2017

Giorgi Muchaidze is a member of the Georgian Council on Foreign Relations. He started his career in the private sector as a business law consultant. In 1997 he moved to public sector. During next 13 years, as a public servant he held different jobs, including the positions of Deputy Defense Minister and Charges D’affaires. In 2011, he switched to the NGO sector and since then has been serving as an Executive Director at the Atlantic Council of Georgia.

Giorgi has actively contributed to cardinal reformation of the national security system of Georgia, which was widely recognized as a success. He has both, midand strategic level management experience in security sector institution and capacity building, as well as in embedding the democratic checks and balances and institutional change.

Giorgi is a co-founder of the Georgian-German Strategic Forum, a nongovernmental platform that brings together security communities of two countries for facilitation of strategic partnership. As an acknowledgement of his contribution to US-Georgian strategic partnership, on June 23, 2008, the US Flag was flown in his honor over the Pentagon.

Giorgi holds master’s degrees from Tbilisi State University (LLM with honor) and Harvard Kennedy School of Government (MPA). As the UN Disarmament Fellow and the Research Fellow at Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, he authored several research papers on the topical issues of regional and international security. Among his other special interests are wine, literature, music and rugby.

Since her appointment as the Director of the Agricultural Projects Management Agency in 2014, Mariana Morgoshia has been leading numerous agriculture development projects across Georgia. Her main responsibilities include managing the lifecycle of the projects from the initiation up to the launch as well as monitoring and evaluating the ongoing and completed projects in line with the global strategy of the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia.

Ms. Morgoshia has 16 years of experience in senior roles across business sectors – leading insurance, HR and deposits’ projects at an international bank, implementing IT systems and process optimization schemes; managing marketing, public relations, human resources and quality control directions at various private companies (2007 – 2014).

In 2000 – 2007, she was actively involved in primary healthcare development projects in Georgia, while also acting as manager-trainer. Ms. Morgoshia has worked on programs funded by the EU, World Health Organization, and the Department for International Development.

As for her educational background, she graduated from Georgian Technical University (Bachelor of languages and Translation – 1998 – 2002) and at the same time, she started a general management course at DFID Management School (2000 – 2003) and became the certified manager-trainer in primary healthcare sector. Later she obtained the certificate in Business Administration at Caucasus School of Business (Concentration – General Management – 2005 – 2007) followed by The George Washington University School of Business – PMC Professional Program in Project Management (2011 – 2012) and obtained Master’s Certificate in Project Management.

Nino Mirzikashvili is a professional with 14 years of expertise in managing multisector programs/projects as a direct implementer (Program Manager), a donor consultant and a public servant. She used to work for multiple international organizations, as well as Government of Georgia. Ms. Mirzikashvili served as a Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia (MoLHSA). She has an extensive experience in health care regulation field. Before this position Ms. Mirzikashvili the Head of the Regulation Department at the MoLHSA. She was involved in the different projects funded by Open Society Institute, USAID, DFID, Curatio International foundation, Center for Training and Consultancy” (CTC) and others.

Ms. Mirizkashvili used to teach epidemiology and public health at Tbilisi State University as well as at Private Medical School “Aiety” in 2003-2004. Now she is an invited lecturer at Ilia state University and Tbilisi State Medical University.

Maia Melikidze is an executive MBA graduate from Harvard University in the field of Global Strategic Management. Furthermore, she has academic education in International Economic Relations; and International Corporate Law. Currently she holds a position of an economic advisor to the President of Georgia Mr. Giorgi Margvelashvili. Before, she gained twelve-year experience of working in a private sector: International Audit Company “Ernst & Young” as a senior auditor; JSC Bank of Georgia – Tax Analyst; JSC Liberty Bank – Head of National Bank of Georgia and IFRS audit cooperation department.

As she shares the values of doing business in a fair, competitive environment she took a role of checks and balances, which means building bridges of relations between business and government. She invests her accumulated knowledge in the process of enhancing business-government friendly dialogue over important economic challenges that Georgia’s economy faces.

Simultaneously Ms. Melikidze is involved in educational process and encourages prosperity of new generation. She provides lectures on financial literacy, economic progress, investments, and management for students at Ilia State University; in addition, she is an associated professor at Business and Technology University, which ensures unique educational expertise by integrating business into technology and making innovations. She supports Silicon Valley Tbilisi and works hard in order Georgia to become an exporter of education in the region.

Ms. Melikidze is an author of several publications at Forbes focusing on diminishing unemployment and ensuring economic growth; involvement of Finance Institutions in mobilizing a public wealth.

Vano (Ivane) Matchavariani is a Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia. Prior to this, Mr. Matchavariani was an Executive Director in Georgia Development Foundation in 2015-2016. Before he served as an Adviser to the President of Georgia for Foreign Relations. Prior to this, he was a Deputy CEO in charge of External Relations in JSC Partnership Fund. Mr. Matchavariani served as an Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Georgia to Japan in 2007- 2009, Ambassador-at-Large/Special Envoy on Energy Security Issues in 2007. Mr. Matchavariani joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in 1998 and worked in Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations in New York until 2002. In 1996-1998 he was an assistant to Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia on foreign affairs. Mr. Matchavariani holds his Master Degree from SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA, Graduate Diploma in European and International Studies from Central European University, Prague, Czech Republic and Undergraduate Diploma from Georgian Technical University. He was also a fellow in George Mason University. Mr. Matchavariani is a lecturer of Foreign and Security Policy in Tbilisi State University.

Nino Kvernadze has been the director of the Project “Fostering Public Sector Development through Efficient Delivery of Urban and Rural Services” Fostering Public Sector Development through Efficient Delivery of Urban and Rural Services, at Public Service Development Agency (PSDA) of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, since 2015. The project is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and aims at improving the quality of public service delivery processes and establish citizen oriented approaches, particularly on e-governance and public service innovation.

Nino Kvernadze has accumulated nearly 12 years of professional experience in various public sectors of Georgia, by being involved in decision making, assessment and implementation of governmental policies. She served from 2005 to 2008 as a specialist at the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia, and as a Head of Sustainable Development Department at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia from 2010 to 2015. Her fields of expertise encompasses all areas related to the natural resources management, environmental policies, economic policies, namely manufacturing, agriculture, waste management, climate change, clean transport, energy efficiency, FDI, Greening SMEs, MDGs, DCFTA/sustainable development and so forth.

Throughout the years she has gained valuable experience by working on the institutional capacity building and empowerment projects of Georgia, delivered through the international assistance, from the main partners of Georgia: EU, OECD, UNDP, USAID, GIZ and SIDA. Since 2010, she was involved in building a new form of partnership launched by the EU, with Eastern Partnership Countries (EAP) by participating with various policy discussions, projects and workshops. As part of her academic background, Nino ha earned the Bachelor of Public Administration from Georgian Technical University and after receiving a scholarship from the Asian Development Bank, she acquired the Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) Tokyo, Japan. In the meantime, due to her active involvement in academic and social activities at GRIPS, she became elected as the Head of Social Events (2013-2014) at the International Student’s Council (ISC).

Tamar Kvantaliani is an Oxford University graduate awarded by Weidenfeld Scholarship holding a degree in MSc – Nature, Society and Environmental Policy. Currently, she works as a Deputy Head at the Agency of Protected Areas under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia where she supervises international relations and project management direction.

Before the degree at Oxford University where the topic of her thesis was “Governing Protected Areas: State and Non-State Actors in Post-Soviet Georgia” she started her academic educational background with the bachelor’s degree in Human Geography (Faculty of Social and Political Sciences) in Georgia directly followed by two-year master programme in the same field.

Tamar has more than 7 years of working experience both in private and public sectors. At first, she started her career in non-governmental think tank which was followed by the position of chief specialist at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia after returning from UK. Later, she moved to the Agency of Protected Areas within the same ministry as a Head of International Relations and Project Management Service followed by the position of Deputy Head where she stands for now – dealing with numerous projects funded by various international organizations.

In addition, Tamar has got some international expertise. She has done a short internship in the Czech Republic at the Ministry of Environment and in 2015, she participated in the International Seminar on Protected Areas Management at Montana University funded by US Forest Service

Tamar Kekenadze, is a Secretary General of Political Party “Free Democrats”. Before joining the party, she was a Civilian Representative of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia to NATO and the EU. Prior, she served as a Head of the Euro-Atlantic Integration Division at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia. Before joining the government in 2009, Ms. Kekenadze worked for five years in civil society organizations on national and international levels in the fields of Security and Foreign Policy, Election Monitoring, Formal and Non-Formal Education, Sustainable Development and Youth.

In 2008 Ms. Kekenadze was awarded the “Young European of the Year” Prize for outstanding commitment to fostering international understanding and the union of Europe. In 2009, she was privileged to serve as an intern in International Affairs in the Cabinet of the President of the European Parliament in Brussels. Ms. Kekenadze holds a BA in Computer Systems and Networks (2003), and a MA in Computer Engineering, Information Science and Control Systems (2006), all from Georgian Technical University.

Archil Karaulashvili has graduated from the Faculty of International Economic Relations of Iv. Javakhishvili State University in 1995. He started his career at the State Committee of Foreign Relations of Georgia in 1995, where he worked as a chief specialist until 1996.

From 1996 to 1997 he worked as the Head of Division of Business-Plan Analysis at the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Georgia. In 1996 he was appointed as Deputy Head of the Department of Foreign Investment, Credits and Inter-branch Projects at the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Georgia and worked there until 2000. In 2000-2004 he was the Director of the Investment Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the 2004-2015 period he served as the Head of the European Integration Coordination Department at the Office of the State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. During this time he also was a Secretary to the Governmental Commission for the EU Integration.

In March 2015, Archil Karaulashvili was appointed as the First Deputy State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. He participated in a large number of conferences and professional trainings organized by the international donors and organizations. In 2011, Mr. Karaulashvili was awarded with an Order of Honor. He is a co-author of books and researches on the Euro-Integration. He is married and has two children.

Elene Jimsheleishvili is a Systems and Policies Director at Human Capital Management Department at Bank of Georgia. Her responsibilities include coordination of design and development of Human Capital Management policy, support of its implementation (guidelines and respective technology), impact and quality analysis to capture opportunities for improvements and constant development. She has more than 10 years of human resources management experience including young talents acquisition, personnel development and training, HRIS (360, PM). She is a Member of SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management), holds MPA (Master of Public Administration) from GIPA (Georgian Institute of Public Affairs).

Giorgi Isakadze has in-depth understanding of media field. He is an Editor in Chief and Managing Partner at “Forbes Georgia”. In addition, Mr. Isakadze is a Project Manager and Author of daily TV shows – “Business Contract”, “Analytics” and “Business Morning” TV. He was also a Managing Partner at Touch media and CEO at Georgian Media Production Group. He has also a valuable experience in economic policy making and reforming through senior level assignment in public service.

Furthermore, Mr. Isakadze specializes in lobbying and government relations, business association building, and mobilizing interest groups of stakeholders. Giorgi Isakadze has an extensive experience working for Governmental agencies as an Assistant to President of Georgia in fiscal and budgetary policy and Deputy State Minister (Vice Prime Minister) covering relations with IMF, EBRD, WB and other worldwide financial institutions. Prior to joining Foundation “Business Media Georgia” (producing TV Shows for TV Pirveli) and Forbes Georgia, Mr. Isakadze worked for Business Association of Georgia as a First Vice President and later, as an Advisor to the supervising board.

Farrukh Irnazarov is a Co-Founder and Country Director for Uzbekistan at the Central Asian Development Institute since 2011. He has been working on Central Asia for 14 years and he conducted research projects for the World Bank, ADB, GIZ, OSF, USAID, IOM, Volkswagen and Gerda Henkel Foundations. Previously, Mr. Irnazarov worked for University of Applied Sciences Goettingen, National College of Ireland, Schwarzkopf and Henkel and Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of Uzbekistan. Mr. Irnazarov has experience in the area of labour migration, transport and trade, economic transition as well as public policy and good governance. Mr. Irnazarov also delivers master classes on communication and interviewing in difficult environments. In addition, he has a good track record in working with the Central Asian governments. He is completing his PhD in International Studies at the University of Groningen and has two MSc degrees – one in Business Administration and Economics from Stockholm University (2006) and another one in International and European Relations from Linköping University (2005).