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LETTER FROM MOSCOW
UNCHARTERED
TERRITORY
In his role with Enterprise Ireland in Russia,
much of Mike Hogan’s (MBA 99, LLM 03) energy
goes into counteracting the many
misconceptions and stereotypes that still exist in
Ireland about the Russian market
difference,however:RussiaisstillEuropeanditscultureispredom-
inately European, framing it within the comfort zone for a lot of
Irish business. English is not as widely spoken as in other parts of
EasternEurope,andthisistobeexpected.Russianisstilltheeighth
most spoken language in the world and, while English will suffice
when selling into some parts of the ICT sector, in general to sell to
RussiansyouwillneedaccesstoRussianlanguageresources.
RussiararelygetsthegoodpressthattheotherBRICcountriesdo,
andwhilealotofpresscoverageofRussiaisfaircomment,rarelydo
the positives get highlighted. This is unfortunate, as the opportuni-
ties are many and the firstthing our clientscommenton when they
arrive in Moscow is their genuine surprise. Moscow is clearly not
R
what they expected. Russia’s capital is the largest city in Europe by
USSIAremainslargelyuncharteredterritoryforIrishcompa- somemargin,andwhiletheofficialpopulationisaround9.5million,
nies,despitethefactthatitisthe11thlargesteconomyinthe its real population is around 14 million. It is a fast-paced city and
world, set to become Europe’s largest consumer market by operates24hoursaday–thisincludesmostsupermarkets,pharma-
2012andisascantfourhours’flyingtimefromDublin.Myworkas cies and many shops. Want to go to a Korean restaurant at four
Enterprise Ireland director for Russia and the Commonwealth of o’clock in the morning? Then Moscow is the place for you.
Independent States (CIS) is to try to rectify that situation. Together Unfortunately, for many first-time business visitors, Moscow is the
with the Moscow team, I work on a daily basis with Irish firms, type of city that can overpower on arrival. Its sheer size and endless
mostlySMEs,tohelpthemcracktheRussianmarket.Ourworkalso traffic jams can be off-putting and trying to set up more than three
takes us further afield in the CIS, opening up markets such as orfourmeetingsinadayisnighonimpossible.
Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The territory I cover is huge – you know Businessetiquetteisstillevolvingandcanliesomewherebetween
youareinabigcountrywhenyoucantakea10-hourinternalflight! Europe and Asia. However, Irish firms need to be prepared for the
This is actually my second time around in Russia, as I lived in hard sell. Russian buyers need to see a vendor is making an effort,
Saint Petersburg from 1991 to 1998, seeing at first hand the break- andis‘suffering’tomakethesale.CenturiesofRussianliteratureon
up of the USSR and the development of the country’s market econ- the theme of suffering should give you an insight into why!
omy. This was very much Russia’s Klondike period, which created Socialising with Russian buyers is also key and can be a lot of fun.
the myth of Russian business that often still persists. I returned to Thatsaid,theimageofdoingbusinessovercopiousshotsofvodkais
Ireland in 1998 to do the MBA at the Smurfit School and after a fast dying out in Moscow and Saint Petersburg – although it is still
numberofyearsinenergyregulationathome,andanLLMatUCD, goingstronginRussia’sregions.
I returned to Russia in 2004, this time to Moscow, where I have The Irish community in Moscow is small at around 300 people,
since been based. In this respect, I have been lucky to have direct but there is a lot of experience to tap into and a vibrant Irish
experienceoftwocountriesgoingthroughrapidchangewithalmost BusinessClubwhichisausefulnetworkingresourceaswellasbeing
correspondingtimelines. agreatsocialnetwork.TheIrishinRussiapackabiggerpunchthan
OneofthebiggestdifficultiesIhaveworkingwithIrishcompanies ournumberssuggest!
is to counteract the many misconceptions and stereotypes that still
existinIrelandabouttheRussianmarket.Yes,bureaucracyandcor- Mike Hogan is director with Enterprise Ireland in Moscow. Alumni
ruptionarehigh,butthisisnotmuchdifferentfrommanyemerging with any questions or wishing to make contact can reach him at
marketswhereIrishcompaniessuccessfullyoperate.Thereisonebig mike.hogan@enterprise-ireland.com.
UCD BUSINESS CONNECTIONS 41
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