Leadership in Times of Challenge: How Businesses Can Remain Integral, Resilient, and Responsible
War exacerbates social divides, intensifies economic crises, and erodes points of stability. In this context, Ukrainian business and civil society require a new kind of leadership—resilient, honest, and capable of envisioning the future.
Center for Leadership of UCU, in collaboration with the UCU Business School, invites you to a public event in Kyiv: “Leadership in Times of Challenge: How Businesses Can Remain Integral, Resilient, and Responsible,” taking place on May 21 at 18:30 at the Radisson Blu Podil Hotel and online.
This is a live conversation with leaders from business, governance, and the military who have undergone transformation during the full-scale war and are seeking new meanings of leadership—for themselves, their teams, and the country.
We will discuss:
- Resilience—as the inner strength that sustains during the most challenging times.
- Purpose—as a guiding vector amid chaos.
- Trust, losses, communities, and a new vision for the country and business.
This event is a must-have for:
- Business leaders, community heads, and initiative organizers;
- Anyone seeking to determine their path forward for themselves and their team—even in times of uncertainty;
- Those looking for not only tools but also new meanings.
Our speakers:
- Gerard Seijts – Professor of Organizational Behavior at Ivey Business School (Canada) and visiting faculty at UCU Business School. A renowned scholar and teacher of Leadership and Resilience, Gerard brings a deeply ethical and human-centered perspective to leading in complexity.
- Kateryna Glazkova – Executive Director of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs (SUP), member of the Public Oversight Council at the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, and graduate of the Key Executive MBA program. Kateryna works at the intersection of business, society, and policy – and knows how to turn crisis into a launchpad for meaningful change.
- Ihor Liski – Ukrainian investor, strategist, co-founder of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future and investor in Promprylad.Renovation. Ihor invests not just in businesses – but in the future of Ukraine. His focus: long-term trust, not short-term profit.
- Fr. Rostyslav Vysochan – Senior Lieutenant, Chaplain Corps, Armed Forces of Ukraine, and UCU alumnus. In 2023, he was awarded the medal “For Military Service to Ukraine”. In the darkest conditions, his presence as a spiritual leader offers a different kind of strength – where words themselves become a source of resilience.
The discussion will be moderated by Sophia Opatska, Founding Dean and Chair of the Supervisory Board of UCU Business School, and Vice-Rector for Strategic Development at UCU – a leader committed to shaping a new generation of responsible Leadership in Ukraine.
Date and Time: May 21, 2025 | Registration starts at 18:30
Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel, Kyiv Podil (Bratska St. 17–19), or online
Language: English, with simultaneous translation available
Contribution: A donation of 500 UAH or more in support of the 109th Separate Assault Battalion of 10th Assault Brigade “Edelweiss”, where MSc Innovations & Entrepreneurship graduate Roman Nykolyshyn serves.
