After the big success in 2008, the German-Russian Dialogue Baden-Baden was continued in 2009. It took place at the Palais Biron in Baden-Baden on October 12-18, 2009.

Entitled "Innovations as a Way Out of the Crisis?", the conference brought together participants, entrepreneurs and experts from both Germany and Russia to discuss topics such as finances and the energy sector, SMEs as well as human resource policies within the terms of competition for the greatest talents, the social consequences of the global economic crisis in Germany and Russia, and corporate sustainability.

Russian and German companies were invited to take part in the dialogue by nominating young leaders. Like last year, the selection of participants was made by the Robert Bosch Foundation, the BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt and the Ost-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft.

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2nd Alumni Meeting of the German-Russian Dialogue Baden-Baden 

The 2nd Alumni Meeting of the German-Russian Dialogue Baden-Baden, which took place in Moscow on May 13-15, 2010, was all about expanding and deepening the German-Russian network of young leaders.

Under the lasting impression of the Victory's 65th anniversary festivities in Moscow, the participants were welcomed by German Ambassador Ulrich Brandenburg, who compared his experiences during his first three weeks at his new post to his service in Leningrad (today's St. Petersburg) twenty-five years ago.

The next day, Michael Harms (President of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Moscow), and Erwin Trinkl (Senior Vice President Public & Government Relations of Metro AG in Russia) joined the participants for a discussion of problems such as the connection between political power and economic control in Russia, the lack of qualified skilled laborers, and the lack of loyalty of highly qualified Russian employees to foreign companies operating in Russia. The entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive in Russia, even though the participants agreed that a lot still needs to be done to improve the conditions for entrepreneurial activity. The modernization of both the economy and society continues to be one of Russia's key tasks.

At the invitation of Harald Purainer, Chief Financial Officer of Schattdecor AG and alumnus of the German-Russian Dialogue Baden-Baden, the participants visited the OOO Schattdecor plant in Chekhov near Moscow. There, the participants gained insights into the staff management and retention methods of this internationally operating company. At the same time, OOO Schattdecor presented itself as shaping the public life of the regions where it produces - e.g. by giving stipends to talented secondary-school students or supporting the reconstruction of local churches and historical buildings. The evening concluded with a shashlik (Russian BBQ) under the sun on the plant premises.

The discussion in the morning of May 15 focused on the conflict between companies' compliance rules and the standard practice of corruption in Russia as well as the resulting moral dilemma. In addition, the participants dealt with the questions of what differentiates managers and entrepreneurs and how it is possible to generate a higher sense of responsibility to the long-term goals of the company among managers. A classic issue of German-Russian relations, the debate about energy policy received particular urgency against the background of the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

In conclusion, the discussion revolved around the question of how the format of the German-Russian Dialogue Baden-Baden and its alumni meetings can be made even more attractive and which conditions have to exist for a long-term commitment of the alumni to this network. With a view to future events in this format, a key result was to further develop, and encourage active participation in the shaping of, individual program points.

Program for download

Documents