Gazprom Neft has confirmed the outcomes of its “People of Progress” corporate recognition programme — the highest award of which is presented for successful projects and personal contributions to company development in line with Gazprom Neft’s corporate values: responsibility, innovation, collaboration, efficiency, commitment and safety.

The highest award, the People of Progress statuette, was created by Russian artist Denis Patrakeev, based around geological core — a cylindrical rock sample extracted while drilling a Gazprom Neft oil well. For every oilman core samples symbolise progress, movement, mastery and power. A star is mounted on each core sample, stylised to represent a human figure, underlying that this award is specifically in recognition of people’s achievements.

Winners included teams working on developing Russia’s most advanced oil refining facility — the Moscow Refinery’s Euro+ complex, and involved in local “Antivirus” programmes supporting medics and volunteers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gazprom Neft emergency response team — the first to come to the rescue in eliminating the impacts of the Norilsk oil spill earlier this year — was also recognised.

“Gazprom Neft’s highest award — the People of Progress award — doesn’t just recognise service to the company, but symbolises the inclusiveness of our mutual life philosophy and values. We don’t just recognise the best, but also the most public demonstrations of our business objectives and humanitarian priorities. In establishing these awards we have sought to visualise concepts such as commitment, tenacity and the ability to overcome obstacles. Which is precisely why we chose to use geological core samples — a substance extracted at considerable depth, during drilling. I think Gazprom Neft is the first major industrial company in the world to use core samples as the key material for its highest corporate award.”

Alexander Dybal Deputy CEO for Corporate Communications