Dejan Bojkovski, KPMG
- Name: Dejan Bojkovski
- Vocation: Senior Manager of Audit Department, the Head of Donetsk Office of KPMG, EBA Donetsk Branch Finance and Tax Committee Chairman
1. Please give a brief overview of your operations in Ukraine?
KPMG operates in Ukraine since 1992 with offices in Kyiv, Donetsk and Lviv. Our main goal is to provide high quality, meaningful and useful advice to the business, government institutions as well as other organizations. KPMG work is based on trust and we treat our clients not only as business partners but also friends. Our main services are audit, tax and legal consultancy and advisory.
2. How do you see a year ahead in Ukraine? Are you broadly optimistic or pessimistic and why?
I'm optimistic about the year ahead in Ukraine since country's economy is slowly recovering and investment demand is reviving. For example, last year Ukraine's GDP grew by 4% forecast for this year, too, in the vicinity of 4%. There might be objective turmoils (e.g. oil price shock), however the country should be always ready to counteract them and prepare a basis for alternative solutions. By the way renewable energy is one of the most prospective sectors of Ukraine's economy. I can also name agriculture, IT outsourcing and technical innovations among other attractive markets to invest.
3. Investors are often cautious about investing in Ukraine, in part because of irregularities in the legal system. What advice would you give to companies who are thinking of entering the Ukrainian market?
My advice is to make thorough research prior to making investment in order to develop a proper strategy of overcoming these obstacles. Investors should consider taking advice from a consulting company with professional experience in Ukraine and specific regions in particular. Partnership with local professionals could be a good option for successful market entry.
4. What advice would you offer other managers who have just arrived in Ukraine?
Be flexible and understand the specifics of doing business in Ukraine. Sometimes foreign experience is not applicable here. So certain management processes should be tailored to the mentality of the Ukrainians, while many of them should be forgotten. The improvement of life standards of your employees would likely become a contributing factor to enhancement of business processes in your business. The last but not least is to learn Ukrainian or Russian to make your communication more effective and to become an integral part of the society.
5. What is the most alarming trend facing the Donetsk Region's economy today?
I would name two: environmental problems and obsolete production equipment. KPMG is an active fighter against these trends. We are focused on attracting investments in Ukraine and developing of favorable business environment, especially in the Donetsk region. In April 2011 we initiated the Finance and Tax Committee of EBA Donetsk branch. One of the objectives of the Committee is elaborating of new financing opportunities for production equipment modernization. We in KPMG created a team focusing on the sustainability and climate change, which takes part in events devoted to these issues in the Donetsk region.
6. Environmental concerns are high on the political and social agenda in Europe and the EU. How does this affect your industry and how is your company treating the issue?
Environmental concerns top the sustainability agenda, and will remain the highest priority in the years ahead. According to latest KPMG Corporate Sustainability research, approximately seven in ten companies all over the world have undertaken a wide array of activities in the past years. These companies have improved the energy efficiency of their global operations (72 percent); reduced packaging and waste or taken other steps to reduce the environmental footprint of their products (69 percent); and cut their greenhouse gas emissions or other pollutants (67 percent). Recently Yvo de Boer, Special Global Advisor to KPMG member firms on Climate Change and Sustainability, has visited Ukraine to understand better challenges and help in finding the best solutions. He spoke as a special guest at ECOSMART-2011, the International Forum of Clean Technologies in Ukraine, and planted trees in the Mariinsky Park together with KPMG team members.
7. What makes your company attractive place to work?
KPMG is a recognized leader on the professional services market throughout the world, and we have every right to be proud of this fact. Working in KPMG is fantastic opportunity for exchange of business experience with professionals from different countries. Our company is famous for its friendly atmosphere. We pay special attention to the professional development of our people. Regular training sessions make it possible for both young and seasoned KPMG employees to hone their skills and to keep up with the latest professional trends, as well as to become professionals of international standing.
8. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and investor relations are important aspects of modern European business. Does your company have a CSR program?
Today our Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability agenda touches every part of our business strategy and we take our responsibility of being a good corporate citizen extremely seriously. We created The Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Council, which is a cross-department committee responsible for social initiatives. One of our employees in Donetsk is also assigned to coordinate citizenship activities. In Ukraine, we focus our citizenship efforts on community activities, education and green initiatives. We help a lot to children with special needs as well as individuals who need an expensive surgical intervention. We also implement the concept of the Green office and promote it among our partners.
9. What makes your region an attractive place to do business?
Donetsk region is a huge industrial hub with developed infrastructure and transport system. It has an access to the most important regional markets. I think the Donetsk region still remains one of the extremely attractive places to invest. Large cluster of technical institutions, which produce 40,000 graduate-level specialists annually, provides the region with highly qualified workforce. Besides it has a great tourism potential. I would like to emphasize that people here care a lot of culture and history of the region.
