Founded by Russian information agency RosBusinessConsulting, the Person of the Year awards, one of the most prominent national presentation ceremonies, was held in the Moscow Kremlin on February 24. Twenty-eight people received awards.

"No one received the award by accident," head of the human rights commission under the Russian president Ella Pamfilova noted as she was presenting the honors in public and political categories. "All these people are very talented, even though they may have absolutely opposite opinions." Indeed, among the award recipients were editor-in-chief of Russian Newsweek magazine Leonid Parfenov, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration Vladislav Surkov and chairman of the board of directors of YUKOS Viktor Gerashchenko. Such a mix made businessman Konstantin Borovoy talk about the political importance of the award. "The most important thing is that the award in no way depends on the government," he said. "The fact that Parfenov and Gerashchenko are among the awardees proves that the expert council made a brave, independent and correct decision. I feel today that democracy and freedom are still with us."

As far as the organizers of the event are concerned, they mainly cared about real achievements of the awardees rather than their disagreements. Real professionals from about 30 companies representing various industries were recognized: people in state administration, business, manufacturing industry, education, culture, sport and so on. "The Person of the Year is a chronicle of professional breakthroughs on a national scale," RBC's general director Yury Rovensky said of the event's philosophy.

President of Russian Railways Gennady Fadeyev was first to receive the award. This was the only change made to the scenario of the ceremony. Fadeyev was running late for a business meeting. The remaining Grand Prix awards were given out at the end of the event. "Fadeyev managed to do almost the impossible," head of the Globalization Studies Institute Mikhail Delyagin said. "I guess together with his team, Fadeyev is about the only person in the world who succeeded to reform the railroad industry." In addition, chairman of the audit chamber of Russia Sergey Stepashin and general director of Aeroflot-Russian Airlines Valery Okulov received Grand Prix awards. All Grand Prix recipients were awarded Glory of Motherland decorations.

Among those decorated for public and political achievements were Russian industry and energy minister Viktor Khristenko, head of the president's expert department Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the Chechen republic Alu Alkhanov, rector of Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichiy, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Arkady Volsky, opera singer Gelina Vishnevskaya and gymnast Alexey Nemov.

In the business sector, the expert council named six people whose achievements were especially important for the Russian economy. These are mainly heads of top companies, Russia's national destiny: Viktor Vekselberg (SUAL-Holding), Sergey Plastinin (Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods), Nadezhda Martyanova (MAKC insurance company), Andrey Uspensky (PIOGLOBAL Asset Management), Vadim Varshavsky (Russian Coal) and Alexander Kosyanenko (Perekriostok retail chain).

Almost all had time to come and receive the awards personally from Russian deputy state duma speaker Sergey Baburin and rector of the Russian finance academy under the Russian government Alla Gryaznova. Chief executive officer of Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods Sergey Plastinin was the only one to miss the event. But he had an excuse. "Sergei had to go to Nizhny Novgorod to work on doubling milk yield," his colleague David Yakobashvili said for him, receiving the diploma.