WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Introduces First Ambassador - Celebrity Chef Arkadiy Novikov

On 28 February 2017 in Sochi, Russia, WorldSkills Kazan 2019 recognized Chef and restaurateur Arkadiy Novikov as the first WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Ambassador.

Arkadiy Novikov - chef, restaurateur, television host, and entrepreneur has a long history of developing excellence in his industry. This has earned him the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and Restaurateur of the Year 2015 by GQ magazine. In his role as Ambassador he will inspire a new generation of professionals to pursue excellence. 

The announcement was made at the Russian Investment Forum in Sochi with Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Olga Golodets, President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, and General Director of WorldSkills Russia Robert Urazov.

Following the announcement Mr Novikov said, “thank you for your trust. I don’t want to serve as a mere celebrity at the upcoming Competition as I realize the importance and scale of this event. Today, technology has gone far ahead of talent, thus we face a lack of experts and professionals. I am happy that this Ambassador role will enable me to motivate the younger generation with my own example and my lifework.”

Mr Novikov explained that, “I will strive to share how to master a profession, to set a goal, and achieve excellence. I am already currently working with the Russian national team – mentoring a Cooking specialist for the Competition. It is a great honor and responsibility for me to become the first Ambassador! Full speed ahead, everyone!”

Olga Golodets, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation said, “we welcome Arkadiy Novikov as the first Ambassador of the WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Competition. His experience perfectly fits in the WorldSkills concept – an effective mechanism for the development of vocational education in Russia, and access to the leading technologies in production and service sectors.”

WorldSkills Kazan 2019, is the first time WorldSkills will be hosted in Russia. In August, 2019 over 1,300 Competitors from more than 60 countries, will attend the Competition at the International Exhibition Center Kazan Expo.