Milko P. Papazoff is graduated from “Ecole d’Electricité et de Mécanique Industrielles” in Paris (Electro-mechanical engineering). He is a French External Trade Counselor since 1997 (honorary title granted by the Prime Minister of France), he has advised several railway companies in the Region for more than fifteen years, and is currently the UIC (International Union of Railways) ASEAN Representative. His railway career started by representing SNCF INTERNATIONAL (2003 to 2013) in Malaysia and in Singapore, leading to various cooperation with KTMB, GAMUDA Group, SPAD Malaysia, MOT Malaysia, LTA Singapore and SMRT.
UIC called Milko on board to revitalize the ASEAN Region in October 2012, in matter of membership participation, close liaison with ADB in Manila and UNESCAP in Bangkok, support of South East Asia countries to develop their railway projects. Today, from 3 members in 2012 (KTMB Malaysia, KAI Indonesia and VNR Vietnam), to 11 members (addition of SPAD (now APAD), MyHSR CORP and RAC in Malaysia, DGR-MOT and MASKA in Indonesia, PNR and DOTR in The Philippines and SRT in Thailand), and with the new dynamics in the Region, new members from Singapore (LTA), Myanmar (MR), Cambodia and Laos, as well as other non-operators (railway academies and universities with a railway curriculum, government agencies related to railways, in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) are expected to join UIC, as the U.N.-recognized body for railway standards, standardization and harmonization of standards.
His knowledge of railway organizations has since then been extended to the whole Asia Pacific Region and beyond, with a solid network of relevant contacts in China, Japan, Korea, India, Russia, Australia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, etc., as well as all across Europe. He is regularly called to represent UIC at international forums and seminars across Asia (most of the time as a speaker) since 2013.
He also assists RATPDEV in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei since 2015. He has also contributed to the development and project secure of a few railway private entities (ETF, COLAS RAIL, VOSSLOH-COGIFER, etc.) in the ASEAN Region.
He is also the ASEAN Regional Delegate of FIM (French Federation of Mechanical Engineering Industries, one of the biggest industrial organisations in France), since 2000, as well as for its Technical Centre for Mechanical Industries, CETIM (Asia Pacific–wise) since 2011. His extensive Asian experience started in 1983 in Jakarta, followed by Singapore in 1985 when he was working for ESSILOR, the largest French optical group, developing technical projects (laboratory and factory projects) across Far East and South East Asia (9 countries). From 1991 to 1998, Milko has been in charge of the Malaysian-French Industrial Cooperation programme, based in Kuala Lumpur (MIDA – Malaysian Industrial Development Authority) in order to promote and facilitate partnerships between French and Malaysian companies. He has directly contributed to the installation of about 40 companies, of which more than half of them developed a direct industrial partnership with Malaysians (JV, technical agreements, etc…)
Since 1999, Milko has provided international consulting services to firms and organizations from Europe, South East Asia, North East Asia and North Africa. His different duties enabled him to acquire the experience of international exposure, especially in the business relations development between European and Asian companies, not only on the professional aspect, but also on the cross-cultural aspect.
Born in 1958 in France, Milko lives in South East Asia since 1983 (in Malaysia since 1991). He is married, with one daughter. He fluently speaks English, French (mother tongue), Indonesian / Malay and has good command of German. He has travelled to 72 countries across the five continents in the World (including 34 in Europe and 28 in Asia).
