On April 24, in Moscow, at the premises of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, the annual "RPRA. Reputation" Conference will take place, along with the award ceremony for the winners of the 5th RPRA Prize 2026.
At the heart of the discussion is the transformation of communications under the influence of global and national factors, changes in the industry driven by generative artificial intelligence and emerging regulation, and new approaches to working with public sentiment and the social environment.
The programme also includes substantive analysis of significant industry trends identified by industry experts within the framework of the latest cycle of the "RPRA Prize", a comparison of historical and contemporary cases of business adaptation to crises, and issues of developing the industry's human capital.
"The programme is structured as a coherent conversation — from global changes in the world, society, and the individual under the influence of geopolitics and technology to applied solutions for heads of PR and GR functions. At the same time, it covers a wide range of relevant topics — from the analysis of best practices in corporate communications to questions of career entry into PR.
Among the headliners are leaders of the communications industry, representatives of the Presidential Administration, the State Duma, and the Public Chamber, as well as recognised experts in the fields of political and social communications. One of the 'highlights' of the forum will be a session featuring four State Duma deputies who are RPRA members. It is planned to discuss how business should interpret the government's 'signals' and what to expect from the next five-year political cycle.
I am confident that the 'RPRA. Reputation' forum will allow participants to align their own strategies with key changes in the environment and to update practical approaches to working in the context of the evolving role of the communications industry in the system of business-government interaction,"
— commented the head of the forum's programme committee, First Vice-President of RPRA, Oleg Poletaev
PROGRAMME ARCHITECTURE OF THE "RPRA. REPUTATION" CONFERENCE
11:00 – 12:00 — Public Talk
"Global Reset: Geopolitics, Governance Models, and the Human of the Future"
The opening event of the forum will be a public talk with political scientist Gleb Kuznetsov — one of the most prominent and systematic analysts of contemporary geopolitics and social development, former head of the Expert Council of EISR (Expert Institute for Social Research). The conversation will focus on the new configuration of the world: the redistribution of roles among the USA, Russia, China, Europe, and Africa; the rethinking of state governance models — from the transformation of democratic systems to the evolution of alternative governance constructions; and, finally, the future of the human being — their identity, freedom of choice, and strategies for self-determination in the digital environment.
The conversation will be led by:
- Oleg Poletaev, First Vice-President of RPRA, Managing Director of "Diskurs Group"
- Yulia Gryaznova, Head of the Directorate of Strategy, Analytics, and Research at ANO "National Priorities"
12:00 – 12:30 — BLITZ
A rapid overview of the key trends transforming the practice of public relations and social architecture. Three experts will present their views on the transformation of goal-setting and approaches to communicating with different target groups, demonstrating the substantive connection between the "RPRA. Reputation" forum and the results of the "RPRA Prize 2026".
Participants:
- Andrei Barannikov, Vice-President of RPRA, General Director of SPN Communications
- Alexei Semyonov, Deputy Head of the Presidential Directorate for Monitoring and Analysis of Social Processes
- Alexey Firsov, Vice President of RPRA and CEO of the “Platforma” Center for Social Design.
12:30 – 13:00 — Break
13:00 – 14:30 — Parallel Sessions
Session 1: "The Roaring Twenties Again: Similarities and Differences in the PR Strategies of Large Businesses Amid International Turbulence in the Early 20th and 21st Centuries"
A session of the RPRA Committee on International Communications, proposing an unconventional comparative communication analysis of two eras — the first thirds of the 20th and 21st centuries — through the lens of PR strategies of large companies amid geopolitical turbulence. Experts will discuss how businesses adapted to market fragmentation and created local brands for individual countries, how they responded to global epidemics, how technologies and production models transformed communications, and how economic booms and crises affected image and strategy. Special attention will be paid to cultural and social transformations — emancipation, urbanisation, and the role of social networks as a window to the world — as well as the impact of military and regional conflicts. The aim of the session is to compare two centuries, identify best practices, analyse the strategies of large businesses amid turbulence, and formulate practical recommendations for Russian companies operating in foreign markets.
Moderators:
- Andrei Andreev, Member of the RPRA Executive Council, Chairman of the RPRA Committee on International Cooperation
- Yuri Nesterenko, Member of the RPRA Executive Council, Deputy Chairman of the RPRA Committee on International Cooperation
Speakers:
- Roman Bedretdinov, Editor-in-Chief of Sostav.ru
- Dmitry Evstafiev, Professor at HSE University, political scientist, author of the project "The Professor Looks at the World"
- Natalia Lukovnikova, Futurist, Head of the educational project Sociosoft
- Dmitry Smirkin, Director of the Public Relations Department at JSC "Corporation Tourism.RF", co-founder of the #PRMSK community
- Olga Terno, Adviser to the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Session 2: "The New Rules Have Already Been Written — Were You Asked? How AI Regulation Will Affect the Communications Business"
Generative systems have already entered the day-to-day work of the industry. A new federal law on AI introduces, for the first time, legal liability for the results of their application. Participants will discuss how to operate under these conditions — and precisely what to change in products, processes, and pricing. The industry stands at a bifurcation point: decisions made now will define its position for years to come.
Moderator:
- Oleg Mukovozov, Member of the RPRA Executive Council, Managing Partner of the analytical agency Prognosis
Participants:
- Ekaterina Arkhangelskaya, CEO and Partner of agency RQ (AMDG Group)
- Evgeny Kovalev, Director of Development at CA "Kovalev, Tugushi and Partners", Head of Legalbusinessforum, Member of the RPRA Executive Council
- Yuri Pogorely, Deputy General Director of Interfax
- Elena Reshetova, First Vice-President of ACAR (Association of Communication Agencies of Russia)
- Sergei Sbitnev, General Director of the analytical agency Prognosis
- Vasily Cherny, Director of Strategic Communications at Brand Analytics
Session 3: "A Career from Scratch: How Entry into the PR Profession Works Today"
Starting out in PR today means not just a degree and enthusiasm, but also an understanding of the market, employer requirements, and real opportunities for growth. Young professionals face expectations that do not always match practice, and they need to know where to find footholds and what helps them progress along their career path more quickly and confidently. The professional community helps them in this: RPRA establishes benchmarks, creates an environment for learning, exchanging experience, and live dialogue with the industry, while expertise and skills assessment become the first asset in the reputational portfolio and a gateway into the professional community. The session explores how to build a career in PR from the ground up, turning knowledge and experience into real opportunities and building professional reputation from the very start.
Moderator:
- Lilia Glazova, Vice-President of RPRA, General Director of PR News
Speakers:
- Olga Grishaeva, Head of the Department of Strategic Communications and Narratives at the communications agency "Diskurs Group"
- Maria Zaikina, Vice-President for Industry Relations and Special Projects at Ozon
- Yulia Korogod, Master's student, 2nd year, HSE University
- Yakov Minevich, Managing Director of agency Brand Affairs
- Dmitry Mironov, Head of the Corporate Communications Group at Ozon
- Rimma Pogodina, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Creative Industries, HSE University; Deputy Director of the Centre for Practical Student Training at the School of Communications
- Anna Starkova, Director of External Communications at the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF)
14:30 – 15:00 — Break
15:00 – 16:30 — Plenary Discussion
"Priorities, Instructions, Signals: How Should Business Read the Current Agenda and What to Prepare for in the Next 5 Years"
Continuing the conversation on the global reset initiated in the public talk with Gleb Kuznetsov, the plenary discussion shifts the focus to the applied dimension: how businesses should navigate an increasingly complex system of government signals and priorities. National goals and projects, the agenda of traditional values, the logic of a mobilisation economy, and the redefinition of the circle of global partnerships — all of this shapes the environment in which companies' strategic decisions are made. The participants in the discussion — RPRA members in the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, as well as leading RPRA GR experts — will discuss which signals are becoming defining and how they influence the strategy and tactics of business-government interaction. Special attention will be paid to a forecast of agenda development for the new five-year political cycle that began in 2026.
Invited participants:
Ksenia Goryacheva, Dmitry Gusev, Darya Kislitsyna, Oleg Matveyev, Stanislav Naumov, Pavel Sklyanchuk
Moderators:
- Evgeny Minchenko, President of RPRA, General Director of "Minchenko Consulting"
- Oleg Poletaev, First Vice-President of RPRA, Managing Director of "Diskurs Group"
16:30 – 17:30 — Plenary Session
"Key Trends in the Communications Industry: What Did the Latest Cycle of the RPRA Prize Reveal?"
Coordinators of the RPRA Prize expert groups will comment on the key factors of reputational competition among brands, explain the logic behind the selection of winners in the new season of the prize, and summarise the key trends in working with various target audiences.
Moderator:
- Alexei Firsov, Vice-President of RPRA, General Director of the Social Design Centre "Platform"
17:30 – 18:00 — Break
18:00 – 19:00 — Award Ceremony for the Winners of the RPRA Prize 2025
Participation and Tickets
- Ticket price for all events of the day: 20,000 ₽
- RPRA Prize nominees and RPRA members participate free of charge
- To clarify membership status: directorate@raso.ru
