SPEAKERS 2015

Welcome Panel

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  H.E. Irakli Garibashvili

  Prime Minister of Georgia

  Irakli Garibashvili is the Prime Minister of Georgia. In November 2013, at the age of 31, he became the world’s youngest elected leader. Under Prime Minister Garibashvili’s leadership, Georgia has expanded itself as a commercial hub connecting East and West. More
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  Xuekerat Zakir

  Governor of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China

  Mr. Xuekerat Zakir was appointed as the Governor of Xinjiang in December of 2014. Mr. Xuekerat is responsible for the overall administration of the Xinjiang, one of the five autonomous regions of China, which is inhabited by various ethnic groups with Uygur as the majority. More
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  Abid Sharifov

  Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan

  Starting from 1995 to present Mr.Abid Sharifov holds the position of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mr. Abid Sharifov is the recipient of national awards as titled “Honored builder of the Republic of Azerbaijan” as well as State orders such as, “Honorable Order”, “Order of Red Labor”. More
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  Valery Dil

  Vice-Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic

  Vice Prime-Minister of Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Valery Dil for ages served on managing positions of the Committee on polity issues, rule of law and the constitutional law of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of Kyrgyz Republic. More
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  Bruce H. Andrews

  United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce

  Bruce Andrews was confirmed as the Deputy Secretary of Commerce on July 24, 2014. Andrews was named Acting Deputy Secretary of Commerce by President Obama and Secretary Penny Pritzker on June 9, 2014. Prior to this, Andrews served as Chief of Staff to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce. More
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  H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al-Nahayan

  Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development

  His Highness Sheikh Nahayan joined the Federal Government in 1990 as the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. In March 2013, he was appointed the Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development. More
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  Wencai Zhang

  Vice President of the Asian Development Bank

  Mr. Wencai Zhang is the Vice-President (Operations 1) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He joined ADB in December 2013. Mr. Zhang is responsible for operations in the South Asia Department and the Central and West Asia Department. More
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  László Baranyay

  Vice-President at the European Investment Bank (EIB)

  Mr. László Baranyay has been a Vice-President at the European Investment Bank (EIB) since 2013. He is responsible, inter alia, for EIB activities in the Eastern Partnership countries and 8 of the 10 Member States that joined the EU in 2004. More
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  Hernando de Soto

  Economist

  Hernando de Soto is currently President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD), an internationally-recognized think tank headquartered in Lima, Peru committed to helping governments in developing countries implement property and business rights reforms that provide the legal tools and institutions required for all citizens to participate in the formal national and global economy and to pull themselves —and their countries— out of poverty. More

Trade Facilitation along Belt and Road Initiative

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  Simeon Djankov

  London School of Economics; Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Bulgaria

  Simeon Djankov was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Bulgaria from 2009 to 2013. In this capacity, he represented his country at the Ecofin meetings of finance ministers in Brussels. Prior to his cabinet appointment, Djankov was chief economist of the finance and private sector vice presidency of the World Bank. More
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  Giorgi Kvirikashvili

  Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia

  Giorgi Kvirikashvili is the Vice-Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Prior to this capacity, he served as the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, CEO at Cartu Bank and Principal at Lenzie Fisher Hendry LLC. More
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  Dimitry Kumsishvili

  Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

  Dimitry Kumsishvili is the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. Prior to this position, He served as the Vice Mayor of Tbilisi, the First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia,  the Chairman of Natural Agency of State Property and the CEO at ‘’Startup & Innovative Business Investment Fund’’.  More
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  Erbolat Dossaev

  Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan

  Since Sept. 2012, Minister of Economic Development and Trade. More
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  Abdul Sattar Murad

  Minister of Economy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

  Minister of Economy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan April. 2015. Mr. Abdul Sattar Murad served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Dr. Abdullah Abdullah Presidential Election.2014 and General Campaign Manager for Dr. Abdullah Abdullah Presidential Election. In 2009 he served as Minister Counsellor and Charge de Affairs, Afghanistan embassy, Malaysia. More
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  Wang Lixia

  Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province of People's Republic of China

  Wang Lixia, Mongol Nationality, was born in Jianping of Liaoning Province in June 1964. She began work in September 1985 and joined CPC in December 192. She holds an on-the-job post-graduate degree and a Doctor’s Degree in Economics and is a professor. More
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  David Shark

  Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

  David Shark has had a long career in trade policy. He began in 1975 with a short stint in the US Department of Labor, working on petitions for trade adjustment assistance. In March 1976, he moved to the Office of Trade Policy in the Department of Commerce where he was deeply involved in the Tokyo Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and he has been actively involved in the GATT and WTO ever since. More
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  Eva Molnar

  Director of the Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

  Eva Molnar is the Director of the Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)* in Geneva, a post she has held since 2007. Before that she spent 8 years as the Sector Manager for Transport in The World Bank, Europe and Central Asia Region and was for several years a guest lecturer at the Budapest University of Economics and Technical Sciences. More

Transport, Communications and Infrastructure

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  Axel Threlfall

  Editor-at-Large Reuters; formerly anchor for CNBC; editor with The Wall Street Journal; reporter for Bloomberg.

  Axel Threlfall is Editor-at-Large, Reuters, based in London. He hosts high-profile engagements and thought leadership events for and on behalf of Reuters and Thomson Reuters, such as the Newsmaker series and the World Economic Forum news shows in Davos. More
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  Peter Gašperšič

  Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Slovenia

  PhD in Civil Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana Peter Gašperšič began his career in academia as a young researcher at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, where he had graduated and received a Prešeren Award for Students for his undergraduate thesis. He also studied in the USA, where he examined the practical aspects of earthquake resistance of structures. More
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  François Davenne

  Secretary General of Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF)

  François Davenne is the Secretary General of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF). He is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications d’Evry in 1988 and of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1999. More
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  Mamuka Bakhtadze

  CEO, JSC Georgian Railway

  Dr. Mamuka Bakhtadze has been a CEO of  JSC Georgian Railway since 2013. Prior to thi role he worked as an Executive Director of Georgian International Energy Corporation Ltd and was part of the Booz Allen Hamilton project on restructuring of Georgian Railways. More
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  Javid Gurbanov

  Chairman of “Azerbaijan Railways” CJSC.

  Presently holds the position of the Chairman of “Azerbaijan Railways” CJSC. He has been selected as deputy and member of the economic and political constant committee of the national Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan of the bases of 3rd and 4th call of electoral district number 123 for Kalbajar. More
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  Xiaohong Yang

  Director of the Transport and Communications Division of Asian Development Bank

  Ms. Xiaohong Yang is Director of the Transport and Communications Division of Asian Development Bank (ADB), providing support to 10 developing countries in central west region in improving their connectivity, trade expansion, and competitiveness. More
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  Vassilis Maragos

  Acting Director for Neighbourhood East, Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

  Vassilis Maragos is Acting Director responsible for Neighbourhood East and Head of Unit for Regional Programmes in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR). More

   
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  Tzvetelina Borislavova

  Chairwoman of Board of Directors and CEO of Clever Synergies Investment Fund; Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Bulgarian American Credit Bank

  Ms. Borislavova is majority shareholder (61%) and Chairwoman of the Supervisory board of Bulgarian-American Credit Bank /BACB/ from July 2011. She is also founder, owner and chairperson of CSIF, established in 2005. More

Trade Facilitation along the Silk Road

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  Andrew Chakhoyan

  Head of Regional Strategies - Eurasia, World Economic Forum

  Andrew Chakhoyan joined the World Economic Forum in 2012 as a Global Leadership Fellow, and currently leads the Eurasia Team, which oversees government relations and wider constituency engagement in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. More
   
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  Jan Mládek

  Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic

  Jan Mládek is the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. Prior to this capacity, he served as the Minister of Agriculture, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy, and the First Deputy Minister of Finance. More
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  Giorgi Tabuashvili

  First Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia, Director General of Georgia Revenue Service (GRS)

  Mr. Giorgi Tabuashvili serves as the deputy Minister of Finance since 2012,. From 2014 he heads the Georgia Revenue Service (GRS) – Tax and Customs Administration and SPS Border control Agency under the Ministry of Finance. More 
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  László Szabó

  Deputy Foreign Minister of Hungary

  Dr László Szabó obtained his degree at the Medical University of Debrecen, where he worked as a General Physician at the 1st Department of Surgery between 1990 and 1993. He began his pharmaceutical career in 1993 at the Hungarian subsidiary of the American-headquartered Eli Lilly and Company.
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  Jonathan Katz

  Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, USAID

  Jonathan Katz was appointed deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia in March 2014. Previously he served as a Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of the International Organization Affairs in the U.S. Department of State. More
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  Mircea Ciopraga

  Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat (PS) of the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) TRACECA

  As Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat (PS) of the  Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) TRACECA Mr. Ciopraga leads activities of the TRACECA Programme. More
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  Dmitry Cheltsov

  International Road Transport Union (IRU) General Delegate to Eurasia region

  Mr. Cheltsov as General Delegate based in Moscow leads the IRU Permanent Delegation to Eurasia, to help the road transport industry meet the numerous challenges and opportunities arising in the region. More

The Energy Silk Road

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  Radoslav Dudolenski

  Managing Partner, Hydrolea LLC: hydro development and investment vehicle for Georgia

  Mr. Dudolenski, born in 1976, is working as Executive Officer of hydrolea and Chief Executive of Crosscountry Capital (Bulgaria), since May 2013. Before that, he was working as General Director of Energo-PRO Georgia, the largest energy company in Georgia. More
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  Ilia Eloshvili

  Deputy Minister of Energy of Georgia

  Prior to his appointment in the Ministry, Ilia Eloshvili was deputy chief of party in USAID funded project – “Tetra Tech Inc”. From 2008 to 2010 he was deputy CEO of “Millennium Challenge Georgia” (MCG). More
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  Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

  United States Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources

  Mr. Ichord has a long-history of U.S. Government service in the energy field, having worked for the Energy Research and Development Agency, the US Department of Energy, and the US Agency for International Development. At USAID, he played a leading role in developing energy and environmental strategies and projects in Asia, the Near East and North Africa and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. More
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  BRUNO BALVANERA

  Director for Caucasus Moldova and Belarus European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

  Bruno Balvanera joined the EBRD in 1996; currently he is Director for Caucasus Moldova and Belarus, based in Tbilisi. His experience covers wide variety of sectors, countries and products. More
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  Yang Yibo

  Deputy Director of Xinjiang Reform and Development Commission

  Mr. Yang Yibo was borin in May 1962 in Shanxi Province of China.. He is the Deputy Director of Xinjiang Reform and Development Commission. He is also an expert in foreign trade, energy and economic cooperation. More
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  Sohail Hasnie

  Principal Energy Specialist of the Asian Development Bank

  Mr. Sohail Hasnie is a Principal Energy Specialist, Central and West Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). More
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  Christopher D. Schlueter

  BP Country Manager, Georgia

  A graduate from the California Institute of Technology in Chemical Engineering, Chris has been with BP over 30 years. More

Seizing Investment Opportunities in Georgia

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  Sumnima Udas

  CNN International's Delhi-based correspondent

  Sumnima Udas is CNN International’s Delhi-based correspondent. Udas is responsible for covering key political, economic, social, environmental and general interest stories from the country and presents CNN International’s monthly series “The Silk Road: Past, Present, Future”. More
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  George Ramishvili

  Founder and the Chairman of the Silk Road Group

  George Ramishvili is the founder and the Chairman of the Silk Road Group. Silk Road Group’s business interests cover transportation, telecommunication, hospitality, real estate, banking and energy sectors. The Silk Road Group has invested more than 500 million USD in the Georgian economy. More
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  Gabriel Schulze

  Founder and CEO Schulze Global Investments

  Mr. Schulze is Founder and CEO of Schulze Global Investments, an American private equity firm focused on frontier markets. Under Mr. Schulze’s leadership, Schulze Global has achieved an unparalleled track record of success, making pioneering investments in such countries as Georgia, Ethiopia, Mongolia, and North Korea. More
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  Jun Zhang

  Chairman of Supervisory Board of JSC Basisbank

  Mr Zhang Jun is a Chairman of JSC Basisbank's Supervisory Board. He is a holder of MBA Degree. Since 2010 he has held position of Deputy General Manager in finance and foreign investments in Xinjiang Hualing Trade and Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. More
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  Vladimir Ilichev

  Development Director, Russia & CIS Hilton Worldwide

  Moscow-born Vladimir Ilichev has been the Development Director for Russia & CIS at Hilton Worldwide since 2008. He has over 20 years of development experience and a wealth of expertise in Russian and CIS real estate markets. More

Topical Presentations

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  Keti Bochorishvili

  Vice Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

  Ms. Keti Bochorishvili occupies the position of the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia since 2012. Her main focus is development of the investment policies and facilitation of investments into the country. She is responsible for providing research and analysis on Georgian markets and introducing investors to Georgian businesses and authorities. More
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  Alexander Bolkvadze

  Partner and Founder of BLC Law Office

  Mr. Bolkvadze is partner and founder of BLC law office. His practice areas include Business Law, Civil and Commercial Law, Energy Law, Real Estate and Construction Law, Privatization Law, Investment Law and Public International Law. More
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  Ekaterine Kiknadze

  Senior Manager at Tax & Law Practice, EY Georgia LLC.
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  George Doborjginidze

  Chairman of Georgian Logistics Association

  Mr. George Doborjginidze has been the Chairman of the Georgian Logistics Association and Professor for Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the Georgian Technical University. He is the Managing Partner of the German consulting group- TransCare in Caucasus. More
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  David Barker

  Director, Poti Free Industrial Zone

  David Barker has 30-years’ experience at Board level in multi-national companies in the management of shipping and logistics businesses in Asia and the Middle East. More
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  Tom Day

  Regional Director of Hospitality and Investor Services for Cushman & Wakefield Veritas Brown

  Mr. Tom Day is regional director of hospitality and investor services for Cushman & Wakefield Veritas Brown, covering Georgia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Mr. Day is based in Tbilisi, Georgia and has over 10 years’ senior hospitality and capital markets experience in London, Moscow, Africa and Tbilisi.