Roscongress · Parliamentary Newspaper · September 2024

IV Eurasian Women's Forum: Digital Reach, Megatrends and "Heroines of the New Era"

"Live streams of the forum's events were watched by six million viewers, and total reach across social media exceeded 15 million people."

— Elina Isagulova, EWF Digital Projects Coordinator, Organizing Committee meeting, October 1, 2024

The fourth Eurasian Women's Forum took place in St. Petersburg on September 18–20, 2024 — the largest in the EWF's history by number of participants and geographic reach. Elina Isagulova participated in the forum in two roles: as coordinator of the EWF's digital projects and as a speaker at two business sessions — on digital ecosystems and on megatrends to 2030. Following the forum, she reported record digital audience figures to the organizing committee.

Forum Records

The fourth EWF set records across all key metrics in the forum's nine-year history, founded in 2015.

The forum had never before achieved this scale of online presence. This was made possible in part through the digital streaming and promotion system built under Isagulova's leadership via the VK platform — the primary digital reach media partner.

Award Ceremony: "Heroines of the New Era"

On September 18, the first day of the forum, the Tauride Palace hosted the award ceremony for the "Heroines of the New Era" competition — the EWF's flagship competition honouring women's achievements in science, business, culture, sport, and public life. The ceremony opened the forum's business programme and set its tone: this is not about declarations, but about concrete results.

The "Heroines of the New Era" competition is held as part of every EWF and attracts participants from dozens of countries. Laureates become ambassadors of the forum's agenda — exemplifying that women's leadership is not a trend but a real practice across the most diverse contexts and cultures.

Elina Isagulova's Sessions: Two Appearances on September 19

On September 19, Elina Isagulova spoke at two business programme sessions at the Tauride Palace.

The first session focused on the role of women in creating and developing digital platforms. As VP of B2B Commerce at VK, Isagulova is one of the few women in senior management at major Russian technology companies — and she spoke not as an outside observer, but as a practitioner shaping real digital infrastructure. 65% of business communities on the VK platform are run by women — this is not a statistical curiosity but evidence that the digital economy is opening new entry points for women's entrepreneurship.

The second session — on megatrends to 2030 — was a strategic conversation about how hyperpersonalization, artificial intelligence, and social commerce will reshape markets and create new opportunities for those currently at the margins of economic processes.

Outcomes and Plans: A Forum of Continuous Cycle

On October 1, 2024, Federation Council Chair Valentina Matvienko chaired a joint meeting of the EWF Organizing Committee and Council, summing up the fourth forum and setting directions for the fifth. The final resolutions of EWF 2024 were incorporated into materials for the BRICS summit in Kazan.

Key initiatives from the forum:

• Establishment of the EWF Ambassador title for the most active participants
• Launch of the "Women Leader" programme for BRICS countries
• International expansion of the "Women for the Preservation of Traditions" festival
• Expansion of forum venues while retaining the Tauride Palace as headquarters

Director of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency Veronika Skvortsova proposed extending the forum's geography beyond Eurasia, recognising its genuinely global character — participants came from every continent. Matvienko supported the idea, noting that the EWF name has become a recognised mark of quality and should not be changed.

EWF as Part of Isagulova's Professional Role

Participation in the EWF Organizing Committee is one of Elina Isagulova's ongoing roles outside her corporate work. The forum convenes every three years, but the work is continuous: coordinating digital projects, preparing live streams, and liaising with media partners. For her, this is not a one-off engagement but systematic work at the intersection of two professional contexts — technology and international women's leadership.

The EWF is a platform where women from 126 countries discuss economics, technology, science, and culture not within a separate "women's agenda," but as equal participants in global dialogue. This approach — without paternalism or special quotas, through real results — is precisely what Isagulova consistently champions in corporate life as well.