Sobesednik (Moscow) - November 5, 2003

The winners of the Company of the Year award announced

An award ceremony of the Company of the Year project organized by RIA RosBusinessConsulting (RBC) took place for the fifth time. This year it was sponsored by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. The ceremony, visited by Sobesednik, took place last Wednesday at the Moscow business center Radius-Hall.

RBC founded the Company of the Year award in 1999. One should give credit to the agency's valor. At that time this was a very brave step to award the success of the companies whose reputation was hurt by the default. Then, back in 1999, this award of hope was aimed at supporting Russian businesspeople, who managed to survive in the financial crisis.

Now the award has come to stay in the business life of the country. It incites the development of business activity in Russia and draws attention of the world business community to Russia's best companies, helps establish contacts with foreign partners and attract foreign investments.

An expert council consisting of influential business, government and public figures chooses winners. This year experts were racking their brains for three months to choose 57 nominees out of over 300 companies.

Almost all representatives of the Russian business elite came to the award ceremony. The only nominee that was not there was Mikhail Khodorkovsky, but he had a reasonable excuse to miss it. However, the majority of top managers of the country's largest companies arrived at the ceremony and slipped into the hall unnoticed by journalists. For instance, are there many people who know what David Yakobashvili looks like? And almost everyone has at least tried the products of Wimm-Bill-Dann, which he heads.

This is why when Irina Khakamada whose face is well-known appeared in the business center everybody rushed to her, some to ask a question, others to blow a kiss. This went on until Chubais emerged.

In addition to top SPS-guys, among recognizable persons were ex-head of the Central Bank Viktor Gerashchenko, Agriculture Minister Alexey Gordeyev and businessman Alexander Shokhin. As for Alexander Pochinok and Sergey Yastrzhembsky, they failed to appear when invited to the stage but this did not spoil the ceremony.

The name of the first laureate in the Fuel and Energy Complex nomination was a surprise for no one, as Gerashchenko who announced the winner sat at a table with Chubais. RAO UES got the award. Chubais was very happy and even confessed:

- So far we have been "awarded" only negatively for all the "misdeeds" we have done for the country. I'm deeply touched.

Then Khakamada was to announce the best machine-building company, United Heavy Machinery, but the hosts of the ceremony were the first to do this. Irina was a bit offended and announced the winner once again.

This time it was the hosts who got offended. When Alexey Gordeyev climbed to the stage to announce the winner of the Metal Industry nomination they did not introduce him at all, and the minister had to introduce himself.

After this there were almost no blunders.

With short breaks for jazz and Todes ballet performances, awards went to some forty of the most successful companies. It took about three minutes for every prize to be awarded. It was only Yakobashvili who took the opportunity and advertised a new product.

Among other laureates were Bank of Moscow, Rossiya insurance company, Perekriostok trading house, Natalie Tours, Yarpivo, TransTeleKom which is close to the government (in the late 1990s its Moscow office was headed by Lyudmila Putina) and S.P.I. Group which is far from the government (its head Yury Shefler is hiding from Russian prosecution authorities abroad)...

But of course, the announcement of the award winners was not the major result of the Company of the Year. Two of its main results are worth being pointed out. First, it is the growth of the international reputation of RBC's national award. The nominees of the Company category YUKOS and RAO UES have recently been declared finalists of a competition for the best energy company of the world held in the USA. Hooray for our guys!

As for the second result, it could be even more important. This award united all Russian companies into one. No, not into an industrial or financial one. Just into a company of associates who are striving at raising the Russian economy to the level its citizens deserve. Let's hope they will succeed.

Oleg Roldugin