OREANDA-NEWS. The Award honors a foreign firm that is conducting business successfully in Russia, while at the same time contributing to a broader improvement of Russia’s business culture and society as a whole, reported the press-centre of Alfa-Bank.

Alfa-Bank President Petr Aven presented the Award at a gala reception organized by Alfa-Bank and attended by over 100 prominent business, political and media leaders. The Ceremony took place at the Reception House of Ministry Foreign Affairs, Russian Federation. The Keynote Address was delivered by Donald Rumsfeld, the U. S. Secretary of Defense (1975-1977 and 2001-2006).

In announcing the Award, Mr Aven noted: “General Motors ranks among the global leaders in the automotive industry. It is the world’s largest automaker and has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. In Russia and the CIS, which is rapidly becoming one of General Motors most important markets, General Motors has shown a strong commitment to Russia and has developed management, manufacturing and marketing practices which have made its product line, especially the Chevrolet Niva, among the most successful in the country.”

A distinguished jury appointed by Alfa-Bank and the Oxford Said Business School determined the recipient of the award. Jury members for the 2007 Award are: Petr Aven (President of Alfa-Bank), Richard Burt (Former US Ambassador to Germany), Yegor Gaidar (Director, Institute for the Economy in Transition), and Dana Brown (Oxford Said Business School).

Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. Russia is rapidly becoming one of General Motors’ most important markets.

In 2006, General Motors CIS sold 132,600 cars in Russia. General Motors has been active in the Russian market since 1992 and now offers five GM brands: Cadillac, HUMMER, Saab, Opel and Chevrolet through a network of 111 dealers across the world’s largest country.

In 2002 GM has founded the first and so far only joint venture in the Russian automotive market: GM-AVTOVAZ. It is located in Togliatti and produces Chevrolet Niva, one of best seller cars in Russia. GM has a very strong relationship with Avtotor in Kaliningrad which has been a key assembly partner since 2004. At Avtotor they assemble Cadillacs, HUMMERS and Chevrolets. GM Avto a fully GM-owned manufacturing facility is based in Shushary near St.Petersburg and is due to go on stream at the end of 2008. Production volume is planned for 70 000 cars and with total committed investment put at $300M. Currently GM Avto produces the Chevrolet Captiva and Opel Antara models at temporary facilities in St.Petersburg. Mr. Warren P Browne, Chief Executive, General Motors CIS, accepted the Award for GM.

In terms of social affairs and corporate citizenship, General Motors CIS takes great pride in its extensive programs for disadvantaged children. Through its sponsorship of SOS Kinder Villages, Operation Smile, and the Attention Deficit Disorder Foundation, General Motors CIS assists children and their families in all areas of Russia, focusing on villages and small cities where major international donor programs often fail to reach.