As part of the AUK Leadership Club, masters and alumni of American University Kyiv had a unique opportunity to engage with Roman Waschuk, the Business Ombudsman of Ukraine.
Mr. Waschuk worked in the diplomatic service of Canada for over 30 years, was the Ambassador to Serbia, and the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine. Since 2022, he has been leading the Business Ombudsman Council, which protects the rights of entrepreneurs and promotes the formation of a transparent and fair business climate in our country.
In a frank conversation with the audience, he spoke about the challenges and opportunities for Ukrainian businesses, the role of diplomacy during times of global change, and how the country can transition from a survival strategy to a systemic development strategy.
"Ukraine has truly mastered the survival strategy — one that we have honed over centuries, and thanks to which we have preserved ourselves as a nation. But now it is time to move forward: we need a systemic development strategy — economic, institutional, and social. This is a challenge for Ukrainians, but at the same time, it is an opportunity to create a visionary model that unites everyone and helps design the future," emphasized Roman Waschuk.
Special thanks to Elina Bodzhek, a graduate of the Master’s program in Leadership and Management (MLM) at Arizona State University and the Master’s program in Global Management at AUK, who moderated the meeting and helped make the discussion even deeper and more dynamic.