Nornickel is the only Russian company on the annual Forbes’ Top-100 Most Innovative list. The list is a ranking of companies that investors think will create profitable new ideas. The assessment is based on innovation premium, i.e. the difference between capitalization and discounted cash flow, which reflects the growth potential. To be included on the list, companies need seven years of public financial data and USD10 billion in market capital.

The strategy of Nornickel, which is the global leader in palladium and high-grade nickel production, is focused on the development of tier-one assets, on upgrading existing capacities, as well as on launching new facilities for a more efficient, environmentally-friendly, and safe production processes. Nornickel’s portfolio has a number of promising growth projects seeking to develop the vast reserves of non-ferrous and precious metals in the Norilsk industrial district. The company is committed to the digitization of every production stage, with a technology breakthrough program introduced in 2015 to automate most processes by 2020. It is currently implemented by over 50 percent.

This year’s Forbes # 1 world’s most innovative company is ServiceNow, a company providing IT support automation solutions. Workday, a cloud service to track finance and HR resources, scores the second. Top-10 also includes Netflix, Incyte, Hindustan Unilever, Naver, and Facebook, and only two non-American companies, the India-based cosmetics company Hindustan Unilever and the South Korean search engine Naver.