How Ukrainian Women in IT Leadership Navigate the Challenges of War

The role of Ukrainian women has become more visible since the beginning of the full-scale war. More and more women are becoming leaders both on the battlefield and in volunteering, civilian and economic life. Regarding the last one, the IT industry is the only area showing growth during the war. Companies continue to work, pay salaries to thousands of people and taxes to the budget. These businesses are also run by women, but now they are often hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from their teams. We have collected the stories of three bright leaders of the Ukrainian IT sector, who demonstrate the role of women's leadership in supporting the Ukrainian economy and private business. How did they adapt to new conditions abroad and their expectations from the victory. Aleksandra Boguslavskaya - CEO&Founder Data Science UA What were your first thoughts and actions on the morning of February 24th? We started preparing the BCP for worst-case scenarios a couple of months before a full-scale invasion. We were preparing the team for evacuation to Western Ukraine, but until the end we believed that everything would be fine. Also, we thought that if something starts, it will end very quickly. It seems to me that few expected such cruelty and ruthlessness from Russia. Since one of the areas of our work is IT outsoursing, we had several dozen interviews scheduled for February 24. On the morning of February 24, I was woken up by a call from our HR manager: "Rocket attacks on Kyiv have begun. What are we doing with the team?". Despite the fact that the thought that a real war had begun did not enter my head, my first thoughts were about what to do with the team, how to help people evacuate (because our team was scattered throughout Ukraine and every city on February 24 was under rocket fire). At 12 noon on February 24, 2022, our partners from the IT sector and we created the volunteer organization — we started gathering data scientists and engineers and thinking about how we can help our country win the war on the cyber front. Thus began the worst day in the life of Independent Ukraine. IT Stand For Ukraine With the beginning of the war, we suspended work for 5 days, our clients understood that. Each team member needed time to understand what to do next and where to go. Since the beginning of March, the entire team has already been working full time. On February 24, I did not know what would happen next. Will our business remain, what will happen to the people, will our clients remain with us, and will it be possible to work at all. Fortunately, we are hanging on, working and have no plans to stop. During the war, we began to cooperate with several new clients from the US and UK, they wanted to support the Ukrainian IT sector in particular, and we are infinitely grateful to them for this. These are product companies that develop software using AI. Also, despite the difficult situation in Ukraine, we grew and began to expand the team. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, our team has grown from 40 to 90 people. Personally I left Ukraine on the first day of a full-scale war and now I develop our company abroad. I understand that this business must develop because there are 90 people in our company that need work to support there families, the army and the ecomomy of Ukraine. Data Science UA What prospects of Ukraine's development do you see? Ukraine's IT industry has seen impressive growth in recent years, with the sector now contributing significantly to the country's economy. The IT sector is becoming increasingly important as a driver of economic growth and job creation, and there are good prospects for further development in the coming years. One of the key factors driving growth in Ukraine's IT sector is the country's large and talented workforce. Ukraine has highly educated people, and the IT industry has been successful in attracting skilled professionals who are proficient in a range of programming languages and technologies. This has enabled Ukrainian IT companies to compete globally and provide high-quality services to clients around the world. Another important factor is the government's support for the development of the IT sector. The government has implemented a range of measures to support the industry, including tax incentives, training programs, and initiatives to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. This has helped to create a favorable business environment for IT companies and has encouraged foreign investment in the sector. In addition, Ukraine's strategic location, close to both Europe and Asia, makes it an attractive destination for IT outsourcing. The country has a well-developed telecommunications infrastructure, and the cost of doing business is relatively low compared to other European countries. Overall, the prospects for the development of Ukraine's IT sector look promising. The country's skilled workforce, supportive government policies, and strategic location make it an attractive destination for IT investment and outsourcing. With continued investment and support, the IT industry is likely to continue to grow and contribute significantly to Ukraine's economic development. How do you run a business in Ukraine while being abroad? COVID-19 has accustomed us to remote work. Since March 2020, we have been used to working remotely, it was a kind of "training" for what we are experiencing now. A definite plus from COVID-19 is that we all already knew how to work effectively remotely. If these processes had not been established before then, it is not a fact that we would have been able to adapt to the realities of war. Nothing in management processes has changed since COVID-19. Also, I, like many Ukrainian CEOs, noticed that more time began to be devoted to personal communication and helping employees in solving household issues: family relocation, purchase of Starlinks, generators. Finding the balance between supporting and understanding people and setting up processes so that teams deliver results is quite difficult. All the people in our company are doing a miracle right now, balancing between work, war, blackouts, volunteering, new product releases, deadlines, and Starlinks purchases. There used to be a work-life balance. Now it's a war-life balance. Are there any difficulties in communication with a team remotely? In general, there are no difficulties. There are changes in communication: now it is deeper. We all try to support each other to show our customers a good result they pay for. We have no days off from war or news. It's a tension that builds up. Emotions that need to be lived and released. More attention is paid to making all team members feel emotionally stable. What prevents you from getting discouraged now and not breaking down? In our company, there are people from different regions who have been greatly affected by the war. I see that they hold on, and that's why I hold on. Also, I am always happy about the successes of the armed forces of Ukraine. I am pleased with the regular visits of politicians and stars to Kyiv to our President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. I feel that we are not alone in this struggle and that the whole civilized world supports us. Ukrainian communities also help. Now there are a lot of us, and we are all over the world. We support each other, we go to peaceful demonstrations abroad, and we get to know each other. And of course, communication with relatives and friends warms the soul the most. It helps a lot. What will you change forever in your life after the war? Like many, I scolded myself a little for being naive, because in retrospect it is clear that the threat was real and could have been taken more seriously, prepared better, and handled with that in the beginning with less stress. The most important thing that I learned personally is that a great team and trust work make a wonder. I will definitely appreciate the fact of life more. It is very valuable and important. What do you want to say to Ukrainians and the world today? I want to say thank you to the whole world. Thank you for your support. Now we are in the center of Europe, at the cost of the lives of our people, restraining Russian aggression, and we really need help. Please don’t stop supporting us. Please work with us, because the best way to support Ukraine is to work with Ukraine. I want to tell the Ukrainians that we will definitely win. We have to believe it. I am proud of our defenders, volunteers, all people of Ukraine and the Ukrainian IT industry: that everyone is holding on, working, and fulfilling their duties to customers and employees. Ukrainian IT is the third-largest export industry, making this sector vital for Ukraine's economic stability. We cannot be broken. I am proud that we have such a country: the country of the Unbreakable. I believe: very soon we will all see a peaceful sky. This is exactly what our defenders and doctors are fighting for now - a big bow and thanks to them. Our Heroes are our hope and peace. What will you do first after the victory of Ukraine? I will celebrate the victory loud and long with our Data Science UA team. And after that, we, together with all Ukrainians, will rebuild Ukraine from the consequences of this war. Viroslava Novosylna, Founder & CEO of SLOVA Tech PR, Co-founder of Wtech, VC/PR Partner TA Ventures, Advisory bord member in PRCA, PR army advisor What were your first thoughts and actions on the morning of February 24th? First and foremost, thoughts on the morning of February 24th were related to safety. This means I contacted merely everyone I could to ask how I could help if everything was OK, and other first-emergency questions. I contacted the family and team members to ask how I could be useful regarding relocation and other safety measures. Our agency immediately wrote letters to all the local and international clients that we stay in touch with, telling them that we are ready to provide communication support. I understand that it is my top priority to act steadily and consistently. Among the first things I did that day was to prepare a letter to our foreign partners that contained official sources and media that published verified information about the events in Ukraine. From the first day of the war, our agency, SLOVA Tech PR, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine as a volunteer. In the first month of the war, we began to cooperate with 180 international PR agencies. Thus, we managed to form a network that worked together with us to spread key news and messages and help fight the propaganda. During the months of work, we have told more than 200 stories about what is happening in Ukraine to international media in 13 countries, including the USA, Great Britain, Spain, Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, Poland, etc. Our agency joined the PR army - a community of Ukrainian communication experts, whose main goal is to secure the firm presence of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the global information space. This helped to consolidate efforts and pour them in the right direction. PR army is a powerful initiative that unites the strongest PR experts to achieve mutual goals. During the months of war, our project with Victoria Tigipko, Wtech, an international community for women in technology, also underwent transformations. Our main goal was to support and unite Ukrainian women who were forced to flee the war. Over the past 7 months, Wtech has united more than 5000 participants in Europe and around the world, opened representative offices in 10 countries, including the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, and France, and strengthened its presence in London and Berlin. Also, we are actively scheduling the launch of representative offices in the USA, Spain, and Cyprus by the end of the year. What prospects of Ukraine's development do you see? I think that the main focus of Ukraine’s development will be on the technological capabilities of the country. We expect a boom of startups after the end of the war and we see that even now this sphere is gaining critical position. Especially in some specific sectors, such as the development of drones, cybersecurity, distance learning, and medical technologies. Companies from this sector are urgent as never before both for the development of the economy and for solving problems on the battlefield. In this regard, I would also assume that Ukrainians have shown the world the resilience of Ukrainian technology businesses even in the most difficult times, when your life is constantly bordering on danger. We have been able to not only survive but also continue to show dynamic growth. The value of exports in the first half of the year reached $3.7 billion, which is 23% higher than in 2021. We also notice that our Western partners and colleagues are increasingly turning to us for advice on how to stay rational and cool-headed in emergency and stressful situations. Before the war, the IT market was one of the fastest growing markets in Ukraine. In general, our state's vector was aimed at deep digitalization. Ukraine has become the first state in the world to have digital and ordinary passports of equal value. Therefore, we see no reason to slow down the development of the technological industry in Ukraine. On the contrary, as it has already been said, we expect a boom in startups and a large flow of investments. International companies show great support not only in words but with targeted investments with faith in growth and development. For example, Alphabet just recently announced investments in 16 promising Ukrainian startups within the framework of the $5 million Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund initiative. Many of these companies are pioneers in their solutions. For example, Esper Bionics is a startup in the field of prosthetics using the latest technology. Or Liki24, an aggregator of low-cost drug delivery from pharmacies, which is gradually expanding into more and more European markets. We also want to mention the startup Awesomic, which helps customers and designers find each other in 24 hours. It was also co-founded by a woman, Stacy Pavlyshyna. Or quite unusual projects like Agrolabs, a data startup that helps farmers work more efficiently and maximize their crops. We have no doubt that great success awaits us in the future. How do you run a business in Ukraine while being abroad? Before the full-scale invasion, I lived in two countries and considered my future life in this kind of pace. I came to Ukraine regularly for a couple of weeks, participated in events, held offline lectures and meetings. I do all this now, but in an online format. As for my agency, SLOVA Tech PR's work has always been focused online. That is why team members can work from anywhere in the country or the world. We have always stood out by our quick response to market changes. We are a boutique agency that works with local and international clients, so we can quickly adapt processes. The activities of Wtech, a non-profit community for women leaders in tech and digital businesses, have expanded over the past six months. The girls were forced to move to safer places where they could continue their professional activities, share advice and knowledge, and expand their network. Women now have a responsible mission – to work on the economic front of our country, and this is exactly what each of them does in their geographical location. We hold meetings and open new Wtech representatives. Recently, I went to Paris, where we launched Wtech Paris. The next one will be the Wtech Warsaw. Are there any difficulties in communication with a team remotely? As I mentioned earlier, our work is focused online, so there are no difficulties in communication, because it has been fully established since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the team members are mostly based in Kyiv, so from time to time they can meet for joint working days. This is a great opportunity for colleagues to spend time with each other and I feel happy that they have the opportunity to do so. The work is set up in such a way that we support each other, we can back each other up in projects, we make regular calls to synchronize work processes and tasks. What prevents you from getting discouraged now and not breaking down? It may sound obvious, but the thing that keeps me up and does not allow me to give up – is the belief in the victory of Ukraine. I am also infinitely grateful for the opportunity to be together and see my family and friends. My close ones always support me and help in tough moments. What will you change forever in your life after the war? Do not postpone your life for tomorrow. What do you want to say to Ukrainians and the world today? Ukrainians have shown the whole world their strength and power, courage and ability to unite as a nation to fight for their own freedom and security. Ukrainian people demonstrated what Ukraine is and why our brand is BRAVERY. What will you do first after the victory of Ukraine? I will come to my home city Kyiv. Victoria Dubrovska, Co-founder of Uklon What were your first thoughts and actions on the morning of February 24th? I felt confusion and fear. For the first time in my life, I felt my body trembling. I have two daughters, one was 13 years old at the time, and the other was 5 years old. We did not have an emergency suitcase with the necessary things in case of a quick evacuation. Therefore, I immediately began to collect it. I was putting things together and thought: "this is enough for 2-3 days." And it turned out that now I have been abroad for 12 months. In the first days, I read the news non-stop. There was a life put on pause feeling, and I lost the ability to have positive emotions. The work tasks helped me to switch and panic less. What prospects of Ukraine's development do you see? Ukraine will definitely win and become a prosperous state. New projects will appear, innovations will be implemented. Changes will affect all spheres of life and our people will be the main driver here. We will remember the insidious "brotherly love" for a long time. We will continue to distance ourselves even more from everything Russian: language, songs, cinema, literature. And there is no need for a ban at the state level. This is already happening within Ukrainian society. Yes, like many people from my environment, I followed Russian authors in social media and watched Russian content. But in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, I unsubscribed from Russian-language bloggers, reviewed subscriptions to channels and removed Russian ones, even if they were neutral. How else? When everything so-called "liberal Russians" are capable of is just to write "I am for peace!". But it only disgusts me and millions of Ukrainians. After all, it is precisely such a susceptible weak population that is also to blame for the fact that this war happened, even if they do not directly support it. Therefore, more and more people switch to Ukrainian, want to read and watch Ukrainian content. I want both of my daughters to speak Ukrainian. My eldest daughter switched to Ukrainian in 2020, when she was still 11 years old. This was completely her decision and position. I supported it all the way, we arranged Ukrainian evenings, spoke Ukrainian. How do you run a business in Ukraine while being abroad? Ever since the times of COVID-19 and quarantine, we have been ready for remote work. For half a year I lived in a house in the suburbs and quickly adapted to holding meetings online, supporting the team, managing work processes. Now, of course, this remote work has added an emotional burden. For example, every meeting I had with my colleagues from Ukraine began with the words "How are you?" and ended with "Have a safe evening!" Our relations started to be filled with human care even more. Are there any difficulties in communication with a remote team? Of course there is. I am an extrovert and need a lot of communication. Contact with people gives me energy and is highly important. Of course, I really miss live communication, and it is more difficult at a distance, what to do. At first, there was kind of an information vacuum feeling, but then I established communication with the team. Regular meetings with colleagues help. We talk not only on work topics, there is also a place for informal communication, which brings our relationships to a closer level. What prevents you from getting discouraged now and not breaking down? We need to move on, take life out of pause. For a while, I had the feeling of a delayed life, waiting for the war to end soon, so that my daughters and I would be able to return home. I dreamt to see my team, to be actively involved in business as before. It was difficult to force myself to move on. My daughters help me. Children do not let your spirit fall down. They ask about dad, and our house. When evacuating from Ukraine and passing checkpoints, the youngest daughter suddenly asked: "Are we going to die?". This is the most unexpected and scary thing you can hear from your own daughter. But this does not let you lose heart. What will you change in your life after the war? The attitude towards life has already changed. After all, life is only one for us. It seems to me that Europeans, living in peace and tranquility for a long time, have forgotten about it. No explosions were heard, no rockets were seen flying over the houses. No need to put your life on hold. I am trying to adapt to the conditions I am in now. I do everything in order to live my life more consciously. Focusing the efforts on the things that are really important right now. What do you want to say to Ukrainians and the world today? All these challenges will make us even stronger. And the main achievement now is our unity, even thousands of kilometers away. What will you do first after winning? I will hug my family.