East Capital, the specialist in emerging and frontier markets, announced that Yandex, Kcell, M.video and NIS have been recognized for their outstanding performances and named as winners of the 2013 East Capital Awards

This is the tenth year the East Capital Awards recognise outstanding companies in East Capital’s investment universe. The categories are Best Growth, Best IPO, Discovery of the Year and a new award this year, Best Corporate Governance.
NIS, one of the largest vertically integrated oil companies in Southeastern Europe, has been awarded the Discovery of the Year Award. The company has undergone a major transformation following its privatisation in 2008. Modernisation, the introduction of new technologies and improved business processes have helped to turn the company’s huge losses into a highly profitable business with a net income close to USD 500 million in 2012. At the same time, NIS has taken a major step forward in terms of corporate governance. By improving communication and transparency towards minority investors and introducing a clear dividend policy, NIS has set new standards for corporate governance among Serbian companies. The Discovery of the Year is awarded to a company discovered by our investment team that is expected to demonstrate unique performance.
Peter Elam Håkansson, Chairman of East Capital, said: “The East Capital Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of companies in our investment universe. Through our ongoing research, extensive company visits and investment in the region, we identify companies each year that have achieved impressive results and demonstrate exciting potential. We are very pleased to be honouring those companies today.”
Winners of the 2013 East Capital Awards are Kcell, the largest mobile operator in Kazakhstan, for the Best IPO , M.video, the largest Russian consumer electronic retail chain by revenue, for the Best Corporate Governance and Yandex, the largest search engine in Russia  for the Best Growth.