03.12.2025
On December 10, the Energy Club Forum “THE ENERGY OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP: Women Holding Ukraine’s Energy Frontline” will gather leading female figures in the Ukrainian energy sector in Kyiv. They will discuss their contributions to the industry’s stability, development, and resilience during the war.
Krystyna Yan, Director of Energy Sales at ENERGO RESURS RI GROUP LLC, will be one of the forum’s key speakers. She will share her experience in managing electricity supply under conditions of deficit and blackouts. In an interview with the Energy Club media department, she discussed how to adapt business processes to wartime challenges, find reliable suppliers, maintain partnerships with clients even during crises, and what personal strategies help maintain emotional balance and avoid burnout under constant pressure.
Krystyna’s main message is clear: the energy sector is a sphere for strong people, where strength does not depend on gender. Now is the time to demonstrate that women can effectively hold the country’s energy front.
– Ms. Krystyna, the title of our forum is “Women Holding Ukraine’s Energy Frontline” Your sector of this front is energy sales and direct communication with consumers. How has the very essence of your work changed over the years of full-scale war? After all, “sales” now is often not about selling more energy, but about fairly distributing the deficit and retaining clients when resources are scarce.
– In reality, we never chased scale; we worked specifically on the quality of our portfolio and our ability to service it. Almost the entire activity of the company has taken place during the war, so the constant search for solutions and adaptation to new conditions became standard practice for us.
Regarding the deficit, naturally, this problem affected everyone. Consequently, the entire team performed colossal work with both suppliers and consumers.
First, the company’s strategy is built on long-term partnerships and strong relationships, so we paid a lot of attention to finding reliable and stable suppliers. The main criterion was not always the size of the discount from the Day-Ahead Market (DAM).
Second, the process of finding new sources was inevitable: that is how ENERGO RESURS RI GROUP became one of the first electricity importers, as well as a supplier with “active consumers” in its portfolio. By the way, regarding consumers, work is still ongoing here because planning is not our nation’s strongest suit. We are still fighting against inflated requests and a total reluctance among consumers, especially budget-funded ones, to forecast anything. But everything in combination yields results, so we are still in the market, and we continue to develop.
– You work directly with businesses whose survival often depends on the availability of electricity. Recalling the most difficult periods of blackouts: what was the hardest part of communicating with clients in those moments? How do you explain to a business that you cannot provide light right now, while still maintaining a partnership and trust?
– Every business leader is, first and foremost, a human being who always senses how they are being treated. We all live in the same conditions and understand the consequences of blackouts, so personally, consumers did not call us demanding light right this second. However, we always conveyed the information we had to them.
The most important thing is dialogue. And alternative options. As importers, we always offer consumers the option to avoid stabilization outages through imported electricity; we provide consultations and assist in obtaining information regarding technical feasibility. However, the most crucial thing is not to leave the consumer in an information vacuum—to stay in touch and objectively explain what is happening.
– Your position involves colossal pressure: you are between the “hammer” of energy system restrictions and the “anvil” of consumer demands. This requires extraordinary endurance. What helps you personally to “take the hit,” keep a cool head for decision-making in critical moments, and not burn out?
– I have three “pillars” on which my nervous system rests during the war.
The first is work itself. Despite all its complexity, it is what helps me not to drown in the terrible consequences of the war. There is simply no time to pity oneself, complain about fate, look at photos of destruction, or think about it at all. While people are recovering after another sleepless night, you already have to decide what to do about it, because 90% of strikes are on energy infrastructure. So you just mechanically get out of bed and go to the office. Every shelling becomes just another episode, without emotional engagement in the situation. For me, this is reality without expectations or hopes. I simply do what I can in the conditions I find myself in.
Of course, it is impossible to completely abstract from the terrible consequences of shelling, destruction, and the lost lives of our compatriots because I, like any person, feel pain: for our society, the losses, the ruined destinies. Work helps to dull this pain, at least a little, because in cooperation with the team, I feel useful to people.
The second “pillar” is the people around me. This includes the team, family, and close friends. The team and I are on the same wavelength, striving for the same result. We motivate each other. And in times when I am (and I happen to be…) at my limit, my family and loved ones always support me. I am very grateful to them because, without them, I definitely wouldn’t have coped.
And the third “pillar” is my hobby—ballroom dancing. This is what turns off the brain and “shakes out” all the tension. The harder the day, the more intense the training. It seems to me that I have never trained as much in my life as during the war. Although I have been familiar with dancing since childhood. Still, sports are the best way to fight stress. And ballroom dancing is not just about sports. It is partnership, aesthetics, and a reminder that you are a woman. They help maintain the work-life balance and prevent the loss of softness and emotionality.
– Today there is a lot of talk about decentralization and the “green transition” as a survival strategy. As a Sales Director, you see these processes from the demand side. Has the mentality of your business clients changed? Are they ready to invest in their own energy independence now, and how does this change your working model with them?
– Yes, of course, the situation in the country has changed both the views and the needs of the consumer. Currently, priority is placed not so much on price, but on availability and maximum continuity of electricity supply. We are increasingly receiving inquiries about whether we work with active consumers.
In addition, part of our consumers, including budget organizations, have also moved into the “active” category. Several others have obtained electricity supplier or producer licenses and are currently using our consulting services. On the one hand, this indeed speaks to the development of decentralization and the rapid growth of business energy independence. But on the other hand, this is a challenge for us as electricity suppliers, as it significantly complicates the process of balancing and forecasting.
As a rule, an active consumer, firstly, gives absolutely no generation forecasts. They do not quite understand how the system works as a whole. Secondly, the majority of active consumers use solar panels. This means a drop in consumption from the grid during the day and a sharp increase during the evening peak. At the same time, the surplus in daytime hours makes sales unprofitable. Given this, certain issues arise during procurement. Plus, all balancing lies with the supplier. Our “green” generation is developing much faster than the ability to store the electricity it generates. Therefore, the market is changing, and we are gradually reacting to these changes.
– We are meeting at the Energy Club forum in December 2025, at the beginning of another difficult winter. Why, in your opinion, is it critically important right now to gather women leaders of the industry together, and what is the main message you want to convey to colleagues and society with your speech?
– Indeed, another difficult and unpredictable winter awaits us. And although this is not our first time, it is important to highlight problem areas today. Given the circumstances and the fact that there are more of us in the energy sector, and our responsibility is growing, it is important for every female leader to know that she is not alone.
The world is changing, and standards are changing. Energy has ceased to be a purely male sphere. It is a sphere for strong people, and human strength does not depend on gender. And today is the perfect time to demonstrate this.
Форум “ЕНЕРГІЯ ЖІНОЧОГО ЛІДЕРСТВА: жінки, що тримають енергетичний фронт України”
