Our Greatest Asset Is Our People: Moscow Presents Inaugural Bridge Awards
On June 18, the awards ceremony for the inaugural International Bridge Awards took place at the Continental Hotel. The award recognizes work in developing cultural and business ties with Moscow and aims to acknowledge the contribution of foreign nationals and repatriates to the development of Moscow and the Russian Federation, while also supporting those planning to connect their professional activities with Russia.
A total of 108 applications from 41 countries were submitted to the expert committee. Following the selection process, 64 finalists from 31 countries advanced to the finals. Nominees included athletes, scientists, architects, entrepreneurs, journalists, and public figures who demonstrate through their example that Russia attracts talented and driven individuals from around the world.
During the plenary session “An Active International Community in Russia,” Sergey Cheremin, Minister of the Government of Moscow and Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations, emphasized that the knowledge and experience of people who have previously worked abroad are valuable to the capital, as the economy is built primarily on human potential: “Today we speak of innovation – without it, no city or country can remain competitive. Those who have worked abroad have gained unique knowledge and are now applying it in the Russian Federation and Moscow. For us, this is an invaluable asset.”
During the awards ceremony, the winners were announced:
- Architecture and Construction: Alexander Amirov, architect from Georgia;
- Business and Entrepreneurship: David Henderson‑Stewart, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Petrodvorets Watch Factory “Raketa” from New Zealand;
- Integration and Adaptation: Meshan Chethana Koggala Liyanage, President of the Ufa Branch of the Association of International Students in Russia from Sri Lanka;
- Culture and Arts: Kohei Fukuda, ballet dancer from Japan;
- Media and Communications: John Warren, TV presenter and host of the program “Let’s Eat, Let’s Eat” from the United Kingdom;
- Medicine and New Health Technologies: Muboraksho Muborakshoev, surgeon from Tajikistan;
- Education and Enlightenment: Tony Patrick Chamberlain, founder and head of the project “Russia Ready Educational Camp” from the United States;
- Public Activity and Charity: Anicet Gabriel Kocofé, Ambassador of Russian Education and Science in Benin;
- Sports and Healthy Lifestyle: Jeff Monson, former UFC fighter and deputy of the Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan;
- Traditional and Family Values: Arend Feenstra, farmer from Canada and father of a large family;
- Tourism and Hospitality: Henrik Winter, founder of the Tigrus holding from Denmark.
The special A.L. Stieglitz Memorial Award was presented to David Arthur Brown from the United States, an industrial designer, musician, and author of the book “A Cozy Corner of the Galaxy.”
Each winner received the “Bridge of Friendship” statuette, inspired by nature itself: an arch born of geological tension, where stone is held in place solely by the immense mutual compression of two masses. The award’s central metaphor: “Tectonics of Synthesis.”
The event was organized by the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow jointly with the Moscow Centre for International Cooperation.