RIA Novosti · March 2026

Forum in the Big City — VK, March 5, 2026

Women in business is not a topic about equality. It is a question of economic competitiveness. Companies with gender-balanced leadership consistently deliver stronger results across key business metrics.

— Elina Isagulova, moderator of the EWF plenary session

"Forum in the Big City" — March 5, 2026

On March 5, 2026, on the eve of International Women's Day, Elina Isagulova moderated the plenary panel "Women in Business as a Catalyst for the Economy of the Future" within a joint project of VK and the Eurasian Women's Forum at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. The broadcast was on VK Video and reached a wide audience across Russia and beyond.

The venue was the Mosfilm Cinema Center (Mosfilmovskaya St., 1, Bldg. 44). The format brought together 18 discussions with over 100 speakers — on sport, business, art, professional development, and the role of women in traditionally male-dominated fields. Isagulova's participation in the key business session was a natural fit: she is a member of the Organizing Committee of the Eurasian Women's Forum at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.

Programme and Speakers

The forum featured 18 thematic sessions across two halls. In addition to the business panel moderated by Isagulova, the programme included:

• Sport and achievement — figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze, Olympic medallist Oksana Domnina, Olympic gymnastics champion Angelina Melnikova, head coach of the synchronised swimming national team Svetlana Romashina;
• Cinema and culture — Svetlana Bondarchuk, Ekaterina Klimova, People's Artist of Russia Valeriya;
• Business and entrepreneurship — CEO of Ozon CIS Natalia Boer, founder of STUDIO 29 Tanya Fomicheva;
• Philanthropy — founder of the Oncologica Foundation Miroslava Sergeenko, Evelina Bledans.

The forum broadcast is available on VK Video: watch the recording →

The Eurasian Women's Forum: An International Platform

The Eurasian Women's Forum (EWF) is an international platform established at the initiative of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, bringing together women leaders from more than 100 countries. The forum is held every two years and covers politics, economics, science, culture, and civic life. Elina Isagulova participates as moderator of plenary sessions on the digital economy and entrepreneurship.

Participation in the EWF Organizing Committee is one of Isagulova's roles outside the corporate world. It reflects her conviction: questions of gender balance in business are inseparable from questions of economic efficiency and sustainable development.

Why This Is an Economics Question, Not an Ideology Question

Isagulova's position on women's leadership is consistently built around economic arguments. Research from McKinsey, Deloitte, and Russian analytical centers finds that companies with women on their boards of directors demonstrate higher operational efficiency, better ESG metrics, and greater resilience during crisis periods.

Isagulova herself is an example of this model: board member at Soyuzmultfilm and B2B-RTS, Audit Committee Chair at B2B-RTS. Corporate governance with active participation of women is not a trend — it is a conscious decision with measurable results.

Digital Platforms Open New Opportunities

A separate track of EWF discussions addressed the theme "Megatrends 2030: New Opportunities for Women" — the role of women in developing digital platforms and ecosystems. The digital economy lowers barriers to entrepreneurship: a business can be built through the VK platform without an office, startup capital, or a distribution network. This opens opportunities above all to those who traditionally had limited access to resources — and women entrepreneurs in Russia's regions are using these opportunities at above-average rates.