Conference speakers

Sergey Feofilov

Director General
UkrAgroConsult
Ukraine

Sergey Feofilov  – Director General of UkrAgroConsult, Ph.D. in Economics.
Founder of UkrAgroConsult – the first Ukrainian consulting agency specialized in agricultural sector of the Black Sea region (marking its 30-year anniversary in 2024).

Sergey Feofilov has vast expertise in analysis of agricultural market of the Black Sea region and Eastern Europe. He has broad international contacts in trading, banking and investment spheres, is a recognized expert and speaker at the major international agri conferences.

UkrAgroConsult serves global agribusiness operators from 50+ countries worldwide, delivering quality market information and analysis for effective decision making. The company provides analytical reports on grain and oilseed markets, in-depth agri market research, investment consulting, business planning, is an organizer of the major international conferences on grains and oilseeds.

Company’s services are trusted by the leading international agricultural producers, traders, agri holdings and farms, processors, investors, banks etc. UkrAgroConsult cooperates with the major global and intergovernmental organizations in agricultural sector.

UkrAgroConsult annually holds major international agri conferences in the Black Sea region and Europe, in particular such events as BLACK SEA GRAIN, BLACK SEA OIL TRADE, EURO GRAIN HUB Exchange & Forum and other.

Adriano Aude Lo Turco

Senior Market Analyst
Agroconsult
Brazil

Graduated in Agronomy, with extensive experience on corn, soybeand and soybean meal international trade, having worked  for over fifteen years at large agricultural commodities trading desks.

Currently working as Senior Grains and Oilseeds Market Analist at Agroconsult Focused on the global markets, with a depeer look on Brazil, seeking to translate changing scenarios for clients at different sectors of the agribusiness supply chain.

Wang Hao

Head of Research, Grains & Oilseeds North Asia
Louis Dreyfus Company

Lead the grains and oilseeds market research, focusing on China market supply, demand, and stock analysis and forecasts, with over 10 years of industry experience.

Mr. G. Chandrashekhar

Economist, Senior Editor and Policy Commentator
India

Guruswamy Chandrashekhar (G. Chandrashekhar) is a global agribusiness and commodities market specialist in India. He passionately tracks, analyzes and comments on agriculture, agribusiness and commodity markets (including energy and metals) as well as international trade and developmental issues.

Currently, Chandrashekhar has held and continues to hold several public positions:

• Economic Advisor, IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mumbai

• International Consultant, International Trade Centre (United Nations), Geneva

• Independent Member, SEBI Commodity Derivatives Advisory Committee

• Member, Expert Committee on Agribusiness and Rural Management, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University

• Visiting faculty in reputed B-Schools / training institutions

• Independent Director on the Board of companies A valued Resource Person for USDA (FAS-USDA, New Delhi) for well over three decades, Chandrashekhar is associated with several international institutions including World Bank, IFPRI, ICAC, Global Pulse Confederation and a few others.

Taras Vysotskyi

First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine

Born in 1986 in the village of Kunin, Zdolbuniv district, Rivne region

Education: master’s degree in Administrative Management

Languages: Ukrainian, Russian and English – fluent, German – conversational level

Work experience:

2006 – manager of the private enterprise “Zdolbunivvetpostach”

From 2011 to 2013 – expert on agricultural markets LLC “Nika PP”

From 2013 to 2019 – expert on agricultural markets, General Director of the Association “Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business”

2019 – First Deputy Head of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration.

From 2019 to 2021 – Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine.

On 26 May 2021, by Order No. 506, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine appointed Taras Vysotskyi as the First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine

Taras Kachka

Deputy Minister - Governmental Trade Envoy for Ukraine

Taras Kachka is an expert in international law, a former member of the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with the EU on the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. Since September 2019 he has been holding the position of Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine, and he’s also a trade representative of Ukraine. In June 2020 he became Deputy Chairman of the International Grains Council (IGC).

Taras has experience in promoting a dialogue between business and government. He worked as a manager for regulatory policy in international corporations, as well as in the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine (as Deputy Director of the State Legislation Adaptation Department of the Ministry of Justice).

He was the Commissioner for Entrepreneurship at the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine (on a voluntary basis). He headed the Ukrainian Media Center for Reforms and was a member of the Tax Reform Task Force under the Ministry of Finance.

He was also a Vice President for Strategic Development (since January 2014) and Interim President (November 2014 – April 2015) of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine.

Leonid Kozachenko

President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation

Mr. Kozachenko has been the President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation since 2002.

He graduated from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and the Academy of Foreign Trade with a degree in Economics.

He held senior positions in agricultural companies. He is a member of the governing bodies of professional business associations, particularly in the field of agriculture. From 2001 to 2002, he held an office of the Vice Prime Minister for Agriculture. From 2005 to 2006, he worked as an advisor to the President of Ukraine. From 2010 to 2023, he served as Chairman of the Entrepreneurs’ Council under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Mr. Kozachenko is Vice President of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Vice President of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), as well as a member of the Supervisory Board of the US-Ukrainian Business Council.

He was awarded by the title of an Honored Worker of Agriculture of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada Certificate of Honor and the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V degree.

Oleh Khomenko

Director General UCAB
Ukraine

Oleh Khomenko brings over 20 years of successful management experience in senior positions in agricultural companies, public sector projects, and government relations.

As the CEO of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club since 2023, he leads an association of major Ukrainian agribusiness companies with almost 200 prominent industry representatives.

Before joining UCAB, Oleg worked in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, headed a number of IMC regional companies and was a manager at one of MHP companies.

An extensive experience in the agricultural industry has made Oleg a specialist with profound knowledge of real agrarian business, as well as an expert in organizing and systematizing production and business processes.

Mr. Khomenko holds a master’s degree in Finance from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and a PhD in Economics.

Mykola Gorbachov

President
Ukrainian Grain Association
Ukraine

Mykola Gorbachov – President of Ukrainian Grain Association

from February 20, 2017 – President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA);

from March 28, 2005 – Director of the New World Grain Ukraine (Soufflet Group);

Co-Chair of the Grain and Oilseeds Committee of the European Business Association (EBA);

UZA Vice-President;

since 1992 he has held senior positions in various companies, such as Tradigrain SA (commercial director) or Ukrinpex (director).

Valerii Tkachov

Deputy Director of the Commercial Department
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia
Ukraine

Valerii Tkachov is an expert in agricultural logistics. Since 2020 he has been working as the deputy director of the commercial department of Ukrzaliznytsia. Previously, he held senior management positions at Optimus and Delta Wilmar Trading House.

Mr. Tkachov graduated from the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine with a degree in Public Administration and from the International Institute of Management “MIM-Kyiv” under the PMD “Management & Leadership” and “Mini-MBA” programs.

Rafael Goroyan

Owner and Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Prometey
Ukraine

Born in Yerevan (Armenia) in 1976. Graduated from Mykolaiv National University of Shipbuilding. In 1999, Mr Goroyan founded a grain trading company Prometey. Today it is a group of companies with 34 elevators with a capacity of 2 million tons and a land bank of 20,000 hectares. The total exports of the Prometey group of companies in 2022 are estimated at $280 million. In 2021, Rafael Goroyan was ranked 78th in the Forbes list of the 100 richest Ukrainians.

Yuriy Skichko

CEO of Hermes Trading

Dmytro Kazanin

Director and owner of the logistics company TEUS

He has 10+ years of experience in logistics and socially responsible business management.

TEUS has been operating in logistics industry since April 2014, and since September 2021, the company is led by Dmytro.

During the full-scale invasion, the company has adapted its line of logistics services to meet the current needs of customers who require comprehensive solutions. But this is not the only thing that can be said about the head of TEUS. Dmytro participates in socially important initiatives, helps the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and, working with his team, focuses not only on career priorities but also on health, psychological well-being, and job satisfaction.

Julia Garkavenko

Head of Analytical Department, UkrAgroConsult

Julia Garkavenko is a leading expert at UkrAgroConsult company with 25 years of experience in research and consultancy for Ukrainian and international companies and agencies focusing on the oil and fat industry.  Since 2015, she has headed the Market Analytics Department, which deals with the agricultural market analysis and forecasting for Ukraine and the countries of the Black Sea and Danube regions.

Julia is the author and editor-in-chief of the specialized weekly Black Sea & Danube Oilseed Report, which covers the markets of Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Her expertise has been published in a number of Ukrainian and international journals. She has graduated from the European University of Management and Business, specializing in Finance and Credit, in 1999.

Volodymyr Slavinskyi

Director on Trade, NIBULON, Ukraine

Volodymyr’s professional path is inextricably linked with the NIBULON company, where he has been working for over 11 years. He has extensive work experience in the field of establishing foreign economic relations and wholesale trade of grain crops. 

With the active participation of Volodymyr’s team, significant transformations took place in the company: were implemented the best market practices from the point of view of trade and a new risk management system, systematized sales and procurement work. Also, under the leadership of Volodymyr, the trading division participated in the goals formation and investment program strategy for the construction of elevators and the river fleet development. 

In February 2023, Volodymyr was appointed Director on Trade of NIBULON. In this position, he is responsible for commercial activities in terms of the company’s trading activity, as well as the purchase of agricultural products. 

Liza Malyshko

Head of Market Research, UkrAgroConsult

Liza Malyshko is a senior expert at UkrAgroConsult with over 20 years of professional experience. She has headed the agricultural markets and processed products research department since 2015.

Mrs. Malyshko specializes in researching the grain industry of Ukraine and the Black Sea region, with a focus on key grain market trends analysis, crop and trade forecasts, grain supply and demand balances.

As an expert in agricultural analytics, she has been ingaged in the conduct of studies for major international agencies and banks (FAO, EBRD, etc.), trading companies, as well as in the business plans drafting. She has numerous publications in Ukrainian and foreign journals.

Liza graduated from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 1996.

Igor Novytskyi

Deputy Director for Technical Issues, Urochysche Zhuravske
Ukraine

Igor Novytskyi is a Deputy Director for Technical Issues at Urochysche Zhuravske LLC, Ukraine. He has vast experience in agricultural production and processing, grain and oilseed market, logistics. He is the owner of Grain Hub AG, Switzerland, and a director of LLC OSK.

EDUCATION
2020 – Doctor of Philosophy in Economics
2014 – Uman National University of Horticulture, master of agronomy
2011 – Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics, master of economy (accounting and auditing)

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Deputy of the Cherkasy regional Council, member of the permanent commission on social economic development, budgeting and financing
Head of the Public Organization “Association of Farmers and Private Landowners of Talnivskyi District, Cherkasy region
Board Member of Ukrainian Agri Council

Ivan Kun

CEO and owner
Interprojekt GmbH
Ukraine

In 1998 he graduated from the National Agrarian University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in Agriculture. Studied at Dresden University at the Faculty of Agricultural and Construction Machinery. He received his MBA from the Kyiv Mohyla Business School.

For a long time he worked at JSC Mironovsky Khliboproduct, where he went from sales manager to project manager. Supervised the development and implementation of several objects. He later became the CEO of OJSC.

In 2006, together with his brother Eugene, he founded the design and engineering company Interprojekt GmbH.

Designing agricultural properties for Ivan has long been more than a business, it’s his passion.

He believes in the potential of Ukrainian industrial companies seeking to improve their business performance. This is how he describes his customers.
In the team of Interprojekt GmbH Ivan Kun plays the role of an idea generator and key modernizer of the company’s business processes.

Volodymyr Pugachov

Executive Director, Regional Director Eastern Europe
Donau Soja Organisation

Donau Soja is a not-for-profit membership organisation with a particular emphasis on sustainable European Non-GMO soya production. The organisation owns Standards on sustainable, deforestation & conversion-free non-GM soya production with controlled origin.

For the last two years, more than 1 mln tonnes of soybeans in Ukraine were certified according to the Donau Soja Standards, meaning more favourable business conditions for the farmers and companies. In wartime, Donau Soja supports farmers in Ukraine compensating the costs for the purchase of certified non-GM soya seeds – increasing the yields and improving the technology of farmers, thus contributing to climate change mitigation.

Volodymyr Pugachov has over a decade of experience on projects with unique challenges for a variety of Scientific Institutions, NGOs, State Authorities, and International Projects. Has Ph.D. degree in economics and developed over 30 scientific articles on issues of agriculture, food security, and sustainability.

Roman Neyter

Expert in Agrarian and Land Policy, Kyiv School of Economics

Mr. Neyter is engaged in research and consulting in the field of agrarian and land policy in the framework of the EU and World Bank program “Support to Transparent Land Governance in Ukraine” and the UaFoodTrade project – a program for sustainable internationalization of scientific institutions in Ukraine, with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the “Land of Unbreakable” project and USAID Agro.

Roman is the main author of a series of publications on Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment in the agricultural sector, supported by the World Bank.

He graduated from the Joint Master’s Program of the Kyiv School of Economics and the University of Houston, 2017. He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wageningen (The Netherlands).

Mr. Neyter research areas involve land market in Ukraine, land auctions, assessment of development potential of united territorial communities, and assessment of damages, losses and needs for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Ukrainian agriculture.

Pavlo Kozyrev

Head of the Association of Towns of Ukraine

Volodymyr Vasylevskyy

Specialist in investment and regional development, Head of the Investment Office of Ternopil Region

Volodymyr Vasylevskyy is an investment and regional development specialist. Head of the Investment Office of Ternopil Region.

Since 1992, he has been in business in senior positions (DOMEX Group of Companies). From 2018 to 2021, he created and headed the Ternopil Regional Development Agency.

Has over 10 years of experience in attracting foreign direct investment.

Over the past 5 years, he has attracted more than $120 million in investments to Ternopil region. Including during the martial law – for 18 million dollars. Thanks to the work of the Investment Office team, the following world leaders entered the region: MONKS Int., Home Essentials (USA, Hong Kong), etc.

Education – KMBS (MBA), CEIBS (Shanghai, China), KSE.

Head of the NGO “Institute for Sustainable Regional Development”.

Maksym Kharchenko

Freight Market analyst, UkrAgroConsult

Maksym Kharchenko has been working at UkrAgroConsult since 2017. The main activity is related to the analysis of the logistics market in the Black Sea region.

He is the author of many studies on domestic and export logistics of Ukraine. Maksym also focuses on the global grain and oilseeds market analysis, and is in charge of the Vessel Lineups product development.

Sergiy Nechyporuk

Chief Operating Officer
Vitagro Group Company

Expert in operational management of agribusiness, crisis management, systemic change management. He has over 18 years of experience, including corporate finance, project management, operational and strategic management, in such organizations and business groups as BNP Paribas Group, EastOne, Vitagro Group Company.

Since 2015, he has held senior positions in Vitagro Group, with responsibilities for corporate finance, business efficiency, operational and strategic management. Vitagro Group Company is a Ukrainian business group represented in agribusiness by Vitagro Agro Holding (crop production of 85 thousand hectares, pig breeding – top 3 producers), construction of civil and industrial infrastructure, production of bricks TM Keraterm, production and distribution of plant protection products TM Bayton, agricultural processing (biomethane, ethanol, sunseed crushing).

Education: Vinnytsia State Agrarian University, MIM Kyiv Business School, Executive MBA/Change Management, KMBS School of Strategic Architect.

Iryna Moroz

Partner
AGA Partners

A recognized expert in the field of international arbitration, international trade and litigation.

Iryna Moroz has a unique experience in advising clients on all aspects of export/import operations and international cargo transportation. Iryna’s extensive expertise in dispute resolution includes complex commercial arbitrations at major arbitral institutions (ICC, SCC, LCIA) and trade and maritime disputes at FOSFA, LMAA and RSA.

Pavlo Lebediev

Senior Associate
AGA Partners

Pavlo specializes in international commercial arbitration, international trade, and cross-border litigation.

His expertise includes representation of the client’s interests in high-profile arbitration disputes at GAFTA, FOSFA, LMAA and LCIA. Within the last years, Pavlo has advised the clients on more than 30 arbitral proceedings and enabled them to succeed in the claims amounting to +30 mln US dollars.

Pavlo regularly represents clients in complex settlement negotiations aimed at the efficient resolution of disputes at a pre-arbitral stage. He also handles the contracts of the largest companies in the Black Sea region.

Yurii Bedenko

Senior Associate
AGA Partners

Yurii Bedenko specializes in international trade, international commercial and investor-state dispute settlement.

Yurii is regularly involved in advising clients on a broad range of international trade, Ukrainian law and English contract law. Yurii was involved in preparing legal opinions to clients with respect to conduct of arbitration proceedings within LMAA, FOSFA, GAFTA, ICAC at the Ukrainian CCI.

Diana Karamanova

Commodity Broker
Prospex-Agro

Commodity Broker at Prospex-Agro dealing with Oilseeds to the European market with the main focus on Rapeseeds. However, she is also covering markets for grains. Diana performs the market research and does the main analytics in the company.

Vlada Zhehulska

Commodity Broker
Prospex-Agro

Commodity Broker at Prospex-Agro Company and has been working on the market of Oils and Oilseeds since 2017. Her main field of interest is the Chinese destination, however, she is an active participant of trading to MENA and European destinations as well. Vlada’s main goal is to keep clients updated and informed on the latest market changes, and make the interaction between Parties smooth and comfortable.