The head of Norilsk Nickel leads the Top Givers in Russian Business list. Kommersant — Dengi, an online magazine, rated Russian business leaders based on their media presence in Russia and internationally. Researchers calculated the number of times the name of a business person was mentioned next to words that signify «charity.».

The Vladimir Potanin Foundation has provided support to dozens of initiatives in science, education, and the arts. One of its most recent large-scale projects was the donation of 250 exhibits to the art collection of the Pompidou Center in Paris.

Researchers compared the 300 most affluent business people and upper-level managers in the largest companies in Russia, both state-owned and private. The ranking was compiled based on the number of mentions in Russia’s main media outlets between January 1 and December 31, 2016; additionally, researchers analyzed print material from 100 leading foreign newspapers and magazines.
At the end of 2016, Forbes magazine summed up the results by selecting business leaders in five different categories. Both Forbes and the readers selected Vladimir Potanin as an Entrepreneur with a track record of achievement in large-scale projects that benefit society.