Juliana Slaschova President

Juliana Slaschova is a renowned communication consultant in Russia with extensive experience in PR, IR, crisis management and corporate social responsibility projects.

She has worked in the field of public relations and strategic communications for over 14 years. Juliana’s career started in a US-based company Quasar Communications, where she was responsible for preparation of foreign investment conferences for Russian businessmen in the United States and for publishing the monthly Moscow Business Journal. She joined Mikhailov & Partners for the first time in 1994, developing her carrier from an account manager to the Client Service Director and then a Partner. In this last position, she was responsible for coordination and implementation of large-scale PR campaigns for Russian and multinational companies.

Between 2002 and 2004, Juliana held the office of Corporate Communications Director with ESN Group, supervising the Company’s relations with regional government bodies, partners and mass media.

In 2004, she worked for BBDO Group as a consultant/partner and was responsible for the creation of a new PR agency within the group, as well as internal and external public relations.

In 2005, Ms. Slaschova returned to be appointed President of Mikhailov & Partners Strategic Communications Management. She currently supervises the strategic development of the Company, including corporate infrastructure, key accounts, and new business.

With Mikhailov & Partners, she invoked more than 100 communication campaigns for Russian and international clients in Moscow and other regions. Three campaigns conducted under Juliana’s management received the national Silver Archer PR Award.

In 2007, Juliana Slaschova was included in Kariera Magazine’s rating of most influential Russian businesswomen. The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda gave her its Impeccable Reputation Award in the Best PR Specialist category.

In the autumn of 2007, she was among the three leaders in the Professional Services category of Russia’s Top 1000 Managers ranking issued by the Russian Managers Association and Kommersant Publishing House.

Juliana won the Russian Media Manager 2007 Award in the Public Relations category.

Boris Firsov Senior Partner and Managing Director

Boris has worked in the business of financial and corporate communications for over 12 years. Since 2000, he has been our Senior Partner and Managing Director, supervising the Company’s practices and regional branches (Ukraine and St Petersburg).

He accumulated vast managerial experience in over 100 communications projects with an aggregate value of more than $30M... Some of these projects won national awards in the field of public relations.

Boris is a personal advisor to heads of major domestic and international companies and some CIS public officials.

He is the author of several methodologies for matching companies’ communications with such business objectives as improving the market value, market share, or competitive position. His methodologies are used by the Agency while it designs and implements financial, corporate, and social communications projects.

Boris has a degree in Economics from Moscow State University.

Alexey Yudin Partner and CEO

Alexey Yudin has been working in the field of communications since 2000. Since 2010, he has been the CEO of Mikhailov and Partners, before which he hold the position of company's Managing director and headed M&P’s Financial Communications Practice.

Mr. Yudin has participated in more than 200 projects related to client companies’ complex business processes (IPO, restructuring, consolidation of subsidiaries, mergers and acquisitions, fundraising, corporate development), as well as crisis response.

He oversaw and participated in projects for Gazprom, Total, Siemens, Statoil, Wintershall, TNK-BP, Аlrosa, Troika Dialog, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Telenor, Renaissance Capital, MTS, Onexim, Renova, Ilim Pulp, Russian Olympic Committee, VTB, OGK-2, OGK-3, Nidan, Novorossiysk Commercial Seaport and many others.

Mr. Yudin holds a degree in journalism from Moscow State University, as well as an MBA from Kingston University, UK.

Marina Starodubskaya General Director, Ukraine

<p>Marina has worked in communications counselling for more than 7 years in Ukraine,  other CIS countries, Europe, and the United States specialising in various business sectors (development, metallurgy, engineering, finance, banking, etc.). She has created and conducts more than 30 strategic communications training programmes for top managers. She has written over 100 publications in online and printed media, including contributions to the 2005 and 2006 digests called “Win or Lose: Winning Strategies” issued by Maximum Publishing House.</p>

<p>Marina Starodubskaya is the Vice President of the Ukrainian Association of Public Relations (UAPR), Chairman of the Committee for Corporate Social Responsibility within the European Business Association (ЕВА), and a member of the UN Expert Group on Corporate Social Responsibility in Ukraine.</p>

<p>Marina received a BBA degree from the International Christian University in Vienna and an international qualification in Public Relations from Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), London.</p>

Alexey Ryabinkin Director, Financial Communications Practice

Alexey has worked in financial and corporate communications since 2003. He has been the head of Financial Communications at M&P since 2008.

Before joining M&P he has been the head of media relations at ChTPZ Group, a leader in the Russian metallurgical sector.

Alexey has extensive experience in strategy building, capital markets and crisis communications in Russia and internationally, leading teams comprising of media, legal and IR specialists.

His successful projects include IPOs of Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, OGK-5, NOMOS-BANK, strategic communications services for ONEXIM Group, Telenor Group, Danone Group and many others.

Elshad Farzaliyev Director, Project Office in Baku

Elshad is a Communications Executive with 10 year experience in Public Relations at corporate, inter-governmental and non-governmental entities.

He joined Mikhailov&Partners team in 2012 as the Director of Azerbaijan Office.

Prior to joining M&P he was the Head of Corporate Communications Department of Azerfon, the local mobile operator with two brands (Azerfon-Vodafone and Nar Mobile). He led the communication of launch of Azerfon-Vodafone brand and first 3G services in Azerbaijan.

Elshad was Country Director for two international organizations in Azerbaijan – Denmark based International Media Support (2008-2009) and London based Media Diversity Institute (2003-2006). With both organizations he managed a number of projects on media relations and media development.

From 2006 till 2008 he worked at OSCE Office in Baku being responsible for media and government relations. In partnership with BBC World Service Trust coordinated implementation of Public Broadcaster Capacity Building Project.

Elshad Farzaliyev holds M.A. in International Studies from Denver University, USA (2003). He is also a graduate of Academy of Public Administration in Political Science (2000).

Asya Pomeranets Director, Social Communications Practice

Asya has been in the strategic communications industry since 2000. In 2008, she was appointed as head of M&P’s Social Communications Practice.

Before joining Mikhailov & Partners, from 2005 till 2007, Asya worked as Senior Account Manager with The PBN Company, a well-established international communications agency. While at PBN, she was in charge of reputation research, developed and implemented corporate social responsibility and crisis management programmes, and conducted media training. Her clients included Rolf Group of Companies, PwC, Ferrero, DHL, TGC-1, Donbas Fuel & Energy Company, and others.

From 2002 till 2005, Asya worked for Open Russia Foundation, where she made a career from an average executive to a deputy director. Between 2000 and 2002, she was an advisor to the Chairman of the Yekaterinburg City Duma, dealing with international and economic issues.

In 1997, Asya graduated from Ural State University, where she completed a post-graduate course in 2000. Between 2000 and 2002, she took continuing education courses at the Centre for Transitional Economy (University of Strathclyde, UK) and the Moscow School of Political Studies (Moscow & Strasbourg).

Alexander Karmaev Director, Regional Development

<p>Alexander has worked in the communications business since 1999 in Moscow and St. Petersburg and has headed M&P’s St Petersburg office since 2007. </p>

<p>Prior to joining Mikhailov & Partners, he was the head of the Corporate Communications Practice with SPN Ogilvy PR. One of his most successful projects was PR support for Beeline’s rebranding process, which received a SABRE Award as the best European IT&T campaign in 2005. Other clients included CIT Finance, British American Tobacco, Ilim Pulp, GE Money Bank, Eurocement, Heineken, OGK-6, and other major companies. </p>

<p>Alexander has extensive experience in both national and local markets. He also conducted projects in the US, the UK, Greece, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.</p>

<p>Mr. Karmayev holds a degree in Journalism from St Petersburg State University.</p>

Ellen Pinchuk Director, International Projects

Ms. Pinchuk joined the Mikhailov and Partners team as the Director of International Projects in 2010.

Ellen came to Russia in 1991 from California, where she had begun a successful career in television production. In 1999, she began working as a producer, and then as a reporter and bureau-chief for CTV Canada in Moscow. In her career in Moscow, Ellen has covered a wide variety of important stories, including the Chechen conflict, the Beslan hostage situation, space tourism, energy, and sports. She has also provided exclusive coverage for CTV in Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel and interviewed Viktor Yushchenko and Yasser Arafat.

From 2007 to 2009, Ellen was a correspondent for Bloomberg News in Moscow. During that time, she had the opportunity to interview heads of state including Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev. Ellen’s work has been lauded by the journalistic community; she has received the New York Press Club Journalism Award twice.

Ellen holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and Literature and a Master’s degree in history from Harvard University.

Yanina Kaznadeeva Director, Government Accounts

Yanina has worked in communications counselling since 1997. In 2002, she joined Mikhailov & Partners, where she is currently responsible for government accounts.

In 2001 and 2002, Yanina held the position of Press Secretary with the Investor Protection Association, a professional non-commercial organisation. Between 1997 and 2001, she worked for the Moscow office of the US-based public relations firm Burson-Marsteller/NIS on the World Bank’s project “Information Disclosure and Public Relations”, which was carried out upon request of the Russian Federal Commission on the Securities Market (FCSM).

During her professional career, Yanina Kaznadeeva contributed to various social and financial communications projects. She successfully managed the development and application of communication solutions for different business, governmental, and public entities. These solutions include promoting the use of the Social Payment Card in the northern region of Yugra, a public awareness and crisis management campaign related to monetization of social benefits in the railway transportation industry (received the National Public Relations Development Award), creating and developing the FCSM Press Centre, information support of the National Education Project, communication support for Troika Dialog-sponsored Russia Forum, and other projects.

Yanina holds a degree in Translation and Cross-Cultural Communication from Moscow State Linguistic University and an MBA degree in Strategic Management from the Institute of Business and Economy co-founded by the Academy of National Economy (Russia) and California State University, East Bay.

Julia Emm Director, Business Communications

Julia has over 11 years’ consultancy experience in professional communications. Over the years she designed and implemented more than 50 communications campaigns for Russian and multinational clients. She has extensive experience in corporate reputations, financial communications, public affairs and government relations.
 
Julia has developed and advised on communications campaigns for companies and organisations such as Nidan, ALROSA, LEADER Management Company, Gazfond, OTKRITIE Financial Corporation, OSMP (QIWI), BAT, AVON, the Russian Federation Ministry of Education and many others.
 
Prior to joining MP’s senior management team, Julia was previously been Client Service Director at PR Inc./DDB during 2007-2011. She has also been a Press-secretary at Sheremetyevo Airport and PRIME-TASS Business News Agency.
 
A graduate of Tashkent Financial Institute, Julia currently enrolled in EMBA Strategic Management program at Kingston University (UK).

Ksenia Trifonova Director, Business Development

Ksenia Trifonova has worked in public relations since 2003, and joined the Mikhailov & Partners team in 2011 as the Business Development Deputy Director.

Currently Ksenia is responsible for communicating with new clients, exploring new business opportunities, as well as positioning and promotion of the company.
Ksenia began her career at the Mmd Public Relations agency (now Grayling), working with international clients such as Philips, IBM, and SAP.

Then she went to work at PR-Premier, a marketing communications agency, in 2005.  She started as a project manager, responsible for key clients including Pfizer, Bionorica, Boots Healthcare (now a part of Reckitt Benckiser).  Beginning in 2006, she oversaw business development.  Her clients included Novartis Consumer, Xerox, Johnson & Johnson, sanofi-aventis, Reckitt Benckiser, DPD, Upeco, Lek, and Philips Healthcare.  She has also headed up projects for Unilever.

Ksenia holds a degree in public relations from the Russian State Humanitarian University.
 

Olga Rendino Director, St.-Petersburg Office

Olga joined our team in 2012 as Director of Mikhailov and Partners Office in St.-Petersburg.

Prior to the appointment Olga filled the position of Communications Advisor of St-Petersburg Vice-Governor (Mr. Molchanov), while two years earlier she headed Press Service of the St-Petersburg Transport Committee.

Olga graduated from the Economic and Management Department of the St-Petersburg Cinema and Television Institute, majoring in the Socio-Cultural Economics and Management. Later she studied Economics of mass-media and socio-cultural projects, Advertising and PR, Dramatics and Rhetoric at the S.Sholokhov School of Television and Advertising.  

In 2010 Olga completed her post-graduate studies in the Academy of State Service.