Accountability Project - Center for Business Ethics and Corporate Governance

MENTORING PROGRAM

During the year 2004 the CFBE in cooperation with the US-Russia Business Forum have realized a Mentoring Program bringing experts from US companies to St. Petersburg to provide consultations on corporate governance issues to Russian companies free of charge.

At that period 15 experts took part in the Programm. The experts of the Centre gave internal consultations to the following companies: "Betiz-ZhBI" (Tver), "Bistroff" LLC, "Kirovski Zavod", "Komsomolskoi Pravdy" Plant, "Sea Port of Saint Petersburg", "Baltika Brewery", "Ilim Pulp Enterprise", "HR Premium" (St.Petersburg), "Russian Electronics", "Sinergo" ( Moscow).

In December 2003 the project team completed the training needs assessment survey in the field of corporate governance and business ethics. The presentations took place at the seminar on December 17, 2003 in St. Petersburg. All companies that participated in the survey believe that they need corporate governance training.
The survey report is available in the project offices in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
The survey results as well as the 1st mentoring seminar on December 17, 2003 outlined
the major topics for the upcoming workshops:
- The Role of Board of Directors in the company.
- The Directors : roles and responsibilities. What the Board really expects from them and how they can add value?
- Information disclosure. How to improve corporate reporting?
- Corporate governance in holdings: distinctive features.
- Mergers and acquisitions, hostile takeovers protection. Corporate conflicts.
- Blending ethics and world-class internal and external auditing.
- Antimonopoly regulations in the corporate governance field.
- The bright line between directing and managing: separation of powers .
- Good corporate governance and company management: Interconnection at all levels .
- Looking forward: the investors’ view of corporate governance and ethics in Russia

The mentoring seminars will have practical point of reference on:
- how to implement corporate governance principles in everyday management
- model forms and recommendations
- case studies with the analysis
- international and Russian best practice exchange

The mentoring program will have the following format:
- round-tables (for pilot group to discuss practical issues in corporate governance)
- workshops (a combination of presentations and panel discussions)
- seminars (the seminar will include a case-study, that will be distributed among participants in advance)
- regional events in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Pskov, Vologda, Siktivkar and other cities of the North-West region

OUR MENTORS
The project participants showed their interest in the international and local expertise in the field of corporate governance. To satisfy the needs we plan to attract American and Russian experts for the events that have:
Practical experience • executive directors,
• non-executive directors,
• independent directors,
• corporate counsels or secretaries
Lecturing experience • in educational institutions for various audiences,(link to Goodwin Wong bio)
• give speeches at international events
• develop case-studies in the field of corporate governance
• write book on the subject
Represent
> companies
> firms
> holdings
• have good corporate governance (according to respected ratings/rankings)
• have positive experience in corporate governance principles implementation, corporate conflicts resolution
• introduced corporate governance to attract investment
• have Russian-listed stocks and/or Western-listed stocks
Represent
> Associations
> Finds
> Organizations
> Committees
• investors,
• investment consultants,
• security market committee,
• Pension Funds,
• Corporate directors,
• Independent directors
• Corporate counsels/ secretaries