Steven Geiger is the COO of Skolkovo Foundation, a strategic national economic diversification program personally headed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and aimed at using technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to drive the next generation of Russia's economic growth.

At Skolkovo, he is active in building five technology clusters (Energy; IT; Space; Nuclear; and Bioscience), establishing a full-service Technopark housing start-ups and R&D labs of global technology majors, and creating a world-class research university in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  He is also the driving force behind Skolkovo's international branding and PR, tasked with effectively communicating Russia's rich scientific and intellectual resources to global audiences.

Prior to this, Mr. Geiger was the co-founder and Director of Industries for Masdar, a $15 billion technology development program by the government of Abu Dhabi to strategically diversify its economy away from an overreliance on natural resources. There he successfully led a team which built Masdar from a five-person startup into a global brand and leading investor in renewable energy and clean technologies.

While at Masdar, he founded and constructed Masdar PV, a $600 million company producing advanced photovoltaic technology, co-established a $250 million technology fund, and played a key role in creating the world's first graduate-level research institute dedicated to renewable energy (Masdar Institute) in partnership with MIT, which included implementing a world-class framework for commercialization of innovative research and technology transfer.

Mr. Geiger has over 20 years' experience in investments, strategic advisory and entrepreneurial activities, primarily in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MBA degree from Wharton Business School.