Speakers

Alexander Chubrik

Alexander Chubrik graduated from the Belarusian State University (degree with honors in economic theory, 2000) and post-graduate studies of the Belarusian State University (2003). In December 1999, he entered as an economist to the IPM Research Center (director since September 2011). Between 2000 and 2004, he taught at the Belarusian State University and in 2009 at the European Humanities University in Lithuania. Since 2009, Alexander Chubrik is CASE Research Fellow; between 2007 and 2012, he was a Deputy Director of CASE Belarus in Poland; between December 2009 and January 2011 – Resident Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Economic Development of Azerbaijan (project "Advisory Service for Macroeconomic Management and Institutional Reform" implemented by CASE), between February 2011 and January 2012 – Team Leader of this project.

Mirko Cvetković

Mirko Cvetković graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics where he also received his MComm and PhD. Cvetković served as the Minister of Finance of Serbia from 15 May 2007 to July 2008 in the coalition government of Vojislav Koštunica. He was Serbian Prime Minister since July 7, 2008 to July 27, 2012. Cvetković worked at the Mining Institute for ten years and later at the Economics Institute for another six years, followed by seven years at the advisory and research firm CES Mecon where he worked as a consultant. In the 1980s he was external consultant for the World Bank on a number of projects in Pakistan, India and Turkey and worked on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Somalia. As of 2013, Cvetkovic has reestablished himself as a consultant for the World Bank. In the period 1998–2001 he was employed as adviser for economic issues at the Mining Institute, and in 2005 he became the Special Advisor at CEO Intercom Consulting. He has published a number of papers and articles on privatization in Serbia and abroad.

Marek Dabrowski

Senior fellow of CASE – Center for Social and Economic Research

Dr. Marek Dabrowski, a Non-Resident Scholar at Bruegel, Brussels, Professor of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Fellow under the 2014-2015 Fellowship Initiative of the European Commission – Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs, Co-founder and Fellow at CASE - Center for Social and Economic Research in Warsaw, former Chairman of its Supervisory Council and President of Management Board (1991-2011), Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CASE Ukraine in Kyiv (1999-2009 and 2013-2015), Member of the Scientific Council of the E.T. Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy in Moscow, Former First Deputy Minister of Finance of Poland (1989-1990), Member of Parliament (1991-1993) and Member of the Monetary Policy Council of the National Bank of Poland (1998-2004); Since the end of 1980s he has been involved in policy advising and policy research in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Yemen, as well as in a number of international research projects related to monetary and fiscal policies, growth and poverty, currency crises, international financial architecture, perspectives of European integration, European Neighborhood Policy and political economy of transition; World Bank, IMF, UNDP and OECD consultant; Author of several academic and policy papers, and editor of several book publications.

Pavel Daneyko

CEO, IPM Business School

Vladimir Drebentsov

Chief economist for Russia and CIS, British Petroleum Russia (ВР) 

Mr. Drebentsov’s core responsibilities at BP plc comprise economic and energy research, and policy advice in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Mr. Drebentsov also covers European gas markets, global gas reserves and gas pipeline trade for BP Statistical Review of World Energy and BP Energy Outlook 2035. Since 2010, Mr. Drebentsov has assumed Vice-President role at BP Russia. Mr. Drebentsov is a member of the Expert Council of the Government of Russia. Prior to joining BP in 2006, Mr. Drebentsov had worked as Senior Economist at the World bank (1993-2006) and as Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (1982-1993).

James Gordon

Deputy Director, IMF’s European Department

James Gordon is a Deputy Director in the IMF’s European Department, where he oversees work on a number of countries in Northeastern and Southeastern Europe and the Nordic region. He joined the IMF in 1989 and has spent much of his IMF career working on Asia, including as mission chief for Japan and resident representative in India. He has also had spells in the IMF’s Office of Budget and Planning and Institute for Capacity Development. Mr. Gordon is originally from Zimbabwe. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa and a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics. 

Dr. Ivailo Izvorsky

Since the start of 2015, Ivailo oversees the work of the Bank economists working on Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the five countries of the Western Balkans, and the 11 countries that have joined the EU since 2004.  Ivailo is also leading the community of practice on Diversified Development, Middle Income Traps and Convergence. 

Kirill Haiduk 

PhD, Country economist of the World Bank in Belarus

Mr. Haiduk graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the Belarusian State University (1998), got a Master’s degree at the University of Sussex (Great Britain, 2000) and a PhD at the University of Trento (Italy, 2012). From 2001 to 2004 worked as an economic expert of a project of International Labour Organization in Belarus. From 2002 to 2005 taught economic disciplines at the European Humanities University and from 2002 to 2005 at the Belarusian State University. From 2001 to March 2013 he was an associate expert at IPM Research Center and from 2011 a member of its Supervisory Board. From 2007 to 2008 worked as a senior analytic at Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS). From June 2012 to March 2013 is the leading researcher of Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center (BEROC). From April 2013 Kirill Haiduk is a country economist of the World Bank in Belarus.

Yang Chul Kim

The head of the World Bank in Belarus 

Mr. Kim is a citizen of South Korea, he started to work at the World Bank in 1986 and since then he has held various positions in the Department of Economic Forecasting, the Department of International Economics, a division of operations on debt relief and also in the region of Africa. In the period from 2005 to 2011 he was a head of a group of economic governance and poverty reduction in Uganda and Mozambique, and oversaw the implementation of development programs in Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda. Later worked as a senior program specialist in Angola and Mozambique in the African Region of the World Bank. Mr. Kim has studied international law and economics at the Yonsei University in Korea, and the John Hopkins University in the USA. With more than twenty-seven years of work experience in the World Bank, he has a unique combination of deep analytical skills, comprehensive understanding of development issues and significant experience implementing projects.

Dmitry Kruk

Dmitry Kruk graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Belarusian State University, specialty "Economic Theory" (2002), has a master's degree in "Finance and Credit" (2004) and postgraduate studies in "Economic Theory" (2008). In February and May 2003, D. Kruk worked as a research fellow of the Economic Research Institute of the Ministry of Economy. Since May 2003 he has been an economist in IPM Research Center, since 2010 - Associate Expert in IPM Research Center. Since 2004 he has been teaching economic disciplines at the Belarusian State University. Since 2010 Dmitry Kruk has been a Fellow of the Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center (BEROC). His ​​research interests area includes monetary policy, financial system, growth and development of the countries with transition economy.

Dr. Vasily Matyushevsky

Vasily Matyushevsky graduated from the Belarusian State University in 1991. In 1994 completed postgraduate studies at the Institute of Economics of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus. By the year 2012 he has graduated from London Business School with PhD in Economics Research degree. Vasily Matyushevsky started his career in 1991 as a Head of the Department at the research and manufacturing enterprise, research associate of the Research Economic Institute under the auspices of the State Economic Planning Committee. Attaché, third secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus in 1992-1994. From 1994 till 1997 Vasily Matyushevsky held position of the chief economist, division head, deputy head of the directorate at the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus. In 1997-1998 economic advisor to the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Belarus. Later on, in 1998-2010 Dr. Matyushevsky was a department director, Deputy Chair of the Board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus. Director-General, Chair of the Board of “BPS-Bank” Open Joint Stock Company in 2010-2014. First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus since 2014.

Ivan Miklos

Ivan Mikloš, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic (2002-2006, 2010-2012), Deputy Prime Minister for Economy (1998-2002), Minister of Privatization (1991-1992). He co-founded and led a think-tank MESA10 (1992-1998). During 2006-2010 and from 2012 he is a Member of Parliament. In 2014 he was appointed as a President of MESA 10 and became a member of the International Advisory Board of National Reform Council of Ukraine and VoxUkraine. From February 2015 he serves as a Chief Advisor to the Minister of Finance of Ukraine and as an Advisor to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine.

He was one of the leading figures of economic transformation in Slovakia. Ivan Mikloš significantly contributed to the entry of the Slovak Republic into the OECD and started an extensive and effective tax reform. He led the government agenda on economic restructuring and fiscal consolidation. The second Dzurinda´s government (2002-2006) gained a very reformist reputation thanks to severe austerity measures and a comprehensive program of structural reforms (tax, social sector, pension, healthcare, public finance, labour market) backed by Ivan Mikloš. Thanks to these reforms Slovakia was able to join Eurozone in 2009. In 2004 he was awarded by Euromoney the best Minister of Finance of the Year and the top business reformer by the World Bank´s Doing Business report. Ivan Mikloš is the author of the Book of reforms (2005), Rewriting the Rule (2001) and also of dozens of studies and articles in the expert and popular press. 

 

Andrey Movchan

Director of the Economic Policy Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center

Victor Novochadov

CEO of  "Wargaing-Belarus" ("World of Tanks" creators) since 2011.

Igor Pelipas

PhD in Economics, Head of the Supervisory Board of the IPM Research Center

Igor Pelipas graduated from Belarusian State Economic University in 1985. He received PhD in Economics in 1989 and became a senior research fellow in 1991. He worked as a senior research fellow for the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences in 1989-1993. Dr. Pelipas was one of the co-founders and Deputy Director of the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies (for 1994-1998). In 1998-2000 he served as Director of Eurasia Foundation Representative Office in Belarus. In 2000-2011, he was a Director of the IPM Research Center. Dr. Pelipas is a Chief Editor of the journal "ECOWEST", co-author of the quarterly analytical bulletin "Belarusian Economic Outlook", Belarusian Monthly Economic Review and a few other analytical bulletins of the IPM Research Center.

 

 

 

Scott Rauland

Charge D’affaires, US Embassy in Minsk

Previously, Mr. Rauland served as the Director of the Foreign Policy Advisor Program in the Bureau of Political Military Affairs (2012-14), Public Affairs Officer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2010-12); in Kabul, Afghanistan (2008-09); in Frankfurt (2005-07); as Consul General in Yekaterinburg, Russia (2003-05);  Public Affairs Officer in Quito, Ecuador (2000-2003); Information Center Director in Islamabad, Pakistan (1998-2000); Program Development Officer in Berlin for the new German states (1995-98); and Assistant Public Affairs Officer in Baku, Azerbaijan (1993-94).  He is a member of the Senior Foreign Service, and is fluent in Russian, German and Spanish. 

Before joining the Department of State, Scott was a pioneer in distance education, teaching classes in Russian via television to students in rural Wisconsin from 1990 to 1993.   He was named an NEH  “Master Educator” in 1992. Scott’s first professional experience overseas was in Germany, where he lived and worked from 1982-84 teaching English at a Berlitz language school in Wiesbaden and studying at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.Scott is a graduate of Big Foot High School in Walworth, Wisconsin. He received a BA in European History from the University of Chicago in 1981 and an MA in Russian Language and Literature from Ohio State University in 1986.

 

 

 

Sergey Riabuhin

Managing Partner, HR Director, ZUBR Capital

 

As an HR-director in Zubr Capital, Sergei Riabukhin is responsible for HR-processes, the creation of a portfolio, the communication with the business community and interaction with public authorities. He currently is a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and Atlant Telecom AtlantKonsalt.

Sergei Riabukhin began his career in Atlant-M Holding in April 1998 as Head of Administration, at the time he participated in the development strategy of the Managment Company "Zubr Capital". Also his responsibilities included: the development of personnel policy centers of value creation system of budgeting personnel in accordance with the strategy of Atlant-M Holding, project management, personnel management efficiency (motivation, personnel policy, KPI, management of professional competence), the implementation of effective communication between the Holding's corporate center office and commercial centers, management of the personnel management department, management of the department of education. From 1999 to 2004 Sergey Riabukhin also served as Director of the Office of Personnel Management. Since 2012, he is the managing partner and director of the HR-uravlyayuschey and company "Bison Capital".

 

 

 

Kiryl Rudy

Aide to the President of Belarus, Head of the Main Economic Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus

A graduate of the Belarusian State Economic University in 2000. In 2001 he defended his thesis on currency regulation. In 2002-2007 - Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Finance and Banking of the BSEU. In 2004 - Fulbright Scholar (Indiana University). In 2007-2012 - Counsellor for Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Embassy of Belarus in China. In 2012 he defended his doctoral thesis on the world economy and international finance. In 2013 - Deputy Director of Bel-Huawei Technologies (Huawei Ltd.). Since June 2013 - Assistant of the President of the Republic of Belarus on economic issues.

 

 

 

Sanaka Samarasinha

UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus

Mr. Samarasinha is a citizen of Sri Lanka. Before this appointment, he served in various offices of UNDP, and in particular, as Director a.i., Global Centre for Public Service Excellence, Singapore; Senior Advisor to the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Iran; Officer in Charge, Maldives; Director a.i., Kosovo and Officer in Charge of UNDP Samoa, Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands. In 2006-2010, Mr. Samarasinha was Deputy Resident Representative in Myanmar and from 2005-2006 was assigned to Sri Lanka as Deputy Country Director/Recovery Manager for the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. He also served in the Bangkok Regional Center as Rule of Law Advisor (2001 to 2005). His first assignment with UNDP was in Sri Lanka as Programme Officer (1999-2001). Before joining the Organization, Mr. Samarasinha worked in the legal profession and in journalism, with government, civil society and the private sector.

 

 

 

Ben Slay

Senior advisor at the Regional Service Centre for Europe and the CIS, UNDP

Ben Slay has more than 25 years of experience in economics and policy analysis, policy and programming for sustainable development, research and teaching, and UNDP strategic, programme, project management. His main areas of expertise are economics of transition, international economics, macroeconomic policies, energy and environmental economics sustainable development. Mr. Slay support UNDP senior management, country offices, United Nations country teams, and national partners in Europe and Central Asia in the areas mentioned above. He also have worked in the private and public sector, and academia, including at PlanEcon Inc. (now part of Global Insight), and teaching economics at a number of American universities and colleges.

Some achievements

 

• 2013-2014 Served as UNDP's poverty reduction team leader in the Europe and Central Asian region.

 

• 2012 Served as senior advisor for sustainable development in UNDP’s Bureau of Development Policy, in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)

 

• 2001 - 2012 Advising government ministers/officials, and UNDP senior management, on key economic development and transition issues.

 

• 2008 - 2011 Created the senior economist’s office in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS

 

• 2005 - 2011 Served as executive editor of the UNDP Development and Transition research bulletin.

 

• 2001 - 2008 Served as director of UNDP’s Bratislava Regional Centre. During this time, the Centre's staffing tripled and its programming increased nearly ten-fold.

 

 

Nikolai Snopkov

Deputy Head of the Administration of President of Belarus

Nikolai Snopkov graduated from Belarusian Agricultural Academy in 1991 and The Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus  in 2001. From 1990 to 1994 worked on agricultural enterprises of Mogilev and Grodno regions. From 1994 to 1996 held the position of chief economist of the credit department and deputy manager of  Dribin office "Belagroprombank", Mogilev region. He was the Deputy Chairman for economy, market relations and privatization of the Goretski district of Mogilev Regional Executive Committee from 1996 to 2000. Until 2007, he was the chief financial manager of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee. From 2007 to 2009 was Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee. In 2009, he was Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus. From  2009  till 2014 was the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus. Since December, 2014 Nikolai Snopkov is Deputy Head of the Belaus President Administration.

 

 

Olga Sherbina

Head of Office of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Republic of Belarus

Graduated magna cum laude from Minsk State Linguistic University (1999), Master’s degree from the School of Business and Management of Technology of the Belarusian State University (2006). Holds an MBA degree from the University of Mississippi, USA (2008). Has worked in IFC since December 2004 – in IFC advisory projects aimed at development of the private sector in Belarus, enabling business environment and improvement of investment climate, small and medium business support, boosting competitiveness and export opportunities of Belarusian companies.  Has worked in Belarus, the USA, countries of Central Asia. Since November 2012, has been the Head of IFC Office in Belarus.

 

Heliodoro Temprano-Arroyo

Head of the Unit "Neighbourhood Countries and Macro-Financial Assistance" at the European Commission's Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs

 

Between mid-2008 and April 2010, he headed the Unit in DG ECFIN "Globalisation and Development Policy". Prior to that, he occupied different positions in the international Directorate of DG ECFIN, which he joined in 1993. Between April 2004 and July 2008, he was Deputy Head of the Unit responsible for the analysis of the Asian and American economies, the G7/G8 and IMF issues, representing the Commission in the Subcommittee on IMF Issues of the EU's Economic and Financial Committee. During this period, he also coordinated the task force that contributed the international chapters of the European Commission's report EMU@10: Successes and Challenges after 10 Years of Economic and Monetary Union. Between 1996 and 1998, he worked in the European I Department of the International Monetary Fund, being part of the Croatia team and contributing to the analysis on Europe's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) conducted by the IMF ahead of the introduction of the euro. Between 1989 and 1993, he worked for the Research Department of Banesto, a major Spanish bank, where he was appointed Deputy Director for International Monetary Analysis in 1991.

 

 

Irina Tochitskaya

Academic Director of the IPM Research Center 

Irina Tochitskaya graduated from Belarusian State Economic University in 1986. She graduated from postgraduate courses of the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences in 1989. She received PhD in 1991 and became a research fellow. She worked as a research fellow for the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 1991–1994, 1996–1998. Dr. Tochitskaya was a Chief Specialist of the Department of Economic Analysis at the Joint Stock Bank “Belarusbank” (1994–1996). She worked as a senior research fellow for the Institute of Economics of NAS in 1998–2003. Since 2003 she has been a Deputy Director of the IPM Research Center. She has experience in project management at national and international levels, and specifically she is the Director of the project German Economic Team in Belarus, supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology of Germany. As a Team Leader and Senior Expert she has participated in numerous projects supported by the European Commission, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Russia, EERC.

Constantine Tsereteli

CEO of Belarusky Narodny Bank

Vladimir Valetko

Vladimir obtained his B.A. from Belarusian State Technological University (BSTU) in 1999. In 2000 – 2001 he worked at the Economic Research Institute of the Ministry of the Economy of Belarus. Uladzimir Valetka finished his dissertation on “Industrial Restructuring in Belarus during Transition Period” and received the degree of candidate of economic sciences in 2002. He was the winner of the Stephan Batory Foundation Award for the Best Article on Regional Reforms in 2002. Since 2002 Uladzimir Valetka has begun his teaching activity. In 2004 – 2005 he worked at the Center of System Analysis and Strategic Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Now he is an associate professor and a senior research fellow at the BSTU. Dr. Valetka is currently the National Consultant at UNDP and the member of the International Society for New Institutional Economics. He is the author of more then 70 publications on industrial restructuring, industrial clusters and regional development, institutional reforming and property rights issues in transition economies.

Milan Vodopivec

Research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Germany

Milan Vodopivec, formerly a Lead Economist with the World Bank, is a professor at the Faculty of  Management of the University of Primorska and International School for Social and Business Studies, Celje, both in Slovenia. He received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 1989 he joined the World Bank, where he worked in the Research Department and in the Human Development Network.  He also served as a State Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor of Slovenia, and was a teacher and dean of the first private college in Slovenia. 

Qimiao Fan

the World Bank Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova