RSF Consultancy's lead consultant, Dr Rachel Farmer, is a Russian-speaking UK businesswoman, who has been involved in Russia since first studying there in the 1970s. She has worked in and with a broad range of organisations, including academic institutions, SMEs (small to medium enterprises) and with corporate clients in the UK and Russia.

She has a wealth of relevant experience from researching, living and working in Russia for periods spanning three decades. She is a qualified trainer, executive coach and researcher and has written a range of successful books for English and French speakers learning Russian. Her passion is to facilitate and improve cross-cultural understanding within organisations to make them more effective and successful in the global market.

Cathy McAteer is a perfect person to mentor UK companies through the initial puzzle of Russia and Russian business. With a 1st class hons degree in Russian and extensive experience of travelling, living and working in Russia, Cathy has a firm understanding of the Russian culture and psyche.

Cathy is a highly sought-after favourite on the public-speaking circuit, delivering a series of wide-ranging lectures on Russia to encourage Western understanding. She has worked at the RBCC, for Nestle Russia as a cross-cultural facilitator, and as an adviser to clients in the private and public sectors. As an international facilitator, Cathy combines her excellent professioinal communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and infectious enthusiasm with a 20 year knowledge of all things Russian.'

Olga Scott's expertise is in business coaching, training and group facilitation. In 1991 Olga moved from St Petersburg to the UK, where she founded and developed a successful company. She then changed her career to become a business psychologist. Olga specialises in supporting international organisations in the process of change and development. Her particular expertise is in the areas of leadership, communication, negotiations, conflict resolution and cross-cultural issues. Olga holds degrees in Economics, Occupational Psychology, and Business Coaching.

Dr Evgeny Polyakov is a Russian-speaking management consultant practicing in the UK since 2002. His experience stretches from cross-cultural training and negotiations to business development and business operation optimisation. He holds a PhD in Corporate Restructuring from Brunel University, MA in International Business and a 1st class BA (Econ) from Russia. He has organised a number of successful business conferences on Doing Business in Russia and provided consultancy services to a wide range of service, manufacturing, chemicals and education companies and organisations from across the UK, Russia and South Africa. Evgeny currently lectures at the University of Huddersfield Business School where he also provides a broad range of consultancy services through the Emerging Markets Research Group.

Alexandra Lebedeva has a Masters Degree in Languages and Literature (Russian, English and French) from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU). She has worked in major multinational companies as an interpreter, international recruiter and training and development manager. She has also worked as a translator, editor and proofreader, specializing in English and French. Whilst working in multinationals, she enjoyed developing and delivering courses on cross-cultural communication skills in business.

Alexandra is currently working on an MSc in Banking and Finance to add to her skills. She is based in Moscow and is an expert in the history, language and traditions of her country, as well as taking a keen interest in other cultures. She is a skilled professional communicator.

Diane Stephenson has a first class honours degree in Business Administration. The majority of her working life has been spent in a corporate environment specialising in the commercial arena, particularly sales and strategic marketing. She has worked extensively with the public sector as well as with small, medium and large private organizations in the UK and overseas. She is an executive coach, mentor and trainer and regards herself as ‘a client focused professional with a passion for continuous improvement through the development of people’. Her specialisms include leadership & management, Emotional Intelligence, customer service and continuous improvement.