It is truly unbelievable how long the sun seems to be up here in Moscow. I woke up this morning at 7 AM when the bright sunshine was streaming into my hotel window. After an early but slow start to the morning, we headed over to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.
There were a couple really fascinating things that I noted from our IFC visit. The first was when our host Andrei Yakovlev mentioned that the IFC does not have any internal marketing department (although the company does have a public relations unit). Rather, Andrei's role as an Investment Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, in large part, demands that he market the company through his own networking and business efforts. Secondly, when I asked about the IFC's most successful business transaction, Andrei highlighted that the IFC's investment in Yandex, the largest search engine in Russia, has had a three-digit percent return! In the photo below, you will see our group with Andrei (centre right with the tie) outside the IFC.
After the visit, my team went to Gorky Park where we strolled and relaxed (photos below). In fact, while lounging in some unique chairs in the park, we found ourselves engaged in a conversation with an entrepreneur who had recently received his MBA from a school in Germany. Upon realizing the time, we then rushed to have dinner in the park, but Russian restaurant service being typically slow, we waited quite a while before ordering and being served. Though we were in a hurry to get back to the hotel for our optional roundtable discussion with Madeleine Leroyer, a freelance journalist, we couldn't help but walk through the Fan Park 2012, a festival-like area that was set up for the soccer match, on our way toward the exit.
There were a couple really fascinating things that I noted from our IFC visit. The first was when our host Andrei Yakovlev mentioned that the IFC does not have any internal marketing department (although the company does have a public relations unit). Rather, Andrei's role as an Investment Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, in large part, demands that he market the company through his own networking and business efforts. Secondly, when I asked about the IFC's most successful business transaction, Andrei highlighted that the IFC's investment in Yandex, the largest search engine in Russia, has had a three-digit percent return! In the photo below, you will see our group with Andrei (centre right with the tie) outside the IFC.
After the visit, my team went to Gorky Park where we strolled and relaxed (photos below). In fact, while lounging in some unique chairs in the park, we found ourselves engaged in a conversation with an entrepreneur who had recently received his MBA from a school in Germany. Upon realizing the time, we then rushed to have dinner in the park, but Russian restaurant service being typically slow, we waited quite a while before ordering and being served. Though we were in a hurry to get back to the hotel for our optional roundtable discussion with Madeleine Leroyer, a freelance journalist, we couldn't help but walk through the Fan Park 2012, a festival-like area that was set up for the soccer match, on our way toward the exit.
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| Cotton candy in Gorky Park |
This entry was originally posted on the HEC Montreal Campus Abroad blog here.
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