Managers from the Nizhny Novgorod region have become winners of the "Leaders of Russia" competition.

      Photo: platform "Russia - a land of opportunities"

      Two managers from the Nizhny Novgorod region have become winners of the sixth season of the "Leaders of Russia" management competition - the flagship project of the Presidential platform "Russia - a land of opportunities." The competition is implemented as part of the national project "Youth and Children." A total of 60 management teams from 33 regions of Russia were among the winners of the competition. The winners will have the right to participate in a special educational program on team building, developed by RANEPA in collaboration with the Senesh Management Workshop. From the Nizhny Novgorod region, one of the winners in the category "Corporate Management Teams" was Nikolai Dudukalov from PJSC "Sibur Holding." In the category "Government Management Teams," the head of the Federal Tax Service of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Anton Zakamsky, was among the winners. The winners will be able to participate in the super final of the competition, which will take place in the fall of 2026. The First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the "Leaders of Russia" management competition, Sergey Kiriyenko, congratulated the finalists and winners of the sixth season at the awards ceremony at the National Center "Russia" and noted that for the first time the competition was held in a team format. He also reported that the Supervisory Board of the competition decided that all winners would be able to participate in the super final of the competition in the fall of 2026. "More than eight years ago, the 'Leaders of Russia' competition was launched at the request of our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and we could not have imagined such a scale. Already in the fifth season, we 'broke through' the bar of one million participants from 150 countries around the world. This is a unique base. 17,000 semi-finalists and finalists over the years have undergone deep expert professional evaluation, received serious recommendations, support, and consulting from the best specialists in training, professional development, and management. Over these 8 years, 700 winners of the competition have been appointed to various high positions: governors, mayors, deputy ministers, federal and regional ministers, top executives of the largest Russian corporations. An important confirmation of the quality of the winners is that their career growth occurs not only after victory but continues several years later. Now the world is changing, and you can't achieve anything alone; success is achieved by management teams. Therefore, this time we faced a particularly difficult task set by the President - to make the competition not about individuals, but about teams. No one in the world has done this before. 75,000 managers from Russia and 66 foreign countries submitted their applications for the 'Leaders of Russia. Team' competition. This time, the final had an absolutely record number - 1,400 people, that is, 280 teams. 15 teams in each category have been determined as winners. All of them will be able to participate in the big super final this fall. Our competition is called 'Leaders of Russia. Team' because we are all one team, the President's team, the country's team," said Sergey Kiriyenko. The General Director of the Presidential platform "Russia - a land of opportunities," Rector of the Senesh Management Workshop, Andrey Betin, emphasized that the sixth season of the competition allowed for a new assessment of the management potential of the participants. "Talent, hard work, and service always find their way. But even the brightest talent gains real strength only in a team. The sixth season of 'Leaders of Russia' has become our response to the challenges of our time. 75,000 applications, 6,576 teams, 1,400 finalists from 70 regions of Russia - record numbers for the season. 44% of participants are women, which is the best indicator in the history of the competition. In the final, we conducted a management dictation for the first time - 50 questions in 20 minutes, with risk selection and point deductions for mistakes. And also, the passing of GTO standards in mixed teams. Because a strong leader is a healthy leader. Today, the Supervisory Board approved 60 winning teams - 15 in each of the four categories. The main conclusion of this season: it is not the one who shouts the loudest that wins, but the one who, together with the team, finds the best solution. Russia is strong in teams. And the finalists of the sixth season are the best proof," believes Andrey Betin.

      A total of 60 management teams became winners of the sixth season. The geography of the winners covered 33 regions of Russia. Among the winners are teams from various fields, with the public service sector being the most widely represented (60 people), followed by industry (58), banking (33), education (20), and transport and road management (16). The winners will have the right to participate in a specialized educational program on team building, developed by the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in collaboration with the Senesh Management Workshop of the Presidential platform "Russia - a land of opportunities." The final of the "Leaders of Russia. Team" competition took place at the Senesh Management Workshop, where participants underwent assessment tests specifically designed for the new team format of the competition. The finalist teams demonstrated their ability to jointly analyze information, make management decisions, distribute responsibilities, and propose practical solutions to socially significant tasks. A separate element of the final events was sports team building. Participants completed part of the standards of the complex, and upon returning home and checking themselves in the remaining tests, they will be able to apply for the GTO badge. A total of 1,209 contestants completed the GTO standards. 210 people can apply for the gold badge, 261 for the silver, and 245 for the bronze.

      Participants of the sixth season of the "Leaders of Russia. Team" competition included more than 75,000 leaders from 89 regions of the country and 66 foreign states. To reach the final, they underwent a serious selection process through a remote stage, testing, and online semi-finals. Alongside the assessment tests, the finalists passed the GTO standards and participated in an educational program from leading managers in the field of science and education. A total of 1,400 managers became finalists of the sixth season, united in 280 teams.

      Reference

      The "Leaders of Russia" management competition has been held since 2017 at the request of the President of the Russian Federation. Following all seasons, more than one million applications have been submitted for participation in the competition from all over Russia and from 150 countries around the world. During the entire period of the competition, more than 700 participants have been appointed to high positions.