Maria Kotova

Maria Kotova is a Global Business Development Manager and Senior Advisor at Dezan Shira & Associates currently based in Moscow. With a strong understanding of Russian and Asian regulatory issues, business environment factors, and industry services, Maria advises foreign businesses on corporate formation, taxation, and legal issues for their investments in Russia, China, and South-East Asia, liaising with our 28 regional offices in assisting foreign investors into Russia and Russian investors into Asia. She speaks fluent Russian, English, and Mandarin.

Maria is also an in-demand speaker at international events on legal, tax and financial issues in Russia and SE Asia and consistently contributes business intelligence publications to the firm’s publishing company, Asia Briefing Ltd., and acts as a key thought leader providing comments to South China Morning Post and other internationally recognized publications.

Prior to joining Dezan Shira & Associates in 2013, Maria worked in both international and domestic business advisory firms in China. Her work included analysis on corporate tax structuring, equity transfers, profit repatriation issues, cross border transactions, analysis of legal and tax implications under M&A and corporate restructuring of Asian groups. Maria also worked as a manager of communication department developing focus personality analysis (FPA) strategies.

Maria has a master’s degree in Management and Chinese from South China Normal University and a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Relations from Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University. She also holds a certificate in Chinese studies from Liaoning University.

EXPERTISE

• Inter-company Service Agreement Implementation
• Corporate and Personal Tax Planning
• Cross Border Structuring of Holding Companies
• Restructuring and Pricing Study of Business Model
• International Tax Planning
• Offshore Tax Withholding and Exemption Services
• Structuring Transactions
• Business Intelligence
• Tax
• Profit Repatriation Processing
• Business Advisory
• VAT Compliance and Planning
• Pre-investment and Pre-entry Tax Advisory and Planning
• Applicable Double Tax Agreements
• Legal and Financial Health Checks
• Joint Venture Establishment, Structuring, Negotiations, Agreement Drafting
• Asian Regional and International Tax Structuring
• Corporate Formation
• Market Focus – China