Lev Khasis

Chief Executive Director, X5 Retail Group; Chairman of the Board, AKORT

Lev Khasis is Chief Executive Officer X5 Retail Group N.V. and is Chairman of the Board of Retail Companies Association (AKORT). He holds a PhD in Law and a PhD in Technology. Dr. Lev Khasis is a former Chairman of the Perekrestok Supervisory Board and a founding member of the Investment Company Fosbourne, Chairman of the board of Trade House GUM OJSC, Chairman of the board of Trade House TSUM OJSC and Chief Executive Officer of Samara Trading House JSC.

X5 Retail Group N.V. is the largest retail company in Russia in terms of sales. The company uses a multi-formatted strategy to develop three formats simultaneously: soft discounters, supermarkets and hypermarkets.

Akin Bayer

General Director, METRO Cash and Carry Russia

Akin Bayer, METRO Cash and Carry Russia, General Director. In 1997–2000 he was Divisional Manager for METRO Real Estate, Germany. In 2000–2002 he was a member of METRO Cash and Carry Turkey, and on the Board of Directors. In 2003–2005 he was a member of MAKRO Cash and Carry, Czech Republic, and on the Board of Directors. In 2006–2008, he was General Director for C+C Schaper, Germany. From 2008 to date he is the General Director for METRO Cash and Carry Russia.

In 2008, sales of METRO Group reached EUR 68bn. The company employs over 290,000 people and operates 2,200 stores in 32 countries.

Alexandr Tynkovan

President, M.Video

A Graduate of Moscow Power Engineering Institute. Co-founder of M.Video company. In 1993, M.Video opened its first store, by late 2003 M.Video already had 35% share in the Moscow’s home appliance market.

M.Video is a leading retailer of electronic equipment and home appliances. It has a 13% market share in Russia. M.Video is the first and only public company in this segment. As of May 1, 2009, the company operated 161 hypermarkets and 2 online stores in 67 Russian cities.

Ilya Yakubson

President, Dixy GC

Dixy is a leading Russian discounter (in the top five of the Russian retail sector) with an annual turnover in 2009 of $1.7billion which demonstrated 12% sales growth from 2008 in Rouble terms. Ilya graduated from the Orel State Pedagogical Institute, History Department. He has a Candidate Degree in Sociology and a MBA degree from Kingston University Business School (Great Britain). Since 1997 he has been General Director of the Pallada Group of Companies. In 2006-2007 he became Vice President of the Trading Company Megapolis of Mercury Group of Companies. In 2009 He became President of the Dixy Group of Companies..

Nikolay Vlasenko

Owner, Victoria Group of Companies

Nikolay Vlasenko, Chairman of the Board, Victoria Group of Companies. Nikolay Vlasenko is the founder of the company. From 2001 to 2004 Nicolay was Vice-President of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of the Kaliningrad Region; from 2005 to 2007 he held the position of the Minister of Industry in the Kaliningrad region; in 2007 he returned to the management and development of the company.

Victoria GC is one of the largest retail chains in Russia. It was founded in Kaliningrad. It is annually included in the top-20 Russian trading companies. Victoria GC manages chains of convenience stores Kvartal, Deshevo (discounters), as well as Victoria supermarkets. It plans to develop the hypermarket format.

Jean-Pierre Germain

CEO, AUCHAN RUSSIA

Jean- Pierre Germain, Director-General of Auchan Russia, was born in 1954 in Paris. In 1973 he obtained his diploma from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Paris. He commenced his career in Auchan in 1975 where he worked until 1987. He returned to Auchan in 2001 on being asked to create and head their new project Auchan Russia.

Tunc Cerrahoglu

President, Sun InBev Russia

Tunc Cerrahoglu, the President of Sun InBev completed his studies in the USA. Before his arrival at Sun InBev he worked for Coca-Cola and “Mckinsey & Co. He joined Sun InBev in 2003 and became the global director of distribution strategy and the general director in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the President of the AB InBev in central Europe and the European Union. He was appointed head of Sun InBev Russia in March 2009