Oleksandr Sytaylo, mayor of Malyn in Zhytomyr Oblast, won the “Mayor of the Year (Small Towns)” award as part of the 30th anniversary nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” program.
Oleksandr Sytaylo was born on August 17, 1986, in the village of Ustynivka, Malyn District, Zhytomyr Oblast. In 2008, he graduated from the National University of State Tax Service of Ukraine with a degree in Finance.
He began his professional career in the banking sector, where he rose through the ranks from economist to deputy branch manager. He later worked in the private sector, notably at Lux.Net LLC, where he held positions ranging from economist to head of the sales department.
From 2017 to 2020, Sytaylo headed the “Ekoressurs” municipal enterprise of the Malyn City Council, overseeing municipal utilities.
He has been active in local government and civic and political life for over 15 years. He served as a member of the Malyn District and City Councils, and in 2020 was elected mayor of Malyn.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, the city government’s main priorities became ensuring the stable operation of the community’s life-support systems, restoring damaged housing and social infrastructure, and supporting the local economy.
A separate focus of the community’s work is attracting investment, developing local businesses, and fostering international cooperation. The Malyn community maintains partnerships with the cities of Bauska in Latvia and Billerbeck in Germany. This cooperation, in particular, helps attract humanitarian and technical aid for the community’s recovery.
As part of the “Person of the Year 2025” program, the organizers recognized Oleksandr Sytaylo’s work in the areas of local self-government, community recovery, infrastructure development, and international cooperation.
The 30th anniversary nationwide “Person of the Year” program traditionally honors representatives from government, business, science, culture, medicine, sports, and other fields.
Open4Business is an information partner of the nationwide “Person of the Year” program.
local self-government, MALYN, Oleksandr Sytaylo, PERSON OF THE YEAR, UKRAINE
Oleksandr Symchyshyn, mayor of Khmelnytskyi, has been awarded the title of “Mayor of the Year (Large Cities)” in the 30th anniversary edition of the nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” program.
Symchyshyn has led Khmelnytskyi since 2015. He also serves as chairman of the Khmelnytskyi regional branch of the Association of Ukrainian Cities.
Supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces remains one of the key priorities for the Khmelnytskyi community amid the full-scale war. In recent years, the city has consistently ranked among the leaders in the volume of such assistance, according to various rankings. Local authorities also devote significant attention to veteran and social policies.
Based on the results for 2025, the Khmelnytskyi City Territorial Community took first place in the “Best Social Community” competition.
Transparency in governance remains a priority for city officials. The Khmelnytskyi community received the national award “For Consistency in Open Governance,” and according to research by Transparency International Ukraine’s “Transparent Cities” program, Khmelnytskyi was included in the list of cities with high transparency scores, particularly in the financial and budgetary spheres.
At the same time, the city continues to modernize its public infrastructure. According to data provided by the program’s organizers, nearly 90% of Khmelnytskyi’s trolleybus and bus fleet has been updated, and 44 new trolleybuses have entered service over the past year.
Another major infrastructure initiative has been the modernization of the waste management system. Khmelnytskyi is implementing a comprehensive project designed to transform the system for collecting, sorting, and recycling municipal waste.
The community is paying special attention to energy sustainability and the development of distributed generation. The “2 MWe of Sun” project for the municipal utility “Khmelnytskyi Vodokanal” won the 100 gREen AWARD-2025. In 2025, the Khmelnytskyi community also joined the European Energy Award program.
Khmelnytskyi’s international ties are actively expanding. The community is developing partnerships with Stuttgart and Dresden in Germany, and in 2025 received the “Best Practice 2025” award from the U-LEAD with Europe program.
A new direction in international cooperation was the establishment of a sister-city relationship with the American city of Tampa, Florida. The parties signed not only a main partnership agreement but also cooperation agreements in several areas.
In particular, Khmelnytskyi and Tampa plan to develop cooperation in the fields of business and investment, education, renewable energy, healthcare, digitalization, and culture. For Khmelnytskyi, the partnership with one of Florida’s major economic centers opens up additional opportunities to attract international projects and investments.
Oleksandr Symchyshyn was born on November 4, 1980, in the village of Yosypivka in the Khmelnytskyi region. He graduated from the History Department of the Kamianets-Podilskyi State Pedagogical University, completed graduate studies, and defended his dissertation, earning a Candidate of Historical Sciences degree.
The nationwide “Person of the Year” program has been held in Ukraine since 1995 and honors representatives from various spheres of public, economic, cultural, and professional life. “Person of the Year 2025” marks the program’s 30th anniversary.
Open4Business is the information partner of the nationwide “Person of the Year” program.
community, KHMELNYTSKYI, local self-government, PERSON OF THE YEAR, Олександр Симчишин
Yuriy Polyachenko, Director of the State Institution “Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine,” was awarded the special Gennadiy Knyshov Award “For loyalty to humanistic ideals and the promotion of universal human values” as part of the 30th anniversary season of the nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” program.
Poliachenko is a Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, Honored Physician of Ukraine, laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology, and a full Knight of the Order “For Merit.”
He was born on February 20, 1963, in Kyiv. After graduating from the Kyiv Medical Institute in 1986, he began his professional career at the Kyiv Research Institute of Orthopedics, which now operates as the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. He rose through the ranks from junior to senior research fellow at the Clinic of Bone and Purulent Surgery.
In 1995, Yuriy Polyachenko traveled to Cuba, where for three years he headed the International Medical and Health Center and organized treatment for critically ill children, particularly those with cancer and systemic diseases. In 1997, he was awarded the title of “Honored Physician of Ukraine.”
Starting in 1999, Polyachenko devoted a significant portion of his professional career to public administration in the field of healthcare. He served as Deputy Minister and First Deputy Minister of Health, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and advisor to the President of Ukraine.
From 2005 to 2007, Yuriy Polyachenko headed the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
After leaving government service, he returned to clinical and scientific medicine. In 2007, he became director of the O.O. Shalimov National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology, a position he held until 2013.
In 2013, Polyachenko was awarded the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology for a series of scientific works. From 2013 to 2014, he served as a People’s Deputy of Ukraine and worked on the Parliamentary Committee on Health Care, where he chaired the Subcommittee on Transplantology.
Since 2020, Polyachenko has headed the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. After the start of full-scale Russian aggression, the institute became one of the medical centers providing care to military personnel and civilians with severe injuries.
In 2025, Yuriy Polyachenko was awarded the Order of Merit, First Class, for organizing assistance to wounded and injured civilians and military personnel. He had previously received the Second and Third Classes of this state award.
For over 25 years, Yuriy Polyachenko has combined scientific research with clinical, administrative, and teaching work. He defended his doctoral dissertation in 2002 and was awarded the title of professor in 2004. Since 2025, he has headed the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University.
He is the author of over 100 scientific publications and co-author of nine monographs.
The special Gennadiy Knyshov Award, presented as part of the “Person of the Year” program, is given for contributions to the development of humanistic values, medicine, and socially significant initiatives.
Open4Business is the media partner for the 30th anniversary season of the nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” program.
HEALTHCARE, MEDICINE, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, PERSON OF THE YEAR, Yuriy Polyachenko
French diplomat Gaël Vésier, who served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine from 2023 to 2026, has been awarded an international prize in the field of diplomacy as part of the 30th anniversary nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” program.
Gaël Vésier was born in 1972. He graduated from ESSEC Business School and Sciences Po, the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and also holds a degree in history. He began his diplomatic career at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1997.
Throughout his career, Vésier has served twice at the Permanent Mission of France to the European Union in Brussels, where, among other roles, he served as spokesperson and headed the press office. He also worked at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations in New York and held a number of positions at the headquarters of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From 2004 to 2005, Vésier served as a technical advisor in the office of French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and was responsible for relations with EU countries, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. From 2017 to 2019, he headed the offices of the ministers and state secretaries for European affairs Marielle de Sarnez, Nathalie Loiseau, and Amélie de Montchalin.
Prior to his appointment to Kyiv, Vésière served as France’s ambassador to Croatia from 2019 to 2023. On August 20, 2023, he officially took office as France’s ambassador to Ukraine.
His diplomatic mission in Ukraine concluded in July 2026. During a farewell meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga highlighted Vesier’s contribution to strengthening the Ukrainian-French strategic partnership, deepening political dialogue, defense cooperation, and coordination between the two countries on the international stage.
Effective July 17, 2026, Vesier was appointed director of the Crisis Response and Support Center at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The corresponding decree by French President Emmanuel Macron was signed on July 9.
Brice Rocfay has become the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Ukraine; on July 30, 2026, he presented his credentials to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Gaël Vésier is a recipient of French state honors, including the National Order of Merit. Throughout his diplomatic career, he has specialized primarily in European politics, international security, and France’s relations with Central and Eastern European countries.
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Ukrainian canoeist Liudmyla Luzan has won the “Athlete of the Year” nomination as part of the 30th anniversary season of the nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” programme.
Liudmyla Luzan is an Honoured Master of Sport of Ukraine, a three-time Olympic medallist, a multiple world and European canoeing champion, and one of the most decorated Ukrainian athletes of the modern era.
She was born on 27 January 1997 in Ivano-Frankivsk. She began her sporting career in artistic gymnastics, to which she devoted ten years and earned the title of Master of Sport of Ukraine. It was gymnastics that instilled in her the discipline, endurance and diligence that later became the foundation of her success in canoeing.
After switching to canoeing, Liudmyla’s first coach was Serhii Batomunkoiev, who recognised the athlete’s considerable potential. She later continued training under Mykola Matsapura, an Honoured Coach of Ukraine. Liudmyla represents Poltava Region and the city of Horishni Plavni.
One of the major milestones in her sporting career was the Tokyo Olympic Games, where Luzan won a silver medal in the women’s canoe double 500 metres and a bronze medal in the women’s canoe single 200 metres. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she won another Olympic medal, confirming her status as one of the world’s leading canoeists.
Liudmyla Luzan remains one of the leaders of Ukraine’s national team and competes successfully in both individual and team events.
For her outstanding sporting achievements and contribution to the development of Ukrainian sport, she has received state honours. Luzan is a full bearer of the Order of Princess Olga and has also been awarded the Order of Merit.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the athlete has continued to represent Ukraine at the world’s largest international competitions. Her performances and victories make it possible to raise the Ukrainian flag regularly at the world’s leading sporting arenas.
In addition to her professional career, Liudmyla promotes canoeing, motivates young people to participate in sport, takes part in social and charitable initiatives, and supports the development of Ukrainian sport.
Luzan is currently preparing for her third Olympic Games. She names winning Olympic gold for Ukraine as her main sporting goal.
The awarding of the “Athlete of the Year” title to Liudmyla Luzan took place as part of the 30th anniversary season of the “Person of the Year” programme, which annually honours Ukrainians for their professional achievements, civic stance and contribution to the development of the state.
I would like to draw attention to one detail before publication: there is a discrepancy in the source text you provided — in the introduction, Luzan is described as a four-time world champion, while later she is described as an eight-time world champion. Therefore, in this version, I deliberately wrote “multiple world champion” so as not to perpetuate a potentially incorrect figure. If you wish, I can separately verify the current number of her titles following the 2025 season and provide the exact figure.
Open4Business is an information partner of the nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” programme.
