Macroeconomics to Strategy: Anna Logunova Returns with Another Inspiring Lecture for the Master’s in Finance Programme

On May 13, the Master’s in Finance programme had the pleasure of once again welcoming Anna Logunova — member of the Academic Council and Director for Controlling at Magnit, one of Russia’s largest retail companies. This time, her guest lecture focused on strategic planning and its role in modern corporate governance.

Anna delivered a comprehensive and structured perspective on how companies build and adapt their strategies in today’s complex macroeconomic environment. The session covered a broad range of topics — from external and internal factors influencing long-term planning to common reasons strategic plans fail and how to prevent it. Particular attention was paid to financial modelling, budgeting practices, and how businesses manage forecast deviations.

What made the lecture especially valuable was Anna’s willingness to share insights from her own professional experience. Each topic was grounded in real-world examples from her work at Magnit, giving students a rare opportunity to see how strategic principles are applied in practice — from macroeconomic data analysis to cross-functional coordination and project evaluation.

 

The session sparked a lively discussion. Students actively engaged with questions about the gap between high-level strategic models and day-to-day operational realities, the challenges of budgeting during crises, and the role of corporate culture and team alignment in successful strategy execution.

We sincerely thank Anna Logunova for her outstanding contribution — for the depth and clarity of her presentation, and for the care she puts into crafting each session. Her dedication to delivering high-quality content and making complex topics accessible is truly appreciated.

 

It was a joy to see how energised and engaged our students were. We deeply value Anna’s role in the development of our programme and warmly pass on the many words of gratitude and enthusiasm from our students.

We look forward to continuing this collaboration and are excited about what the future holds.