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On 27 April 2023, the Hotel Intercontinental hosted the first major offline event of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs – SUP DAY FORUM 2023: STAY RESILIENT. This event became the main platform for discussing the challenges faced by Ukrainian companies after the start of the full-scale invasion. The forum attendees took part in a wide-ranging discussion of such topical issues as risk management in times of war, team adaptation to new realities, entry into the international market, and future challenges for Ukrainian businesses.
Andriy Ilchenko, CEO of K.TEX, spoke at the discussion panel “Small companies – big results.
How small business is transforming.”
In his speech, he described
– how the company faced the first days of the full-scale invasion;
– what tasks were a priority at that time;
– what worked or failed.
First of all, the company focused on staff support and evacuation. The company actively worked to stay in touch with its suppliers and customers, which allowed it to retain existing clients and find new ones. In turn, this allowed the company to continue to carry on with its business.
Although the company has faced difficult challenges, it is still growing. The CEO named several achievements, including three new projects, international expansion, cooperation with the EBRD, and an additional production line in Kalush.
Andriy Ilchenko also called for activity and noted that despite the losses, there are many opportunities for the companies to develop and overcome the crisis.
To sum up, the strength of a modern company is its team, human relations with partners and the readiness to face the future, no matter what.
Andriy Ilchenko, CEO of K.TEX, spoke about how the IDP Package charity (IDP – internally displaced person) initiative came about. While he was in evacuation, he noticed the problems that IDPs faced. People were not provided with even minimal household items such as pillows and blankets.
The initiative is non-commercial for K.TEX. The company has allocated part of its production capacity as its contribution to this humanitarian mission and started by producing 500 “Packs” for IDPs in the Kyiv region and other regions of Ukraine that are currently hosting IDPs.
The IDP Package charity initiative does not stop gathering support and engaging new participants. Since August till now, the initiative has been supported by various NGOs and charitable foundations. Those are partners with whom we have long-term business and friendly relations, our employees, their relatives and friends from Ukraine and abroad: Poland, Denmark, France, Switzerland, the UK, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Lithuania, and Canada. Our media partners EBS, EBA, Pro-Consulting, and SUP also got actively involved in raising funds. We are grateful for the support and coordination of the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, NGO Association 911, Irpin City Council, Kyiv Regional Military Administration and other government agencies. We would also like to thank the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation and World Courier (AmerisourceBergen) for their significant contribution to helping Ukrainian IDPs.
Participants of SUP DAY FORUM 2023: STAY RESILIENT also discussed opportunities for Ukrainian business development at the international level. They underlined that national companies have the potential for success in expanding to foreign markets, but need additional support and cooperation by the state. In this context, it was noted that attracting foreign investment could be an important boost for the development of Ukrainian business internationally.
As a result, SUP DAY FORUM 2023: STAY RESILIENT became an important event for Ukrainian businesses this year. This forum confirmed that Ukrainian business has the potential for further development and success, but requires a change in approach to business management and development.
