Olga Kulikova
- Member of the Delovaya Rossiya General Council
- Chair of the Committee on Cooperation with India, Association of Exporters and Importers
- Member of the Leningrad Region Business Information Centre in India
- Co-founder of the Consortium of Russian Companies in India
- Co-founder of the Russia–India Mediation Center for Business Dispute Resolution
- Co-author of the Delovaya India digest
I help Russian companies understand how to work with India, from the first negotiation to a signed contract.
Corporate law, deals and India from the inside
For more than 20 years I have worked in cross-border industrial business, in oil and gas, shipping and medical technology, with the last decade focused on India. The task has always been the same: taking a company into a country where it has no standing, and building the legal, regulatory and government relationships that let it operate there.
Since 2016 I have worked full-time on the Russia–India corridor. As Delovaya Rossiya's Business Ambassador in India I help Russian companies enter the Indian market, above all in manufacturing, IT and chemicals, lead business missions and support deals through to contract. Working inside the ONGC Videsh group gave me a direct understanding of how Indian corporate and government decisions are made.
- MBA — Grenoble Graduate School of Business
- Law — National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow
- English and French — fluent, Mandarin — intermediate, German — basic
Career
- Murmansk Shipping Company (Russia) — Chair of the Board of Directors since 2019; previously Adviser to the General Director (2016–2019), lawyer and oil upstream project lead (2005–2009)
- Plasma Surgical (USA) — Managing Director CIS/MENA, Board Director (2012–2016)
- Nord Imperial, ONGC Videsh group (India) — Head of Legal, Moscow branch: M&A and management of overseas assets (2009–2012)
How I help
- Market entry strategy for India: export or local manufacturing
- Finding partners, negotiating and closing deals with Indian companies
- Legal matters: deal structure, contracts and dispute resolution, from mediation to litigation in India
- Imports from India and promoting Russian technology, from medicine to industry
Business network
- Delovaya Rossiya Business Ambassador in India and member of its General Council
- Partnerships with FICCI, ICC, CII, ASSOCHAM, TPCI, AIAI and Invest India
- Member of the Trade Council at Russia's Trade Representation in India
- The Leningrad Region Business Information Centre in Mumbai
- Speaker at international business conferences
How I work
- Culture before contract: in India, deals are built on trust and an understanding of business traditions
- Strategy before investment: the market, channels and project economics are tested first
- The result is a signed contract, shipment and payment, not a report
- Teamwork and continuous improvement at every stage
Over years of work with India I have seen the same pattern: on its own, a Russian company spends years and a budget that could fund several projects just to get into India. It needs a team on the ground, relationships and knowledge of local rules, and most manufacturers cannot sustain that alone. That is why, together with partners, we created the consortium.
Consortium of Russian Companies in India
Entering the Indian market through export and localisation, with a shared team on the ground. We operate from the Leningrad Region Business Information Centre in Mumbai.
What it is
A group of manufacturers sharing one team in the market. Each company stays independent in its deals, but together they fund a presence in India, which is both cheaper and more effective. Italian export consortia, KOTRA in Korea and JETRO in Japan have worked this way for decades.
A team on the ground
The Leningrad Region Business Information Centre in Mumbai opened in September 2026. One team covers everything a deal needs: partners and distributors, product registration, Indian-law attorneys, customs, logistics and banking.
Through to results
We go beyond recommendations: every project is taken through to a signed contract, shipment and payment. And we stay in the market, so the partnerships and contacts the consortium builds today work for all its members.
Export
Selling products from Russia: registration, distributors, buyers and marketplaces, logistics, customs and payments. First revenue usually comes in 9–12 months.
Localisation
Manufacturing in India: a partner for kit assembly, contract manufacturing or a joint venture, plus legal set-up and a site.
Application and an online meeting
Tell us about your product and goals. No commitment on either side.
A two-month pilot
A product assessment and an entry plan for your line: market, channels, terms and economics.
A decision on the numbers
Continue as a member or stop; either way, the entry plan is yours.
The consortium is a private initiative of companies.
Articles, interviews and media coverage
On the specifics of Indian business and its cultural nuances. Most materials are in Russian.
Articles and columns
- In the rhythm of the Ganges: what to find out before entering the Indian marketSberbank India
- First steps: how to register a business in IndiaSberbank India
- Innovation: what Indian conglomerates invest inSberbank India
- Special rules: what to know about India's Special Economic ZonesRBC
- Why business associations are key to expanding into IndiaRBC
- Accessories matter: business etiquette in IndiaKommersant
- “The Riddles of India”, a columnStolypin Institute
Interviews and commentary
- “I don't believe duty-free trade with India is likely”Rambler/Finance
- Business in India: where to start and whom to approachSostav.ru
- On the specifics of doing business in IndiaDelovaya Rossiya
- On support for small Russian tech companies in IndiaDelovaya Rossiya
- The role of business associations in BRICS cooperationDelovaya Rossiya
- With Indian and UAE business circles on the dietary supplements marketDelovaya Rossiya
English-language media
Video and talks
- “It is not just about import-export or trade, but about cooperation” — comment at the BRICS summitRepublic World (X), 11 September 2026
- Putin-Modi Meet! Russian Diplomat Unpacks Game-Changing Trade & Geopolitical Moves At BRICSRepublic World, 11 September 2026
- India-Russia Trade Boost? Business Russia Envoy on Rupee-Rouble & BRICS PaymentsRepublic World, 11 September 2026
- “India and Russia have always been friends”PTI News, 11 September 2026
- BRICS 2026: what to expect from the Modi–Putin bilateralANI News, 11 September 2026
- Modi–Putin bilateral at BRICS 2026: decoding the agendaIndia Today, 11 September 2026
- What to expect from the Modi–Putin meeting — in HindiNews18 J&K, 11 September 2026
- Speech at the Russia–India forum, VEB Centre, Moscow17 November 2025
- Olga Kulikova and Manish Kumar, founder of Friendship FoundationDelovaya Rossiya, 2023
- India: the legal system and its impact on businessMoscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, 2023
- Specifics of business communication and B2B sales in the Indian marketInnovative B2B Marketing and Social Selling, 2022
- Business with India: opportunities of the Indian market for Russian companies under sanctionsMadhavan, 2022
- Speech at the Delovaya Rossiya CongressDelorosTV, 2019
- Olga Kulikova — Delovaya RossiyaDelovaya Rossiya, 2018
- What would improve Russia–India tradeTV BRICS, 2018
India
A monthly analytical digest on doing business in India, for owners and executives deciding on a market of 1.4 billion people (in Russian).
Issue No. 4 came out for INNOPROM in Delhi: industrial policy, the capital's industrial belt, private space, robotics and Russian technologies already at work in India.
Russia–India events
Forums, trade fairs and business meetings throughout the year.
Past events archive6
Let's discuss your project in India
Write to me and I will reply with a time to meet.
india@deloros.ru- Emailindia@deloros.ru
- LinkedInolga-kulikovaa
- ProfilesDelovaya RossiyaStolypin Institute