"Vostochno-Sibirskaya Pravda" (Irkutsk), November 13, 2003

The holding Mechel (Chelyabinsk Metal Works) has become the winner in the Annual business award "COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2003" in the nomination Metal Industry. Among other candidates to the award were the Novolipetsk Metal Works and Evrazholding.

The national award "COMPANY OF THE YEAR" was founded in 1999 with the aim to attract interest of world business circles to leaders on the Russian market and further promotion of the development of business activities of domestic entrepreneurs. The organizer of the award is RosBusinessConsulting. The project is carried out under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

Nominees are major Russian companies that are selected by an expert council that includes prominent state and public persons, representatives of Russia's business elite and Russian and foreign mass media sources.

In early October 2003 Mechel General Director Alexey Ivanushkin became the winner of the award "The Best Manager", according to the Kompaniya journal.

Sergey Petrenko