I was born and raised in Odesa and, from the earliest opportunity, I participated in a lot of international projects. I wanted to learn best practices from other countries and bring the best expertise to Ukraine.
I didn’t believe until the very last day that war would break out in Ukraine, even if there were a lot of signs. The brain understood, but the heart was saying no, never.
My home in Ukraine is in Hostomel, about 20km from Kyiv. It was one of the cities that was occupied a few days after the full invasion started — many people were killed, injured and raped, and I couldn’t stay there. I spent some time bringing aid from Romania and other European countries into Ukraine.
I started to wonder: how can I best help my country in this situation? I decided to leave, as I felt I couldn’t contribute. The military was using more resources to protect me than I could contribute through organising aid. You know, the fewer people you have in a country, the more effective its defence can be.
When I arrived in the UK, I started thinking about what would come once the war ends. Whatever will happen, it will be led by people with an international education and background. I decided to get a masters degree in the UK.
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This article is from the 2025 MBA report and ranking
I was living with a host family in Devon, where I met a man who volunteered with a church in Dawlish, who recommended that I apply for an MBA. At first, I thought, it would be too expensive but, after a tough application process, University of Exeter Business School offered me a full scholarship. I think it was destiny.
There were 34 people on the MBA; I was the only one from Ukraine. Other students came not only from the UK but the US, China, Thailand, Nigeria, India and Colombia. My focus was on sustainability, and I took courses on sustainable development and construction.
I did my final project for a local architecture firm, which was trying to construct buildings from recycled concrete. When the war ends, we will have a lot of damaged buildings and we will need to use the material from them somehow. The course helped prepare me to go back to Ukraine to contribute and manage projects.
The course, which lasted just over a year, kept me very busy. First of all, English is not my first language and the educational system is quite different to Ukraine’s. It took a lot of effort to earn a distinction at the end.
During my MBA, I also participated in extracurricular projects organised by the university. For example, the school would match students with local businesses that needed help with their business models or marketing strategies. I worked with a local company called Huddle, which links brands and digital content creators, and helped it develop a strategy ahead of an app launch. After I graduated in 2023, the Association of MBAs nominated me and Exeter University for Student of the Year. I didn’t win, but being one of five nominated students was an honour.
Since June, I’ve been working in the London office of identity verification company IDNow, which has a bigger presence in Europe and is trying to expand in the UK.
I’m also on the board of a local humanitarian aid partnership, which is helping Ukrainian refugees and sending aid. Next year, I plan to run a marathon to fundraise for a local charity that helps terminally ill children. People here in the UK really supported me and it would be amazing if I can give something back.
I don’t have any plans yet to return home. My flat in Odesa was under missile attack three times this year, even though it’s not on the front line. I have brought my sister to the UK because it’s too dangerous there. We haven’t even been able to fix the damage to the apartment, because new damage keeps happening.
I really hope that the war will end this year and that I will be able to contribute to rebuilding with the expertise I’ve gained, as funding comes into the country again. I think that the US election will be a game-changer, and the international perspective on this war will change. The end of the war can only come through negotiations. We could fight on, but Ukrainians have a limit. The war should be stopped immediately — and never happen again.
