February 2020
AMCHAM BOARD MEMBER MR. ARTHUR HOVANESIAN Please meet Mr. Arthur Hovanesian, who has been serving as an AmCham Board member from 2012 to 2013 and from 2016 to present. Mr. Hovanesian is the Executive Director of Synergy International Systems, Inc. - a global software and consultancy firm that creates tailored solutions improving information management, data utilization, decision making, service delivery and social impact. Starting in 2003 as a software developer then moving to systems architecture and analysis, he has played a key role in the development of Synergy’s proprietary technology - Intelligent Data Manager™ (IDM), a complete platform for rapidly building web-based business applications. Mr. Hovanesian holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Computer Science from the School of Engineering and Applied Science - University of Virginia, USA (2000). Mr. Hovanesian likes downhill skiing, football, tennis, and playing the violin.
PRESIDENT ARMEN SARKISSIAN RECEIVED THE AMCHAM BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Armen Sarkissian received the Board of Directors members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia. Members of the American Chamber of Commerce presented activities, key plans and upcoming projects. They also shared the issues and challenges that the businesses face and is being lobbied. President Sarkissian welcomed any proposal that would be aimed at the country’s development and expressed readiness to support them within his limits. President Sarkissian spoke also about the Presidential initiatives, pointing out the ATOM project - Advanced Tomorrow, which is aimed on the development of science and technologies in Armenia. The President highlighted also the Armenian Summit of Minds to be held in Armenia this year and dedicated mostly to artificial intelligence and geopolitical risks, as well as the Horasis-China international conference, where dozens of Chinese companies will be visiting Armenia for cooperation opportunities. It was agreed that AmCham Member interested companies can become partners and participate in the mentioned projects.
AMCHAM FMCG 1ST 2020 COMMITTEE MEETING On 6 February, 2020, AmCham in Armenia Fast Moving Consumer Goods – FMCG Committee 1st Meeting on Sustainable Packaging took place at the Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan. During the meeting AmCham Members and the AmCham Executive Team discussed the FMCG Committee mission and objectives. The Committee Chair Ms. Elina Makaryan presented current Waste Management Legal Overview, Risks and Challenges, Packaging Recovery Mechanisms Options, Waste Management Possible Schemes and the FMCG key stakeholders map. It was proposed to extend the stakeholder mapping to have more wide coverage on waste management and involve not only the FMCG companies but also those which create other waste, dangerous for the environment. It was decided to run a Diagnostics Survey on the Waste Management, which will also identify the best applicable waste management mechanism for Armenia. It should be done via involving all the interested organizations, which will be contacted via existing interested Business Associations in Armenia. After the interested associations are identified, one to one meetings will be held with all the organizations to finalize the Terms of Reference for the Diagnostics Survey, agree and move forward. Members from various AmCham Member companies participated in the meeting: MS. Elina Makaryan, Coca-Cola HBC Armenia, who also represents the AmCham Board at the Committee, Ms. Anahit Tunyan and Ms. Lusine Petrosyan from Coca-Cola HBC Armenia, Mr. Gurgen Narimanyan, Pepsi-Cola Bottler Company, Ms. Irina Chaltikyan, McCann Yerevan, Ms. Catalina Susan, Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan as well as Mr. Alen Amirkhanyan and Mr. Harutyun Alptekyan, American University of Armenia. It was agreed that the FMCG Committee Sustainable Packaging Task force will be led by Alen Amirkhanyan, Director, AUA Acopian Center for the Environmen.
ARMENIAN - JORDAN BUSINESS FORUM Armenia-Jordan business forum was held in Yerevan on 10 February at Armenia Marriott Hotel.The conference was organized in the framework of the visit of King Abdullah II of Armenia to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan by the Ministry of Economy. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia (MoE) and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply (MITS) of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan by Mr. Tigran Khachatryan, Minister, MoE and Mr. Tarek Hamur, Minister, MITS. AmCham in cooperation with the Investment Support Center, Ministry of Economy invited Green Training Center LTD, AND LLC, Andaco, SolarOn, EcoVille LLC, CARD, VISTAA, Karas Wines, Sis Natural, Blackstone Travel companies to participate and get introduced to the business representatives in agriculture, energy, cosmetics sectors from Jordan for future cooperation opportunities.
BE MY GUEST WITH FINE CARS OF ARMENIA On 28 February, 2020 in the scope of AmCham Be My Guest series, AmCham members were invited to Fine Cars of Armenia. There were around 65 participants from more than 40 AmCham member companies. Mr. Michael M. Aghili, the CEO, Fine Cars of Armenia, Ms. Aniga Keshishi, Fleet Sales Manager and Karine Sarkissian, Executive Director, AmCham gave welcoming speeches, as well as presented the organization mission, its activities and operating procedures. During the event, AmCham members had a great opportunity for networking and enjoyed the Friday Night Out with delicious appetizers in a great atmosphere with a DJ run engaging Music. Fine Cars of Armenia is the largest multi brand showroom in the Caucasus. The Brand leaders in quality, craftsmanship and performance are presented in five continents securing top positions and customer satisfaction. Such world famous brands as Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Dodge, Chrysler and Ram are presented in the showroom in Armenia providing customers with a variety of selection in design, performance, convenience and affordability. Fine Cars of Armenia will give you the tools to choose the right product from its portfolio with a complete solution which includes the following services: Financing & Leasing, Insurance, Pre delivery Services, Maintenance Plans, Registration with Traffic Police and Training.
FINARM AND AMCHAM JOINT EVENT ON TAX INCENTIVES IN THE CAPITAL MARKET IN ARMENIA On 24 February, 2020 FINARM and AmCham held a joint seminar on the state reforms on Tax Incentives in the capital market in Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan. We were honored to have Ms. Naira Margaryan, Deputy-Minister of Economy of Armenia, as a Keynote Speaker who presented the state commitment of developing the capital markets and introduced the new opportunities for the public-private cooperation. Mr. Karen Zakaryan, Executive Director, FINARM delivered a speech on tax privileges in the capital market and presented the opportunities which will be open for the businesses. Mr. Hayk Yeganyan, CEO, Armenia Securities Exchange presented the Tax privileges for the listed stocks and bonds. During the Seminar the participants were able to get introduced to the State commitment of developing the capital markets and new opportunities for the public-private cooperation and the amendments to the Tax Code effective from 1 March, 2020.
TCuFP COMMITTEE 1ST 2020 MEETING
On February 11, the AmCham Tax, Customs and Fiscal Policy Committee 2020 1st meeting took place at the Armenia Marriott Hotel. Committee members discussed several items and it was proposed: 1. To come up with a proposal on the per diem calculation/compensation for business trips abroad for the business community, 2. Do an extensive research and be ready to re-visit the 6% health insurance tax as need be, 3. Raise the Public awareness on the Tax Code amendments on the Capital Markets, which opens new opportunities for the business community in Armenia. On latter, in cooperation with FINARM a SEMINAR was organized for AmCham Member companies.
DE COMMITTEE 1ST 2020 MEETING On 21 February, 2020 AmCham Digital Economy 1st 2020 meeting took place to discuss the 2020 Action plan. In order to be more focused on IPR, IPOC, a DE committee member suggested to vote for forming a stand-alone IPR Committee which should target on IPR issues, mainly, to the IP rights and develop policy, organizational, legislative, enforcement documents and raise the awareness. After the meeting an e-voting was organized and it was decided to separate and form an IPR standalone committee, and its 1st meeting will be organized in the earliest possible time frame. During the DE Committee meeting it was decided to prepare and distribute a questionnaire to the Committee members to identify their concerns and the committee focus areas. Mr. Artashes Kalantaryan, DEC Chair, Dom Daniel, suggested to organize an extended DE event to deliver information regarding the DE Committee priorities and further steps. The goal of the committee is to influence development of a friendly, secure and trusted regulatory and business landscape to facilitate the growth of the digital economy as well as the digital transformation of public and private enterprises.
FMCG 2ND PROGRESS MEETING ON SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT
On 20 February 2020 AmCham FMCG Committee held 2nd progress meeting on Sustainable Waste Management – Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR) with the participation of EBA, UMBA and the AUA task force of Acopian Center for the Environment. It was decided to prepare a roadmap with involving all the parties via: 1. Developing information campaigns for businesses to understand EPR and why businesses should get ahead to set the policy agenda, 2. Hiring international and local experts to analyze the economic impact of various EPR schemes in Armenia, 3. Studying global experience in EPR adoption to be discussed and localized for Armenia, in cooperation with the key stakeholders.
GOLD MEMBER – IDEAMIA IDEMIA was formed as a result of a merger of two French companies: Oberthur Technologies and Morpho Identity & Security which have joined their strength to form the new leader in trusted identities for an increasingly digital world. IDEMIA employs more than 15,000 employees around the world with 80 nationalities and serves clients in 180 countries in two major customer segments: 1. Private sector – Financial Institutions – trusted by 1,800 financial institutions including most of the world’s largest banks. – Mobile Operators – trusted by 500 mobile operators including leading mobile operators worldwide. – Biometric Devices and Automotive – Digital transformation solutions 2. Public Sector – Public Security & Identity –#1 in civil identity solutions with 130+ customers and #1 in police biometric systems. – Identity & Security North America – 33 out of 50 US States trust IDEMIA to deliver their Driver’s Licenses.
BRONZE ASSOCIATE MEMBER – RELEVANT Relevant is specialized in executive search and headhunting in Armenia and abroad. The company’s team of professionals helps businesses and organizations to find the best candidates for top and mid-level management positions. Being committed to the motto “Hire Relevant Professionals”, the company helps employers to hire candidates who can develop their businesses and drive them towards new achievements. Thus, the two key services provided by Relevant are executive search and headhunting. In case of executive search, the employer presents the details on what kind of a specialist he or she is looking for in advance. It concerns both professional expertise and personal qualities. As for the headhunting, the company clearly mentions which specialist it wants to hire and the Relevant’s team starts negotiations with the candidate on their behalf. Relevant’s guiding principle is the confidentiality and trust. While searching for candidates, the company does not disclose the name of the employer until it makes sure the candidate meets the demands of the employer and is interested in the offer. The company uses an internationally acclaimed methodology while checking the skills and capacities of a candidate. If needed, in some cases the selection method is discussed and finalized together with the employer. Upon the request of the employer, Relevant searches for the best fit for the position among those professionals who are happy with their current roles but do not mind considering more attractive job opportunities.
BRONZE ASSOCIATE MEMBER – KAN-TOR & ACCO
Kan-Tor & Acco is a leader in the field of corporate immigration law. The principal mission of KTA is to assist the business sector in relocating employees from one country to the other. For over 25 years KTA has worked to secure work permits for experts and professionals worldwide, including the United States, Israel, and the European Union. Our client base ranges from multinational corporations and industry leaders to technology start-ups in numerous industries, such as hightech, bio-tech, banking, aviation, telecommunications, management consultancy, and jewellery and diamonds. In addition to the core corporate practice, KTA’s U.S. Immigration Department has developed unique expertise in providing assistance to individuals facing visa denials or that are subject to Federal investigation or procedures. The KTA Group consists of a Global Integration Center comprised of a broad network of vendors and affiliates which provides complete world-wide corporate immigration and relocation services. Whether you need to transfer workers from the U.S. to Russia, from Argentina to Singapore, from Ireland to Kazakhstan, or from Germany to Australia, KTA can assist you with all your immigration needs. We are happy to announce that the KTA Group now has a local presence in Armenia, and is ready willing and able to provide assistance in all areas of corporate immigration and relocation services.
BRONZE ASSOCIATE MEMBER – DOMINO VIDEO PRODUCTION
Behind every great company, product or event there is a compelling story. Since 2009, we take the time to understand your business and to ensure we offer the best solutions to impact you directly and leave a lasting impression on your customer. We deliver all forms of creative content, marketing, and advertising solutions to the local and international markets. Domino Production is a team of professionals crafting the finest creative content in advertising, film, and art. We are the first call for all digital production needs; from the story, creative ideas, concept design to modeling, animation and VFX. In 2016, we embarked on a new big project and took our first steps in the film industry. “Cilicia: The Land of Lions” mood reel trilogy is the first and the only cinematographic work by the Director Ashot Arakelyan that narrates the history of the Kingdom of Cilicia. It was produced in accordance with the modern standards of a history genre film production, using advanced technologies. The producers aim to present the mood reel to the international filmmakers with the aim of producing a feature film and telling the history of Cilicia from the big screen in the future. Expanding the scope and geography of our work year by year, in 2019 we created a 3D Mapping show in Dubai that was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
BRONZE ASSOCIATE MEMBER – “MKHITAR GOSH” ARMENIAN - RUSSIAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Mkhitar Gosh Armenian-Russian International University LLC offers medical programs in 3 fields – Medical case, Dentistry & Medical Art. The university is accredited by Armenia’s National Center For Professional Education Quality Assurance and from the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia (accredited legal entity) for providing medical educational program. Mkhitar Gosh ArmenianRussian International University has also complied with the standards set by the Medical Council of India(MCI). It is listed and approved by the MCI. Students from India are eligible to take the MCI’s screening test (National Exit Test) and start practicing as a doctor in India. The University is a member of the UNESCO for the International Recognition of Equivalence of State Diplomas and Degrees.