International Business Congress holds 24th General Meeting
RELEASE
Release
The International Business Congress (IBC) held its 24th General Meeting today. The Meeting was moderated by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and IBC President. The event had St. Petersburg and Singapore as its venues and provided possibilities for both personal and remote participation.
In his opening statement addressed to the Meeting participants, Alexey Miller highlighted that the Congress stays focused on the current trends of the global economy.
“One of the most prevalent trends is widespread digitalization. It facilitates business effectiveness and offers us new opportunities. Another important trend is the establishment of climate goals that numerous companies and countries are setting for themselves. I am convinced that the global objective of reducing environmental impacts can be achieved to a large extent through the use of natural gas,” said Alexey Miller.
The Meeting participants heard the reports delivered by the heads of the Working Committees, discussed the activities of the IBC that were performed in 2020–2021, and made decisions on procedural matters.
Following the outcome of the vote held previously, Barbara Frei, Executive Vice President of Schneider Electric, and Klaus-Dieter Maubach, CEO of Uniper SE, were elected as new members of the IBC Presiding Committee. The Presidium members also approved the appointment of Barbara Frei as the chair of the Information and Communication Working Committee.
A working meeting of Alexey Miller and Klaus-Dieter Maubach took place on the margins of the IBC. The parties discussed the key topics and prospects in terms of the cooperation between Gazprom and Uniper SE in the gas sector.
The “Challenges and Opportunities at the Growing Energy Markets in Asia” international conference was also held at the IBC.
The 25th anniversary General Meeting of the IBC will be held in 2022 in St. Petersburg, with Gazprom as its general sponsor.
Background
The International Business Congress (IBC) is a non-governmental and non-profit organization.
The IBC consists of more than 100 companies and organizations from 23 countries, among them Gazprom, Bank of China, China National Petroleum Corporation, Comita D. D., DNV GL AS, Ernst and Young BV, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd., Mitsubishi, Mizuho Bank, N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie, OMV AG, Pietro Fiorentini S.P.A., Petrovietnam, SAP LLC, Siemens, Shell, Schneider Electric, Schlumberger Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe, TotalEnergies, Uniper, Wintershall Dea, Yokogava Electric, VTB, Sakhalin Energy, Srbijagas, and others.
The IBC’s supreme body is the General Meeting. The 49-member Presiding Committee exercises general management. The seven-member Board of Executive Directors is responsible for operational issues.
The Congress deals with the practical aspects of economic cooperation and brings forward proposals for debottlenecking and building a favorable environment for safe and efficient entrepreneurial activities. The IBC operates through eight Working Committees: Energy; Industry, Innovations and Prospective Development; Law, Banking and Finance; Information and Communication; Ecology and Healthcare; Modern Technologies and Perspective Oil and Gas Industry Projects; Human Resources; and Business Security.
Uniper SE is an energy company (headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany) focused on natural gas, power generation, and global energy trading. Gazprom and Uniper cooperate in gas supplies and transportation and implement a joint scientific & technical program.