On April 27th, at the Intercontinental hotel in Kyiv, the first major offline event of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs in 2023 – the SUP DAY FORUM – was held.
The event was held under the slogan STAY RESILIENT!, so this time candid stories from business owners and top executives were shared from the stage about the challenges that Ukrainian companies faced in the first year of the full-scale invasion.
Over the course of 9 hours, forum participants listened and actively discussed pressing topics of today, recalling the work in the first days of the war, how they supported employees, the complete uncertainty of the future, and the need to relocate production and return to their hometowns, difficult decisions and attempts to enter international markets, transformations, and rebirth, and of course, the role and mission of Ukrainian entrepreneurs in the country’s future rebuilding.
Stories from both large and small companies were shared at the SUP DAY FORUM, including those from Vyacheslav Klimov (Nova Poshta), Oleksandr Konotopskyi (Ajax Systems), Volodymyr Kostiuk (Farmak), Andrii Fedoriv (Fedoriv Group), Valeriia Guzema (Guzema Jewelry), Anastasiia Bilich (Arnika), Andrii Ilchenko (K.TECH), and others.
To expand or not to expand Ukrainian businesses into new markets? Why are Europeans afraid of our entrepreneurs, while their companies consider them strong competitors? How to manage risks during times of war? How to work with teams and adapt them to new realities when veterans and forced migrants join the company? What tasks will Ukrainian businesses face very soon? Answers to these and other questions were given by people
who have repeatedly survived and grown even during the toughest crisis periods.
“This year’s SUP DAY FORUM theme of resilience is about the values and meanings that give strength to keep moving forward even when you have almost hit rock bottom. Ukrainian businesses demonstrate resilience and durability, continue to work, and support the country’s economy. And by their own example, they show the world the strength of all Ukrainians,” – says Kateryna Glazkova, Executive Director of SUP.
The strategic partner of the forum was Nova Poshta. This year’s event was also supported by the following companies: Ekonia, Bezpeka LTD, Event service, Creatio.
Information partners included the online shopping service OLX, NV Business, the news agency “Interfax-Ukraine,” and the international platform NAZOVNI.
The SUP team thanks all participants and event partners for the unforgettable atmosphere and day spent together.
