2017

Goga Gugava is a Financial Management specialist with more than 13 years of experience in the Corporate Sector as well as in the Government. Currently he serves on a position of a Chief Executive at DAGI LLC. This company is one of the recognized leaders providing construction services in the local market.

Prior to joining the Company in 2014, Goga Gugava has been working on the Key positions in Governmental Agencies. He has spent 4 years with the Ministry of Justice on the position of the Head of the Economic Department. He has been dealing with Ministry’s budget preparation and execution, financial accounting and reporting, planning and managing infrastructure projects. He was personally involved in designing and implementing one of the most successful projects in the Government sector – Launching Public Service Hall concept where hundreds of public services are rendered on the “Single-window” basis. Goga has been researching for innovative technologies, appraising their relevance to the project and implementing facilities and equipment.

Goga Gugava has extensive experience in the Public Finance Management Field from the Ministry of Finance. He has spent several years in the Budget Department of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia starting from the entry level to the Department head. He has contributed substantially to implementation of successful reforms towards improvement of public finance transparency, transformation of public finance accounting system to international standards, establishment of medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) for government spending for all levels of the governance. As a result of these massive PFM reforms finally, Georgia is recognized as a PFM leader in the Region. Goga holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Williams College (USA).

Since 2001 Shota Gvineria has been working on various positions in Georgia’s public sector. Currently he covers NATO integration and security policy related issues as the Ambassador at Large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In his previous capacity, he held the position of the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Georgia until August 2016.

From May 2010 till June 2014 he served as an Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Alongside with strengthening political, economic and cultural relations between Georgia and the Netherlands, Ambassador was also representing his country in international organizations based in The Hague.

In 2010, Mr. Gvineria was promoted to the position of a Director of European Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Prior to that mission, in 2008 – 2009, he served as a Head of NATO Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In the period of April 2006 – October 2008, Mr. Gvineria was posted as a Councilor to the Georgian Mission to NATO.

In 2015 Mr. Gvineria obtained his Master’s degree in Strategic Security Studies at Washington’s National Defense University. He also earned his Master’s in International Relations from Diplomatic School of Madrid in 2005. Earlier he completed his Master’s in Public Administration at Georgian Technical University. Mr. Gvineria speaks Georgian, English, Russian, Spanish and some French.

Ekaterina Gvelesiani is the founder and director of Data Research, Analysis and Planning Center. Currently she has also joined hospitality business as she became partner at EG Holding, company which is constructing a hotel in Mestia, Svaneti.

Ms. Gvelesiani served as the Deputy Director of Defense and National Security Policy Department at National Security Council of Georgia in 2013-2014. From 2011 until 2013 she has been advisor to Deputy Secretary of National Security Council. In parallel, she successfully completed a variety of courses on Capacity-Building of Georgian Leadership Community for Improved Decision-making and Negotiation Skills, Policy Development and Negotiation Techniques, Managing Defense in a Wider Security Context, Regional Integration and Development Issues in South Caucasus, National Security and Public Policy.

Prior to turning into public service, Ms. Gvelesiani has gathered extensive experience in her roles of Marketing Manager at Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing company, Assistant International Affairs Manager at Deutsches Rotes Kreuz Kliniken in Germany, Assistant to the branch manager of the Bank Credit Agricole in France. Ms. Gvelesiani graduated from Caucasus School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2007. She then pursued her graduate International Management studies in France. She is fluent in English, French and Russian languages, Georgian being her native.

Andro Gigauri is a lawyer and has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy. He has been working on public service and law enforcement reforms in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. Andro served as a Chief of Administration at the Ministry of Justice of Georgia (2010-2012) and as a Deputy Chief Prosecutor (2012). He founded Georgia’s Crime Prevention Center under the Office of Chief Prosecutor (2012).The Center is tasked to study crime statistics and victimization data. It awards grants to NGOs for projects, aiming to decrease crime level and to close existing safety and security gaps in communities.

Andro was a member of the working group, which developed juvenile diversion and mediation mechanism – an alternative to incarceration for children. Currently, the program counts over 1,800 participants and resulted in less than 4% of recidivism rate. Previously, Andro served at USAID (2005-2008), covering public service reform. He managed human and institutional capacity development programs targeted at government institutions.

Andro co-managed assistance to Civil Registry Agency project, which led to development of Public Service Halls. Currently, Andro is engaged with development of Ukraine’s National AntiCorruption Bureau – a corruption investigation agency. Andro teaches a one year long course on Public Policy Analysis at the Liberal Arts School of Free University in Tbilisi. He also consults UNICEF in Ukraine. Andro is a founder of Institute for Non-Violent Communication. Currently, the Institute is piloting a Safe School Project and a Financial Literacy Project at secondary schools.

Tamaz Daushvili is a co-founder, partner and Chief Executive Officer of a leading Georgian company DIO Ltd in the field of windows, doors and window accessories. Established in 1996, the company grew from a zero founding capital and 3 people to a highly reputable company with 140 employees, offices and dealership network all across the country and a well-equipped factory producing wide range of high quality products. Mr. Daushvili has an academic background in Economics.

He is a graduate of Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University. At different times, Tamaz Daushvili participated in business exchange and strategic management programs in the United States of America and in Western Europe. He has also hosted teams of international business representatives to discuss the best practices of the company. Under Tamaz Daushvili’s leadership, innovations in the organizational structure and management of the company were constantly introduced and successfully implemented at DIO Ltd, creating better products and services for the customers and a more enabling and comfortable working environment for the employees.

DIO Ltd demonstrates sound practices of corporate social responsibility by regularly supporting the actions for environmental protection, providing assistance to children in need, and supporting involvement of business in education sector development. At numerous occasions, Tamaz Daushvili participated as a guest speaker with youth on the topic of business start-up opportunities and economic development of Georgia.

Ruslan Daiyrbekov is a member of International Media Lawyers Association (IMLA). His background consists of two Diplomas with honors from International University of Kyrgyzstan, including Master of International Law degree as well as graduation from the Media Law Advocates Training Programme at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies’ Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy of University of Oxford. Also he completed the Draper Hills Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development Program, hosted by the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University, USA.

Ruslan is a Senior legal expert at the Anti-Corruption Department of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. Since he is a member of the working group of the draft Law of the Conflict of Interest, he was additionally invited by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to participate as a Legal expert on the further development a bylaw on Commission on Ethics arising from the aforementioned draft Law.

Ruslan is involved in the activity in improving the legal and regulatory framework in areas of media law, media freedom and media policy, providing legal consultation for mass media and expert opinions on draft legislation on mass media. Ruslan worked for Internews Kazakhstan. His responsibilities included: the participation in the creation of a national working group that outlines the vision for media law development in Kazakhstan; coordination of media advocacy campaigns; conducting legal due diligence audit of core media outlets and training of media employees on legal literacy. Through active collaboration with Government officials of Kazakhstan and Parliamentary representatives

Ruslan participated in the Working Group on the Draft Law of Kazakhstan on Information Access and was actively participating in discussion of the draft law at the level of its drafting by the Working Group by providing its preliminary comments and observations. Also he participated in a Working group on drafting amendments to the mass media law of Kazakhstan in 2007. Ruslan worked as a Protection Assistant for United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to lead and co-ordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. He provided principled, effective and sustainable responses to problems affecting the rights or legal status of refugees and asylum seekers, resettled refugees to the third safe countries.

Giorgi Chitadze, is a public servant and currently working at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable development of Georgia as a head of division for Trade Negotiations and Coordination of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade area between the EU and Georgia. His job is very broad and complex, which covers management and coordination not only inside of the ministry but also, with other public institutions involved in these processes. Due to its complexity, Giorgi’s job is extremely interesting and allows him to realize himself fully. Successful coordination and management of the work allowed the team to conclude free trade negotiations between China and Georgia in 7 months, even faster than negotiations on free trade agreement between Georgia and EFTA countries, which were concluded in 1 year.

The first significant step towards advancing Mr. Chitadze’s career was continuation of studies for a master degree at the GIPA (Georgian Institute of Public Affairs). After the graduation from the master’s program, in 2007, he started working at the Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia. From 2009, he was honored to participate in EU – Georgia’s pre negotiation process on FTA, later as a member of the delegation, he participated in negotiations on DCFTA, which entered into force from 2014. Giorgi’s experience as a manager in public sector started from 2011 when he was appointed as a Director of Standards Department, challenged to create EU shape organization from a soviet style institution and continues currently as a head of DCFTA coordination division which also includes coordination of DCFTA advisory group – one of the first public-private dialogue platform.