At the end of 2023, the Business Media Kursiv held an Awards Ceremony for women’s leadership First Among Equals at the Hotel Hyatt Regency Tashkent. The awards appreciate girls and women who have achieved significant success in their professional fields.
During the opening ceremony, Anastasia Novikova, Editor-in-Chief of Kursiv Uzbekistan, talked about the First Among Equals Award.
“We decided to establish an Award with the help of which we could support companies that bring values of female leadership at the corporate level. We also want to support women who are engaged in business and active in the social sphere,” said the head of Kursiv.
Anastasia Novikova stated that the award recipients are women to be admired and emulated.
“These are women who develop themselves and contribute to the progress of their country,” she noted.
She explained that the selection process for the winners occurred in several stages. Initially, employees of Uzbek companies completed questionnaires expressing their preferences for candidates. Then, an expert jury selected the award winners from among those nominated.
Representatives of various business spheres and public organisations were contesting committee members that chose the winners. Among them is the deputy head of the European Union delegation to Uzbekistan, Mindaugas Kacerauskis, and the country manager of the UN Global Compact, Shahrukh Pulatov. Also evaluated were Venera Erzina, Director of HR Department at Ipoteka bank-OTP Group, Dilfuza Kurolova, human rights lawyer, Diana Baizakova, Head of Tashkent International Arbitration Centre (TIAC) at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, and Anna Ambrozevich, founder of CRO&Personalisation Academy and mentor at Women in Tech.
Kursiv was assisted in selecting the award winners by several notable individuals: Kamila Alimzhanova, an analyst from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Small Business Advisory Programme; Nodira Saidkarimova, head of the Winrock branch of the Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development in Uzbekistan; Anna Olevskaya, partner and Director of Marketing and Business Development at Commonwealth Partnership Uzbekistan; and Firuza Mavlanova, Human Resources Director of Acwa Power Uzbekistan.
Anastasia Novikova noted that choosing the award winners was challenging due to the presence of many deserving candidates.
Kursiv intends to establish the First Among Equals Award as an annual event, with plans to increase the number of nominations. This year, there were ten nominations.
Leyla Allayorova, head of the marketing department at John Deere, an official dealer of US machine-building company John Deere in Uzbekistan, was recognised as First Among Equals in Agriculture in 2023.
“I hope to continue promoting gender equality, to prove that both men and women can work in agriculture,” Leyla Allayorova said while receiving the award.
Photo: Roman Fedotov / ‘Kursiv’
The First Among Equals in Production Award winner was Yana Dadeusch, Head of Sales at Zebra Zhaluzi. She noted the role of her work team, called it a big family and spoke about the support of her colleagues.
‘First Among Equals in Construction’ was named FDG Group Operations Director Venera Khadeeva.
“If you see me in a helmet, construction waistcoat and boots on a project – it’s an organic picture,” she said. By the way, on the day of the award, the girl appeared in an elegant evening dress before the public.
Venera Khadeeva thanked her team for their support and urged women to dare and strive to improve in their chosen profession because it’s in the power of beautiful ladies to do everything.
The Best Initiative to Promote Women in Business Award went to the Wonder Woman community team, which aims to support young women just starting their careers.
The First Among Equals in ICT Award was awarded to Nargiza Saipova, Senior Legal Consultant at Uzum Market. She mainly assists women in challenging life situations.
Nodira Shermatova, Director of Payme’s Marketing Department, received the title First Among Equals in Finance.
“Thank you for your trust and this nomination. I also want to thank the editorial staff of Kursiv for recognising these achievements,” the Payme representative stated. She added that she sees many success stories of female professionals around her.
The title of the Best Project to Support Women in Uzbekistan was awarded to the SABR Republican Centre for Socio-Economic Development. This organisation offers training for girls and provides accreditation based on their knowledge level. Lola Islamova, editor-in-chief of Anhor.uz presented the award to the centre, stating that it was well-deserved as SABR fulfils an important social mission.
The ‘Best International Initiative for Women’ was the UN Foundation’s project “Shared Prosperity through Co-operation in the Border Regions of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.” This project includes a self-help group for women living in these areas.
The Best Corporate Project to Support Women Award went to the Korzinka retail chain for its initiative to create opportunities for women to realise their potential. This project, launched three years ago, is currently awaiting international certification.
Finally, special Kursiv Awards were given to Business Woman, a school for women’s entrepreneurship; the Moving Up project from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; TEAM University; and Care CSR.
Pavel Nosachev, the author, head of the project and deputy director of Kursiv Uzbekistan, talked about the First Among Equals Award and its future.
“Women’s leadership in Central Asia is a complex topic. While there is much talk about the need to promote gender equality, it often ends up being talk. As a result, women leaders in our region are unique and incredibly resilient, achieving their success not because of but despite the challenges they face. Their accomplishments serve as role models for girls entering adulthood.
These role models inspired the creation of the First Among Equals award. Our main goal is to introduce Uzbekistan to new faces of female leadership—women who have succeeded in traditionally male-dominated fields such as production, IT, and business and in the protection of rights.
I want girls from cities or remote villages to look at our nominees and realise that anything is possible today. The key is to study, strive for greatness, and believe in oneself.
Uzbekistan is currently one step ahead of its neighbours in the region. A significant achievement was the adoption of the law on gender equality in 2019, with subsequent amendments in 2022. This legal framework is crucial for women striving to break through societal barriers.
Throughout the project, we have seen substantial interest from businesses in Uzbekistan. We are already receiving requests for participation in the award and partnership offers to organise the ceremony, which we plan to hold later this year.”
The Award partners include Uzum, the European Union Delegation to Uzbekistan, Beeline, IT Park, Freedom Broker and First Development Group.
