Meest Group – the bridge to Ukraine

In Ukraine, postal-logistic services have a long history. Meest Group is the pioneer of Ukraine’s postal-logistics market. The company made the first major Canadian investment into independent Ukraine in 1992.

How did it all begin?
Canada-based Meest Group was the first major Canadian investor in independent Ukraine. The group first entered the Ukrainian market in 1992 as a joint venture with Rosan Business. Meest Group has since created thousands of jobs in Ukraine as the company expanded in a variety of directions. Initially, Meest Group focused on the postal and logistics sector and deliveries between North America and addresses in newly independent Ukraine. The company’s scope of services soon expanded, leading to the creation of Meest Group as it is now.

“It started back in 1988, when I experienced life with the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and saw how a normal, well-developed capitalist country lives,” recalled Rostyslav Kisil, the founder and President of the Meest Group international postal logistics company.

“My mentality, which had been brainwashed by Soviet propaganda up until that time, completely changed, and I decided to open my own business. My idea was to help the Canadian diaspora provide aid to friends and relatives still in Ukraine. In fact, that’s how the brand name came to life. “Meest”, or “bridge,” symbolizes that which can connects all that is divided by borders – a bridge. The company saw rapid success and became well-established in the Canadian and Ukrainian markets. Soon afterwards, we expanded into other countries.”

Meest Group now works in 20 countries and is developing its own innovative postal-logistics solutions in order to connect people throughout the world. “You’ll find lots of different nationalities and countries among our employees and customers; but we’re all still devoted to our tradition – strong connections and cooperation with Ukrainians worldwide,” Kisil said.

Leader on the market
The postal-logistics market has the same high-level challenges as any other industry.
The rapid development of technology has produced a number of trends that have affected the market in Ukraine. Besides the technological trends, there are social-business trends that result from digitization, globalization, e-substitution, outsourcing, demographic change, urbanization, sustainability and so on.

The Meest Group, having identified and kept up with these trends, is a pioneer and leader in the industry, and works tirelessly to maintain its strong reputation. Moreover, the company has always had a reputation for innovation. For example, the Meest Group created Ukraine’s first independent private TV studio, Ukraine’s first company to work with property privatization, and Rosan Enterprise was the first private postal company in Ukraine to receive membership of the Universal Postal Union.

“For over a quarter of a century, we have successfully worked alongside the national postal service and in cooperation with the postal services of many other countries, like Poland, Estonia, and Germany,” Kisil said.

The Meest Express postal and logistics operator became a leader in express delivery services after its formation in 2005 and is now ranked as one of Ukraine’s 50 most valuable brands.

Meest Tour opened in 1997 and is one of the leading travel agencies for Canadian, American, and other Western tourists. And the Rosanpak plastic wrap and packaging company is also one of the leaders in its industry.

“Today, we’re actively developing and promoting an innovative Ukrainian project – myMeest,” Kisil said.

“It’s an online shopping delivery service from online shops across the world. We soon expect to expand this service to countries across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. We are also developing our own system of money transfer that will work in Ukraine, Poland, Canada, the USA, and other countries. We provide top-notch and exclusive delivery services to Ukrainians for globally-recognized brands like Next, Lamoda, YesSport, Rozetka, and Allo. With Meest Express, we can meet even the shortest of deadlines to deliver purchases from nearly anywhere in the world.”

Formula for success
“If everyone in the company is rowing in the same direction, you’ve achieved the first step to success,” Kisil adds. “The secret of the success and sustainability of the Meest Group is having the right idea and the right people, consistency of purpose, and luck.”

The Meest Group is truly a big family where every employee has the great opportunity for professional development and personal fulfilment.

“Every employee is a shareholder, and we look at any suggestion for corporate development they come up with,” Kisil said. “As we expand quickly, our stocks continue to grow. As the company gains value, so too do the employees. For me, this is how you measure success – when employees are as invested in the future of the company as management.”

Thousands of people work for the Meest Group across Ukraine and in 20 countries around the world. The company links their efforts, implementing prosperous projects, and achieves its goals.

“I don’t like to be, and can’t accept being second or third,” Kisil said. “I always want to keep going to become the leader. It’s that corporate philosophy that has led the Meest Group to achieve such success. But you also need to be at the right place at the right time. I was lucky enough to be in Canada in 1988. While the timing was fortunate, success also requires business management skills, commitment, and accountability.”

CSR
In addition to its business activities, Meest Group has been at the forefront of promoting a culture of corporate social responsibility in Ukraine. The group set up the Meest Hope charitable foundation in 1998, which provides support to children’s homes across Ukraine. Other initiatives include the creation of the Fourth Wave international NGO, which is a member of the Ukrainian World Congress.

And since 2015, Meest Group has actively supported volunteer initiatives designed to provide help for veterans of Ukraine’s ATO military operations in the east of the country. For many years, Meest Group has been offering support for the Galichanka Club for Ukrainians with disabilities, while also backing FC Carpathians sports club.

In additions, the company has been prominent in its support of the World Vyshyvanka Day initiative, creating embroidery for babies born on this day not only in Ukraine itself but also all over the world. This year, the company has provided backing for the Milky Way cycling initiative involving a team of volunteers cycling a combined total of over 10,000 kilometers across Canada and the United States. This ambitious undertaking aims to raise awareness of Ukraine and improve the country’s image among North American audiences, while also raising funds for those who have suffered due to the war in the Donbas.

Further expansion
The Meest Group will soon become the global leader in the international postal logistics market for those with ties to Ukraine. Over 28 years of work, Meest Group has built a firm foundation and become a trusted service in many countries. The company is recognized as being devoted to its main principles: proximity to clients, simplicity of parcel reception, moderate service pricing, and constant implementation of the latest technologies in e-commerce and postal logistics.

Meest Group have created a well-trusted bridge between Ukraine and dozens of countries worldwide, where we help Ukrainian businesses enter international markets and assist foreign companies to invest in Ukraine.

The group now has ambitious plans for further expansion. Meest officials say the group has become a reliable and convenient bridge between Ukraine and countries around the world, helping Ukrainian businesses to enter international markets while also facilitating investment flows in the opposite direction, by enabling companies to more easily access Ukrainian markets.

With the Ukrainian business community increasingly looking to expand its global horizons and develop presences in new international markets, Meest Group is in a good position to play an important role as this process gains momentum.