The 10th anniversary of the Deloitte Ukraine Forum “Conductors of Change” summarized ten years of changes, achievements and challenges. At the event, held on November 19 in Kyiv, business owners and executives, government officials, public and cultural figures summarized their experience, identified priorities for the next decade, and discussed how to strengthen existing efforts and where strategy changes are needed.
“Over the past ten years, we, as representatives of business, government and society, have not succeeded in everything we dreamed of. But we have succeeded in many things, even though we rarely take the time to realize it. These achievements are a sign that we will succeed in the future. Yes, not everything we dream of today. But we will succeed in many things,” said Serhiy Kulyk, Managing Partner of Deloitte Ukraine.
This idea became the leitmotif of the anniversary Forum.
Serhiy Kulyk, Managing Partner of Deloitte Ukraine, Oleksandr Bogutsky, CEO of Starlight Media, Serhiy Chernenko, Chairman of the Board of FUIB, Olga Rudneva, CEO of Superhumans, a war trauma center, and Major Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Force, spoke about the transformation in society, the financial sector, institutions, technology and the army.
The issue of the army and security has become one of the central issues in the context of the future. “Magyar” emphasized the critical role of the private sector in military and technological development: “Private business should focus on air defense. There are four areas that are already determining the nearest R&D project: electronic intelligence, electronic warfare, radar stations and means of destroying the enemy. Businesses should be involved in these developments to create solutions that will be needed by Ukraine and the whole world.”
Sergiy Chernenko shared his thoughts on how today’s business initiatives will become the foundation for significant changes in the next decade: “We are already helping the military, investing in blood donation projects and developing programs for veterans – from financial literacy training to grant support for their businesses. We will continue this work in the future, because the most important task is to make the service accessible and inclusive for everyone.”
Andriy Bulakh, deputy chairman of the board of MHP, Natalka Vorozhbyt, playwright, screenwriter, director, Oleksandr Khomenko, director, co-founder of the MUR cultural association, Pavlo Shylko, co-founder of the YUNA music award, and Serhiy Zhadan, writer, soldier of the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Charter”, discussed whether the current stage can be called a real cultural revival and what role business should play in shaping a new Ukrainian identity.
During the full-scale war, interest in Ukrainian culture increased, demand for our own culture increased, and a desire to be proud of our own identity emerged, which manifested itself in the rapid development of cinema, theater, literature, and other areas.
Explaining the origins of the current cultural surge, Natalka Vorozhbyt noted: “Culture has become a matter of life and death – it has never been felt so acutely before. But it all started back in 2014. Then a large number of Ukrainian films appeared, our films were selected for A-class festivals, and Ukraine really appeared on the world cinema map. It was the beginning of the process of self-identification, when we first really asked ourselves who we are and where we are going.”
Oleksandr Khomenko addressed the business and explained why supporting cultural projects is of practical importance today: “Culture is now almost the only thing that keeps people in the country. The more Ukrainians stay inside the country, the more future consumers there will be. Now there is darkness, shelling, and death. Globally, people are supported by the opportunity to live interesting lives: literary evenings, theaters, movies, performances. If this does not happen, people will leave the country and businesses will lose some of their customers.”
The Forum also featured a conversation between Yegor Grygorenko, Partner at Deloitte Ukraine, and Taras Kachka, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.
Taras Kachka emphasized that over the past decades Ukraine has passed the point of no return in its transformation and implemented fundamental European integration reforms: “Ukraine plays a crucial role in changing the EU’s security architecture: we are the ”shield” of Europe, as we have the strongest army and unique combat experience. Our role is not limited to security. Ukraine is becoming an indispensable element of European strategic autonomy – from a highly developed IT sector and digital solutions to food security, agricultural production, energy and critical materials.”
Representatives of the government, business, and culture continued to discuss how Ukraine and Europe should respond to new challenges in the areas of security, energy independence, innovation, and demographics: Oleksiy Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, Taras Kitsmei, co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of SoftServe, and Tamara Trunova, playwright and chief director of the Left Bank Theater.
Answering the question of what the world will look like in 10 years, Oleksiy Sobolev emphasized that the future depends on the current efficiency of the state: “What the world will look like depends on our actions. I think the world in the future is a world of opportunities, because it is transforming. How we build alliances and economic integration and with what speed and efficiency depends on us. Unfortunately or fortunately, this will involve a lot of government work.”
Summarizing the discussion, Yehor Hryhorenko said: “Perhaps we did not want to be a ”shield” of Europe. We may have to become one. The main thing is that we find ourselves inside the country, mature, become more confident in our actions and ready to take responsibility.”
Roman Bondar, CEO of Korn Ferry Ukraine, Sergiy Koretsky, Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, Oksana Syroyid, officer of the 2nd Corps of the National Guard “Charter”, Associate Professor of the Kyiv School of Economics, and Aivaras Abromavičius, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Corporate Governance Academy (UCGA), discussed what the leadership of the new generation should look like and what common values can unite business, the state and the military.
Speaking about the necessary qualities of a leader, Oksana Syroyid cited a formula that, in her opinion, pragmatically explains the nature of leadership: “A good leader is someone who combines restrained tendencies to narcissism, paranoia, intellectual will and virtue. After all, without healthy narcissism, a person will not strive for anything.”
Answering the question of how to fight the feeling of hopelessness, Sergii Koretskyi emphasized that the way is through action and responsibility: “If you have the inner confidence that you can do something and be useful here and now, you need to do it. If you know how to do it better, do it. You need to look for motivation, find it, and involve as many people as possible in the cohort of those who are willing, able to make decisions, and take responsibility no matter what.”
Traditionally, the Conductors of Change Forum has a social component. This year, Deloitte Ukraine, together with the Forum participants and partners, raised and donated UAH 800,000 to the Children of Heroes Charitable Foundation, which provides assistance to children who lost one or both parents due to the war.
The partners of the 10th Conductors of Change Forum were: MHP, FUIB, SQUAD, Korn Ferry, Maison Castel, and the social enterprise POG “Inclusively Welcoming”.
Media partners: LIGA.net, Starlight Media, NV, Kyiv Post, Interfax-Ukraine, FOCUS, Ekonomichna Pravda.
