STRATEGIES FOR BUSINESS IN MOSCOW Profit comes through more skillful management: use your brain when you work Henry Ford A PROPOS “Digital” is probably the most popular buzzword in today’s need to worry about robots eventually taking over people’s world. A digital transformation is underway across just jobs. The consensus is that the use of robots will lead to about every aspect of modern life — business, transport, the emergence of new professions. The issue will be whether residential construction, education, healthcare, and even or not people will be able to quickly re-train and master art! Have you heard of digital poetry yet? Supposedly, it has these new skills. a special kind of rhythm and energy. In my opinion, digital A digital transformation is not only about robots. For poetry is just a confusing set of numbers. I don’t think that millions of people, it’s first and foremost about the electronic the poetry of Alexander Pushkin or Robert Burns, William services that people have access to now. In Moscow, people Shakespeare’s sonnets, or Lope de Vega’s plays need to be can now transfer money, buy groceries, order a taxi, pay translated into the language of numbers. Seems like overkill, bills, or make doctor’s appointments without leaving the right? But that’s not the point. house. Over the past nine years, the capital has established The point is that, whether or not we want to, we’re a developed IT infrastructure that allows the city to already living in a digital world. This same point was implement the most advanced IT solutions and services made by everyone who spoke during the annual business across different spheres of Moscow’s economy. The range and investment conference of the American Chamber of of electronic services is becoming increasingly more diverse. Commerce in Russia, which took place in Moscow in mid- 99 percent of the city’s territory now has 4G coverage, while September. The main topic of the conference was mobile internet costs in the Russian capital are three to five “The Digital World Is Here: Are You Ready?”. By the way, times lower than in London or New York, for example. the list of speakers, which included the US ambassador, a minister of the Russian government, and prominent Digital technology is clearly improving people’s quality of economists and politicians, also featured a robot named life, and people definitely like this change. According to Thespian. And although his presentation made the crowd data from public opinion polls, 92 percent of Muscovites laugh, robots are becoming increasingly more integrated support the implementation of modern tech solutions. into our lives: things that were considered mere fantasy Three years ago, Moscow become one of the world’s yesterday are the reality of today. Last year, for example, leaders in the implementation of a concept known as Data Cherkizovo, one of Russia’s biggest manufacturers of Driven City — the use of information technologies that meat products, opened a fully automated plant outside of make city management more efficient. According to PwC Moscow that’s run almost entirely by robots! The plant has ratings, Moscow’s accomplishments in the application of already been dubbed “the first early bird of Russia’s digital information technologies are truly colossal. It should come economy.” And the number of digitalization examples in as no surprise that last year the UN ranked Moscow first in the capital keeps growing. According to experts, there is no terms integrating IT solutions into the urban environment. Sergo Kukhianidze Editor in Chief [email protected] CAPITAL IDEAS Founder: Department for Foreign Economic Moscow official and International Relations of the Government of Moscow Address: 125009, Moscow, Voznesensky Pereylok, 22 Ph: +7 (495) 633-68-66, Fax: +7 (495) 633-68-65 Moscow and Ljubljana sign E-mail: [email protected] https://www.mos.ru/dvms a cooperation program Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin and the Mayor of Publisher: National Review Ltd Ljubljana Zoran Janković signed a cooperation program CEO – Sergei Oposhnyanskiy between the two cities for 2019-2021. Phone.: +7 (495) 784-69-71 E-mail: [email protected] 6-8 CAPITAL IDEAS STRATEGIES FOR BUSINESS IN MOSCOW Editorial staff: Editor-in-chief – Sergo Kukhianidze Entrepreneurship and trade Production crew of the edition: Elena Egorova (deputy editor-in-chief), between Moscow and the Vladimir Dolmatov, Anton Halizov, Dmitry Nazarov, Marina Ogorodnikova, Anastasia Paloni, Anna Sirotina, Vladimir Smelov, Anna Vavilina Greater Paris metropolis Consulting – Evgeny Khokhlov Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin and president of Design – Robert Saifulin the Greater Paris metropolis Patrick Ollier signed a Photo editor – Victoriya Oposhnyanskaya cooperation program for 2019-2021. The ceremony took Page layout – Alexander Saifulin place during the Moscow Urban Forum. Assistant – Nadezhda Ratanova 9 Editorial contacts web: capitalideas.moscow e-mail: [email protected] Mayors Summit on Living f: capital.ideas.moscow Together in Düsseldorf With assistance of Moscow Center for International Cooperation This year, the main topics of the conference were Address: 105005, 68/8, build.1, Baumanskaya str., Moscow, Russia communication between city residents and the authorities, Phone/fax +7 (499) 267-46-56, http://www.mcms.ru/ healthcare initiatives, the stable development of a city Distribution – "Trans-Media" Ltd that’s convenient to live in, and the implementation of Acknowledgements to: smart technologies in city management. PHOTO – www.mos.ru, www.dvms.mos.ru, www.stroi.mos.ru, www.kremlin.ru, http:// 10 council.gov.ru, http://eawfpress.ru, ITAR TASS Agency, RIA-Novosti, Getty Images Russia, companies and organizations, represented in the issue. If you wish to get new issues of Capital Ideas, please, apply to: [email protected]. Days of Moscow in the Baltic The magazine is registered at the Federal Authority of Legislative Control States in Mass Media and Cultural Heritage Protection. Media registration certificate ФС77-53716, issued April 26, 2013. Business and cultural Days of Moscow events in Baltic All reproduction permitted only with the Editor’s permission and reference to countries took place in Tallinn, Riga, and Daugavpils in ‘Capital Ideas’. September. Distributed free of charge 11 Published with support from the Department for External Economic and International Relations of the Government of Moscow Circulation : 7000 Signed into print 30. 09. 2019 Face To Face Marat Kabaev: Moscow turns 872 The Islamic World wants to be On September 7-8, the Russian capital celebrated City Day. Over 7.4 million people attended the holiday events. The theme was the friends with Russia anniversary of VDNKh, which turned 80 this year. In the beginning of October, Russia held the World Halal Day for the 12-15 first time. It took place on the banks of the Volga River, in Samara, alongside the international Volga Investment Summit. Over 200 experts from 20 countries took part in the events — Persian Gulf The World Cup is over. states, Southeast Asian and African countries, and EU countries. The International Association of Islamic Business was one of the co- What’s next? organizers for the forum. The association’s president Marat Kabaev Department of Foreign Economic and International Relations. talked to Editor-in-Chief of Capital Ideas about the IAIB’s goals. 16-18 32-34 …And the winner is Moscow! Just ten years ago, the capital of Russia didn’t have much to brag about. But over the past few years, the city has transformed so much that it’s claiming awards left and right. 21 Cover Story A digital transformation is key to any city’s development Two years ago, Moscow launched the Digital Business Space — a multi-purpose platform for entrepreneurs engaged in the development of digital technologies. The emergence of this center in a city that often implements new technologies and IT solutions is, of course, no accident. A digital revolution has long been underway in Moscow, and it has impacted all new spheres of the Russian capital’s life. 22-30 October-December 2019 CAPITAL IDEAS 3 Nothing Ventured Nothing Ventured Elena Rassudimova: Giulio Zompi: We are looking to the Doing business in Russia future with optimism isn’t harder than at Moscow in numbers “In Guardian, we share the vision - to create value for our customers and society. And this is not just home 36-37 about what we do, but also how and why we do He came to Moscow in the early 2000s to be What’s New it. Glass production is not just our business, but in the computer business, but his love for food also our passion, our commitment to constantly and the desire to introduce people in Moscow 38-45 innovate to improve the value we create”, said Elena to Italian cuisine and food culture helped him Rassudimova, General Manager of Guardian Glass in establish a successful business with a lot of Moscow in words Russia & CIS in an interview with Capital Ideas. potential in the capital. 46-47 50-51 58-61 Nothing Ventured Nothing Ventured Nothing Ventured Do you need “It’s not easy to throw us Alexis Rodzianko: a bodygard? off balance” If it weren’t for polo, Not anymore! The German economy believes in Russia, but… This I would have been “but” was the main focal point of the meeting with There are still businessmen abroad who journalists held by the leadership of the German- unemployed long ago! are convinced that doing business in Russian Chamber of Commerce. The meeting Russia is dangerous because anarchy and covered another survey regarding the business Twice a week, President of the American lawlessness reign here. Some of them climate in Russia in the second half of 2019. Chamber of Commerce in Russia Alexis even think that the first thing a foreign Rodzianko drops everything and travels from businessman has to do after coming to 52-53 Moscow to the village of Tseleevo, located 60 Russia is hire a bodyguard… kilometers outside of the capital.