUST and IMD are academic partners of the SKOLKOVO Business School in implementing joint educational programmes.

The business school began working with HKUST in 2018 to launch the double-degree HKUST-SKOLKOVO ЕМВА for Eurasia programme, creating the opportunity for educational activities across 7 countries. In the autumn of the same year, the SKOLKOVO Business School partnered with IMD for the LIFT (Leadership Identity Foundation and Transformation) programme.

HKUST and IMD are global leaders in business education. Over the past several years, their programmes have been ranked first in the Financial Times: the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA programme currently tops the list of Executive MBAs, while IMD has ranked #1 in the world for Open Programs for the 8th consecutive year in 2019.

The International Advisory Board provides strategic advice, guides and informs the business school’s development. The Board is chaired by Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. The Advisory Board of the SKOLKOVO Business School comprises highly respected representatives of large companies, as well as prominent public and political figures, both Russian and international.

GBSN is a nonprofit organization that connects business schools, industry and nonprofits to foster knowledge sharing and collaboration to benefit business education in the developing world. More than 70 top business schools spanning six continents are members of the organization, including IMD, IESE Business School, INSEAD, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, MIT Sloan School of Management, Columbia Business School, University of St. Gallen (HSG).

Dan LeClair, CEO of the Global Business School Network: "I am excited that the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO has joined other top business schools in pursuing the GBSN vision, which is for the developing world to have the management talent it needs to generate prosperity. The institution's emphasis on entrepreneurship and sustainability will be a significant part of our work in the network".

GBSN works with member schools to offer opportunities for international exchange, research with cross-border connections and spreading best practice throughout the network.

Marat Atnashev, Dean of Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO: "This is excellent news for SKOLKOVO Business School highlighting one of our key principles – openness to the world, and demonstrating our commitment to deliver world class business education combined with local relevance. We joined a club of just about a hundred top business schools worldwide. The Global Business School Network is a great opportunity for SKOLKOVO to provide global connectivity to our key partners and clients, program participants, faculty, researchers and wider community".

"I would like to wholeheartedly congratulate you on receiving the EQUIS EFMD accreditation — a significant accomplishment of which only one per cent of the world’s business schools can boast.

Today, SKOLKOVO is a household name, a leader in training the best managerial teams for business and government, and now one of the three youngest business schools to have been highly commended by the European Foundation for Management Development.

SKOLKOVO’s reputation as a leading entrepreneurial school is supported by the high quality and ingenuity of its educational programmes, its groundbreaking research, the prestige of its faculty, which includes world-renowned scientists, experts and practitioners, and, most importantly, by the fact that the school’s graduates become globally sought-after specialists of the highest calibre thanks to the knowledge and skills they acquire".

SKOLKOVO Business School has received the international accreditation EQIUS EFMD - European Foundation for Management Development on June 11, 2019.

Dmitry Medvedev has been the Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO since 2006. The Board brings together representatives of large companies and the most active public and political figures from Russia or other countries. The Board provides strategic advice and determines the further development of the business school.

EQUIS accreditation is administered by EFMD* and is one of the most prestigious international accreditations for premier international business schools. Today, only 182 of the 15,000 business schools in the world (approximately 1%) are EQUIS-accredited.

Marat Atnashev, Dean of SKOLKOVO Business School:
“13 years ago, representatives of the Russian and international business communities put their trust in the idea of establishing a new type of business school in Russia. In the intervening years, the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO has transformed from a sketch on a napkin into the largest private business school in Russia and the CIS to have been awarded the most sought-after international accreditation. Receiving EQUIS accreditation marks a new milestone in the school’s history. It serves as a validation of the direction we chose years ago and opens new doors for further development.”

Prof. Steven DeKrey, International Academic Council Chairman of SKOLKOVO Business School
“I’m proud that SKOLKOVO Business School joined an elite group of EQUIS accredited business schools around the world. Earning EQUIS accreditation is a testament to the high quality of the programs, faculty and students and it puts SKOLKOVO among very top schools in Europe and among leading schools globally.”

Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO ranks among the three youngest business schools to have successfully completed the complex accreditation process, and has become Russia’s first private business school to receive EQUIS accreditation.

* The European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) is an international not-for-profit association, Europe's largest network association in the field of management development. It has over 890 member organizations from academia, business, public service and consultancy in 88 countries. EFMD’s key objective is to regulate issues surrounding business education, assist in the development of educational institutions, and establish standards for the quality of business education by creating a uniform assessment system. Cooperation between the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and EFMD began in 2009, and the business school received full membership of the association in spring 2017.

The Convention programme was designed for two days: Friday was a day of study, while Saturday was devoted to networking, sports, and alumni’s achievements.

The most significant events of the Convention included:

• discussions, workshops, industry dialogues—more than 25 activities organised by the Business School professors, practitioners, and alumni;
• Speakers Night with Alexei Yagudin, a famous Russian figure skater;
• graduation ceremony;
• talk shows and SKOLKOVO Alumni Awards ceremony with Andrei Sharonov and Natalya Barshchevskaya, an alumna of the first SKOLKOVO Executive MBA programme;

Life Long Learning for Alumni

It was the first time when all educational activities were concentrated in one day of the Convention. On May 31, more than 200 alumni decided to come to the classrooms as students again.

Andrei Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, welcomed the alumni:
“I am very happy to see all of you here, at the VI SKOLKOVO Alumni Convention. This year, the first graduates of two new programmes— Master in Public Strategy and Executive Coaching—will receive their diplomas. This speaks to the fact that the Business School continues to grow, is interesting to people, and offers educational projects to various target groups. I congratulate all the graduates from the bottom of my heart! I am confident that you have new projects and new discoveries ahead of you, and I hope you will come back to SKOLKOVO to participate in new meetings and programmes.”

The day continued with a lecture delivered by Yuri Deygin from Youthereum Genetics, Stanislav Skakun from Biodata Group, and Alexei Moskalev, the author of more than 60 publications in the field of ageing genetics. Afterwards, during the Live 150+ panel discussion, doctors and nutritionists told the audience about the longevity innovations.

Valentin Marchenko, a representative of the SKOLKOVO China Unit, gave advice on how to enter the Chinese market and explained the meaning of an innovation ecosystem. Later, the delegation of the Jinan City Government gave a detailed talk on the business opportunities for Russian entrepreneurs in China. Artem Azevich, a representative of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), presented an analysis of IT business cases about rapid entry of companies to foreign markets.

The leaders of the SKOLKOVO research centres dispelled some common myths about investment and taught those present how to invest competently. The Investors Club of the SKOLKOVO Business School, together with Vitaly Polekhin, President of the National Business Angels Association, Alexey Goryachev, an investment banker and business angel, and Mikhail Broitman, a co-founder of Vardanyan, Broitman & Partners LLC, made an investment assessment of the projects. Elena Vitchak and Andrei Shishakov, SKOLKOVO professors, spoke about various aspects of business and personal growth. Svetlana Mironyuk, Professor of Business Practice, shared her valuable experience on how to build a career path these days through business education. Viktor Shkipin, Professor of Business Practice, and Alex Mikerov from Total Nutz conducted a workshop teaching how to break the moulds in creative work.

Alexander Voloshin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, together with Marat Atnashev, its Dean, had a meeting with alumni where they spoke about cooperation between business and the government. Sergei Gradirovskiy, Academic Director of the Master in Public Strategy programme, talked to the programme graduates as well as finalists and winners of the Leaders of Russia contest about the strategy of national and social development.

SKOLKOVO alumni organised an impressive number of activities. They talked about the interrelationship between business and law, the secrets of success of business dynasties, discussed the topic of sustainable development and responsible consumption, and argued about how to make correct decisions in difficult situations.

The SKOLKOVO Club of Independent Directors held a panel discussion titled “Responsibility of Directors, Shareholders, and Beneficiaries: New Russian Realities”. Grigory Sverdlin from Nochlezhka told the audience about the influence of behavioural economics on an individual, while Anton Khodarev, Adviser at Agrokom Group, a SKOLKOVO EMBA alumnus, shared his secrets of achieving success in tough negotiations.

During the Alumni Talks event, SKOLKOVO graduates briefly presented themselves and answered questions. Four mentor sessions from Ruben Vardanyan were awarded.

The Speakers Nights with Alexei Yagudin, a famous Russian figure skater, Olympic champion and Honoured Master of Sports of Russia, finished the formal part of the day. The recording of the meeting is available on the SKOLKOVO Business School’s page on Facebook.

New Members of the SKOLKOVO Alumni Community

This year’s graduation ceremony, held as part of the Convention, was the largest of all similar events in the history of the Business School in terms of the number of participants—300 people joined the SKOLKOVO Alumni Community. Now, one of the country’s most active business communities consists of 2,200 members. It was the first time when diplomas were awarded to Master in Public Strategy and Executive Coaching programme participants. Andrei Sharonov, President of the SKOLKOVO Business School, was among the graduates of the Executive Coaching programme.

A traditional welcoming speech was made by Viktor Semenov, Chairman of Belaya Dacha Group Supervisory Board:
“I would like to congratulate you all on the completion of a stressful but very important stage of your life. Not only did you make the effort to come to the business school but also came off with flying colours. With the passing of the years, you will come to understand that it is not only a wealth of knowledge but also friendships, contacts, and partnerships you have picked up from the studies. But the most important thing is that you should try to do everything with love if you want to be truly successful, because even justice is unjust without love. You should love what you do, the people you work with, the land you work on. I know that you will all succeed in everything you lay your hands to!”

SKOLKOVO Alumni Awards

The evening festivities of June 1 continued with presentation of the SKOLKOVO Alumni Awards, a traditional event where the Business School alumni celebrate the achievements of their colleagues. The winners of the year 2019 included:

• Alexey Nekhaev and Artem Ginevsky, in the #LifeLongLearning category;
• Maria Vasilkova, Vice-President of SEGEZHA GROUP, in the Career of the Year category;
• Evgeny Nifantyev, NEOPHARM Group, and Yana Pryanikova, DIVO ALTAYA, in the Own Business category;
• Dmitry Shmatkov, FRIENDS CUP, and Edgar Polkin, Alumni Union, in the Together We Are Stronger category;
• Guli Bazarova with the SKOLKOVO Women Association and Yuri Mitin with the SKOLKOVO Sailing Club Association in the Club of the Year category;
• Aleksei Shubaev, AgroDokhod, in the Startup of the Year category;
• Patrons Club in the Mentor of the Year category;
• Dana Kosyak, ArgoNautic Surf-Station (a school of surfing in Batumi), in the Junior of the Year category;
• Daria Alekseeva, Charity Shop, Irina Nikolskaya, POP UP MUSEUM, and Yuri Belonoshchenko, Kid Friendly, in the Social Project of the Year category;
• Tatiana Sokolova with the project for development of Torzhok, in the Philanthropist of the Year category;
• Tatyana Gorokhovskaya, Siberian Wellness, and Andrei Shelomentsev, WayRay, in the International Breakthrough of the Year category;
• Guli Bazarova, in the Ambassador of the Year category.

We express our gratitude to EY and personally to Alexander Ivlev for participating in the jury panel of the SKOLKOVO Alumni Awards and also for the special prize for the winner in the Startup of the Year category.

The winners of the SKOLKOVO Alumni Awards were presented with prizes and gifts:

• coaching from the Executive Coaching alumni;
• tickets for participation in Atlanty Russian Business Forum;
• certificates from Romanov Dvor Business Centre;
• a training course in creating presentations from Bonnie & Slide Presentations Academy;
• tickets to Bosco Fresh Fest 2019 from Bosco di Ciliegi;
• sets of cosmetics from Siberian Wellness;
• certificates from Green Flow Hotel;
• beautiful gifts from Cartier Jewellery House.

The partners and sponsors of the Convention also included MasterСard international payment system, BDO Audit and Consulting Group, Internet Initiatives Development Foundation (IIDF), Marie Claire magazine, Organika Health Products, and PRO TRENER Fitness Club of the SKOLKOVO Business School.

The Business School thanks Alun Chatbot for organising the AMBASSADORS PRE PARTY.

Accelerating Russia: The Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF)

This collaboration between professors from the SKOLKOVO Business School and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) focuses on the establishment of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), its growth model and key objectives. The case study offers an insight into the specifics and challenges of entrepreneurship in emerging markets, the state’s role in developing ecosystems and encouraging innovation, and the performance indicators of start-up accelerators. The man at the helm of the IIDF, Kirill Varlamov, a Russian techpreneur, is himself an alumnus of the SKOLKOVO Business School.

Authors:

J.T. Li, Senior Professor of Management at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

Tomas Casas, Professor of Macroeconomics, Director of the SKOLKOVO EMBA and MBA International Module in China, Professor at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and University of Toronto, Canada.

Ekaterina Gerasimova, Researcher at the SKOLKOVO Business School.

MediaRus — a case study analysing the challenges of corporate governance by examining the involvement of management board members in a state-owned company

This joint HKUST–SKOLKOVO case study tells the story of MediaRus’s establishment and development. The company’s history reflects the evolving role of the Board of Directors and their movement away from the stakeholder model of corporate governance towards the shareholder model. The case study discusses the role of independent directors in the management board of a Russian state-owned corporation, gives a sense of existing management practices and their evolution, and covers the key challenges that independent directors face today.

Authors:

Steven DeKrey, Senior Associate Dean and Adjunct Professor of Management at the HKUST Business School, Chairperson of the International Academic Council of the SKOLKOVO Business School.

Dmitry Yusov, a SKOLKOVO alumnus, Director of Standpoint, a consulting company. Dmitry boasts more than 8 years of experience working on Boards of Directors.

Yulia Ponomareva, Researcher at the SKOLKOVO Business School.

Most of the EMBA-28 students (86%) are male. The group includes specialists from 19 different industries: retail trade, mining, legal studies, logistics, construction, charity, investment, medicine, banks and finance, the public sector, heavy industry, IT, pharmaceuticals, and others.

The average managerial experience of the participants is 12 years, and their average age is 38 years.

The EMBA programme at SKOLKOVO business school gives top executives and managers an opportunity to acquire strategic knowledge, to gain an insight into innovations, as well as to make large-scale decisions. The module-based programme is designed to last 18 months.

Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) became the second pilot region selected to participate in the International Program to Strengthen TVET Systems and Labor Markets in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East. The educational program REGION-PROFI («Managing the changes in the VET system to strengthen regional economy») was launched in Yakutia, aiming to prepare change-management leaders in the system of secondary education that can implement effective organizational strategies and create modern educational programs. The educational program was developed by the SKOLKOVO Education Development Center. Program participants are directors, deputy directors, heads of divisions of the leading regional colleges. Training consists of 5 modules, 5 days each.

The program combines various training forms, including lectures by professors and experts, case studies, work with computer simulators like «Managing VET Institution» and a computer simulator for organizers of educational ecosystems. In addition, the program is used as a communication platform to establish the dialogue between key regional enterprises and VET schools aiming to build strong partnerships between colleges and regional businesses.

Program lecturers are Russian and international experts in the field of education management, new educational technologies, opinion leaders and leading professors of the SKOLKOVO business school. The key element of the program is group work that is guided by moderators and experts. As a result of group work, management teams prepare and defend strategic development projects for their educational institutions before the expert commission. At the end of the program, participants will present piloting results of the new innovative educational programs developed during their training.

«We have a rather positive perception of vocational education and training institutions in Yakutia. We hope that thanks to the strong leadership team of the Republic and carefully selected participants, we will be able to get interesting, unique results and launch innovative training programs that will bring the vocational education system and the Republic as a whole to a new level» - Valeria Dovgalskaya, Head of the International Program to Strengthen VET Systems and Labour Markets in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East

The key organizing partner in Yakutia is Vocational Education and Training Development Institute. The launch of the program took place on November 26, 2018 in Yakutsk State Agricultural Academy. Program guest-lecturers and experts included the Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Vladimir Solodov, the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Maya Danilova, as well as Russian and international experts in the field of digital economy, industry 4.0, regional economic development, development and management of innovative educational programs.

A similar educational program was implemented for VET management teams in Khabarovsk region. As a result, seven innovative training programs were developed and projects of change launched in the regional VET system.

ПThe first day of the programme was traditionally devoted to ice-breaker activities. The MBA-10 students gathered at the SKOLKOVO business school for the first time and took part in the Campus team building quest. In the evening, they attended a meeting with the business school management, as well as SKOLKOVO MBA-5, MBA-6, MBA-7, MBA-8 and MBA-9 alumni.

The 50 students of the new group, who arrived from 7 cities, represent 27 branches of business. 24% of the group are entrepreneurs and business owners, 76% are corporate employees and civil servants. The average age of the group participants is 31 years.

The new class includes those who won in the largest SKOLKOVO MBA grant programme (over 2 thousand applications from 110 cities and towns of Russia and other countries). Two grants of EUR 60,000 each were issued to programme participants to fully cover tuition fees—for the first time in the history of the business school. The competition was held with the support of International Paper, MasterCard, VEB, M.Video, Unilever, PJSC B&N BANK, PJSC NOVATEK, A1 Investment Company, PJSC Severstal, as well as entrepreneurs David Yakobashvili, Leonid Mikhelson, Alexander Tynkovan, Ruben Vardanyan, Sergei Popov, Nubar Afeyan, Dmitry Zimin, Filaret Galchev, and the Patrons Club of the SKOLKOVO business school.

The MBA students will have 17 intense training modules, including two international modules in Hong Kong and Silicon Valley, and the final leadership module in Kamchatka. They will meet leading international professors, Russian experts and practitioners, and will actively work with mentors from among the founding partners and the management of the School. The MBA-10 students will defend their final projects and receive diplomas in the spring of 2020.

“69 entrepreneurs from 67 companies operating in 10 regions of Russia took part in this year’s competition. Together, they provide jobs for more than 39,000 Russian citizens, and their total income exceeds RUB 500 billion,” says Alexander Ivlev, Managing Partner of EY in the CIS, head of the Entrepreneur of the Year international programme.

ТSergei Kolesnikov, co-founder, Managing Partner of TechnoNICOL corporation, and Igor Rybakov, co-founder, Managing Partner of TechnoNICOL corporation, who also won in the Industry category, received the title “Entrepreneur of the Year 2018”. In June 2019, they will be going to the international finals in Monte Carlo, Monaco, to represent Russia among the strongest representatives of business community from all over the world.

At the awards ceremony, winners were announced in 10 categories and special prizes were awarded to the finalists selected by an independent jury, who assessed the contestants based on criteria such as entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, financial performance of the company, growth dynamics, industry leadership, corporate social responsibility, etc.

“The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO has been a long-time partner of EY events aimed at promoting entrepreneurial initiatives. I am very proud that SKOLKOVO alumni traditionally are among the finalists and winners of the Entrepreneur of the Year international competition, during which leading Russian businessmen receive recognition for their contribution to the development of the national and global economy,” shared Andrei Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

Dmitry Volkov, a graduate of EMBA-2 at the SKOLKOVO business school, co-founder of Social Discovery Ventures, was announced the winner in the Business Online category. Vladimir Chirakhov, General Director of Detsky Mir Group, a graduate of EMBA-6 at the SKOLKOVO business school, was awarded a special title—Business Expert. Yana Pryanikova, CEO and managing owner of Divo Altaya LLC, a SKOLKOVO business school Practicum-11 graduate, and Denis Yudchits, CEO of Online Doctor, a SKOLKOVO MBA-4 graduate were also among the finalists of the 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year competition.

The jury of the 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year international competition in Russia included:

1. Andrei Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO;
2. Kirill Varlamov, CEO, Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF);
3. Alexei Komissarov, General Director of Russia—A Country of Possibilities Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation, Vice-Rector of the RANEPA;
4. Raisa Dyomina, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Pavlovskaya Sloboda Meat Processing Plant (Velcom);
5. Mikhail Kopeikin, Chairman of the Board of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Foundation, Professor of the Higher School of Economics National Research University;
6. Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco, President of Rostik Group;
7. Dmitry Purim, Director General, Sovfracht PJSC;
8. Alexei Repik, Chairman of the Board of Directors, R-Pharm Group;
9. Andrei Romanenko, founder and CEO of Evotor, co-founder of QIWI;
10. Oskar Hartmann, President, KupiVip Group;
11. David Yakobashvili, member of the Bureau of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The Entrepreneur of the Year® Award is rightfully regarded the most prestigious international competition in the area of entrepreneurship.

46 people have enrolled in the programme. They are from Krasnodar, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Vladimir, Smolensk, Izhevsk, Sochi, Kazan, Almaty, and London. Among them are business owners, CEOs and business angels who intend to develop their projects or start their own businesses from scratch. The average age of the participants is 33 years.

The training under the Startup Academy-19 programme will last 4 full days per month over 5 months. After each module, the participants will be able to apply their newly acquired knowledge in practice and share the results they have achieved with a personal coach and business practitioners. At the final stage of training at the Startup Academy-19, the participants will defend their projects during the Investor Day.

The process of study is expected to be very interesting: the participants represent 13 various business areas, have different experience and they are all eager to actively implement their business ideas.

The EMBA for Eurasia programme is the world’s first double-degree Executive MBA educational programme designed specifically for doing business effectively on the Eurasian continent. Upon completion of the programme, its graduates will receive diplomas from the two international business schools, and will become members of the Chinese and Russian business communities. The growing economic influence of Eurasia is one of the key trends defining the global economy. The new educational programme is expected to promote the emergence of new business projects as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“Partnership is the main principle underlying our programme. Together with the HKUST Business School, we will show how to bring business to new markets, to search for mutually beneficial forms of cooperation, to gain an insight into other cultures, and to adopt the best practices. All this requires building relationships based on trust and mutual respect.

The programme participants will have an opportunity to get a world-class education in a multicultural and multinational environment, to visit iconic international business schools, and also to personally meet people who are responsible for promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. From the bottom of my heart, I wish our students to make the most of this programme and use it for their personal development and the development of their companies,” said Andrei Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

The meeting was attended by Wei Shyy, President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Tomas Casas, Professor at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), Jack Lau, programme expert, technology entrepreneur, and Andrei Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

The programme formally starts in November 2018 on the SKOLKOVO business school Campus. The class will consist of 30 to 40 participants, representing companies from France, Italy, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and China. The programme participants are owners of medium and large businesses, as well as top corporate executives; their average age is 35–37 years and average managerial experience is 10 years.

They will be taught by professors from the world’s leading business schools such as University of Cambridge Judge Business School, IMD Business School, HKUST Business School, SKOLKOVO business school, and others. During the 16 months of the programme, the participants will visit 7 countries and study 20 disciplines: negotiation, cultural competencies for business, leadership, global macroeconomic trends, venture capital, and innovations. The programme has three main focuses: Eurasia, innovation, and leadership.

In the presence of Dmitry Medvedev, a number of strategic cooperation documents were signed, namely:

• Memorandum of Cooperation between the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and the International Institute for Management Development (IMD);
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and Nazarbayev University Autonomous Organisation of Education;
• Agreement on the Continuation of Cooperation in the Field of Business Education between the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and Schlumberger.

Photo by the Press Service of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Training under the Practicum-16 programme will be received by entrepreneurs from Russia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, and Uzbekistan.

85% of the participants are managing owners, 8%—CEOs, 5%—functional directors, and 2%—social entrepreneurs.

They all hope that participation in the programme will help them achieve the following objectives: to choose a focal development area, to understand how to move on, to regain the original interest in the business, to make new connections and partnerships, to scale their businesses from small to medium-sized, to bring it from the local to the federal level, to develop business processes and align the strategy, to move out of the comfort zone, and to reset the brain.

The Practicum is a programme for entrepreneurs that aims to create an environment of like-minded people and give its participants an opportunity to develop their businesses and create their personal strategies. In fact, training under the programme is intense work to find solutions to the problems they face in their businesses. The programme consists of 5 modules lasting 5 days each.

Among the main objectives that the Practicum Global Shift programme participants intend to achieve during the training are to choose a strategy, to define an action plan, to share experience, to learn to think globally rather than locally, to overcome administrative barriers in other countries, to enter the US and Canadian markets, to change the company’s turnover pattern (to get 80% of profits from the international market), and to win a place in the group of innovation leaders.

During the programme, each ‘globalshifter’ will work on the case of his or her own company: determine its place in the global market, develop its international strategy, test it and conduct an experiment, find resources to play in the international arena, and make new useful connections. In addition, training and practising in the educational laboratory will help them avoid mistakes and save the company’s funds in real life.

In total, the Practicum Global Shift-2 group includes 23 people that comprise 5 top management teams from 13 companies operating in different business sectors, such as IT, industrial chemistry, logistics and transportation, mechanical engineering, metalworking, fintech, engineering, and the veterinary industry.

SKOLKOVO business school wishes all programme participants successful training and effective practice in our educational laboratory. We hope that all participants in our programmes will learn how to maximise their international capabilities and establish effective interaction with the outside world.

The programme was attended by 25 participants from 11 cities of Russia. Most of them are heads of business schools, institutes of management and business, heads of corporate universities, coaching and training centres. The joint programme aimed to bring together experts from academic and business circles in order to discuss problems, priorities, and practical solutions in the field of business education.

“The programme showed that Russian business schools can be not only competitors, but also partners in addressing large-scale tasks, such as improving the quality and reputation of Russian business education in the international arena. During their joint work on the most important topics — internationalisation, digitalisation, partnerships — the participants gained an insight into their common interests and priorities, and actions that may be taken to achieve the desired results. Specific mechanisms and change plans will be elaborated during the next programmes,” said Denis Konanchuk, Academic Director at the SKOLKOVO business school.

“This programme was the first step in uniting the leaders of Russian business schools with leading experts and representatives of business education at the international level. EFMD plans to structure and possibly scale up this experience in the coming years,” shared Ulrich Hommel, Director of Business School Development at EFMD Global Network (GN), Associate Director of Quality Services at EFMD.

During the programme, the participants had an opportunity to listen to high-class international and Russian experts in the field of business education and to discuss the key trends and challenges: combining tracks (general and customised) as part of programmes, selecting qualified professors, the lack of recognition of the majority of Russian business schools abroad, gaining leadership in strategic transformations, and much more. The outcome of the programme was the development of an agenda to outline future activities.

The programme Master in Public Strategy has no direct analogues in world practice, because its goal is to train not administrators, but strategists—those who are ready to develop responsible strategic solutions for the good of the state and society. The programme participants will use the project method, elaborated by the SKOLKOVO business school, to develop concrete steps to transform state and public life.

“We are engaged in work on strategic projects and create conditions for participants to solve social problems right in the classroom in the course of the educational programme. Master in Public Strategy students will create a project to address national problems, because such large-scale ideas often cannot be borrowed from other countries. The knowledge in all other areas—humanitarian, technical, socio-political, methodological—will play a supporting role in this learning process,” explains Andrei Volkov.

41 participants attended the programme launch ceremony. They included representatives of federal and regional executive authorities, deputies of regional parliaments, representatives of the largest Russian banks and mining companies, experts and practitioners in social spheres such as education and medicine, business owners, directors, managers and business experts. More than half of the participants are finalists and winners of the Leaders of Russia national contest.

The curator of the project is Alexander Voloshin, a Russian politician, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SKOLKOVO business school.

Key goal of the programme – to train VET management teams to develop and implement new educational programs in line with regional economic development goals.

The project was being implemented in the framework of the International program to strengthen VET systems and labor markets in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East in which 5 pilot Russian regions were chosen to participate. Key partner organization in Khabarovsk was Khabarovsk regional institute for the development of vocational education and training.

7 leading VET institutions were chosen to participate in the program. In the course of the training, VET teams mastered the best Russian and international practices in the field of education management from Russia, Brazil, Germany and China, analyzed regional labor market demand, and built strong lasting partnerships with key industrial partners. In the future, this will help synchronize educational programs with demand from regional business and ensure the employment of future graduates.

July 23, 2018 the results of the program were presented to the Governor of the Khabarovsk region - Vyacheslav Shport and members of the Government. During the meeting, 4 best projects were considered. The Khabarovsk Technical College has developed the program "Energy Efficiency in Housing and Communal Services", which is aimed at training a specialist with competence in the field of energy efficiency and the latest technologies in accordance with the "passive house" standard. The Horsky Agro-Industrial College presented the program "Digital Agronomist". A specialist of a new level will have knowledge of advanced production technologies and will be able to operate unmanned agricultural vehicles. The team of the Chegdomynsk Mining and Technological College designed the "Operator of Unmanned Mountain Complexes" program. The developed program is a response to the challenges of digital transformation of the mining industry and will train specialists on how to introduce and manage the unmanned mining, processing and transportation of minerals. The Governor's Aircraft College in Komsomolsk-on-Amur presented a training program "Industrial Design". The graduate of this program will have the competence of computer modeling, design, as well as entrepreneurial skills.

The first launch of new educational programs is planned for the autumn of 2018.

"I support the idea that today the boundaries between VET and higher professional education are blurred. Our position is that VET institutions can and should be built in as a strong participant in the regional socio-economic development strategy. We believe that now there is an opportunity for technical and vocational schools to shift from the usual paradigm of service on a residual principle to actively position themselves in the services market and compete with universities. Since in Russia all regions are different, we decided that the training of management teams is most effective in the region. This way the program becomes a platform for dialogue between educational organizations, representatives of regional business and regional authorities. In my opinion, we managed to fulfill this idea in the Khabarovsk region and this fall a similar program will be launched in the next pilot region- the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)", comments Valeria Sakharova, Head of International Program to Strengthen VET Systems and Labour Markets in CIS, Asia and the Middle East under cooperation of Russian Federation and International Labour Organization.

Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO jointly with the Monocities Development Fund implemented a large-scale educational programme for the management teams of all monocities. Upon the completion of the two-year programme, each city developed its own plan to improve the economic situation and entrepreneurial environment.

Trainings were held by the leading professors and experts in monocities development, practitioners with successful experience of monocities development project implementation. Furthermore, the faculty for the management teams included the representatives of federal executive authorities, members of the monocities upgrade task force team of the Government Commission for Economic Development and Integration, representatives of government corporations, industrial companies, specialists in investment, municipal law, and city economy development.

"Monocities: A Long Journey of Transformation" case study describes the way management teams created and worked, the initiatives taken to re-assembly the economy in cities with a total population of 15 million people, the solutions found to attract investors, and the success with the creation and development of 100 active projects. The case was authored by Irina Mironova and Konstantin Nasonov, researchers from Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

"The monocities development programme aims at comprehensive transformation of single-industry areas. We focus not only on the creation of new jobs but on landscaping, education, and sports. It is impossible to attain the Programme goal single-handedly: we need a strong team. The “mono” team training case bridges the interests of the state, backbone enterprise, and business. Each team member must have a role and all tasks must be handled together. This approach has unified 319 teams, we are a family now, we are 1,500 people who can do their work in the most efficient way, share experience, and implement own projects independently. The monocities case can easily form a basis for the development of other cities in the country since monocities represent the "small Russia" and their development is an example to others. I would like to thank the monocities teams, SKOLKOVO and in particular Andrey Sharonov, President of the School of Management, for attentive and thoughtful development of a training programme," says Irina Makieva, Deputy Chairperson of Vnesheconombank, Leader of the “Integrated Development of Monocities” Priority Programme.

Ilya Krivogov, General Director of the Monocities Development Fund, commented, "Training of the teams managing monocities development projects is the only educational programme which is part of the priority initiative of the Russian Government and has proven highly efficient."

The panel of the EFMD Excellence in Practice Awards annually chooses the best cases of business schools and corporate universities. The award to the "Monocities: A Long Journey of Transformation" case is the fourth one received over the long-term cooperation between the School and EFMD Association.

• A case study written under the Management of Technological Innovations programme jointly implemented by SKOLKOVO and Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation received a silver medal in the Organisational Development category of 2016 EFMD Excellence in Practice Awards.
• The "Unilever Production Cluster in Tula: Zero Non-Hazardous Waste to Landfill in Ten Months" case study was awarded the first prize in the Sustainable Production Systems category of 2016 EFMD Case Writing Competition.
• “Strategy for Creation and Development of Endowment Funds” case study based on the results of a joint programme by the SKOLKOVO Business School and Vladimir Potanin Foundation became one of the finalists in the Ecosystem Development category at the 2017 EFMD Excellence in Practice international awards.

The full list of winners of the 2018 EFMD Excellence in Practice is on the EFMD website.

EFMD is the international association for the accreditation of European business schools and corporate universities. The main goal of EFMD is to settle any issues related to business education, assist with the development of educational institutions, and set business education quality standards by creating a single rating system for the European educational market. EFMD has been in the market for over 30 years and has incorporated more than 900 institutions in 86 countries. The cooperation between Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and EFMD started in 2009 and in the spring of 2017 the business school was awarded the status of a full-fledged member.

Keith Townsend, President of International Paper in Russia: “We are proud of our strategic partnership with the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, which is aimed at shaping the future business leaders of Russia. We are particularly happy to support the leadership module in Kamchatka in the year when we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our operations in Russia. We hope that the experience gained by the participants of the module in Kamchatka will help them to build their business leadership strategy confidently.”

Andrei Volkov, Academic Supervisor of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, the first Dean: “It is important for MBA students to know themselves, to understand their goals, and to be able to ‘remodel’ their own life as a manager. It is practically impossible to do this in standard classroom conditions. This is why we chose Kamchatka, which is quite an exotic place. In my opinion, this module is a sort of rapid training course for doing business with its volatility, when you can lose everything at any moment or, on the contrary, come out a winner.”

Maxim Feldman, Head of the MBA and EMBA Programmes Division and Private Customers Division: “Present-day entrepreneurs are leaders, but the turbulent environment makes serious adjustments to the concept of leadership. Paraphrasing Galileo, I can say that one cannot teach a person to be a leader, but one can help him find leadership qualities in himself. This is the goal we set before ourselves when conducting the final module of the programme in Kamchatka: we put MBA students in conditions that will bring out their leadership potential. The MBA-7 students got this opportunity: during the expedition, they made a big step towards being leaders who can show the way and encourage others to follow them.”

International Paper has participated in the development of the SKOLKOVO MBA field module in Kamchatka for three consecutive years As a strategic partner of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO since 2010, the company provides comprehensive support for the School’s initiatives in three key areas: Talent development and MBA programme support, strategic leadership, and sustainable development. International Paper has traditionally supported SKOLKOVO’s flagship MBA programme.

The Khabarovsk region became the first one of five Russian pilot regions selected to participate in the International Programme to Strengthen TVET Systems and Labour Markets in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East. The program is being implemented by SKOLKOVO business school since 2013.

On March 26, the educational program «Managing the changes in the TVET system to strengthen regional economy» was launched, aiming to prepare change-management leaders in the system of secondary education that can implement effective organizational strategies and create modern educational programs.

The educational program was developed by the SKOLKOVO Education Development Center. The key partner organization in Khabarovsk is the Khabarovsk Regional Institute for the Development of Vocational Education. Program participants are directors, deputy directors, heads of divisions of the leading regional colleges. Training consists of 5 modules, 5 days each.

The program combines various training forms, including lectures by professors and experts, case studies, work with computer simulator. Program lecturers are Russian and international experts in the field of education management, new educational technologies, opinion leaders and leading professors of the SKOLKOVO business school. The key element of the program is group work that is guided by moderators and experts. As a result of group work, management teams prepare and defend strategic development projects for their educational institutions before the expert commission.

The expert support of the program is provided by the head of educational programs of Industry 4.0, a professor of practice at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO Pavel Bilenko.

The first module was devoted to the topic of professional education in the era of digital transformation. The main goal of the module was to determine the role of regional colleges in the light of global trends. The expert commission included representatives of regional authorities, leading employers, as well as experts and graduates of the SKOLKOVO business school.

The participants were Vladimir Solodov, Deputy Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, Alexander Fedosov, Deputy Chairman of the Khabarovsk Regional Government, and Dmitry Pugachev, Acting Minister of Economic Development.

The Centre for Digital Transformation was established in 2017 in partnership with Atomstroyexport and the North-West Centre for Strategic Research. It is headed by Director Nikolay Verkhovsky, who was previously Head of Project Work for Corporate Programmes.

The workshop was attended by over 50 representatives of 18 Russian mining companies. 20 projects and business cases with solutions were presented. The main topics discussed at the workshop were effectiveness and strategies of using corporate digital transformation technologies.

The Centre for Digital Transformation of the SKOLKOVO Business School invites companies from the agriculture, energy, urban environment, engineering, and other industries to take part in subsequent workshops devoted to the digital transformation of industries. For more information, please contact Julia Konovalova at Julia_Konovalova@skolkovo.ru.

The first class contains 18 students. All of them are managing owners and operational directors of businesses from various industries: HoReCa, machinery, IT and telecommunications, trade and manufacturing, financial services, and many others. The average management experience of the group is 11 years. The average age of the members is 36 years. The students come from seven cities of Russia: Barnaul, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Omsk, St. Petersburg, and Khabarovsk. Some students of the Practicum Global Shift Programme are graduates of the SKOLKOVO Business School. There are also several scholarship holders from the National Technology Initiative (NTI) and a holder of the international development grant from the Russian Export Center.

Throughout the programme, the students will work with case studies of their own companies: identify their place in the global market, build and test an international strategy, analyse the necessary resources and quick ways to raise them for playing in the “world league”. The educational programme is targeted at entrepreneurs and top teams who have succeeded in the Russian market and are planning to internationalise their business.

Elena Bondarenko, Director of the SKOLKOVO Practicum for Directors and Practicum Global Shift Programmes: “The expected GDP growth in 2018 will be 1.7%, which means that the opportunities for business development in domestic markets aren’t obvious. If you are sure that your product or service has some global competitive advantages, now it's time for you to enter the international markets. The objective of the Practicum Global Shift Programme is to develop global entrepreneurial thinking and to build an international strategy for companies that are not afraid of taking this step. Practicum Global Shift will help entrepreneurs and managers look beyond the obvious opportunities and determine whether their product is global and competitive. But most importantly, the programme will contribute to building an international business model because only 2% of the global demand is concentrated within the Russian market. So why should we not look for it beyond our current marketplace?”

Practicum Global Shift is an innovative content-rich programme. The students will go through an intensive five-month course in Russia and China. They will learn to understand trends and design the global future for their business ideas, think over and build a global development model for their company. The international module will allow everyone to learn how to establish and capitalise a regional business, and how to effectively use available resources. At the end of the training course, the students will present their pilot projects for entering new markets to the expert council of the Business School.

The SKOLKOVO Energy Centre, which will represent the school in this partnership, has already started developing a programme of collaborative projects and activities. In particular, on April 24, the parties will hold a joint conference in Berlin to discuss the future of the gas market and the role of Russian gas in it. In addition, some joint activities with Eurogas (European Association of Natural Gas Industries), and the International Gas Union are planned.

The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and the Russian Gas Society are sure that joint dialogues, workshops and research projects, supported by experts, will help them expand areas of their cooperation as early as this year and create a more favourable environment for developing the Russian fuel and energy industry.

The leading trends in digital transformation are the creation of digital twin and hardware information technologies (including augmented reality). For this purpose companies are moving from computerization to permanent connection with and interconnection of processes, predictability and adaptability of products and management systems at the highest level of digital maturity. The European 4.0 Industry Transformation Center (E4TC) is one of the acknowledged European leaders in this field.

During the educational session participants studied the principles of operation of the digital model of a car factory, looked into the models of the companies' estimations of digital maturity and methods of diagnostics, and became acquainted with simple means of developing augmented reality applications and the Internet of Things. Among the results of the discussion was an understanding of how the largest European ecosystem of technological entrepreneurship operates, and how the roles of the state and participants are distributed in the consortium.

"We are happy to be part of the development of Industry 4.0 in Russia together with our friends and partners from SKOLKOVO Business School," commented Christian Hocken, partner of the European Industry 4.0 Transformation Center.

"Today companies are focusing on standardizing and digitalizing their supply chains and partner networks, optimizing time spent on designing products and bringing them to market as well as creating an ecosystem of digital transformation. Action plans are developed by teams of managers during practice-oriented educational programs," commented Pavel Bilenko, Head of Industry 4.0 Educational Programs in the Corporate Program Department, professor of practice at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

Experts from the Industry 4.0 Center (Germany, Aachen) timed their visit to the business school to participate in a corporate educational program on digital transformation for one of the Russian companies.

The Skills Technology Foresight is a new method that combines approaches to forecasting competencies and the technological foresight methodology. It is designed to qualitatively determine future requirements for competencies in terms of the technological transformation of industry-specific practices while introducing new technologies.

The online platform will allow you to make technologically advanced foresight sessions by using the following functions:

• to maintain foresight sessions online (the platform supports all stages of foresight: pre-foresight, enrolment, generation, actions, summing up results, verification and update);
• to structure and store data entered into the foresight system, to display data in an user-friendly and intuitive format;
• to show results of foresight sessions in a convenient form.

At present, results of more than 150 Russian and international foresight sessions for various industries have been uploaded to the system. The online platform is expected to become an international resource centre and combine results of numerous foresights conducted in Russia and abroad.

The online platform is available at https://foresight.skolkovo.ru/

The corporate patron status will allow the SKOLKOVO Business School to contribute directly to the Pushkin Museum's development, and support its reconstruction, replenishment and preservation programmes.

Marina Loshak, Director of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts: “It is a great honour for me to welcome the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO as a new patron of the Pushkin Museum. Art is forever but the world is changing rapidly, making the museum keep pace with the times. We are expanding our activities by adjusting to the current trends and conditions, desires and needs of new generations, while maintaining the Pushkin Museum as one of the leading cultural institutions in the country. I hope that our collaboration with SKOLKOVO will help us not only attract the best young talents to design a museum of the future, but also take a fresh look at our strategies of today.”

The patron of the museum has a number of opportunities, such as hosting partner events at the Pushkin Museum, participating in private meetings for the museum’s friends and partners, receiving invitations to opening ceremonies of tours and exhibitions, meetings with artists, as well as making individual visits to the museum.

Andrey Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, supported this initiative: “The foundation of the Pushkin Museum was a private initiative of a single person. The person who was inspired by the great idea and did not care about money. In this regard, the SKOLKOVO Business School and the Pushkin Museum have similar histories: the School was founded by private initiators and investors united by the common mission. Our partnership with the Pushkin Museum opens up new opportunities for us and shows that SKOLKOVO is not just a business story. We are ready to move forward by supporting culture and art. I expect that our collaboration will be fruitful and successful. We might even launch a joint educational programme in the near future.”

In October 2017, SKOLKOVO Business School hosted its first event at the Pushkin Museum as a corporate patron. Friends and partners of the SKOLKOVO Business School gathered at the museum to enjoy a welcome cocktail before the meeting of the International Advisory Board. The guests took a chance to see works by the contemporary Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, whose exhibition titled October was devoted to the October Revolution's centenary.

Marina Loshak, Director of the Pushkin Museum, visited the SKOLKOVO Business School in 2016, where she delivered a lecture to the guests of the Family Day, a New Year celebration. Ms. Loshak talked about how the museum culture had changed and the role museums should play in the life of a modern family.

For reference:

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts is a state museum complex that holds one of the largest world art collections in Russia. Currently, the museum has about 700 thousand art works of different epochs, holds 43 feature exhibitions of international importance and offers 148 educational programmes. It is actively engaged in research and public awareness activities, as well as unique art educational activities for adults and children.

According to results of the project defence, nine participants became grant holders. At the final stage of the grant contest, the winners were chosen by an expert jury, composed of Maxim Feldman, Director of Degree Programmes, Alexander Kim, Chief Financial Officer of the SKOLKOVO Business School, Vitaly Polekhin, Head of the SKOLKOVO Investor Club, Mark Sherman, Director of A1 Communications Department, Andrey Tarasov, Executive Director of Mastercard Russia, Irina Dvoryankina, PR and Sustainable Development Manager of International Paper, Elena Bogacheva, a member of the SKOLKOVO Patrons Club, as well as professors and experts of the SKOLKOVO Business School: Andrey Shapenko, Professor of Practice, Igor Krayevsky, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships, Alexey Khokhlov, Head of Electric Power at the SKOLKOVO Energy Center, and Pavel Bilenko, Head of Industry 4.0 Educational Programmes.

Sergey Efimov, with a development project of Clever, a publisher of children’s books, was announced the winner of the business project contest and received a grant of €30,000.

€20,000 grants were given to Grigory Pikalin, who presented a green service for industrial waste recycling called EcoArchitecture, and Evgeny Eskin with a blockchain platform for factoring.

Three participants won €15,000 grants that covered up to 25% of their project costs:

• Arthur Mingazov—mobile micro-investment service;
• Pavel Smirnov—New Silk Road transport system;
• Alexey Kozhevnikov—Teledoc telemedicine company.

Among the contestants who solved and presented business cases to the commission as a final test, the jury selected three winners: Ildar Akhmetov (€20,000 grant), Mikhail Milekhin (€15,000), Ekaterina Volodchenko (€10,000).

The winners of the grant contest will be admitted to the MBA-9 Programme, which is expected to be launched in 2018.

Marat Atnashev emphasised that the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO has been cooperating with entrepreneurs from China for a long time, providing them with Understanding Russia, unique educational programmes for launching their business in the country. He also spoke about the strategic partnership between the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), as well as the HKUST — SKOLKOVO Executive MBA for Eurasia Programme. The objective of this educational programme, which will be launched in autumn 2018, is to grow leaders for Eurasia who are able to conduct business under the One Belt, One Road Initiative (BRI). The launch of the programme was announced at the meeting of the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO in October 2017. The training will be conducted in English. The programme will have six international modules—China, America, Israel, Kazakhstan, Switzerland and Russia.

Li Jinyuan, Plenipotentiary Minister and Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy, as well as heads of China's largest public and private corporations, including ICBC, Huawei, CNPC, Sinopec, ZTE, China Development Bank, China Mobile, China Unicom and others, represented China at the welcome reception.

Russian and international companies and state corporations presented best practices for training management teams and leaders, promoting digital transformation, and creating development strategies, implemented in cooperation with the SKOLKOVO Business School. 12 projects were awarded.

The SKOLKOVO Trend Award 2017 was given to:

1. State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom — for conceptualising a new image of the corporate science. The Technological Innovations Management: Research Centres Programme, implemented jointly with the SKOLKOVO Business School, was dedicated to designing scientific centres subject to business development and staff training objectives. As a result of the programme, five models of a multifunctional research centre and eight pilot scientific centres for innovative projects were developed.
2. Gazprom Neft — for partnership aimed at creating an educational platform to support the company's digital transformation. The SKOLKOVO Business School and Gazprom Neft have formed a partnership to support and maintain one of the company's key strategic initiatives—digital transformation.
3. SIBUR — for Operational Efficiency and Production Management Programme aimed at developing leaders. The objective of the programme was to give practical management knowledge to participants and to improve production efficiency. The short-listed projects were presented to the President of SIBUR, while the winning project was approved by the company for implementation.
4. MTS — for developing an innovative educational programme, an accelerator of corporate development projects. MTS implemented a professional development programme aimed at developing the leadership potential of the company’s leaders. The objective of the programme was to help the company grow leaders of a new generation who are able to perform well under uncertainty. As a result of the programme, the company introduced a number of projects to develop the corporate culture and change its organisational structure, created a new incentive system for project teams, launched digital services, and promoted some participants of the programme.
5. VTB Bank — for a contribution to the partnership aimed at promoting an integrated approach to learning. At the request of VTB Bank, the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO implemented a large-scale negotiation skills programme for employees of client and support services. More than 620 employees completed a training course at the VTB Negotiation Academy. According to a survey conducted by the company, more than 96% of the participants in the course reported the high level of satisfaction with the programme and trainers’ performance.
6. UAK — for developing digital technology initiatives in the aircraft industry. At the request of the United Aircraft Corporation, a two-day strategic session dedicated to digital transformation issues was held. An organisational chart presented by the participants in the final round allowed the company to start the digital transformation.
7. ROSTELECOM — for the project-oriented Digital Transformation Programme. By participating in the programme, the trainees acquired practical tools for the company's strategic development. A special focus was made on intensive design work. As a result of the programme, seven transformational projects were developed and discussed with the key stakeholders of the company. Most of them were approved for further implementation.
8. A joint project initiated by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, supported by the Russian Venture Company and implemented with the participation of the Higher School of Economics — for a constructive dialogue of the government, development institutes and business sector within the framework of the National Champions Project. In March, the SKOLKOVO Business School held the first strategic session of the National Champions—Platform for Dialogue: Resources, Risks and Points of Growth. More than thirty executives from various companies, together with representatives of the government, development institutions and invited experts, studied the main opportunities and risks for domestic industries in global markets, analysed technological trends, and discussed necessary support measures from the government. Summing up the session, the parties developed a common vision of the project implementation and worked out an action plan to eliminate or reduce the existing administrative barriers.
9. Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District — Yugra received a special award as the most purposeful regional team for holding a session in an effort to implement the 2030 Socio-Economic Development Strategy of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District—Yugra. Many of the ideas formulated as part of the programme are already in progress in the region, can be seen in activities of administrations and enterprises, or have been embodied in new government programmes. The Restoration and Use of Natural Resources Project developed by the Department for Subsoil Use is just one example.
10. Kaliningrad Region was awarded as the most creative regional team. The region held a strategic session to identify priority areas for its development. The objective of the session was to agree on priority areas for the regional development and to identify ways of achieving them. The programme was finished by a presentation of the results based on the chosen priority areas.
11. BELUGA GROUP — for the development of a team capable of building a high-performance business in Russia and a world-class brand. Its series of programmes was aimed at making the team more efficient and updating the company's philosophy. New ideas are now actively used in HR activities.
12. Mastercard — for the contribution to the cashless economy. Since 2013, the company has been supporting the development of the Department of Finance, Payments and Electronic Commerce at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO. During this time, the Department conducted and published more than 20 specialised studies, trained over 3,000 students of the School and its partners, developed and introduced more than 70 specialised courses, including the first online course on how to create a financial model for businesses.

Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, awarded the Winners with commemorative tokens: “I hope that the winners of the SKOLKOVO Trend Awards will earn people’s respect and win their hearts, as stated in the ReForum’s motto. This is important because, ultimately, everything is determined by people—customers and users of services. Companies that do not win the hearts of their customers every day and do not try to earn their respect may lose everything in one second. I hope that all ReForum’s members follow these principles and want to be leaders in what they do. Only this way we can achieve a great deal.”

Andrey Sharonov, President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO: “I divide all people and companies into two categories: those who are learning and those who have learned everything. I’m very afraid of the second category and am very glad that all those who have been awarded today belong to the first one. These are people and companies who pay much attention to their competencies, who are not afraid of their deficiency and learn a lot to develop them and be competitive.”

SKOLKOVO Trend Award is an annual award given by the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO. The purpose of the award is to celebrate the success stories and the best projects implemented by corporate and government partners of the business school. The first awarding ceremony took place in 2015 with the participation of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Then, seven companies and government agencies were awarded with statuettes and certificates of honour. On December 1, 2016, the second awarding ceremony was attended by Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

This year, the SKOLKOVO Trend Award ceremony was held as part of ReForum, the fifth business forum in the field of human capital and talent pool development in Russia, uniting more than 700 progressive leaders.

In 2007, Mikhail Kuchment and Alexander Zayonts decided to promote a unique hypermarket in Russia based on the one-stop-shopping concept. It is a hypermarket in which furniture and household goods are presented as integrated interior solutions. At present, Hoff is the leader of the Russian retail market with an annual turnover of over RUB 25 billion. The company develops most of their products independently using a portfolio of 10 store brands. Moreover, over the past few years, the company has localised most of its goods and captured 90% of Russia’s furniture market. At the end of 2017, Hoff stores will have been visited by 10 million people, while the network will include 22 hypermarkets and 11 mini-format stores—Hoff Home and Hoff Mini. The company plans to create a unique customer experience by using modern retail technologies, to increase its market share to 10%, and to enter the CIS markets.

This year, the Russia Entrepreneur of the Year celebrated its anniversary—the national round of the international competition was held for the 15th time. The competition will cover more than 60 countries. EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards® is the only competition of entrepreneurs in the world.

This year, six alumni represented the SKOLKOVO Business School at this global competition:

• Pavel Gotsev, CEO of Solid Investment and Financial Company;
• Mikhail Kuchment, Vice-President of Hoff;
• Maxim Kyrkunov, CEO of C3 Solutions;
• Vladimir Mlynchik, CEO of Quadro Electric;
• Ilya Slepov, founder and co-founder of Runlab;
• Denis Yudchits, CEO of Mobile Medical Technologies.

The hosts of the awarding ceremony announced winners in ten categories and presented special prizes to the finalists selected by an independent jury. The jury was made up of famous representatives of business and academic circles, as well as winners of past years. They evaluated the competitors using such criteria as entrepreneurial spirit, innovativeness, financial performance of their company, growth rates, industry leadership, corporate social responsibility, etc.

Alexander Ivlev, Managing Partner of EY Russia, Head of Russia Entrepreneur of the Year Programme: “For 15 years, the competition has brought together nearly 600 entrepreneurs and heads of Russian companies from more than 50 regions. In 2003, we had participants only from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Interestingly, our competition reflects the market situation and economic development trends very well: this time, the consumer goods sector, the medical industry and, of course, the high-tech sector are well represented in the final round. Our national winner Mikhail Kuchment is an outstanding representative of Russian business. I’m sure he will properly represent our country on the international arena in Monaco in June 2018."

The jury of EY Russia Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 was made up of the following members:

1. Raisa Demina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TM Velcom Group;
2. Mikhail Kopeikin, Chairman of the Board of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), PhD in Economics, Professor, Honoured Economist of the Russian Federation;
3. Stanislav Kostyashkin, CEO of Continent Express;
4. Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco, President of Rostik Group;
5. Alexey Repik, Chairman of the Board of Directors of R-Pharm Group;
6. Andrey Romanenko, Founder and CEO of Evotor, Co-founder of QIWI;
7. Viktor Sedov, President, Member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Entrepreneurship;
8. Oleg Khusaenov, CEO of Zubr Capital Management Company, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Atlant-M International Automobile Holding;
9. Andrey Sharonov, Dean of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO;
10. David Iakobashvili, Vice-President, Member of the Bureau of Board, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE).

The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO is a strategic partner of EY Russia. Graduates and students of the Business School are traditional winners of such competitions as the Business Woman and Entrepreneur of the Year.

For reference:

Entrepreneur of the Year® Award is a competition that has been held by EY for 30 years. It is rightfully considered the most prestigious international competition of entrepreneurs. Today, it is held in over 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world. In Russia, the competition has been held since 2003. See www.eoy.ru for more details on the competition.

EY is a global leader in audit, tax, transaction support and consulting services. EY refers to the global organisation, and may refer to one or several member companies of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Being a legal entity duly incorporated under the laws of the United Kingdom, Ernst & Young Global Limited is a company limited by guarantee and does not provide services to customers. More information is available at www.ey.com.

The workshop gathered together participants from Belarus, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, ILO, CINTERFOR, Luxembourg –Development Cooperation Agency, UNDP. Two day knowledge-sharing session was dedicated to one of the most critical issues of modern economies – strengthening the capacity of training institutions to deliver training in line with the demand of economic sectors with Russian and international experts in the field of innovative education and training technologies, skills anticipation, as well as government officials and representatives from international organizations sharing best practices in the field of training for TVET managers and skills assessment in TVET sector.

In addition to knowledge-sharing sessions, workshop participants were invited to test a new version of a mass distant training tool for TVET managers – computer simulator «Managing TVET Institution» and an international online Skills Technology Foresight platform.

Computer simulator «Managing TVET Institution» was developed and piloted internationally in Armenia and Vietnam under SKOLKOVO-ILO partnership. Upon successful piloting, the tool was integrated in and used as a part of a training course for TVET managers at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization with participants from more than 15 countries. In addition to providing effective training outcomes, the computer simulator was upgraded with a module for conducting diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses of TVET directors enabling to recommend individual improvements and learning paths to train and acquire lacking managerial skills and competences.

Another tool presented to the workshop participants was an international online Skills Technology Foresight platform. The tool allows conducting technically improved skills foresight sessions and creating a database of the foresight results in different economic fields and markets.]]> 98:news-all Tue, 24 Oct 2017 20:00:00 GMT http://www.skolkovo.ru/public/ru/site_content/98/4662