Energy Frontline: A Forum on Women's Leadership in Wartime Held in the Capital

10.12.2025

The forum “THE ENERGY OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP: Women Holding Ukraine’s Energy Frontline”, organized by the Energy Club business community, took place in Kyiv. The event brought together female executives and leading experts from the energy sector, financial and legal spheres, as well as representatives of government and international organizations, to highlight the role of women in ensuring the resilience of the energy system amidst a full-scale war.

Today, the Ukrainian energy sector has become one of the key points of national security and state resilience. Daily decisions on restoration, maintaining operational resilience, and modernizing the system are a responsibility borne equally by female leaders alongside engineers, analysts, and managers, working under the pressure of high uncertainty and risks.

During two panel discussions, participants addressed professional challenges during blackouts and ways to overcome them, solutions that allowed businesses to adapt and survive, the changing attitude towards female executives in extreme situations, cases for maintaining team productivity and personal resources, and planning for development and priority investment projects. Speakers shared their own experiences and gave advice to young women just starting their path in energy.

The event was moderated by Yaryna Skorokhod, Co-chair of the Energy Committee of the European Business Association, and Kateryna Ivanus, founder of the agency Kateryna Ivanus PR&media consulting.

Valerii Bezus and Ivan Grygoruk, vice presidents of Energy Club, addressed the forum participants with an introductory speech.

Managing in Chaos: How Women Maintain the Energy Sector During Blackouts

The first panel, “Facing the Challenge: Leadership on Fire. Crisis Management and Operational Resilience,” was dedicated to the crisis management experience of women who practically held the energy infrastructure together during the periods of the most massive attacks and blackouts.

The speakers shared personal stories about the most difficult professional challenges during the energy crisis, solutions that helped companies survive and teams remain productive under constant stress, and effective cases of handling colossal levels of responsibility.

• Iryna Beresnieva, General Director of Tolk Ukraine LLC, spoke about building a rapid response system in a business where every decision affects the stability of regions.
• Olga Babii, Advisor to the Head of the NSDC, member of the NEURC (2019–2024), shared her experience with regulatory decisions during peak moments of the energy crisis and how the state built balance in the market.
• Kateryna Ivanus, founder of Kateryna Ivanus PR&media consulting, focused on the role of crisis communications and how to build trust in the energy sector during the war.
• Tetiana Shutka, Director of Service and Development at Prykarpatenergotrade LLC, spoke about supporting clients in regions affected by shelling and the necessity of rapid service restoration.
• Kateryna Litvinko, Commercial Director of Phoenix Contact LLC, emphasized the importance of technological solutions that allowed companies to continue operations even during the hardest periods.
• Yulia Tolchinina-Burunska, Director of the Legal Department at PJSC “Ukrhydroenergo”, raised issues of legal liability, property risks, and rapid legal decision-making during the war.

Recovery Strategy and Green Transformation

The second panel discussion, “Architects of the Future: Recovery Strategies and the Green Transition,” was dedicated to energy recovery, long-term planning, investments, and attracting international partners. The focus was on the role of women in market transformation and the implementation of RES and energy storage projects.

From the speakers’ presentations, the event participants—representatives of Energy Club member companies, heads and top managers of energy, financial, legal, HR, and communication departments, employees of government structures and international organizations involved in energy system recovery, and experts in crisis management and human capital preservation—learned how to plan development in situations of uncertainty, what the role of women is in international negotiations and “energy diplomacy,” and which projects are becoming priorities today. Additionally, young specialists looking to build a career in the energy sector heard valuable advice from experienced colleagues.

• Mariia Prokhorchuk, Deputy Director for Electricity Market Issues at Eco-Optima Group of Companies, noted that investments in renewable energy cannot wait for the end of the war—the industry is developing in parallel with reconstruction.
• Iryna Dmytrotsa, Head of Operational and Regulatory Policy at Ukrainian Distribution Grids JSC, spoke about new business models for distribution system operators and the strategic role of BESS in grid resilience.
• Hanna Pazynych, Director of Epicentr Generation LLC, shared her experience in implementing large energy projects during active hostilities and the need for quick decisions in development.
• Krystyna Ian, Director of Energy Sales at ENERGO RESOURCE RI GROUP LLC, raised the topic of transforming the electricity supply market and new approaches to working with consumers amidst instability.
• Iryna Tsurkan, HRD of the EDS Engineering and Investment Group, emphasized the importance of human capital, talent retention, and personnel support under conditions of constant emotional and physical strain.

Female Leadership as the Foundation of Future Reconstruction

The forum demonstrated that women in the Ukrainian energy sector do not just hold their line—they shape the entire architecture of the state’s resilience, make strategic decisions, lead international negotiations, implement technological changes, and ensure the continuity of critical infrastructure operations.

Their stories proved that female leadership combines strategic thinking, the ability to adapt quickly, stress resistance, and empathy—qualities that are critically important for Ukraine’s energy security today.

The Energy Club forum testified: female leadership has become an integral part of the Ukrainian energy front, and the future of the industry is a time in which women shape new management standards, influence investment policy, create technological solutions, and participate in reconstruction. Their contribution is already becoming the foundation of the country’s resilience, modernization, and energy independence today.