SOAR - Moscow Chapter
Moscow joined the SOAR family in February 2012. Russia possesses the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia, home to approximately 3 million Armenians, with more than 1 million Armenians, including seasonal workers, in Moscow alone. The Armenian Diaspora is the fourth largest ethnic diaspora in Moscow, after Ukrainians, Jews, and Tartars. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, the economic blockade of Armenia, and the war in Artsakh caused a powerful stream of migration to Moscow (as well as other Russian cities and towns). In Moscow, the Armenian Diaspora has formed a multifaceted and versatile layer that touches nearly every aspect of society. The Armenian Diaspora of Moscow has a history of about 600 years (the city itself is 800 years old), and the city’s cultural and educational life has been influenced by Armenians, beginning with the princely family of the Lazarevs, who promoted the resettlement of Armenians to Moscow in the 17th and 18th centuries. Armenian Yevgeniy Vakhtangov, the founder of a popular theater that now bears his name, and two great Armenian composers of the 20th century – Arno Babajanian and Aram Khachaturian – lived and created in Moscow.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Marianna Simonyan
President
Marianna was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. She is an alumni of Moscow State Lomonosov University and Higher School of Economics, currently pursuing her EMBA program. She is an expert in the fields of startups, people analytics and technology. Marianna is the technological representative of the Seed Group in Russia. Marianna loves to work with students by giving classes at university on how to create a startup from scratch, also mentoring startups in acceleration programs around the world. Twice a startup founder herself, she supports women in tech, women leadership across the globe as the Head of Female Entrepreneurship at innovative laboratory ImpactaLab. She sees her mission in reinventing Armenian cultural and female identity.