The First Corporate Charity Ranking by Vedomosti

July 31, 2008 —Vedomosti, the leading business newspaper in Russia, announces a large-scale project: ranking of Russian business corporate charity. The project will be implemented jointly with the audit and consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Research methodology has been developed by PwC’s experts specifically for Vedomosti with consideration of Russian specific nature. The methodology is new, though it is based on established approaches used in similar company’s projects:

• Transparency Awards, Australia;
• Transparency Awards, Germany;
• Transparency Awards, the Netherlands;
• European Sustainability Reporting Awards (ESRA);
• Russian Sustainability Reporting Awards.

The project “Corporate Charity in Russia” pursues the following aims:

• to inform the society of actual amounts donated by Russian companies;
• to activate discussion on efficiency of spending on charitable projects.

The following companies have already confirmed their participation in the project:

• OAO LUKOIL
• OK RUSAL
• TNK BP
• AFK Sistema
• SUEK (Siberian Coal Energy Company)
• KIT Finance
• OAO Aeroflot-Russian Airlines
• OAO NK RussNeft
• ZAO Raiffeisenbank
• OAO Pipe Metallurgical Company
• OAO TATNEFT
• OOO LENTA
• ZAO Russian Standard Bank
• OAO UTair Aircompany
• OAO DIXY Group
• AlfaInsurance Company

The survey timeframe: July–September 2008. Ranking of the most efficient benefactor companies will be published in Vedomosti newspaper. The survey is to be conducted annually.

Vedomosti is intended to further develop the ranking and survey direction concerning relevant issues for society and business.

Additional information

The Project Coordinator:
Olga Govorina
Tel.: +7 (495) 232-3200 ext. 1670

Vlad Kuznetsov
PR Manager of the Vedomosti newspaper
Tel.: +7 (495) 232-3200 ext. 1671
Mobile phone: +7 (903) 614-1443

Vera Totskaya
PricewaterhouseCoopers PR Senior Manager
Tel.: +7 (495) 967-6179
Mobile phone: +7 (905) 543-0845