The names of the best people in the country were announced in the Chambers of Patriarchs of the Kremlin on February 25. Thirty-two people became the laureates of the Person of the Year national award. These persons made the most remarkable achievements in the public, government or commercial sectors last year.

The philosophy of the Person of the Year national award is simple. It is necessary to encourage those who make a personal contribution to the country’s development. The award sets reference points and examples to be followed, calling the modern heroes by name. Therefore, as the organizers (RIA RosBusinessConsulting) believe, it is a matter of not just drawing attention to persons who have a noticeable influence on the country's life but also achieving some kind of unity and mutual understanding between the public, the business community and the government.

As it turned out this year, there can be different kinds of personal contributions in the improvement of our Russian reality. Somebody has managed to improve the social infrastructure in a specific city, and another person has managed to actualize the economic potential of a whole region. A third person has developed a theory of superconductivity and has elevated global science in the future. A fourth person has built a brewery and has started to brew premium-class beer …

While Person of the Year-2001 was devoted to achievements aimed at the rebirth of the national greatness of the country, and the main theme of Person of the Year-2002 was Russia’s integration into the world community, Person of the Year-2003 primarily marked activity aimed at improving the well-being of the people, contribution to the restoration of industries, ability to work in the industrial sector and to make considered political decisions. The grand prix was awarded to Russian Central Election Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov (for personal contribution to the development of democracy in Russia), President of the Transnefteprodukt company Sergey Maslov (for professionalism and innovations in the development of oil products transportation via pipelines in Russia) and Krasnodar Regional Governor Alexander Tkachyov (for personal contribution to the development of Russia’s political system).

The Person of the Year national award marks personal achievements in both politics and business. Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin became the Person of the Year in politics (Person in Politics: the expert commission thus marked the role of the Deputy Prime Minister in increasing the country’s gold and foreign currency reserves and his efficient work on reducing Russia’s foreign debts). Sergey Yastrzhembsky became Person in State Government, which is obviously due to his contribution to the improvement of Russia’s image and peacekeeping efforts, and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov was the winner in the Regional Leader category (for high efficiency of the administration of the region). The Person of the Year national award is given not only for successes in politics and the economy but also for outstanding scientific and cultural achievements. Bolshoi Theater General Director Anatoly Iksanov has become Person in Culture (for an innovative approach to management in the cultural sector), and Nobel Prize laureate Vitaly Ginzburg became Person in Science (for a fundamental contribution to the world science). Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Yakovlev won the prize in the Career of the Year category, and Moscow Business Association General Director Alexander Borisov was declared the model “Leader of a Public Organization” (for his assistance in the enhancement of the positive image of Russian business). Nikita Kirichenko was awarded a Person in the Media prize posthumously (for his contribution to the development of business journalism in Russia).

Businesspeople who have shown their worth in management of a company, development of production, financial and investment operations traditionally receive awards in the business category. Gazprom Executive Board Chairman Alexey Miller and Lev Khasis, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Perekriostok Trading House, were the winners in the category Businessman of the Year. In the category Top-Manager there were also two winners: Marat Ainetdinov, the general director of the Rossiya insurance company, and Valery Okulov, the general director of Aeroflot-Russian Airlines. Awards were also given to businesspeople for outstanding achievements in the development of companies and personal entrepreneurial talents: Krost Concern General Director Alexey Dobashin (the Entrepreneur category), Ship-Building Bank Executive Board Chairman Alexey Golubkov (the category "Leader of the Most Dynamically Developing Business"), Nobel Oil Company President Grigory Gurevich (the category "Leader of a Small and Medium-Size Business"), Euroset Company Executive Yevgeny Chichvarkin (the category Retail Business Leader). The laurels of financial and investment geniuses were awarded to ROSBANK Executive Board Chairman Alexander Popov (Financier of the Year) and Troika Dialog President Ruben Vardanian (Investment Banker). Oleg Tinkov, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tinkoff company, was declared the best industrialist in Russia (Production Manager) for the development of a unique product: the first ultrapremium-class Russian beer. Vladimir Busygin, the general director of the Nizhnekamskneftekhim company, has become the laureate in the category "Leader of a Socially Important Company."

Prizes in social categories were awarded mainly for personal contributions to the restoration of industries in Russia. Farkhad Akhmedov, the president of the Nortgaz company, received a prize for his contribution to the development of the fuel and energy industries, and prizes for contributions to the development of the construction and telecommunication industries were given to Timur Timerbulatov, the president of the KONTI Group, and Gennady Sklyar, the general director of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network state company, respectively. Vladimir Kovalsky, the president of the Masterdent chain of dental clinics, received a prize for his contribution to the development of the healthcare industry, and Alexey Kobtsev, the general director of the Rusagrocapital holding company, received a prize for his contribution in the development of the agrarian industry. Aton Capital General Director Alexander Kandel was declared Discovery of the Year for his achievements in corporate governance and the enhancement of the company’s position on the Russian and global financial markets. The achievements of Ivan Sergeyev, the head of the Main Industrial and Commercial Department of Services for the Diplomatic Corps of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in the industrial, diplomatic, public and philanthropic spheres were awarded in the Business Reputation category. Two special categories of the Person of the Year national award reflect the modern trends towards social responsibility in business: Konstantin Zolotukhin, the general director of the SpetsVysotStroy company became a laureate in the category “Promotion of the Idea of Social Responsibility in Business,” and Dmitry Bakatin, the general director of the Sputnik Group, won the prize for his contribution in the restoration of the best traditions in the upbringing of the young generation in Russia. Additionally, the laureates of the national award are Viktor Balala, the justice minister of the Transnistrian Republic (for the development of the legal framework for international relations) and Veronika Borovik-Khilchevskaya, the president and owner of the Sovershenno Sekretno (Top Secret) Group (for the commitment to the traditions of journalism).