Exec Committee

Honorary President

Edith Hueck

I arrived in St Petersburg in September 2009. This is my first expat experience. Before my move here, I was working as a medical doctor, and still do so from time to time, in different German hospitals. Germany - that is where I am from, Munich, to be precise. But it is not a German flag that flies above the entrance of my home, but the Swiss one, this is because I accompany the Swiss Consul General, Ernst Steinmann here to St Petersburg.
My IWC membership is very important to me, I draw many benefits out of it, including finding friends, I have learned much about the local culture and even attend ballroom dancing lessons! Now I will try my best to give a little back, through my roles as Honorary President and Chair of the Winter Bazaar Organising Committee.

Executive Co-Presidents

Marina Jacobson

I have been in St Petersburg since March 2008. This is my first expat posting and hopefully will not be my last. Many people ask me why St Petersburg, why Russia, well the answer is simple we were after a new challenge in life and had always wanted to live somewhere where we do not speak the language, so when the job came up it seemed crazy not to grab the opportunity with both hands.

Home for me is Sydney, Australia, although I was born in South Africa and moved to Australia at 18. After university I decided it was time to ‘leave home’ and moved to London for 4 years, where I met my husband. But the ten years prior to our move to St Pete, was spent in sunny Sydney.

Living in St Pete has given us a wonderful opportunity to explore the region. We have spent time practicing our Russian in the former CIS countries – Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan is next, and of course we have fallen in love with Scandinavia – Finland, Sweden and Norway. All very exotic for us Australians!!

Life in St Petersburg is filled with it challenges, but also filled with its joys and wonders and at this point in time I could not imagine living any where else.

Lynne Madnick

I’m an expatriate American who moved to St. Petersburg in May 2009, just in time to fall in love with this beautiful city of perfectly warm weather and endless sunshine. The snow and ice have their charm as well, and I am in love with the Russian mentality that there is never weather bad enough to keep you indoors. I’ve had several expatriate experiences prior to this, but this is the first one where English is not a dominant language. The extra challenge is mostly exciting, sometimes frustrating. I was lucky enough to receive 8 weeks of intensive language instruction prior to my arrival in the city and almost every day I am here I am thankful for that benefit, especially as such instruction only brought my Russian to a level where I can read signs and ask directions!My 2 preschool children ensure that I have a good handle on the parks and playgrounds in the city, and as they age I am thrilled to start visiting the museums and performances for which the city is so famous.

Recording Secretary

Nicole Coutts

Membership Secretary

Anneli Frankner

This is my second time living in Russia and I do enjoy being back and now living in such a beautiful city as St Petersburg. I am born in the very north of Sweden and my first period living in Russia I was in Murmansk region, so the winters are not a problem to me!! I am married to Andreas and we have four children, three girls, youngest 10 and oldest 15 and one boy who is 8. I am a Social worker to my profession but here I study Russian fulltime and work on my masters degree in Social work. I really enjoy living in St Petersburg and I am happy my kids enjoy it too. I have been a member of IWC since August 2010 and have enjoyed the fellowship of women ever since!

Treasurer

Lynda Haine

I'm an expatriate Australian who has been living in St Petersburg for just over 18 months now and I often ask myself where has the time gone. St Petersburg has always been on my list of "must visit" locations but never did I imagine I would be living here. My husband, Peter, is in the engineering project management field and obscure, under-developed locations are often a feature of his industry so coming to St Petersburg was not a hardship.

Prior to coming here we spent a few months in Donetsk, Ukraine which gave me some insight into Eastern Europe and upon arriving here, I was extremely grateful for the Russian language lessons we had there. Before that Peter & I spent nearly two years in a place called Kitwe in Zambia, Africa which was an amazing experience and holds a special place in our hearts. We were fortunate to meet & work with a diverse range of people from many different African countries, some of whom are now lifelong friends, and also experience some of the wonders of the African continent. It is a stunning place and I would encourage everyone to go on safari at least once in their lives.

Aside from the friends I have made here and the obvious travel advantages for an Australian, the main thing I enjoy by living in St Petersburg is learning more about it's history and culture. So many places to go and so little time..... ...

Assistant Treasurer

Aoi Yamawaki

I’m Japanese and I’ve lived here for more than 2 years, since July 2009. Though I’m still rather new in the IWC, I’ve enjoyed every IWC activity and my small contribution to the club as Assistant Treasurer.

This is my husband’s second overseas assignment; the first one was in Barcelona for 4 and half years. In spite of extraordinary climate difference between a Mediterranean city and a Baltic city, I think I’ve got used to the long and snowy winter little by little. I couldn’t walk well on icy road in the first winter, however, I can even enjoy it now. It’s like a kind of rare and big achievement to me in fact.

And above all, what I’ve most enjoyed here is Mariinsky Operas and many first-class concerts. The circumstance for classical music here is really ideal and superb so I don’t want to miss any performance during a theatre season. If you’re interested in the operas or the concerts of classical music, I’ll always be ready to share my enthusiasm with you. Let’s be a frequent theatre goer with me!

Communications & Website

Ksenia Tsyganova
Isabelle Allayarova

Chair of the Charity Committee

Barbra Fiedler

I am German. My husband is working for an international car supplier. Our adult daughter lives in Germany. We are planning to stay here until spring 2012.

While living in Germany I was working in the export business.

I have been a member of the IWC since May 2006. First I took over the position of the treasurer, now I lead the charity committee and organize local tours. For me the IWC has been a great platform to meet interesting new people, chat with old friends, join activity groups and to participate in fun events. I teach some German and help at the Petri Church distributing 2nd hand clothes to members of their congregation, any other people in need and also to homeless people. My Russian is slowly but constantly improving and that helps me a lot to really enjoy my life here in St. Petersburg.

Community Relationship Liaison

Julia Baidakova