OREANDA-NEWS.  Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, won in four categories of the ‘Corporate Charity Leaders – 2013’ contest, and also came top of the rankings. The Award Ceremony of the ‘Corporate Charity Leaders’ initiative, set up by Donors Forum, Vedomosti newspaper and PwC, one of the world’s major auditing and consulting groups, took place in Moscow on Monday November 18.

This year, 63 Russian and international companies that carry out corporate charity programmes in Russia took part in the ‘Corporate Charity Leaders’ awards. Severstal was ranked in the Top 10 corporate charity leaders, ahead of companies such as Bank Uralsib, NPK Katren, SUEK, Metalloinvest, Alcoa Russia and GMK Norilsk Nickel. Moreover, the Company was given first place in the Mining Industry and Metallurgy sub-ranking.

The Corporate Charity Leaders contest is the only initiative in Russia aimed at identifying, supporting and developing the best corporate charity programmes. The initiative consists of two parts: the corporate charity survey and the contest, which evaluates charity programmes of different companies in several categories. The survey ranks those companies that have a systematic approach to charity – Leaders of sector. Winners of the contest are selected by the partners who chose the categories.

At the awards ceremony Gleb Prozorov, Managing Director of Vedomosti newspaper, commented: “What is special about our ranking is that we communicate to business communities the necessity of carrying out business along the principles of sustainable development”.

Along with its ranking positions, Severstal won in two categories “Best Programme Facilitating the Development of Volunteering in Russia” (for the programme facilitating development of corporate volunteering among employees of the company) and “Best Programme Facilitating Development of Not-for-Profit Infrastructure organizations, Charity, Volunteering in the Regions Where the Company Operates” (for the “Research Center for Survey Methodology for Not-for-Profit Organizations’ Corporate Social Responsibility in the Regions Where the Company Operates” programme).

Natalia Poppel, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at OAO Severstal, commented: “This is like receiving an Oscar for charity work. I am incredibly grateful to everybody, to Alexei Mordashov, CEO of OAO Severstal, who is very much involved in our charity work, and to our over 60 thousand employees – mine workers, steel workers and employees from all of the Company’s divisions. Together we are working to help people in our country live happier better quality lives”.

Severstal has been taking part in the annual Corporate Charity Leaders initiative since 2008. In 2013 the survey looked at Russian and international companies with a total turnover of more than 100 million rubles in 2012. Experts from PwC along with the Donors Forum developed the survey methodology especially for this initiative. Qualitative and quantitative company data provided by the participating companies is analyzed as part of the survey, and on this basis each company receives a final score which then influences the ranking.