With the support of the Corporate Governance Professional Association (CGPA), the 90th corporate secretary training program, a leading course for corporate governance professionals, has been successfully completed. The program is regularly conducted by the Ukrainian Institute of Corporate Governance as part of the implementation of the provisions of the agreement with the State Property Fund of Ukraine.

In this anniversary edition, 30 participants received qualification certificates and joined the professional community of program graduates, which today brings together hundreds of corporate secretaries across the country. As always, the program combined an intensive theoretical component with practical exercises, workshops, and live communication with leading industry experts.

The program was attended by representatives of leading state-owned and commercial companies in Ukraine, including JSC “NAEK ‘Energoatom’, NJSC ”Naftogaz of Ukraine“, JSC ”Ukrainian Railways“, PJSC Ukrnafta, JSC Ukrposhta, JSC Ukrgasbank, JSC Kyivmedpreparat, JSC PIRAEUS BANK ICB, as well as the State Property Fund of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Defense.

The program participants included 12 representatives of state institutions and agencies responsible for cooperation with state-owned companies subordinate to these agencies, as well as corporate secretaries of large state-owned companies. Their training took place as part of a project to enhance the capacity of supervisory boards of state-owned companies and bodies performing the functions of state property owners, implemented by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine in cooperation with the Corporate Governance Professional Association and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The project is being implemented with the support of the Multi-Donor Account for Stabilization and Sustainable Development of Ukraine (MDA), which is administered by the EBRD. The MDA donor countries are Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, which is the largest donor.

During the training, participants worked with leading industry experts who shared their knowledge, practical cases, and innovations. The training was opened by Oleksandr Okuniev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CGPA, who immersed participants in the basic principles of corporate governance, the stakeholder model, modern approaches to GRC and ESG, and also revealed the role of the corporate secretary, his functions and interaction with the company’s bodies. He also devoted separate sessions to the issues of supervisory bodies, the executive body of a joint-stock company, the principles of corporate governance assessment, and the need to improve the regulatory framework.

Natalia Shevchenko, a leading lawyer at Ernst & Young, provided an in-depth overview of the general meeting of shareholders. She provided participants with practical advice on organizing GSMs, including convening, procedural actions, remote and electronic formats, and also focused separately on the role of the corporate secretary in these processes. Court practice regarding meetings was presented by Shadi Saad, managing partner of the Saad Legal law firm.

An interesting practical part was presented by Mykhailo Koltsov from the YouControl Academy, who demonstrated the capabilities of the analytical platform for checking counterparties. A separate session was devoted to the topic of information disclosure, financial reporting, and regulatory requirements by Olena Stupak, executive director of EMKON LLC and member of CGPA. She also conducted a workshop on preparing regular and special information to be disclosed by issuers.

Dmytro Sergiyenko, who has experience at Ukrnafta, Ukrzaliznytsia, and the Red Cross, joined in on the practical activities of internal audit and the work of supervisory board committees. Ulyana Semchyshyn, corporate secretary of PJSC Ukrnafta, conducted a workshop on preparing and conducting meetings of the supervisory board and committees, providing participants with specific tools for organizing such work.

Participants paid special attention to interaction with the regulator – Inna Martynenko from the National Securities and Stock Market Commission shared her experience of regulatory practice and the latest decisions of the regulator. The training block concluded with a presentation by Volodymyr Igonin, partner at Vasyl Kisil & Partners Law Firm and member of the CGPA Board of Directors, who spoke about significant transactions, transactions with interests, and legal risks associated with non-compliance with relevant procedures.

The training program concluded with a discussion of state ownership policy and related documents, during which participants shared their observations, experiences, and best practices. This allowed for a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities for further improvement in the field of state property management. The meeting was moderated by Oleksandr Okuniev and Volodymyr Igonin.

Participants in the training program left extremely positive feedback, noting the high professional level of organization, the relevance and content of the program, and the expertise of the lecturers, who presented complex information in an accessible and interesting way, with a practical focus on real cases and legislative requirements. Many emphasized the usefulness of the knowledge gained for their future professional activities and expressed interest in delving even deeper into the practical aspects of corporate governance. Myroslav Molnar, corporate secretary of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, noted in his feedback: “You have to learn constantly. Even for a current corporate secretary, this program is informative and useful. Updating, systematizing, and reinforcing existing knowledge and skills will only add to the work. Many thanks to the speakers and organizers for 40 hours of interesting material.“

The organizing team received special thanks for their high-quality communication, support, and dedication. Participants also expressed interest in continuing similar initiatives and potentially expanding the program, which once again confirms its relevance and practical value. Oleksiy Lutsk, acting corporate secretary of the private joint-stock company Gaztransit with foreign investments, noted the extremely high level of organization and delivery of the corporate secretary training program, the professionalism of the speakers, and the relevance and practicality of the materials. He noted that all topics were considered both from the point of view of legal requirements and using real-life case studies. The speakers represented the positions of practicing corporate secretaries and consultants, corporate law attorneys, and the regulator NSSMC.”

Despite all the challenges of wartime, CGPA and the Institute continue to systematically train specialists. 90 programs in 17 years — this is the result of trust, professional reputation, and consistency chosen by Ukrainian business.

We invite specialists who want to get systematic training, practical experience, and become part of a community that is changing corporate governance in Ukraine this fall. The next Corporate Secretary program is scheduled for October 2025. Follow the news and join the community of professionals. Registration is now open!