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Valery Tsepkalo (Russian: Валерий Цепкало; born 22 February 1965) is a Belarusian diplomat and executive, one of the initiators and lead creator of Belarus Hi-Tech Park. From 1997 to 2002 he served as Ambassador to the United States of America and to the United Mexican States, and from 2005 to 2017 he headed Belarus Hi-Tech Park which became the largest IT cluster in Central and Eastern Europe over that period. He also served as a governmental expert to the UN Secretary General in the field of information and communication technologies. Valery Tsepkalo has a Doctor degree in International Law, as well as a rank of Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary.

Biography

Valery Tsepkalo was born in Grodno on 22 February 1965 to a family of chemical engineers. He graduated from Grodno secondary school No.14 with advanced program in English. In 1982 he entered the Belarusian Technological Institute (currently the Belarusian National Technical University) in Minsk where he studied till 1984. In 1984—1986 he underwent compulsory military training in the USSR Strategic Missile Forces. After that, he studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and graduated with honors in 1991. He pursued a postgraduate program there, graduated with honors as well, lectured, and got his PhD degree in International Law.

He started his diplomatic career in 1991 in the USSR Embassy in Finland. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union he decided to return to Minsk, and in 1992 he took a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. In 1993—1994 he served as foreign policy adviser to the Chairman of the Parliament of Belarus. Later he became an adviser to the Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In 1994 he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

From 1997 to 2002 he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the United States of America and the United Mexican States (concurrently).

After finishing the diplomatic career, he was appointed Assistant to the President of Belarus (on science and technologies). In 2004 he initiated the establishment of the Hi-Tech Park.

High Technologies Park

The idea to establish the Belarusian Silicon Valley was first offered by the president Alexander Lukashenko in 2003 and was further developed in 2004 by Valery Tsepkalo and Mikhail Myasnikovich.

Upon leaving the diplomatic career, from 2004 Tsepkalo engaged in the creation of the Belarusian Silicon Valley. As a result of the active lobby on September 22, 2005, the presidential order №12 ‘On Technology Park’ was released, securing benefits for IT-companies. The extraterrestrial High Technologies Park (HTP) was launched in 2005 under Tsepkalo’s lead.

On March 2, 2017, Tsepkalo was released by presidential decree from the director’s post at the HTP. Since 2005 the HTP rose to 237 companies with total annual export over $1 bln. However, market players noted the lack of product IT companies and the prevalence of outsource developers. Tsepkalo was also criticized for his counterproductive selectivity of the HTP residents. After his resignation, only in 2018 the Park accepted more than 200 new residents.

Prabook

In 2018 Tsepkalo introduced his new project ‘Prabook.com’, a biographical database, designed to ensure ‘digital immortality’. It claimed to create personal profiles, accumulating images and texts from open sources, chosen by the developers.

Presidency Campaign

On May 8, 2020, Tsepkalo announced his candidacy for Belarus presidency.

Research and publications

• 80 articles on religion, world economy, and foreign policy.
• 20 articles on e-government, information technology, and intellectual property.
• Publications in Foreign Affairs, Journal of Congress, Washington Post, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and Horizons.
• By the Road of Dragon States book on economic development of new industrialized nations of South-East Asia.
• Man Everlasting book on the mystery of death and resurrection.
• Hi-Tech Park: 10 Years of Development book on Belarus HTP success story.
• Author of patented method of people search based on collateral features.

Other occupations

• Member of the Strategic Council of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.
• Government expert to the UN Secretary General in the field of information and communication technologies in the context of information security.
• In 2018 he took part in the development of the Mirzo Ulugbek Innovation Center (ICSU) in Uzbekistan.

References

1. "Глава Администрации президента рассказывает о "Силиконовой долине" в режиме online". TUT.BY (in Russian). 2004-07-07. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
2. "Создатель Парка высоких технологий Валерий Цепкало отметил юбилей". SB.BY (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-06-25.
3. "Diploma of Valery Tsepkalo".
4. Background (in Russian)
5. Valery Tsepkalo
6. Hi-Tech Park - from idea to realization
7. "Валерий Цепкало больше не директор ПВТ (обновлено)" (in Russian). dev.by. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
8. ^ "Пять главных достижений Цепкало на посту главы ПВТ". dev.by (in Russian). 2017-03-03.
9. "Создал ПВТ, помог Лукашенко, написал книгу о бессмертии. Кто такой Валерий Цепкало?" (in Russian). Bel.biz. 2020-05-12.
10. "Беларусь: IT-чудо или небольшой региональный игрок с сотыми долями процента рынка". Retrieved 2018-11-27.
11. "Многоходовка или пиар? Зачем бывший глава ПВТ Цепкало бросил вызов Лукашенко" (in Russian). БелаПАН. 2020-05-12.
12. ^ "Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security" (PDF).
13. "The Remaking of Eurasia". Retrieved 2018-11-27.
14. "United States Patent Application: 0190102470". appft.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
15. "Belarus Hi Tech Park - - Director of Belarus HTP Elected as Member of Strategy Council of UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development". www.park.by. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
16. "Biographies of UNIDO panelists" (PDF). www.unido.org. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
17. "Основатель белорусского ПВТ Валерий Цепкало прибыл в Ташкент". infocom.uz (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-06-25.

External links

• Tsepkalo — Valery Tsepkalo at Livejournal.

• 1965 births
• Living people
• Belarusian diplomats
• Ambassadors of Belarus to the United States
• People from Grodno
• Ambassadors of Belarus to Mexico
• Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni