News

A. Makhiboroda: ‘MGIMO offers the opportunity of studying all aspects of international agritrade’

On the eve of the spring Doors Open Day of the School of Business and International Competences Magistracy hereunder see an interview with Anastasia Makhiboroda, alumnus of the Agricultural Attache program.

– Would you outline your brief personal profile? 

– I work for the Russian Ministry of Agriculture as an officer in the Kingdom of Thailand. My path to this position started in 2014, when I interpreted for the Rosselkhoznadzor, which, in particular, controls and supervises the veterinary matters, quarantine and plant protection, grain quality and safety, etc. Then I delved into the points of facilitating access for Russian agricultural products to foreign markets. I partook in the inspections of Russian meat and fish processing enterprises by delegations of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Iraq; in the Berlin “Green Week” and other events.

On joining the Ministry staff, I worked for the Department of International Cooperation, where special attention is paid to discipline, precision, accuracy and compliance with the legal procedures. Probably, all this aspired my decision to become an agriattache.

– What course did you graduate from?

– In 2016, I first got acquainted with the MGIMO Business School when I passed the professional retraining program “Theory and Practice of Conference Interpreting for International Organizations”.

Three years later, I learnt that the MGIMO was about to launch the “Attache for Agriculture” program. Having dealt with the exporting agricultural products and relying on previous experience of previous MGIMO studying, I did not hesitate to apply for this program.
I was inspired by the prospect of studying all aspects of the international agritrade regulation package, as well as the faculty to apply all my knowledge, skills and experience already gained in the office.

After the program had been launched, the MGIMO, in cooperation with the Ministry, announced a master’s training program – “World Agricultural Markets”. The students for this are being recruited yet.

– How much have your life and career changed since graduation?

– First of all, I accepted the Ministry’s offer to take the position of agricultural attache in Thailand. It really took me really short to realize that’s a great opportunity to keep on improving myself comprehensively by studying the specifics of doing business in the host country supporting thus the Russian companies.

Since last year, I have been working in Bangkok engaged in establishing fruitful interactions between the local authorities and the business community of Russia and Thailand to increase and diversify Russian agriexports, let alone scientific and technical cooperation. I also analyze the local agro-industrial and export-import legislation.

The MGIMO School of Business Master’s Programs Doors Open Day is taking place on April 20. Pre-registration is required for visitors.