Who we are

Ziegler & Partner GmbH

The company named Ziegler & Partner GmbH and the websites www.transsib.com and www.studyrussian.com were registered in Switzerland in August 1993 by Marco Ziegler and his colleagues Nicolas Rouiller, Petra Camathias and Christoph Konrad, after they had spent several months studying Russian at Moscow State University as exchange students. The company was originally founded to help the local Russian professors at MGU to survive in the hard days of 1992/1993. Since then ‘Ziegler & Partner GmbH’ has helped several hundred students every year to study Russian in Russia and Ukraine, in the following cities: Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Odessa and Kiev. Today, Ziegler & Partner GmbH is an official representative of Moscow State University MGU and collaborates also with universities and language schools in St.Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Odessa, Kiev, Irkutsk and Vladivostok. Through our connections to lecturers and professors of all departments of Moscow State University and our partner universities, we are able to offer you high-quality tuition at a very competitive price. Since 1994, the company is also offering individual and group travel along the transsiberian railway and travel offers around Russia are available from our websites www.transsib.com and www.travel-russia.com or even www.russland.net.

Ziegler & Partner GmbH is a member of the Swiss Travel Guarantee Fund which guarantees all amounts paid for our travel and language courses.

Our dedicated staff

Our dedicated staff is looking forward to arranging for you an unforgettable travel in Russia and Russian language course stay. Please contact us at any time, and will try to answer all your questions.

Farid Valitov has been managing the office in Moscow since the foundation of the company in 1993. Farid graduated himself from Moscow State University in 1991 and is running a full service travel agency on the MGU campus. Farid will coordinate your language course and accommodation in Moscow, and assist you whenever needed directly on the MGU campus. For all newly arrived students, Farid also organizes the “welcome parties” with vodka tasting and delicious local Russian foods. He speaks English, Russian, and some German. He will also watch that all students make fast progress in their efforts to master the Russian language.
 Yves Cornuz is our general manager in Switzerland, since May 2008. Yves joined the company in 2006 as a consultant for language and travel services. He traveled extensively in Russia and its neighboring countries. He will be your contact for partner’s development and special event organisation. He communicates fluently in English, French and German.
Ursula Rouiller has been managing the office in Switzerland from 1995 till may 2008. Retired, she still helps the company acting as a treasurer and general consultant. She has extensively traveled to Russia and its neighboring countries and answers your emails in English, French, German and Italian.
Mila Popova-Clifford Our language and travel consultant in Moscow and in the USA (part of the year) will answer your questions regarding travel and language courses in English, French, and Russian. She has studied and traveled extensively in Russia, working with love in order to let you discover her country.

The founding partners

The founding partners of the company today work as professionals in business and law and offer their extensive experience in Russia. Please contact us if you are interested to visit Russia, find business partners, apartments, or collaborators fluent in Russian/German/French/English, or simply want to have advice on issues you think we can help you.

  • Petra Camathias, Dr. iur. (University of Zurich, 2004), admitted to the Bar (Zurich) in 2000, working/consulting experience in Moscow, now practicing law in her own Zurich law office. Specialization: contract and corporate law, penal law, medical and health law, translation of legal documents. Petra has traveled extensively in Russia, e.g. along the silk road. She speaks English, French, German, Italian, Rumantsch, and Russian
  • Christoph Konrad, lic. iur. (University of Fribourg, 1997), LL.M. (LSE London), admitted to the Bar (Zurich) in 2001, working/consulting experience in Moscow and Kazakhstan with law firms, now working with an investment bank in Beijing. Interests: corporate and commercial law. Christoph has traveled extensively in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China. He is fluent in English, French, German, and Russian, and also speakes Chinese.
  • Nicolas Rouiller, lic. iur. (University of Lausanne, 1997), Dr. iur (University of Basle, 2001), practicing the Bar (Lausanne) since 2000, now with law firm MCE in Lausanne, and a professor at various business schools. Interests: contract and public law. He has also traveled extensively in Russia and along the trans-Siberian and trans-Mongolian railroad. He speaks English, French, German, Italian, and Russian.
  • Marco Ziegler, Ph.D. (University of Fribourg, 1998), Research Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley (1998-2000), now a Management Consultant in Zürich. Marco has traveled extensively in Russian guiding several Trans Siberian tours and excursions to Siberia (Silk road travellogue). He speaks English, French, German, Italian, Rumantsch, Russian, and some Japanese.

Sponsorships and associations

Ziegler & Partner GmbH was one of the sponsors of the Swiss national day celebration (August 1st) in Moscow, which took place at the Swiss Embassy in Moscow.

Ziegler & Partner GmbH is member of the following associations: