Loren D. ISRAELSEN is president of LDI Group, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in dietary supplements, functional foods and phytomedicine issues. He has been heavily involved in the ongoing political and regulatory issues facing the supplement industry. He has served in various capacities, including past General Counsel to the American Herbal Products Association, Co-Counsel to the European American Phytomedicine Coalition, Advisory Board Member to the Office of Technology Assessment Working Group on Dietary Supplement Regulation, and advisor to the Natural Products Quality Assurance Alliance. Loren has also served as industry liaison to the Food and Drug Administration's Expert Advisory Committee to Ephedra and as advisor to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements.

Since 1992, he has served as Executive Director of the Utah Natural Products Alliance, which was instrumental in the development and passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. He recently served as the U.S. issue manager for dietary supplements to the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue. He advises, lectures and writes extensively on the emerging issues facing the dietary supplement and functional foods industry. Mr. Israelsen received his B.S. in Political Science from Utah State University amd attended the Oxford University Queens College Jurisprudence Program in Oxford, England and received his J.D. from J. Rueben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University.

Gregory Temkin has been the President of Rosstandard since 2001, helping to secure the certification of US and international exports to Russia, and facilitating business interaction with Russian Government structures and business communities.

Registration of nutraceutical products in Russia is a key expertise area of Mr. Temkin - based on many years of interaction with the Russian Ministry of Public Health, Russian Institute of Nutrition and relevant Certification Authorities. He closely follows regulatory requirements in Russia, keeps abreast of the most recent changes and tracks future plans. He is a member of the Organizing Committee of the new Russian Nutraceutical Association.

Gregory is a frequent speaker at DoC and European seminars on Russia. His articles on Russian certification regulations and practical solutions are published in the BISNIS bulletin.Gregory has over 20 years of experience in international business.

He holds a master’s degree in business administration; he is the author of several novels and is founder of several cross-cultural NGO’s in Russia.

For a foreign company to be successful in Russia, requirements include:

• Solid command of the Russian language
• Thorough understanding of oftentimes complex laws and regulations, including taxation
• Strong reputation in Russia including market and government relationships
• Experience in operating through the Russian banking system
• Time, budget and contacts for frequent trips to Russia  

RMA supports you through these requirements… and many more!