April 2022
AMCHAM BOARD MEMBER MR. VAROUJAN AVEDIKIAN Please meet Mr. Varoujan Avedikian, who joined AmCham Board as a Director in March 2021. Mr. Avedikian is the Managing Partner of TK&Partners since 2018. His practice areas are Corporate, Commercial, and Financial Transactions, Corporate Restructuring, M&A, Business and Financial Regulation, Venture and Private Equity Financing. Varoujan has more than two decades of experience under his belt in banking, capital markets, and insurance law, as well as financial regulation and public policy. He has served as the General Counsel of the Central Bank of Armenia for 12 years (2006-2018), where he spearheaded an impressive number of far-reaching and established reforms within Armenia’s financial sector. During his relatively long career, Varoujan has authored and co-authored more than a dozen laws that have significantly raised the quality of both financial regulation and private transactions in Armenia’s financial markets. In 2020 and 2021 Varoujan has been recognized as a highly regarded lawyer by IFLR1000. Varoujan is an adjunct professor both at the American University of Armenia (AUA) and French University in Armenia and teaches transactional, business, and financial law. He is extremely proud of his about 1000-member strong former students’ cohort, many of whom have become his colleagues and prominent members of Armenia’s legal community. In addition to teaching law, he also teaches Adaptive Leadership at AUA’s MBA program. Varoujan is a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School (MPA), Boston University (LL.M.), University of Leicester (LL.M.), and University of Nicosia (BA). He is an avid swimmer and constantly practices yoga. He also loves to read, especially fiction and geopolitical studies.
MEETING WITH THE AMBASSADOR OF CANADA TO ARMENIA, H.E. ALISON LECLAIRE On 26 April 2022 AmCham Board Vice-Presidents Ms. Elina Markaryan and Mr. Gagik Gyulbudaghyan and AmCham Armenia Executive Director, Ms. Lilit Gevorgyan had a meeting with the Ambassador of Canada to Armenia, H.E. Alison LeClaire and the representatives of the Trade Commissioner Service. During the meeting, the capacities of AmCham for a better business environment in Armenia were presented, as well as the potential opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation including the activation of the Diaspora network were discussed.
PACKAGING WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT AND A GUIDE TO SET UP A PACKAGING WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN ARMENIA BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF THE EPR STUDY FINAL REPORT PRESENTATION On 13 April 2022, the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia (AmCham) convened the "Packaging Waste Management Assessment and a guide to set up a packaging waste management system in Armenia based on the principle of EPR" study Final Report Presentation. The presentation was made by Mr. Kyriakos Parpounas, Managing Director of Parpounas Sustainability Consultants company. Ms. Elina Markaryan, Chair of FMCG Committee, Mr. Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of RA and Ms. Gayane Gabrielyan, Deputy Minister of Environment of RA delivered welcoming speeches during the event. Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, international organizations, and other stakeholders of the private sector were invited to the discussion in order to find possible cooperation between the public and private sectors on the above-mentioned topic and to introduce the principle of extended producer responsibility in waste management system in Armenia. The presentation also referred to the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), in particular, Armenia's environmental commitments. At the end of the event, Ms. Anna Mazmanyan, Deputy Minister of Environment of RA, made a closing speech, and she emphasized the importance of the dialogue between the private and public sectors towards the introduction of a sustainable waste management system in Armenia. After the speeches, the participants had an opportunity to raise their questions during Q&A Session, to network and to establish business contacts.
AMCHAM BE MY GUEST WITH HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS YEREVAN, AN IHG HOTEL On 15 April 2022, in the framework of the AmCham Be My Guest networking series, AmCham members were invited to enjoy their Friday night with Holiday Inn Express Yerevan, an IHG Hotel. Holiday Inn Express Yerevan is the first IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) hotel in Armenia, operating since 2018. IHG is one of the leading hotel chains, combining the world-known brands that stand out with their True Hospitality. The IHG Rewards Club is a true value for the consumer and aims to benefit travelers and business partners worldwide. Being the fastest-growing hotel brand in the IHG chain, Holiday Inn Express is the first choice for travelers seeking a simple and smart place to rest, re-charge, and get work done. The hotel offers 130 well-equipped and comfortable rooms, designed for business travelers and short-stay guests. The hotel’s cozy lobby is well suited for business meetings, while there is also a well-equipped conference room with a panoramic park view and a terrace, fitting up to 120 people. Ms. Mary Grigoryan, General Manager, and Mr. Arsen Mkrtchyan, Sales and Marketing Manager, Holiday Inn Express Yerevan, gave welcoming speeches and thank you notes to the attendees for their participation. During the event, a game about the Holiday Inn Express Yerevan hotel where the first 3 winners received vouchers from the company. More than 20 AmCham Member companies participated in the event. AmCham Members had a networking opportunity and enjoyed the evening in a wonderful atmosphere with wine, cocktails, and mouthwatering snacks.
AMCHAM FMCG COMMITTEE MEETING On 26 April 2022 AmCham Fast Moving Consumer Goods Committee had a progressive meeting after the final report presentation of "Packaging Waste Management Assessment and a guide to set up a packaging waste management system based on the principle of EPR" study. The meeting took place in Armenia Brasserie Private Hall of Armenia Marriott Hotel, Yerevan. 9 FMCG Committee members were present at the meeting, which was chaired and mediated by Ms. Elina Markaryan, the Chair of the Committee. The members were overall satisfied with the study and the presentation of "Packaging Waste Management Assessment and a guide to set up a packaging waste management system based on the principle of EPR" by Mr. Kyriakos Parpounas earlier in April. To fulfill the project successfully it was spoken about the piloting must of the project, where the issue of financial aid was raised. It was decided to apply to the international donors for further cooperation on the project piloting in a particular region of the country.
DID YOU KNOW? Alexander Mantashev Alexander Mantashev, the Armenian-origin industrialist, was born in 1842, in Tiflis. Mantashev inherited from his parents over 200,000 rubles, which he used to purchase most of the shares of the Tiflis Central Commercial Bank. He therefore became its principal shareholder, and later the Chairman of the Board of the Bank. Mantashev, not being afraid of high-risk investments, bought unprofitable oil wells in Baku that very soon became profitable. He built tankers for oil and fuel transportation to India, China and Japan as well the Mediterranean. In 1899 he founded the "A.I. Mantashev and Co." trading house, and became a shareholder in numerous oil companies, like the “Nobel Brothers”. After funding the Baku-Batumi oil pipeline, which is world’s longest pipeline, he became known as the “king of oil”. For 10 years, Mantashev’s company was the largest in the Russian industry, having a fixed capital of 22 million rubles. Along with 12 like-minded people, Mantashev founded the “Armenian Charitable Society in the Caucasus”. Through this organization, he donated 300,000 rubles towards the construction of the Nersessian spiritual academy. He then donated 250,000 rubles to the holy town of Echmiadzin for the construction of the residence of the “Catholics of All Armenians”. Mantashev’s most famous donation is the Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist in Paris. In 1904, the President of France bestowed Alexander Mantashev with the Order of the Legion of Honor. Also, Mantashev hand-picked 50 talented young Armenians and sent over 200 to study at the best universities of Russia and Europe. Later many of them developed the Armenian culture and science, among them Komitas, the founder of the Armenian classical music.