An economics graduate of Cambridge University, Lord Risby pursued a career in the financial services industry prior to entering the House of Commons in 1992, where he was an Opposition spokesman for both Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Treasury, and Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party. Lord Risby was appointed to the House of Lords in November 2010, and is Prime Minister’s trade envoy.
The BUS Advisory Board provides general leadership and oversight of the organisation. It determines policy and the overall direction of BUS activities, providing expertise and advice on various key issues, as well as facilitating contacts and interaction between British and Ukrainian political, business, cultural and scientific circles.
The Advisory Board is led by the BUS Chairman, Lord Risby.
The Executive Board of the BUS manages the day to day operations under the guidance of the Chairman and the Advisory Board. It is responsible for submitting project proposals, project management, public relations, publication of the ‘Ukrainian Dialogue’ magazine, and other aspects of running the organisation.
Raymond Benedict Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, is a British peer and a former diplomat.
Lord Oxford was educated at Ampleforth College, York, and at Balliol College, Oxford. He joined Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service in 1979 and remained a serving diplomat until 1997. As well as postings in London at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Cabinet Office, he served as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow from 1983-1985, and Counsellor at the British Embassy in Kyiv from 1992-1997. Oxford was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1987, and entered the House of Lords in 2014 where he is a Crossbench Peer.
Lord Oxford is active in various commercial and charitable organisations in Ukraine including the Ukrainian Catholic Foundation, which raises funds for the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. In 2021 he became a Member of the Advisory Board of the Council on Geostrategy.
Anthony Fisher is the Managing Director of Global Strategy Ltd specialising in strategic and communications consulting to international businesses, institutions and finance centres. He has advised on a wide range of international projects helping to design structures and develop strategies to encourage investment and growth. Mr Fisher has been involved in the Ukrainian market for several years, and is a Founding Director of the EU-Ukraine Business Council.
Ihor Mitiukov is a prominent former Ukrainian politician and diplomat. His political and diplomatic career included the posts of Minister for Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, as well as being Ukraine’s Special Representative to the EU and Ambassador to the UK. With vast experience in the financial sector, Mr Mitiukov holds the position of Managing Director and Head of Morgan Stanley’s Office in Kyiv since 2008. He is also the founder and General Director of Financial Policy Institute.
Roman Shpek is a prominent former Ukrainian politician and diplomat. His political and diplomatic career spanning over two decades included the posts of Minister for Economy and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Economic Affairs, as well as being Ambassador and Chairman of Ukraine’s Mission to the EU. Being vastly experienced in developing Ukraine’s partnerships with leading international financial institutions, Mr Shpek became Vice-President of Alfa-Bank Ukraine in 2008, and is currently the bank’s Senior Advisor.
Sergiy Kruglyk, (MBA, Ph.D. in Economics) is a Director of International Relations Department at the National Bank of Ukraine, a post he holds since 2006. His career in the financial sector also included positions of Vice-President at Rodovid Bank, and Ukraine representative on the Board of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB, Greece). Sergiy Kruglyk’s diplomatic career included the posts of Director of the Economic Cooperation Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Head of the Trade & Economic mission of Ukraine at the Ukrainian Embassy to France, and Third Secretary (Economic affairs) Ambassador’s aide at the Ukrainian Embassy to USA.
Dr Alexander Orlov is an Associate Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Stony Brook University, USA. Having obtained five degrees from various European and US institutions, his major research and teaching activities are in development of novel materials for energy generation, structural applications and environmental protection. Dr Orlov is recipient of numerous awards and has extensive experience in advising British Government, members of US Congress, the EU Commission, the Ukrainian Ministry for Ecology and Natural Resources, as well as other governments and private companies. He is also a contributor to the United Nations Environmental Program.
Terry Sandell has extensive knowledge of Ukraine through his academic and professional activities. Having set up British Council in the Soviet Union, he opened its Ukrainian office and was Director of British Council in Ukraine in 2005-2008. Mr Sandell has been trustee of several arts and cultural organisations, and has had extensive involvement with the Council of Europe and the European Union working on cultural policy, cultural development and capacity-building projects in Ukraine and other former Soviet Union states.
With interests in culture and the arts, Baroness Smith managed a number of major British culture festivals and is currently President of Scottish Opera. She sits on the boards of several organisations with interests in Ukraine and other former Soviet Union countries, and is a Board Member of the Centre for European Reform. Baroness Smith leads the John Smith Fellowship Trust which finances young professionals from Ukraine and other countries to come to the UK to study the principles of democracy and good government.
Megan Hodges studied Russian at Middlebury College (USA) after volunteering for two years with the United States Peace Corps in Kazakhstan. Since moving to London, she has worked for a consultancy on a variety of projects, managing relationships with the University of Cambridge, the Ukrainian Catholic University and other charitable and not-for-profit organisations. She is also a trustee of the Ukrainian Catholic Foundation. Megan has been with the British Ukrainian Society since 2008 and currently is the Head of London Secretariat and Managing Editor of Ukrainian Dialogue, a quarterly publication of the BUS.
Artem Braichenko manages the cultural and humanities directions of the BUS activities. Having graduated in History and Law, he worked in the fields of analytics, media, politics and public relations. Throughout his career, Artem set up information monitoring systems and performed analytical research, developed contacts with governmental institutions and NGOs, managed media relations, as well as developing and managing projects and organising events. Artem joined the BUS in March 2014.
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