Become a partner
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
Consumer Extremism
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
Broadcast
The manipulation of consumer rights legislation for selfish purposes, also known as ‘consumer extremism’, is notorious for its impact on civil turnover and various businesses. It has its own specific features in each segment, including the construction industry, real estate market, and online trading. Can we draw a line between consumer rights protection and consumer extremism, which is becoming systemic with the use of certain techniques that abuse people’s rights? What impact does consumer extremism have on market stability? What legal initiatives are needed to solve this problem, while preserving legal mechanisms for the protection of consumer rights?
Moderator
Vladimir Gruzdev
Chairman of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia
Panellists
Elena Avakyan
Head of Digital Transformation of the Bar, The Russian Federal Bar Association
Anna Harutyunyan
Head of Antitrust and Regulatory Practice, Wildberries&Russ
Yury Voronin
Chief Financial Commissioner for the Rights of Consumers of Financial Services
Tagir Kalimullin
Vice President, M.Video-Eldorado
Mikhail Orlov
State Secretary – Deputy Head, Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing
Andrey Porfiriev
Partner, EPAM Law
Oleg Speranskiy
Director of the Legal Department, Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation
Front row participants
Ilya Gavrilov
General Director, ROST
Aleksey Preobrazhenskiy
Deputy Head of Administration – Head of the Legal Directorate, Government of the Ulyanovsk Region
Maria Pukhova
Lawyer, Barshchevsky & Partners Moscow Bar Association
Broadcast
Vladimir Gruzdev
Chairman of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia
Gruzdev Vladimir Sergeyevich – Chairman of the Executive Board of the Association of lawyers of Russia (ALRF).
Born February 6, 1967 in Bolshevo, Moscow region.
Education:
1984: graduated from the Moscow Suvorov military school.
1991: graduated from the Krasnoznamenny Military institute.
2000: graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Law Faculty).
2003: defended his PhD thesis.
Foreign languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English.
Career:
1991-1993 served in the Foreign Intelligence Service of the RF.
1993: founded the trading company “The Seventh Continent”, where he held management positions.
2001: was elected as a deputy of the Moscow city Duma.
2003: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fourth convocation.
2007: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fifth convocation.
2011-2016: governor of the Tula region.
2009-2016: member of the Presidium of the ALRF.
Since 2016: Chairman of the Executive Board of the ALRF.
Awards:
- Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd Class;
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd Class and 4th Class;
- Russian Federation Presidential and Governmental Certificates of Honour;
- Gratitudes of the President and the Government of the RF;
- Medal “For Battle Merit”;
- Honourary Title “Soldier-internationalist”;
- Honourary badges of the State Duma and the Federation Council.
Born February 6, 1967 in Bolshevo, Moscow region.
Education:
1984: graduated from the Moscow Suvorov military school.
1991: graduated from the Krasnoznamenny Military institute.
2000: graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Law Faculty).
2003: defended his PhD thesis.
Foreign languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English.
Career:
1991-1993 served in the Foreign Intelligence Service of the RF.
1993: founded the trading company “The Seventh Continent”, where he held management positions.
2001: was elected as a deputy of the Moscow city Duma.
2003: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fourth convocation.
2007: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fifth convocation.
2011-2016: governor of the Tula region.
2009-2016: member of the Presidium of the ALRF.
Since 2016: Chairman of the Executive Board of the ALRF.
Awards:
- Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd Class;
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd Class and 4th Class;
- Russian Federation Presidential and Governmental Certificates of Honour;
- Gratitudes of the President and the Government of the RF;
- Medal “For Battle Merit”;
- Honourary Title “Soldier-internationalist”;
- Honourary badges of the State Duma and the Federation Council.
Elena Avakyan
Head of Digital Transformation of the Bar, The Russian Federal Bar Association
Elena Avakyan is the Executive Director of the Non-Profit Partnership for Advancement of Corporate Law.
Since 2019, Elena has been a member of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers Council. Since 2018, she served on the Expert Council on Legislative Support for the Development of the Securities Market and Derivative Financial Instruments under the Committee of the State Duma for Financial Markets.
From 2006 to 2014, Elena served as the head of Control and Analytic Directorate at the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation. She was one of the ideologists of the e-justice project in Russia and one of its managers.
In 2004–2005, Elena was the chairwoman of the board of the National Association of Securities Market Participants. In 1999–2004, she was the head of Legal Control Service and vice president of Renaissance-Capital. Before that, she worked as a general counsel of the board of the St Petersburg Stock Exchange.
At various times, Elena served as a financial market legislation expert for the FAS of Russia and Ministry of Finance, corporate governance expert for the Ministry of Economic Development, expert for the State Duma Committee on Credit Organizations and Financial Markets and Council of the Federation Committee on Financial Markets and Money Circulation as well as an expert of the Property Committee of the RF State Duma, an assistant to the Committee chairperson and assistant to a deputy of the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State-Building. Since 2011, she is a member of the working group on multi-purpose centers. She took part in the drafting of a concept of new civil legislation.
Elena is a member of all working groups at the Skolkovo competence centres in each of the focus areas of the Digital Economy national programme; she leads a small working group on the concept of an ‘electronic document’ within the Skolkovo working groups.
From 2021 to 2025 – Vice-President of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers of the Russian Federation.
Since 2019, Elena has been a member of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers Council. Since 2018, she served on the Expert Council on Legislative Support for the Development of the Securities Market and Derivative Financial Instruments under the Committee of the State Duma for Financial Markets.
From 2006 to 2014, Elena served as the head of Control and Analytic Directorate at the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation. She was one of the ideologists of the e-justice project in Russia and one of its managers.
In 2004–2005, Elena was the chairwoman of the board of the National Association of Securities Market Participants. In 1999–2004, she was the head of Legal Control Service and vice president of Renaissance-Capital. Before that, she worked as a general counsel of the board of the St Petersburg Stock Exchange.
At various times, Elena served as a financial market legislation expert for the FAS of Russia and Ministry of Finance, corporate governance expert for the Ministry of Economic Development, expert for the State Duma Committee on Credit Organizations and Financial Markets and Council of the Federation Committee on Financial Markets and Money Circulation as well as an expert of the Property Committee of the RF State Duma, an assistant to the Committee chairperson and assistant to a deputy of the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State-Building. Since 2011, she is a member of the working group on multi-purpose centers. She took part in the drafting of a concept of new civil legislation.
Elena is a member of all working groups at the Skolkovo competence centres in each of the focus areas of the Digital Economy national programme; she leads a small working group on the concept of an ‘electronic document’ within the Skolkovo working groups.
From 2021 to 2025 – Vice-President of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers of the Russian Federation.
Anna Harutyunyan
Head of Antitrust and Regulatory Practice, Wildberries&Russ
Yury Voronin
Chief Financial Commissioner for the Rights of Consumers of Financial Services
Tagir Kalimullin
Vice President, M.Video-Eldorado
Mikhail Orlov
State Secretary – Deputy Head, Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing
Andrey Porfiriev
Partner, EPAM Law
Oleg Speranskiy
Director of the Legal Department, Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation
Ilya Gavrilov
General Director, ROST
Aleksey Preobrazhenskiy
Deputy Head of Administration – Head of the Legal Directorate, Government of the Ulyanovsk Region
Maria Pukhova
Lawyer, Barshchevsky & Partners Moscow Bar Association