INTERVIEW
business to speak the same language as the rest of the world, so it is extremely important to continue providing quality business education during the war.” What were the reasons behind the launch of the ReInforceUA initiative? “ReInforceUA is an international educational project aimed at strengthening Ukraine by bringing the global agenda to our country. Despite the war, Ukraine needs to develop at the same pace as the rest of the world. We need to become more global, know what the world is doing and adopt new ideas to move in the right direction, as well as implement modern technologies. “Between February and March 2022, international partners, students and graduates started reaching out to us to offer help. We realised that contributions from the world’s leading business schools, outstanding teachers and renowned experts would offer valuable intellectual support for businesspeople, managers, politicians and public figures who are doing their best to strengthen Ukraine’s economy. Last summer, we therefore launched a speaker series where ideas and opinions from leading thinkers are delivered to the Ukrainian business community each week. “The lectures within ReInforceUA are free, but we collect charity donations. The funds are being used to implement a programme for female entrepreneurs who have been displaced because of the war. The purpose is to provide them with educational support, help them adapt and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to start and run a business wherever they reside now. I would like to take this opportunity to thank AMBA for its support of the ReInforceUA project.” What have been the highlights of ReInforceUA so far and what plans do you have for its future? “One highlight has been the speakers, including professors from business schools and universities, as well as experts such as [UK economist] Guy Standing, [Israeli author] Yuval Noah Harari, [Swiss business theorist] Alex Osterwalder, [Harvard Business School associate] Christian Ketels, [US marketer] Philip Kotler and [outgoing Insead dean] Ilian Mihov. It even featured Charles Camarda, a US astronaut who went into space shortly after friends of his died in the Columbia shuttle disaster to conduct research designed to avoid fatal mistakes in the future. “To wrap up the project, we are hosting an in‑person forum in Kyiv in October, entitled Facing the Future: ReInforceUA . We believe that project speakers will
34 years, our mission has been to consistently create a critical mass of business leaders who are the driving force of Ukraine’s competitiveness in the global economy. In times of crisis, it is even more important to have strong leaders who can run a company or a country successfully under difficult conditions. “We have always felt a responsibility to contribute towards the development of an independent Ukraine, a country with European values and great potential. At this time, we feel an even greater responsibility to set an example of how the Ukrainian business community can be supported with intellectual resources and a
mindset of doing business no matter what. “A war most often brings with it a fall in the
economy and business activities. Business education at such a time helps managers and entrepreneurs understand the complexity of the economic and political challenges they are facing. The labour market is also undergoing significant changes and skilled professionals are becoming increasingly important for companies looking for ways to survive and grow. “The demand for business education in Ukraine is growing, so we need to adapt quickly. We believe that the more educated businesspeople and managers we have in Ukraine, the faster our country will develop and the more it can offer the world. Already, the war has shown that Ukrainian business can operate in international markets as well as they do at home. “For example, the logistics company Nova Poshta is opening offices in Poland and the Baltic states. Our graduates are successfully launching businesses in Europe and other countries. High-quality international business education is one of the driving forces of Ukrainian business’ international expansion. We teach
“At this time, we feel an even greater responsibility to set an example of how the Ukrainian business community can be supported with intellectual resources and a mindset of doing business no matter what”
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Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2023
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