Key speakers

Susan Barr
President of the International Arctic Science... President of the International Arctic Science...

Dr. Susan Barr is President of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). She was educated at University College, London and the University of Oslo, Norway. Her degree is in Historical Archaeology and, since 1979, she has worked solely on polar history and cultural heritage. From 1998 to the end of 2016, she was the Polar Advisor at the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. She has extensive field experience in both the Arctic and Antarctic and has written a number of books and articles concerning polar history and heritage. She was the Founding President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites’ (ICOMOS) International Polar Heritage Committee (IPHC) and is currently its Vice-President. She is a member of the Research Council of Norway’s Programme Committee for polar science and of various other polar committees and editorial boards. She is a member of the Board of the Fram Museum in Oslo and is currently assisting with their publishing and exhibition work, in addition to her work for IASC. The aim of IASC is to facilitate cooperation within Arctic science and to promote participation by early career scientists and indigenous representatives. Susan lives in Norway.

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Elena Bezdenezhnykh
Vice-President – State Secretary, GR, Norilsk Nickel Vice-President – State Secretary, GR, Norilsk Nickel

Education: graduated from Krasnoyarsk State University in law.

Professional experience: started work in 1995 for Zavenyagin Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant, rising from legal adviser to Director of the Corporate and Legal Department. She was appointed Director of the Legal Department of MMC Norilsk Nickel in 2008. 2012: appointed Deputy CEO; 2015 – Vice-President – Corporate Governance, Asset Management and Legal Affairs, MMS Norilsk Nickel; currently Vice-President – State Secretary, GR.

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David A. Balton
Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials

Ambassador David A. Balton is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries in the Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science. He is responsible for coordinating the development of US foreign policy concerning oceans and fisheries and for overseeing US participation in international organisations dealing with these issues. His portfolio includes managing US foreign policy issues relating to the Arctic and Antarctica.

Ambassador Balton has functioned as the lead US negotiator on a wide range of agreements relating to oceans and fisheries and has chaired numerous international meetings. His Arctic Council experience includes co-chairing the Arctic Council Task Forces that produced the 2011 Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic and the 2013 Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. He is presently serving as Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials.
Ambassador Balton previously served for six years as Director of the Office of Marine Conservation in the Department of State and for 12 years in the Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser.

Ambassador Balton received his A.B. from Harvard College in 1981 and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1985. He has also appeared as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. (juggling oranges).

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Oleg Budargin
General Director, Chairman of the Management Board, Rosseti General Director, Chairman of the Management Board, Rosseti

Born on November 16, 1960. Graduated from Norilsk Industrial Institute with distinction in "Industrial and civil engineering".
1984: he started his professional career as a foreman in the Construction and Erection Department of the shaft-sinking trust company of Norilsk Nickel. Then he became deputy head of the Production Department of the Construction and Erection Association Norilskstroy.
1995: appointed Deputy General Director of Norilsk Nickel.
2000: Norilsk Mayor;
2003: Governor of the Taymyr (Dolgan-Nenets) Autonomous Region.
October 27, 2009: an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders elected him Chairman of the Management Board of JSC FGC UES.
June 2013: elected General Director of Joint Stock Company ROSSETI.
Member of the Russian Presidential Commission for Strategic Development of the Fuel and Energy Sector and Environmental Security, Vice-Chairman and senior adviser of World Energy Council (WEC) in charge of regional development.
Holds a number of national and industrial awards.

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David Campbell
President BP Russia President BP Russia

David Campbell joined BP in 1984 after graduating from the University of Aberdeen.

1984–1990: worked as a Petroleum Engineer offshore in the North Sea and onshore in England. After three years working on the Prudhoe Bay field in the Alaskan Arctic, he completed a secondment with Pemex in Mexico before returning to BP in London.

2001: appointed Leader of the Forties, Montrose and Arbroath fields in the North Sea.

2003–2007: took leading positions in TNK-BP in Russia.

2007: returned to BP as Technical Director and Vice President for operations in the North Sea.

2009: appointed BP Chief Operating Officer of the new Iraq business.

May to December 2012: led a BP Group review of contractor safety management.

January 2013: appointed Head of the Group Chief Executive’s Office at BP corporate headquarters in London.

Appointed President, BP Russia, reporting directly to the Group Chief Executive and based in Moscow, effective March 31, 2014.

David was born in Inverness, Scotland.
Married, with two sons and two daughters.

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Alison LeClaire
Senior Arctic Official and General Director, Circumpolar Affairs and Eastern Europe and Eurasia Senior Arctic Official and General Director, Circumpolar Affairs and Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Alison LeClaire joined Global Affairs Canada in 1987. Her professional experience since then includes overseas assignments in Brazil, Sweden and, most recently, in Geneva as Canada’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations at Geneva. She worked on environmental issues for three years early in her foreign service career, including two years on the Arctic Environment Protection Strategy (AEPS), just prior to the Arctic Council being set up. Ms. LeClaire has worked on a variety of areas in Global Affairs, including bilateral relations with China and Mongolia, policy planning, human resource management and corporate services.

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Alexey Likhachev
Chief Executive Officer of ROSATOM Chief Executive Officer of ROSATOM

Alexey Likhachev was born on December 23, 1962, in Arzamas-75 (Sarov).
1985: Lobachevsky State University of Gorky, Radiophysics Department.
1998: CSc (Econ.), Lobachevsky State University of Gorky.
1985–1987: Engineer at the Gorky Research Institute of Instrument Engineering.
1987–1988: Secretary of the Youth League Committee at the Gorky Research Institute.
1988–1992: Second Secretary, First Secretary, then Secretary of the Gorky Youth League Committee.
1992–2000: Director of Aval, Social and Industrial Insurance Company, Nizhny Novgorod.
2000–2007: State Duma Deputy of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, committee member, Vice-Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Russian Federation for economic policy, business and tourism.
2007–2008: Councilor to the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
2008–2010: Director of the Joint Department of Analysis and Regulation of Foreign Economic Activity at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
2010–2015: Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
Since February 13, 2015, Alexey Likhachev has held the position of the First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
Since October 5, 2016, Alexey Likhachev has been the Chief Executive Officer of ROSATOM.

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Leonid Mikhelson
Chairman of the Management Board and member of the Board of Directors, NOVATEK, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, SIBUR Chairman of the Management Board and member of the Board of Directors, NOVATEK, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, SIBUR

Born August 11, 1955.
1977: graduated from the Samara Institute of Civil Engineering and received his first appointment in the Tyumen Region. Worked for various entities of the Ministry of Oil and Gas Construction for more than 15 years and took part in the construction of major oil and gas pipelines, including the Urengoy–Chelyabinsk and Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhgorod pipelines.
1990: graduated from the USSR Academy of National Economy.
1994: set up and became head of NOVATEK (Novafininvest before March 2003).
Since 2003: member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Management Board of NOVATEK.
Since 2011: Chairman of the Board of Directors of PAO SIBUR Holding, Russia’s biggest integrated gas processing and petrochemical company.
Has received the Order of the Badge of Honour, the Order of Merit to the Motherland (II degree) and the Honorary Worker of Gas Industry title (the Russian Federation).

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Alexander Novak
Russia’s Minister of Energy Russia’s Minister of Energy

Born August 23, 1971 in the Donetsk region of the Ukrainian SSR; currently serving as Russia’s Minister of Energy.
2000 to 2002: Deputy Mayor of Norilsk for financial and economic matters and Senior Deputy Mayor of Norilsk.
2002–2007: Deputy Governor of the Krasnoyarsk region, Head of the Main Financial Directorate of the Krasnoyarsk region administration.
July 2007 to September 2008: Senior Deputy Governor of the Krasnoyarsk region.
July to September 2008: also Prime Minister of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
From September 2008: Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation.
From October 2008: member of the board of the Ministry of Finance of Russia.
Graduated from the Norilsk Industrial Institute and Moscow State University.

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Hannele Pokka
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Finland Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Finland

Work history:

Hannele Pokka serves as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment. She is the highest-ranking public servant within the Ministry. Ms Pokka is also an Associate Professor of Environmental Law at the University of Lapland. Previously, she has served as Governor of the Province of Lapland and Minister of Justice. From 1979 to 1994, Ms. Pokka was a Member of Parliament. She has special interest and expertise in Arctic issues and has held the position, for example, of chair ofthe Barents Regional Council and the Northern Forum.

Educational Background:

Hannele Pokka holds a doctorate in environmental law. She is an honorary doctor of environment and forestry at the University of Eastern Finland (previously, University of Joensuu).

A few words about the organisation:

The Ministry of the Environment is responsible for preparing matters to be submitted for consideration by the Government and Parliament, such as matters concerning communities, the urban environment, housing, biodiversity, sustainable use of natural resources and environmental protection. The Ministry encourages cooperation in all its work and plays a leading role in national efforts to safeguard biodiversity, promote sustainable development and secure a good living environment for both current and future generations.

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Timo Rautajoki
President and CEO, Lapland Chamber of Commerce, Finland President and CEO, Lapland Chamber of Commerce, Finland

Mr Timo Rautajoki is the founder of the Arctic Business Forum and has decades of
experience in Barents Euroarctic cooperation. He holds several national and
international positions of trust in business and economic development, as well as the chair of the Euroarctic Chamber of Commerce, and was awarded with the title of National Chamber Director of the Year by the Central Chamber of Commerce Finland in 1997. Mr Rautajoki was granted the Golden Badge of Honour n: 244 of the RSFRCCI by President of the TPPRF Evgeny Primakov in 2007 for cooperation with the Russian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Mr. Rautajoki is a member of the National Arctic Delegation of Finland and a board member of the Finnish Arctic Society. In addition, her is a member of the joint monitoring committee of EU based-working groups, such as Interreg IV A Nord, ERDF and ENI Kolarctic.

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Sam Tan Chin Siong
Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office & Ministry of Manpower Republic of Singapore Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office & Ministry of Manpower Republic of Singapore

Mr. Tan began his career at the People’s Association in 1983 and held various leadership positions. From 1992, he was Deputy Executive Director of the Chinese Development Assistance Council and became its Executive Director in 1997. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Business China from 2007 to 2009. He received the Public Service Medal (PBM) in 2002.
In 2006, Mr. Tan was elected Member of Parliament and subsequently appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry, and Information, Communications and the Arts in July 2009. In November 2010, he was promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary for both portfolios. He served as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports (May 2011 − October 2012), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (May 2011−April 2014) and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (November 2012−April 2014). He served as Mayor of Central Singapore District from 2012 to 2014.
In May 2014, Mr. Tan served as Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office, and Culture, Community and Youth (May 2014−September 2015). Mr. Tan is currently Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Manpower. He has also chaired the Government Feedback Unit REACH since October 2015.
Mr. Tan graduated with a BA (Hons) from the National University of Singapore in 1983.

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David J. Scott
President and CEO, Polar Knowledge Canada President and CEO, Polar Knowledge Canada

Dr. David J. Scott is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Polar Knowledge Canada. He joined the organization as Executive Director of the former Canadian Polar Commission in March 2012 and co-led the recent merger of the Canadian Polar Commission with the Canadian High Arctic Research Station initiative.
Dr. Scott had a long career with the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), culminating as Director, Northern Canada Division. Prior to that, he was acting General Director, Planning and Operations Branch, and led the GSC’s Gas Hydrates and Northern Resources Development programmes. From 1999 to 2003, he was based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, as the founding Chief Geologist of the Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office.
Dr. Scott holds a BSc in Geology (McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada) and a PhD in Geological Sciences (Queen's University, Kingston, Canada). His thesis was on research into the tectonic origins of the two-billion year old oceanic crust in Arctic Quebec. He was a Research Associate in uranium-lead geochronology at the GEOTOP laboratories of the University of Quebec in Montreal. He has published and presented over 80 technical papers.

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Maxim Sokolov
Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Class 2 Full State Adviser of the Russian Federation. Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Class 2 Full State Adviser of the Russian Federation.

Born September 29, 1968 in Leningrad.

1987–1989: military service in the army.

1991: graduated from St. Petersburg State University, Faculty of Economics, in Political Economy. CSc (Econ.)

1991–1993: Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics of St. Petersburg State University

1992–1993: commercial agent for AOZT Frezi Grant

1993–1999: General Director of JSC Rossi

1999–2004: General Director of OOO C Corporation

2004–2009: Chairman of the Committee on Investments and Strategic Projects of the St. Petersburg Government

2009: Member of the St. Petersburg Government, Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Trade

2009–2012: Director of the Department of Industry and Infrastructure of the Government of the Russian Federation

Since May 21, 2012: Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation

Awarded: Medal of Honour (2014), Medal of the Order of Merit for the Motherland, 2nd degree (2008), Honorary Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation (2015), Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (2012), breastplate Honoured Worker of Transport of Russia (2012), other official awards.

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Erik Solheim
The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)

Erik Solheim is the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment). Prior to joining UN Environment in August 2016, Solheim chaired the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). From 2007 to 2012, he held the combined portfolio of Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development and, from 2005 to 2007, served as Minister of International Development. During his time as Minister, Norwegian aid reached 1%, the highest in the world.
Solheim is also an experienced peace negotiator, having acted as the main facilitator of the peace process in Sri Lanka from 1998 to 2005. He continued to lead peace efforts in Sri Lanka as Minister and has contributed to peace processes in Sudan, Nepal, Myanmar and Burundi. In addition to his career as a Minister and at the OECD, Solheim has served as UN Environment’s Special Envoy for Environment, Conflict and Disaster since 2013 and a Patron of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2012. Solheim holds a degree in history and social studies from the University of Oslo.

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Mike Sfraga
Director of the Polar Initiative at the Wilson Centre Director of the Polar Initiative at the Wilson Centre

Dr. Mike Sfraga is the Director of the Polar Initiative at the Wilson Centre. A geographer who focuses on the geography of Arctic landscapes, Arctic policy, and the impacts and implications of a changing climate on the social and political regimes in the Arctic, he previously served as Vice Chancellor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), faculty member, department chair, and Associate Dean of the UAF School of Natural Resources and Extension.
Sfraga served as Co-Lead Scholar for the inaugural Fulbright Arctic Initiative 2015–2017, a complementary programme to the US Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. He serves as Co-Director of the University of the Arctic’s Institute for Arctic Policy and is Affiliate Faculty, International Arctic Research Centre at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He also serves as Chairman of the Institute of the North, University of the Arctic’s Head of Delegation to the Arctic Council, member of the Governor’s Alaska Arctic Policy Committee, and Alaska Arctic Council Host Committee.
Sfraga holds a Ph.D. in Northern Studies and Geography from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

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Tuija Turunen
Prof. Tuija Turunen holds the position of Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Lapland, Finland Prof. Tuija Turunen holds the position of Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Lapland, Finland

Prof. Tuija Turunen holds the position of Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Lapland, Finland. She leads several national and international projects and has an excellent track record of high quality scientific and popular publications. She has presented her work at numerous international conferences and in various public media. Prof. Turunen leads the Thematic Network on Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity at the University of the Arctic (UArctic), which currently hosts thirteen member institutions across the circumpolar north. She also leads the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) project: Teacher Education for Diversity and Equality in the Arctic. Her current research interests focus on teacher training, professional development in higher education, educational transitions, especially starting school, multi-professional work in schools and preventive school welfare work.

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Guzel Ulumbekova
President of the Board, Association of Medical Societies for Quality of Medical Care and Medical Education President of the Board, Association of Medical Societies for Quality of Medical Care and Medical Education

Guzel Ulumbekova, President of the Board, Association of Medical Societies for Quality of Medical Care and Medical Education; Head, Higher School of Healthcare Organisation and Management, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Medical Communities for the Quality of Medical Care and Medical Education, Chairman of the Commission on Continuing Education of the National Medical Chamber, member of the Coordinating Council of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia for Development of Continuing Medical and Pharmaceutical Education, member of the Board and Executive Secretary of the Russian Society for Healthcare Organisation and Public Health.
Since 2003, she has been heavily involved in expert activities on healthcare organisation at the Civic Chamber and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the State Duma Committee on Healthcare, the Strategic Research Centre of the Ministry for Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the WHO Council for Evidence-Based Medicine, etc. Guzel Ulumbekova is the author of the books Russia’s Healthcare. What Needs to Be Done (2010) and Russia’s Healthcare. What Needs to Be Done-2 (2015) and a textbook for medical schools entitled Public Health and Healthcare (2011); she is a contributor to and a member of the editorial board of the national guide Public Health and Healthcare (2013).

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Anne Husebekk
Professor dr.med, Rector of the University of Tromsø The Arctic University of Norway Professor dr.med, Rector of the University of Tromsø The Arctic University of Norway

Anne Husebekk was elected Rector (Chancellor) of UiT The Arctic University of Norway in 2013, and took up office on 1st August 2013. As Rector, she is also Chair of the Board of Governors of the University.

Professor Husebekk is a physician by training (MD, specialist in immunology and transfusion medicine), and has a leave of absence from her position as professor in immunology at the Faculty of Health Sciences while serving as Rector. Her field of research is platelet immunology - specifically fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT), a potentially life threatening condition affecting fetuses and newborns – and she has been head of a research group studying the alloimmune response from basic biology all the way to a prophylactic treatment for pregnant women aiming at preventing the immune response and FNAIT. She served as vice president of the International Society for Transfusion Medicine from 2008 to 2012.

Having served as a member of the board of the Division for Society and Health at the Research Council of Norway from 2012 to 2015, professor Husebekk has recently been appointed as a member of the board of the Research Council’s Division for Science.

In January 2014, professor Husebekk was appointed by Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg as the Norwegian member of a Norwegian-Swedish-Finnish group of experts tasked with identifying potential areas of business development in the Scandinavian Arctic. The group’s report - Growth from the North - was presented at the Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromsø in January 2015.

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Mauri Ylä-Kotola
President, University of Lapland President, University of Lapland

Educated at the University of Helsinki, Ph.D., Mauri Ylä-Kotola is President of the University of Lapland located in Rovaniemi, Finland. Prior to taking up his current position, Ylä-Kotola worked as Rector of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. From 2007 to 2011, he was also Chairman of the Board of the Finnish Electronic Library Fin-E-Lib.

Mauri Ylä-Kotola's areas of academic expertise include, e.g., the thematics and problematics of the information society, media technologies, content production, computer-mediated communications and electronic aesthetics. He has undertaken research in the new forms and methods of interactive media, especially synthetic multi-user environments, and has recently been working on a project on philosophical questions of virtual reality technologies and spatial interfaces. Ylä-Kotola regularly lectures at various European universities. He has been a member of several scientific committees, including the Committee of Media Culture Programme of the Finnish Academy, the Board of the C.I.T.I. Institute (New University of Lisbon), the Committee of EMMABA, and the Board of the European Institute for a Sustainable Information Society.

Mauri Ylä-Kotola has received two honorary titles: Doctor of Humane Letters (Litterarum humanarum doctor) in 2008 from the Board of the University of Urbana (Ohio, United States of America) and Honorary Professor of The Pedagogical University of Murmansk (Russian Federation) in 2009.

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