In a much sought-after title within the investment banking world, the US magazine Institutional Investor, together with Moscow Exchange, have presented their best investor relations professionals in Russia awards.

Banker take these awards very seriously, as they can be used to boost or cut bonuses, and many of the participants make a real effort to woo clients each year and persuade them to vote for their analysts and IR professionals.

This year Institutional Investor Magazine Research and Moscow Exchange awarded the best companies and investor relations professionals in Russia based on the annual global Extel survey of portfolio managers and sell-side research analysts, the duo said in a press release.

Equities research firm Extel was acquired by Institutional Investor in 2018. Its perception and ranking research sets the industry standard and is recognised globally for excellence and quality performance assessment in investor relations. Participants in the survey included more than 180 individuals from 89 funds and investment banks across the globe.

The winners were dived up into six categories:

Best Chief Financial Officer: Alexander Morozov, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank

Best Investor Relations Officer: Alexander Nazarov, Head of Investor Relations, Novatek

Best Investor Relations Team, Large Cap company: Sberbank

Best Investor Relations Team, Medium Cap company: Tinkoff Bank

Best Investor Relations Team, Small Cap company: Aeroflot

VTB Bank was named the most improved Russian company in the field of investor relations.