2018

Irakli Kordzakhia received the Diploma in Legal Studies from TSU (1993), the Diploma in Jurisprudence from Gr. Robaqidze University (2001), LLM in European Law from TSU (2004) and Diploma in International Arbitration CArb, London (2017), He studied European Competition law in Kings College, London (2015-2016). He is CEDR accredited Mediator. He has certificates from University of California, Frankfurt bank academy, National Institute of Trial Advocacy. He started his career in 1993 as in-house counsel in commercial bank and became the head of the legal department. In such capacity he worked in number of commercial banks. In 1999 he together with partners founded Law firm Kordzakhia Jgenti GP which is well known on the legal market.

In 2016 it become associated with Grata International. From 2000 he was acting as local legal expert for WB, KW, USAID, ADB in number of infrastructural and financial sector restructuring and policy drafting projects. He has experience of serving as international expert of European Counsel in Rule of Law projects (2016). During 2006-2017 he was lecturing in GIPA, ABA/CEELI project, in Training Center of GBA and Free University in Trial skills and Legal ethics. From 2018 he is deputy Legal Ethics Chair in New Vision University. In 2010-2011 he acted as chair of disciplinary commission of GBA, in 2012-2013 and from 2017 he is member of the same disciplinary commission. He is member of arbitration counsel of GIAC and DRC, is in the list of mediators of Tbilisi State Court and is member of GAA board.

Resani Kikava was born in Batumi, in 1982. He is currently an assistant professor at Ilia State University, delivering courses in management, strategy and leadership. Since 2017 he is also a head of management studies in the mentioned institution. Besides his academic activities, Resani Kikava is a director of JSC Exhibition Center (ExpoGeorgia) and is a serial entrepreneur, having executive management experience of over 10 years in consulting, real estate and international trading. From 2010 to 2013, Resani worked in a capacity of a risk manager and later as the CEO for the commodities trading firm based in London.

Throughout his career, Resani worked for Virgin Group as a strategy consultant, as well as for a number of international consulting firms specializing in general management and international trade. During 2005 to 2006, Resani was a project director for real estate company JSC Iberia in Moscow and during 2003-2005 held a position of a corporate loan manager at JSC TBC Bank. Resani acquired master’s degree in business administration from Imperial College London Business School in 2010. He also holds master’s degree in business administration from European School of Management (ESM-Tbilisi) and bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Georgian Technical University.

Gvaram is a career diplomat with over 13 years experience in Georgian Foreign Service, including mid-career assignments at Georgian Embassies in Sweden and Mexico. Since 2016, Gvaram serves as a Deputy Director of the Department of the Americas at the Foreign Ministry, overseeing the priorities of the U.S. Georgia strategic partnership and Georgia’s relations with Latin American and the Caribbean states. Gvaram is a graduate of Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Commerce and Marketing, with the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the Expertise of Foodstuffs and Customs Administration, respectively.

During his undergraduate studies Gvaram spent one academic year at California State University, East Bay (Hayward) studying Business Administration as the State Department’s Freedom Support Act (FSA) scholar. Gvaram is an alumnus of the Professional Fellows Program of the State Department, with a stint at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs – DC based think-tank focusing on the U.S.-Latin American relations. In 2017, Gvaram completed the Master’s in International Public Policy (MIPP) from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Johns Hopkins University after receiving scholarship from the International Education Center of the Government of Georgia. Gvaram is passionate about football, enjoys traveling and reading at his spare time.

Ana Kantaria is a Fintech professional, has almost 10 years’ experience in banking and global technology company. 2013-2018 years Ana was business development manager for Georgia and Armenia at Visa Inc. During her service, both countries demonstrated noticeable developments in electronic payments and implementing cutting edge technologies. In 2011-2013, worked as an ecommerce coordinator at JSC Liberty bank, one of the largest Banks in Georgia. In 2006-2008 was managing card business at JSC Standard Bank Georgia (currently Tera Bank). She holds MS in Management from Stockholm University (Sweden) and BA in International Economic Law from Georgian Technical University (Georgia), is fluent in English and Russian. Ana is a passionate believer in digital transformation and connected world.

Jana (Darejan) Javakhishvili, PhD in Psychology, Senior Advisor at the non-governmental foundation Global Initiative on Psychiatry Tbilisi, Associated professor and Director of the Institute of Addiction Studies at llia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. She is a co-founder of the two innovative masters programs in the same university: Mental Health MA program and Addiction Studies MA Program. She has been working in trauma research, training and treatment since 1995. Since 2002 she has been engaged in the field of conflict transformation as a facilitator for peace building processes in Georgia and the South Caucasus. She is a current president of the Georgian Society of Psychotrauma; Board of Directors Member and Secretary of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma Contact Person in the South Caucasus. She is a co-author and co-editor of a number of books and scientific articles in Georgian, Russian and English, published in Georgia, Armenia, England, Norway, Russia and the United States.

Haykuhi Harutyunyan is the president of “Protection of rights without borders” NGO since 2013 In this capacity she manages the efforts of the organization to promote protection of human rights, to foster the principles of the rule of law and good governance in the country. She has over 13 years of professional experience in human rights protection in local and international civil society organizations. As a practicing human rights lawyer, she is a member of the Chamber of Advocates in the Republic of Armenia, where she handles strategic litigation and cases on political prisoners. Over the past three years and most recently during Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution,” Harutyunyan successfully established and managed the group of lawyers working on the mass violation of human rights during the peaceful assemblies in the country, and submitted 45 cases to the European Court of Human Rights.

Since 2016, Harutyunyan is a member of the Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society forum that is a policy initiative which aims to bring the six Eastern neighbors – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – closer to the European Union. Harutyunyan is a Fulbright Scholar-Hubert Humphrey Fellow and studied at Minnesota Law School where she received her master’s degree with a concentration in leadership, human rights and rule of law. In 2011 she was awarded by one of the Fulbright Scholarships-Hubert Humphrey Fellowship and studied in the Minnesota Law School, where she got her Master’s Degree on Human rights, Rule of Law and Leadership. During her Humphrey Fellowship year, Ms. Harutyunyan studied the mechanisms of the independent judicial system in the United States, as a guarantee for the Rule of Law, and especially the mechanisms for public participation and control over the judicial system. Previously, Ms. Harutyunyan had been working in Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor-office since 2003 as the Coordinator of the organization. In that capacity, she developed strategic plans and projects implemented by the organization to improve the human rights situation in Armenia. (2003-2011).

Nino Dolidze is an associated professor at Ilia State University and the Deputy Dean of the School of Business. Since 2004 she has been teaching classes in public administration and organizational management and supervising researches at doctorate, master and undergraduate programs. In 2016, under the supervision of prof. J. Mahler from the George Mason University, USA, Nino Dolidze conducted the doctoral thesis on The Models of Training and Development in Georgian Public Sector and was awarded academic degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, with qualification in Public Administration.

Nino Dolidze annually participates in international and local scientific conferences and workshops, publishes works on public administration issues. She is a co-author of several monographs, including Public Administration in Post-Communist Countries, Former Soviet Union, Central and Eastern Europe and Mongolia, published in 2013 by CRC Press. Her most recent research project conducted in co-authorship with Prof. Koberidze in 2018, addressed the issue of Participation of Non-State Actors in the Process of Regional Development Policy. As As an expert and trainer she provides consultations and trainings in public administration, strategic planning, public policy and policy analysis, general management, organizational management and related fields for governmental and nongovernmental organization.

Mikheil Darchiashvili has extensive professional experience in diplomacy and international relations. He started diplomatic career at the Political-Military Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in 2001. Mikheil Darchiashvili worked at the Georgian Mission to NATO, NATO HQ Brussels, Belgium initially as a first secretary, later a political counselor (2004 – 2008). He worked at the Embassy of Georgia to the United States, Washington DC, initially as senior counselor, later as minister plenipotentiary (2008-2013). Mikheil Darchiashvili served as Deputy Defense Minister of Georgia (2013-2014).

During his tenure as Deputy Defense Minister, he was responsible for international relations with main focus on Georgia’s NATO membership process, US-Georgia Defense Cooperation as well as defense policy and planning. Currently, Mikheil Darchiashvili serves as Governance Manager at the USAID project Good Governance Initiative in Georgia (GGI). Mikheil Darchiashvili is a member of Governing Board of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), affiliated professor and lecturer in defense and foreign policy. He is also a member of the Atlantic Council of Georgia Mikheil Darchiashvili holds Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA)

from GIPA.

Lucila Crexell is a National Senator of Argentina and was elected by the people of the province of Neuquén in 2013. She is a member of the General Law, Environment and Sustainable Development, Foreign Affairs Committees, in addition to other committees. Crexell was brought up in a political family that played a leading role in Neuquen’s institutional history. She has two decades of experience working in different areas of the public administration, both in national and local level. As a senator, she represents the province of Neuquén before the Federal Government and defends the decentralization of power and the protection of provincial autonomy. As regards her parliamentary labor, she has been the author of bills related to environment, education, regional economies, tourism and foreign service.

Also, as a National Senator she is part of the Argentine Delegation in the InterParliamentary Union (IPU). At the same time, she integrates the Argentine Delegation in the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO), where, as a member of the Environment and Tourism Commission, it promoted the approval of the Framework Law for the categorization of Protected Areas. Within Parlatino she is currently a member of the Commission on Human Rights, Justice and Prison Policies. In another order, it should be noted that, as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Argentinian Senate, Crexell chairs the Argentine Delegation of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Crexell studied Public Relations and a Bachelor in Law in the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE), and she is currently finishing Politics and International Relations. She is also finishing a master degree course in Public Administration at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and also a Interdisciplinary Master’s Degree in Energy from the Energy Regulatory Activity Studies Center of the University of Buenos Aires.

Lesia has 20 years of managerial experience in public sector, non-governmental organizations and high profile international business Lesia is Deputy Chief of Party of one of the most successful anticorruption project in Ukraine “Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services” funded by US and UK governments. Focusing on work with Ukrainian citizens, the central government, and municipalities to improve public procurement, e-Services, and access to public data to help reduce corruption. After the Revolution of Dignity Lesia managed Reanimation Package of Reforms (PR) group supporting Public Services reform, working on implementation of e-governance elements (Open Budget, -Services) on local level.

In 2015 Lesia together with a reformatory team joined the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine as -Governance Advisor and then headed the IT, Document Flow and e-Services Department. In addition to establishing transparent processes of all operational activities and public procurement inside the department Lesia took leadership in digitalizing public services of the Ministry and development of the Strategy of Public Services provision. As a result – the National Portal of Administrative Services was developed and deployed and 12 most corrupted licenses and other permissions for international trading were digitalized. Lesia worked in marketing and operational management in international companies as SOLVAY (NYSE, chemicals), STIMOROL CEE, HJ.HEINZ (FMCG), LEO BERNETT., RIMACO Handels GmbH, MILLIMAGES (animation). Managed the biggest animation studio in Europe: 800 employees, 7 subsidiaries all over CEE and CIS. Developed several successful start-ups in IT, production and service industries. Lesia is a graduate of National Taras Shevchenko University, PhD Psychology, holds MBA from KMBS Business School.

Although born in Moscow, Russia, Anastasia has spent most of her adulthood years in United Kingdom, completing her secondary education in Clifton College, Bristol and her Bachelor’s in King’s College of London. At the age of 16, she created the biggest Russian speaking online community about the 90s era with over 700 000 members and an average of 4500 unique daily visitors. After graduating with BA in Hispanic Studies, Anastasia followed up with her passion in Digital Communications and received a Postgraduate Diploma at New York University in Integrated Marketing Communications. At the age of 25, Anastasia’s father, Kakha Bendukidze, had unexpectedly died, leaving no will and a reasonable estate behind him. She decided to carry on his legacy and became the Head of the Knowledge Fund – a non-profit charitable organization that owns two of the leading universities in Georgia – Free University of Tbilisi and Agricultural University of Georgia, as well as other educational projects.

Christina Bellman is currently Deputy Director/Scientific Associate at the Regional Programme Political Dialogue South Caucasus of Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung e. V. in Tbilisi, Georgia. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is a political foundation with worldwide programmes aimed at strengthening democracy and rule of law as well as promoting freedom and liberty, peace, and justice through civic education programs. Prior to her posting in Georgia, she served as Desk Officer in the organisation’s Global Rule of Law Programme in Berlin, Germany, where she was in charge of coordinating KAS’ worldwide rule of law-activities and high-level events with, among others, judges of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.

She holds an M.A. in International Relations from Humboldt University Berlin, Free University Berlin and Potsdam University as well as a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from University College Utrecht, the Netherlands, with majors in Political Sciences and Human Geography. Prior to her assignments with Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung, she worked at a political consulting firm in Munich, Germany, and gained working experience, i.a., at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, Germany, the Munich Security Conference (Germany) and a private, not for-profit organisation in Berlin. She has lived, studied and worked in Melbourne, Australia, and Madrid, Spain, and speaks five languages, albeit some better than others, depending on the time spent in a country.