Elvira Tarasenko graduated with honors from the lyceum of economics, one of the prestigious secondary schools in Moscow. She graduated with honors from the acclaimed Russian University of Economics named after G.V. Plekhanov in 2000 with the major in economics, international hotel, travel and restaurant management. She possesses a diploma of the Hotel Manager with honors issued by the American Hotel & Motel Association as well as undertook courses in the Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden. Over the years of her professional experience she has undergone a series of trainings in sales, marketing, public relations, management, branding. In 2011 she successfully defended her PhD thesis in international economics and hotel marketing. Elvira is a dedicated writer and hotel expert, an author of many articles in newspapers and magazines mainly dedicated to travel, hotel and restaurant business. She has also translated a number of books and articles from English to Russian, for example Elvira had been translating articles of the famous wine expert Jansis Robinson written exclusively for Truffles magazine Moscow. In 2012 Elvira as a co-writer with Dr. Mikhail Laiko and PhD Elena Ilina published an academic monograph on the luxury hotel business and special marketing tools as applied to luxury hotel business in unique Russian marketing set up. Elvira has got unique experience in organizing signature events, road shows aimed at the brand recognition of different hotel groups in the affluent but unique and ambiguous markets of Russia and CIS. Elvira has been a guest of honor and expert at many sessions at a number of business forums and seminars on hotel business, marketing and business development (such as MIBEX, Argumenty and Facty annual hotel conference etc). Elvira is a tutor of international marketing, international business, branding and luxury branding of tangible goods and intangible services at the Russian University of Economics and at Moscow International Higher Business School (MIRBIS). Elvira speaks Russian, English, French, Italian. Having been in the industry since 1997 Elvira has taken the leading positions in the hotel companies since 2004. She started her career in hotel business in the financial and then sales&marketing departments of the Marriott Hotels in Moscow. She occupied positions of Moscow sales and marketing manager of Grand Hotel Europe and as the head of business development department of BBPG Conventions, Moscow. From March 2006 till April 2013 Elvira headed the Regional sales office of the luxury hotel group Rocco Forte Hotels as the Director of Sales, Russia, CIS and Baltics. During her more than 7 years on the job Elvira had contributed a lot to the brand recognition on the market as well as to achieving the year-on-year increase of the accommodation revenue derived from the Russian and CIS market to the hotel group by means of special events, road shows, sales and marketing blitzes, direct marketing campaigns etc. From July 2013 Elvira has accepted the offer from the group of companies GOST ( GOST Luxury Clubs, the luxury division in particular). Elvira has taken the position of the Global sales Director of the Preferred Hotels&Resots since April 2017.