The Corporate Director Program brought together 75 leaders from the Ukrainian business, finance, and state sectors. From May 29 to June 14, 2025, the Corporate Director Professional Development Program for board members took place. The Program consisted of three training modules and covered seven intensive training days in a mixed format – a combination of online and offline sessions at the InterContinental Kyiv hotel.
This year, over 75 managers participated in the program, including members and chairpersons of supervisory boards, top managers, corporate secretaries, representatives of ministries, state-owned enterprises, banks, investment funds, international organizations, and private businesses. The Program participants included representatives from institutions such as TASCOMBANK, Ukrnafta, Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the State Property Fund, Winner, Selectium, Smarter, MPIU, the Ministry of Finance, the State Forestry Agency of Ukraine, Continental Farmers Group, and many others. Such a broad audience ensured deep interaction, the exchange of experiences, and professional discussions among different sectors of the economy.
A special feature of the Program was the thematic division of participants on the sixth day, with separate sessions formed for banks and financial institutions, private businesses, and the public sector. This allowed the content to be tailored to the needs and realities of each group.
The program participants included members of supervisory boards of state-owned companies, as well as representatives of state authorities responsible for managing these companies. The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, in collaboration with the Corporate Governance Professional Association and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is implementing a project to enhance the capacity of supervisory boards of state-owned companies and bodies responsible for managing state property. The initiative is part of the implementation of corporate governance reform in Ukraine. This represents another step toward enhancing the quality of corporate governance in Ukraine. This program is not just about knowledge. It is about responsibility, transparency, and trust in the management of state assets. The Project is implemented with the support of the EBRD Ukraine Stabilisation and Sustainable Growth Multi-Donor Account (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, the largest donor).
The Program began with a welcome speech by Olena Voloshyna, Head of the IFC’s Operations in Ukraine, who emphasized the importance of good corporate governance for sustainable economic development.
The first module began with presentations by Oleksandr Okuniev, Chairman of the CGPA Board of Directors, who, over several sessions, immersed participants in the key principles of corporate governance, models of an effective board, succession planning, and the organization of their work. His contribution to the Program also covered the final day, with topics such as Board performance assessment, working with committees, and remuneration systems.
On the second day, Taras Kyrychenko, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nova Poshta, joined the discussion and revealed the role of the Board of Directors in shaping and implementing corporate strategy using a practical case study. Iryna Starodubova, an independent member of the board of directors of Comfy and other Ukrainian companies, complemented the strategic section with the topic of business financing and attracting investors, sharing her experience in attracting direct investments. Serhiy Konovets, independent member of the supervisory boards of JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry and LLC Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, focused on management efficiency and the work of the audit committee, while Nina Dombrowska, member of the boards of private companies and public organizations, Co-founder and Co-President of Women on Boards Ukraine, held a session on inclusive leadership, gender equality, and the value of diversity on boards.
Professor Eric Vermuelen started the second module from the Netherlands. Participants learned about digital transformation in corporate governance, the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence, and the importance of leadership and communication in the digital age. The next day, Peter Zashev, Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics, spoke about the role of the Board as a bearer of corporate culture. His sessions focused not only on managerial responsibility but also on the challenges companies face in the fight for talent. Oleksandr Okuniev continued the theme of leadership succession in the third module.
Oleksiy Dolgikh, Managing Partner at Boyden Ukraine, spoke in detail about CEO search and motivation, conducting an express training session on top management selection. Lawyer Oleksandr Onufrienko moderated a business game on CEO contracts, focusing on responsibility and legal aspects. Serhiy Pohrebnoy, co-owner of SK Security, partner at Sayenko Kharenko, chairman of the APKBU Board of Trustees, and vice president of ASIS UKRAINE, concluded the day with a discussion on corporate security, from threats to practical mechanisms for avoiding them.
In the financial section of the sixth day, Vitaliy Lishchuk, CFO of National Information Systems, spoke about the interaction between banks and the regulator and the role of the Board in internal control. Dmytro Sergiyenko, Director of the Internal Audit Department at PJSC Ukrnafta, devoted his session to the specifics of building an internal audit system. At the same time, Sergiy Savchuk, Director of the Department of Methodology for Regulating Non-Bank Financial Institutions at the NBU, focused on the regulatory environment for non-bank institutions. Yuriy Blashchuk, an Independent Member of the Supervisory Board of JSC Ukrgasbank, and Oliana Gordiyenko, Director of Corporate Governance at ICU Group and Chair of the Supervisory Board of JSC Ukreximbank (2019-2023), complemented the picture with practical cases of strategic supervision and interaction with shareholders.
For representatives of the public sector, Sergiy Derkach, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine and a member of the supervisory board of JSC Ukrposhta, highlighted the specifics of anti-corruption compliance in the work of supervisory boards of state-owned companies. Volodymyr Igonin, Partner, Head of Corporate/M&A Practice at Vasil Kisil & Partners Law Firm, Member of the CGPA Board of Directors, and Oleksiy Yegorchenkov, Senior Manager, Public and Government Sector Consulting, EY in Ukraine, conducted an in-depth analysis of state property policy and letters of expectations. The session was concluded by Oleksandr Lysenko, independent corporate governance consultant and member of the CGPA Board of Directors, who spoke on the topic of external assessment of supervisory boards.
Entrepreneurs and representatives of private business received practical “instructions” on the implementation of boards in small and medium-sized enterprises from Serhii Bulavin, member of supervisory boards and advisory boards of Ukrainian companies, and Dmytro Kozlov, chairman of the Advisory Board of a Ukrainian food trading and distribution company and chairman of the Advisory Board of Terramet. They shared case studies, business systematization tools, and even their experience in applying AI. Anton Kaminsky, Director of Winner Leasing, explained how leasing can be a source of financing, and Oksana Strashna, Director of the SME Direct Investment Program at the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund (UMAEF), spoke about the opportunities available to SMEs. Serhii Honcharevych, founder and managing partner of Capital Times, as well as co-founder and board member of the Children of Heroes Charitable Foundation, shared his experience in raising capital. At the same time, EBRD experts discussed business support tools.
The final day ended with a session by Nadiia Vasylieva, deputy chair of the board of Prozorro.Sales, chair of the committees of the boards of Credit Agricole and the Eastern Europe Fund, spoke about the role of boards in implementing innovation and investment strategies and practical examples of the use of AI in corporate governance.
The Program ended with a solemn ceremony of awarding certificates and a meeting of graduates, serving as a platform for future partnerships and the exchange of experiences.
Would you like to join the professional community of corporate directors, expand your management skills, and gain knowledge that works on boards of directors? Register for the fall intake of the Corporate Director Professional Development Program, which will help you strengthen your position in corporate governance.
🗓 Training dates: Module 1 — November 6–8, 2025, Module 2 — November 20–22, 2025. Details and registration are available on the program website.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your expertise and become part of an influential network of corporate governance leaders!