On July 8, 2023, the 19th Corporate Director Professional Development Program for members of boards of directors was completed.

Despite the complexity of the situation in Ukraine, the participants of this intensive course showed incredible interest in an in-depth look at the current challenges faced by companies in wartime and their management. They discussed opportunities for developing their businesses in the post-war period. Thanks to the welcoming and safe environment of the InterContinental Hotel, the program was held in an atmosphere of cohesion and reliability.

We would like to emphasize the importance and value of the speakers, who not only shared their extensive experience with the participants but also provided them with valuable advice and assistance in solving the most complex business issues. Their knowledge and expertise have become a real ground for the development and advancement of the program participants in their professional fields.

In her welcoming speech to the Program participants, Olena Voloshyna, Head of IFC Ukraine, Member of the Board of the National Registry of Corporate Directors, emphasised the importance of training and continuous development of the Program and its participants.

Oleksandr Okuniev, Chairman of the CGPA Board of Directors, identified the main advantages of high-quality corporate governance, the “best practice” of corporate governance, and the possible approaches to building an effective corporate governance model in a company.

Taras Kyrychenko, a member of the supervisory boards (2012-2023) of private and state-owned companies and a non-state pension fund, discussed with the participants the board’s role in developing and implementing the company’s strategy.

Maxim Yegorychev-Krimberg and Oleg Tochenyuk from Alloy Consulting discussed with the participants the issue of digitalization and why it should be a constant focus of the Board.

Oleg Zhuravlov, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ukrzaliznytsia (2019-2021), Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PJSC IC Krona (2019-2022), spoke about the formal procedures for evaluating the performance of the Board as a whole, Board’s committees and its members, identified the main issues to be considered during the evaluation, and provided practical advice on evaluation procedures.

Peter Zashev, Adjunct Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Director of Corporate Training Programs at Hanken School of Economics (Finland), Member of the Board of Directors of Alu-Releco International (Finland), regular guest speaker of CGPA programs, shared approaches to building corporate culture in different companies, especially in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, and made a comparative analysis of the state of corporate culture in the Scandinavian countries and Ukraine.

Oleksandr Pochkun, co-founder and managing partner of Baker Tilly in Ukraine, an active member of supervisory boards in Ukrainian companies, shared his experience of working in audit committees and spoke about how to identify potential problems and risks and what indicators should be used to assess the performance of the company’s management.

Oleksiy Dolgikh, Managing Partner of Boyden Global Executive Search’s Ukrainian office, shared his experience in recruiting CEOs of Ukrainian public and private companies, and noted changes in approaches to the selection and the role of board members in this process. Oleksandr Onufrienko, attorney at law, PhD in law, and specialist in corporate law, continued the topic of CEO appointment in companies, including negotiating duties and responsibilities and signing the contract. Nadiia Vasylieva, member of the Supervisory Board of JSC CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK, independent director, member of the Supervisory Board of SE Prozorro.Sale, explained the importance of taking into account the elements of diversity in the selection of the CEO.

The new guest speaker of the program, Vasyl Davydko, Managing Director of Leopolis Group, discussed ESG issues with the participants, why ESG standards have become so important for Ukrainian businesses and how to integrate them into corporate strategy.

Iryna Starodubova, Associate Partner at Capital Times and a current member of the supervisory boards of Ukrainian companies, told the participants about possible ways to raise capital and interact with investors. Sergiy Goncharevich, founder and managing partner of Capital Times, in turn, shared with the participants his experience in mergers and acquisitions, as well as the company’s IPO.

Sergiy Bulavin, Member of the Advisory Board of New Standard, Chairman of the Advisory Board of TERRAMET, CEO of AgroGeneration, and Dmytro Kozlov, Chairman of the Advisory Board of New Standard, Member of the Advisory Board of TERRAMET, presented the peculiarities of building and operating advisory boards in small and medium-sized businesses, their role in systematizing and scaling business.

Dmytro Stryzhov, founder and member of the Advisory Board of the SHERIF Security Company Holding, concluded the program by explaining the approaches to ensuring the corporate security of the company and the role of the Board in this process, especially in conditions of instability and uncertainty.

We are pleased to be part of such an extraordinary community and are grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of this training program. May the knowledge and experience gained be the springboard for achieving new heights in our participants’ career and personal development.

Among the program participants were top managers of private and state-owned banks, financial and insurance companies, and large infrastructure enterprises.

Partners in the implementation of the program were the Corporate Governance Professional Association, the Ukrainian Corporate Governance Institute, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the IFC’s Integrated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Standards Program in Europe and Central Asia, implementing with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland (SECO).

Enrollment for the 20th anniversary Corporate Director program has already begun.

Detailed information about the program and registration is available by link .