Person of the Year prizewinners announced in the Kremlin

The Person of the Year award ceremony was held in the Patriarshy Palace of the Moscow Kremlin last week. Members of the independent expert council named 28 people whose "personal achievements are inalienably connected with the main development trends in Russia." President of the Chechen republic Alu Alkhanov, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration Vladimir Surkov, and editor-in-chief of Russian Newsweek magazine Leonid Parfenov all went with the times. Kommersant correspondent Eva Milova watched the ceremony.

Yury Rovensky, general director of RosBusinessConsulting, founder of the award ceremony, met the guests. Everybody seemed to have been sitting and waiting but the ceremony wouldn't start. Finally, a delegation from the Chechen republic represented by President Alu Alkhanov, prime minister Sergey Abramov and his deputy, hero of Russia Ramzan Kadyrov, quickly proceeded to their seats. Apparently, everybody was waiting for them. Once Alkhanov and Kadyrov took their seats in the first row, ceremony host Svyatoslav Belza announced the beginning of the event. "This place, the Kremlin, has always been associated with our motherland," Belza began in his speech. A video with moments of glory of Russia and the USSR was played. The ceremony guests could see Yuri Gagarin waving his hand, Vladimir Spivakov conducting his orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich opening a cello concert, Vladislav Tretyak skating and Vladimir Putin casting a serious glance…

Afterwards, the ceremony host reminded everybody that this was the fourth Person of the Year award ceremony, and it was not based on competition, which meant there could be more than one award recipient in each category.

Plenipotentiary Russian government representative at the arbitration, supreme and constitutional courts Mikhail Barshchevsky and head of the human rights commission under the Russian president Ella Pamfilova mounted the stage to hand out diplomas and golden pins for public and political achievements. However, the organizers of the event had to make changes to the scenario of the ceremony. Traditionally, all Grand Prix awards are due to be granted at the end of the ceremony. But since one of the awardees, president of Russian Railways Gennady Fadeyev, acknowledged for successful reform of the Russian railroad industry, had a business meeting he was invited first to receive the award. Fadeyev made a brief report about the present situation with Russian railroads, noted it was a pleasure for him to stand next to Ella Pamfilova, grabbed tulips from her and rushed to the meeting.

Viktor Khristenko, Russian energy and industry minister, was called next to receive an award in the category "The Person in State Administration." But apparently he didn't come to the ceremony. Another awardee in the same category, head of the president's expert department Arkady Dvorkovich, took the floor instead and said: "I personally voted for Khristenko." Dvorkovich's speech was surprisingly modest. "We were appointed by the people. That is why we first of all expect feedback from them," he stressed. "But these kind of awards are a pleasure for us too," Dvorkovich acknowledged in the end and took the diploma.

Vladislav Surkov, who was due to receive an award in the category "The Person in Politics" didn't come to the Kremlin that night. So, the ceremony host went on to the next category "Regional Leader." This award worded "For the Real Contribution to the Restoration of Civil Governance in the Republic of Chechnya" went to Alu Alkhanov. Once the applause had died down, Alkhanov told everybody about how things were getting better in the republic and concluded: "Well, since the three of us (with Ramzan Kadyrov and Sergey Abramov) managed to come here, this proves that everything is not as bad as it may seem to be." Pamfilova stepped in right away. "I was in Chechnya. It's nice there, but nobody knows about that. We would like to make a documentary. Anyone can join us."

Then the ceremony went on to business categories. It unfolded with an address of Russian economy minister German Gref voiced by Svyatoslav Belza. Rector of the financial academy under the government of Russia Alla Gryaznova and state duma deputy Sergey Baburin mounted the stage to give out the awards.

Chairman of the board of directors of SUAL-Holding Viktor Vekselberg was the first to receive the award. He came up to the stage and admitted that he was very nervous. "We've got a rather enchanting audience here. I congratulate RBC and the expert council that they are almost never wrong in their estimations and conclusions." The award in the category "The Top-Manager of the Year" went to Wimm-Bill-Dann CEO Sergey Plastinin. Chairman of the board of directors of the company David Yakobashvili received the award for him. He explained that his colleague hadn't come to the ceremony due to unexpected problems in Nizhny Novgorod. "Sergey is currently working on one of our top priority goals - doubling milk yield in the next ten years." Yakobashvili took the diploma and the pin and was so fast to leave the Patriarshy Palace that no one doubted the company's milk yield will double.

Viktor Gerashchenko, chairman of the board of directors of YUKOS, was next. He received an award in the category "Business Reputation." He preferred to address the public with his own version of Mayakovsky's poetry: "'Serve all the time, for ever serve. The last days' depths to plumb, to serve - despite every hell combines.' So runs my slogan. I am not going to shoot myself as the author of this poem did. However, I do understand that this award is not for me personally, but for the company that remains number one amid all bad things that are happening now," Gerashchenko said, and was lost in applause.

Finally, the hosts reached the Grand Prix awards. The recipients of these awards received both diplomas and pins along with the Glory of Russia decorations, established by the "History of Domestic Entrepreneurship" museum and exhibition center in 1999. Well-known paediatrician Leonid Roshal and general director of Gazprom-Media Nokolay Senkevich were to give out the awards. The former asked the audience for money for the children's healthcare research center right away. Grand Prix awardee, general director of Aeroflot - Russian Airlines Valery Okulov, addressed the audience in his usual way - "Dear passengers" - and promised many surprises from Aeroflot next year. Another Grand Prix awardee, chairman of the audit chamber of Russia Sergey Stepashin, couldn't attend the event, though he wanted to badly, the ceremony hosts said.

After the event, the guests were invited to proceed to the Armory Chamber for dinner, during which Gerashchenko shared his opinion that the ceremony had looked as a congress: "Everybody reported on their deeds. And the place that you chose here is just perfect." The guests were offered pancakes, and canape with cheese and fruits. However, those who made it to the Armory Chamber left the snacks almost untouched as they preferred cokes and wine.

Senkevich mentioned in a private conversation that he would be more than happy to take Parfenov's award with him. "Without me he would never receive so many awards! I feel myself part of this." When asked whether these kind of awards are helpful or not, the majority of guests answered in the way of "it's great that we all got together here today." Music producer Alexander Shulgin was the only one who said that "if anyone gave Roshal money today, the whole event would be worth it."