LVIV, Ukraine – Improving Ukraine’s image on the global tech scene and using information technologies to charge the economy were at the top of the agenda for discussion at the IT Arena conference on Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, attended by technology experts from around the world.
Representatives of some of Ukraine’s biggest software outsourcers agreed that Ukraine’s bad image on the global arena and absence of native top-level managers prevent the country from developing economic success, the businesspeople told attendees on Sept. 29.
In times when more and more different industries are disrupted by technological change, there’s a strong need to hire more managers with expertise.
According to Andrew Pavliv, CEO and co-founder of IT firm N-iX, Ukraine’s business environment for tech has gotten less hospitable.
The country still has to raise its next generation of leaders.
Until then, Pavliv thinks that Ukrainian firms should import managerial talent from other European nations.
Member of Ukrainian parliament and former CEO of IT company ELEKS Oleksiy Skrypnyk agrees. The Samopomich party member thinks the absence of good managers is “the country’s problem number one.”
But he’s also sure there’s another widespread problem Ukrainian companies face – it is the country’s bad image on the world tech arena. Businesspeople don’t want to make any deals amid war and corruption, Skrypnyk says. Thus, Ukrainian techies are forced to “sell Ukraine, instead of selling their own services.”
“Our partners always managing risks and the war is an immense obstacle for many of them to come here,” the MP told conference attendees. “Hence, the best improvement Ukraine can try to make is to end the war.”
But Skrypnyk, of course, does not think this is the direct responsibility of Ukrainian IT companies. Aa a representative of the Ukrainian government, he himself says that branding of the country almost fully lies on the shoulders of the state in many cases.
“Parliamentarians should make decisions and always ask themselves: What are we going to add to the (image) of our country?” Skrypnyk said.
N-iX CEO Andrew Pavliv (R), Softserve CEO Taras Kytsmey, senior advisor to the board of directors of Ciklum Marina Vyshegorodskikh (C), and Samopomich MP Oleksiy Skrypnyk participate in a panel discussion at IT Arena on Sept. 29. (Sereda Iryna)
Marina Vyshegorodskikh, a senior advisor to the board of directors of Ciklum, however, thinks Ukraine can be a popular brand through its business environment.
“Ukraine is a united brand – it’s not a separate set of companies,” Vyshegorodskikh said. “Many people are choosing Ukraine as a destination to outsource IT services from because of the quality of Ukrainian software development,” not because of its political or economic brand, she said.
Softserve CEO Taras Kytsmey, who leads one of Ukraine’s largest IT companies, tried to be positive.
Kytsmey believes that, apart from the drawbacks, Ukraine actually has everything it needs to be the next economic miracle in the region: an abundance of tech talent, convenient geographical location, and quality tech services at comparatively low cost. Ukrainian tech companies just have to offer these benefits to the global community.
“To be global is the only way for Ukrainian tech companies to be successful,” Kytsmey said. “Actually, it’s even our goal to found global companies and to brand Ukraine through them.”
The Kyiv Post’s IT coverage is sponsored by Ciklum. The content is independent of the donors.
