Dear friends,

July at SPIBA was very vivid and memorable, so we are pleased to announce our summer bulletin!

The SPIBA General Meeting took place on July 3rd at hotel “Astoria” and was devoted to the strategy of St. Petersburg on social policy, health, and the demographic situation. The honorary guest of the meeting was Kazanskaya Olga A., the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg. In her speech, Olga A. touched upon the most pressing social problems of the city and during the debate, SPIBA members were able to ask their questions and even suggested possible ways to cooperate with business. We thank Mrs. Kazanskaya for the open dialogue and her willingness to develop cooperation with our members in the future.

On July 10, “Kommersant” Publishing House in St. Petersburg, together with JSC “Russian Railways” and SPIBA, held a round table at the Graduate School of Management on the topic of “Economic and Ecological Aspects of Transport and Logistics Business Development in the North-West Region. Green Logistics and New Market Proposals”. The event location was chosen not by chance, but because at the Graduate School of Management, there is a Center for International Logistics and Supply Chain Management. It is unique to the Russian higher education international project by bringing together both universities and the largest railway companies in Russia and Germany. Representatives from the St. Petersburg government attended the round table. The specialists were from domestic and foreign companies, the transport and logistics sector, representatives of insurance companies, law firms and journalists from leading Russian media. In addition to the JSC “Russian Railways”, this positive experience was also shared by HEINEKEN Russia.

On July 12, the SPIBA Finance Committee invited members of the association to a business meeting called, “Single Sales Document” with the participation of Olga G. Lapina, Counsellor of the State Civil Service of the Russian Federation of the 2nd class, specialist of the FTS of Russia. At the meeting, issues related to the new requirements by the tax authorities to primary documents were disclosed in detail. In particular, the issues with the electronic form (how an accountant should read the format, what to look for, how to understand the mandatory details, etc.) as well as a ‘single sales document’ based on the invoice, proposed by FTS.

What could be better than a summer evening with old friends and new interesting acquaintances? Exquisite snacks, delicious cocktails, cozy atmosphere and pleasant surprises were the treats for SPIBA guests on July 23 at the new restaurant Astoria Café! Excellent organization and the hospitality of the Astoria staff, as always, exceeded all expectations! We were pleased to continue the evening at the cinema «Angleterre Cinema Lounge», where all the movies are broadcast in their original language with Russian subtitles. The Great Gatsby in the original language with a sunsplash cocktail Aperol Spritz was the end of our Tuesday!

SPIBA is always open to new ideas and formats! Our guests have seen it once again by visiting an open discussion about corporate culture and its transformation in the unique Hot-Seat format. Corporate culture is an increasingly important tool for managing and engaging people. It is difficult to motivate people when all the forms of salaries, bonuses, and benefits are already applied. You can never have too much money or a good thing! The debate was held in the format of Hot-Seat, which means that one person is on the Hot-Seat, and all other participants give him open feedback and ask any direct questions. On our Hot-Seat were Olaf Hauer, International Master Coach, Managing Partner, iNTG (Germany) and Ludmila Murgulets, MBA, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Managing Partner, iNTG (Russia). Speakers talked about their personal experiences and presented their “magic tools box”.

On July 26, we took a long-awaited tour at Look @ Baltika Breweries. We thank the hosts for the excellent organization, introduction to the activities of Baltika Breweries and the Carlsberg Group in the framework of the presentation and, of course, during a fascinating tour of the plant, a visit to the museum of beer! We summed up the meeting by tasting different varieties and brands of beer “Baltika” and Carlsberg! Photos of the event can be viewed in the gallery on the site.We wish the company further success and look forward to continue joint projects!

In August, SPIBA traditionally takes a break from all the activities and gain strength before the new business season, so we wish you happy holidays and sunny weekends! See you in September!