Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of the Metinvest Group, has been named the winner in the 'Industry' category of the 'Top Managers Who Hold the Country Together' ranking, which is compiled annually by the NV publication together with Wellbeing Company and Odgers Ukraine. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the ranking's results. From more than 200 private companies, the organizers selected 16 CEOs who, according to the research methodology, most effectively manage their teams and businesses under conditions of war and uncertainty. Industry winners were identified across ten sectors of the economy, and it was in the industrial category that Ryzhenkov took first place.

Methodology: why the war factor did not become a 'penalty' for executives

The final score in the ranking was formed on the basis of four components: business dynamics, employee assessments, the personal qualities and civic stance of the executive, as well as the jury's conclusions. The greatest weight in the final score was given to the anonymous survey of company employees. The organizers applied a so-called war-resilience coefficient: losses caused by Russian aggression did not lower the executive's rating. The logic here is simple — the ability to maintain production, jobs, and company manageability during a full-scale war is treated as a separate efficiency criterion, rather than as grounds for lowering the rating.

Metrinvest in numbers: investments and taxes for 2022–2025

Yuriy Ryzhenkov has headed Metinvest since December 2013, meaning he has held the position of CEO for more than 12 years, including the period of the full-scale war. According to company data, in 2022–2025 the Group invested 43.6 billion UAH in the development of its enterprises and paid more than 82.2 billion UAH in taxes. Metinvest has retained its status as one of Ukraine's largest industrial employers, investors, and taxpayers. The company's enterprises have also established the production of goods for the front, including protective equipment for military personnel and specialized machinery.

Contribution to defense and social support

Since the start of the war, Rinat Akhmetov's Metinvest has directed 10.1 billion UAH to support Ukraine and its citizens, of which 7.3 billion UAH was allocated to the needs of the Defense Forces under the 'Steel Front' initiative. According to the ranking's organizers, this figure was factored into the assessment of the executive's civic stance and became one of the factors influencing the final score in the 'Industry' category.

Context: who else made the top five and what challenges the industry faces

In addition to Ryzhenkov, the top five of the ranking included the heads of PUMB, Kernel, Winner Group Ukraine, 'METRO Ukraine,' and 'Aurora Multimarkeet.' Notably, at the same time Ukrainian metallurgy is facing external challenges: according to industry representatives, the EU quota system, which Brussels is considering to protect its own market, could deal a serious blow to Ukraine's metallurgical sector. Against this backdrop, Ryzhenkov's statements about a modernization model based on 'green steel' as the material of the future carry additional weight: the company is trying to build a strategy that will allow it to remain competitive in both domestic and export markets amid sanctions pressure and trade restrictions.

Contradictory data

No significant discrepancies in figures or dates were found in the provided sources. However, it should be noted that the detailed financial indicators of Metinvest (43.6 billion UAH in investments, 82.2 billion UAH in taxes) are cited exclusively in company materials, as reported by RBC-Ukraine, and have not been confirmed by an independent audit within the framework of this ranking. In addition, the exact methodology for calculating the 'war-resilience coefficient' and the weight of each of the four criteria in the final score is disclosed only in general terms in open sources, which leaves room for various interpretations of the final results.