The award recognizes Aven’s contribution to corporate and public service between the two countries.

On 3 November 2015, Aven received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship throughout his career. This includes his position as a former Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, his tenure at Russia’s largest private bank (Alfa-Bank), and his role as co-founder of the Alfa Fellowship Program, which helps Americans to work in Russia early in their careers.

On accepting his award at the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Awards Dinner in Washington D.C., Aven said that the old Soviet Union and the U.S. had a huge chasm of misunderstanding. He said it was vital that efforts were taken to close the gap and that he was honoured to be part of successful work in that direction, notably the Alfa Fellowship Program. Aven and fellow board member Mikhail Fridman have funded the Alfa Fellowship Program for more than ten years.

Speaking about his support for the organization, Aven said: “It’s an extremely important program…to explain to the Russian people what American business is about and to explain to the American people what Russian business is about.” He maintained that: “The exchange of younger people is crucial to the future.”