On December 9, the 17th Business Forum for Corporate Communications Specialists took place at Europe Plaza Business Centre in Kyiv. Representatives of leading domestic and international companies gathered to exchange experiences. After the end of the forum, the results were summed up, and the winners of the "Best Corporate Media in Ukraine 2022" competition received their awards.
The business forum was opened by Oksana Todorova, the president of the Association of Corporate Media of Ukraine.
"2022 has become a year of strength testing. We gathered at the forum "Corporate Communications in Wartime" to experience the common feelings that unite us, exchange experiences, and discuss the achievements. Corporate communications make the information front, which must be kept energetically, qualitatively and professionally. I am sure that every educational project implemented during the war is a manifestation of our victory. This is an opportunity to realize the path travelled and find answers to pressing questions. This is an opportunity to translate a painful experience into stability, cohesion, courage and faith. Our companies, every corporate project and every one of us bring the victory of Ukraine closer. Therefore, let's maintain the information front through our coordinated actions, continue to strengthen horizontal ties in society and work on, colleagues!" - noted Ms. Todorova.
In his turn, Razumkov Centre President Yuriy Yakymenko presented the main topics of research and forms of activity of Razumkov Centre in wartime, outlined the possible lines of the think-tank cooperation with corporate media, emphasised the importance of using reliable sources of information and high-quality surveys of business activities.
"15% of Ukrainian citizens and every fourth citizen who is interested in politics know about the research of Razumkov Centre. Is it many, or few? I think you, as experts in communications, know the answer. We analyse policies, produce recommendations to make them more efficient, present them to the public, study the public opinion, and spread true information about Ukraine in the world. This is our contribution to the victory”.
A jury member Dmytro Oltarzhevskyi, Ph.D. in Social Communications, Professor of the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University addressed the participants of the event with a similar message:
“Sociologist Malcolm Gladwell formulated the rule of 10,000 hours in his Outliers. In his opinion, it takes at least ten thousand hours of practice to become an expert in any field. With the beginning of the war, time speeded up for Ukrainians. We had to learn new skills quickly: take up weapons, weave camouflage nets, volunteer and become professionals in this. The same refers to business. Ukrainian companies have become experts in matters not inherent in peaceful life. They learned to evacuate people, find generators, connect the Internet using starlinks. At the same time, they still somehow manage to earn money for themselves, their employees and the state, and at the same time, they not only did not lose humanity and patriotism, but on the contrary, made them the meaning of their existence. All this is certainly reflected in the projects presented at this year's corporate media competition. They are full of stability, indomitability, authenticity, positivity... And faith in the future of Ukraine."
For the forum of corporate communications, domestic and international business representatives prepared reports on pressing topics:
- Andrii Dligach, business strategist, Advanter Group CEO, professor, delivered a report "Macroeconomic situation and research results. What to rely on when planning the future."
- Viktor Zinchenko, head of the PR department of DTEK Energy, spoke about the company's cooperation with international media during the war.
- Maksym Bielawski, Ph.D. in technical sciences, independent director of the Supervisory Board of "Zaporozhsky Abrasivny Combinat" PJSC presented an exclusive survey by Razumkov Centre on changes in corporate communications.
- Yevgenia Lepeha, HR&LEAN manager, said in her speech which communication channels work best at "Lantmännen AXA", what tools helped it maintain contact with employees in emergency conditions, and what initiatives were launched during the critical events: "The company survived the February events with dignity and moved on. We launched a corporate account on TikTok." Evgenia told how "Lantmännen AXA" developed TikTok from scratch, about the specificity of the audience of this communication channel, and what it gives to the company's brand.
- Kristina Kryvosheyna, Head of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Acino in Ukraine, spoke about Acino's activities during the war, a corporate film that tells about CSR, flash mobs for employees, a story with an appeal from celebrities to support the faith and resilience of the company's workers.
- Anna Syniashchyk, manager of the corporate communications department of "Nova Poshta" Group of Companies, made a report on the topic: "Groundhog Day. How to motivate colleagues — and where to look for ideas." Anna presented an open corporate education platform in the Telegram channel for learning Ukrainian and English languages, shared her insights into the mechanics of finding creative ideas to maintain a high level of interest and involve the audience in learning.
The forum organizers are grateful to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to continue training and educational activities during martial law.
