By Bettina Wunderle, SAP
February 24, 2024 marked a really somber anniversary: two years back, the Russian army invaded Ukraine. The ongoing war has taken the lives and health and fitness of hundreds of troopers and civilians and has brought limitless struggling to Ukrainians. The economy in the war-torn place is also massively impacted by the ongoing attacks.
Ganna Mikulytska, running director of SAP Ukraine, informed us about her team’s remarkable solidarity and its impressive efficiency despite particularly tricky circumstances. She also talked about how SAP supports the country’s recovery in this exclusive job interview.
Ganna, could you please give us an update about your workforce?
Ganna Mikulytska, handling director of SAP Ukraine.
SAP
We are 65 colleagues. Most are centered in Kyiv, a handful of men and women are scattered throughout the state, and some are performing from overseas. Six of them are mobilized, undertaking navy service. We are quite grateful to our heroes who protect our country. Two colleagues are at the real front line and we are intently checking them. 1 colleague was demobilized in January after two years of armed service provider. We are extremely pleased to have him back again and he started out doing the job right away.
Our business office in Kyiv at present carries on to be shut for stability causes. We all operate from household, but most of the crew users would enjoy to go again to the place of work. The deficiency of direct personal conversation hurts our social capabilities, but it is certainly not impacting our productiveness, as we try to be strong performers, with work currently being among the the elements that enable keep us going.
When the war commenced two a long time ago, we had to adapt, as no 1 can stay in continuous fear. Crisis administration is even now our basis. It is just that on top rated of it, we are now also establishing our business enterprise.
You took in excess of the job of MD of SAP Ukraine in July 2022. What has your practical experience been like the previous calendar year and a fifty percent?
For me individually, the previous 18 months had been a vertical studying curve. I arrived from the finance and banking business, and it took me a whilst to recognize the organization very well sufficient to help my crew. The good news is, they always backed me and I am incredibly grateful to them.
I am not only impressed by how committed my colleagues are to their professional tasks, but also how engaged they are in volunteering things to do in their cost-free time, like most Ukrainians. We at SAP Ukraine have 5 volunteers who travel CSR projects. With our allotted budget, we have supported six neighborhood NGOs in 2023. We wanted to diversify our aid to cover different requires, from caring for young children who misplaced their mom and dad, supporting girls in STEM, or assisting veterans who missing their limbs get prosthetics.
How can the staff focus on work amid alarms and bomb assaults?
There is sad to say however bombing in Kyiv and other main cities and there are continue to victims between civilians. Almost every single day we have air raid sirens since of rocket attacks, and we need to go to the bomb shelters and wait until finally the risk is over. These are largely outfitted with internet entry probably not so very good for video conferences, but at the very least for functioning this is enough.
Regretably, this is our enterprise as typical, but at least now we started out to make on that and continue on to develop. I are unable to remember any situation given that the begin of the war when a meeting was completely cancelled or when a task was not delivered simply because of air raids or electric power outages. It might have been postponed, but not cancelled. The operate morale in our crew is overwhelmingly very good.
Twelve months in the past, we were being extremely optimistic we believed in a victory on the navy front now we are extra reasonable, but we make the best out of it. We are rather considerably in organization progress manner, which may possibly seem peculiar, but daily life goes on. We have a significant team that is producing our worldwide merchandise and contributing to SAP’s accomplishment. This motivates us. Our limitation is the deficiency of abilities, for the reason that several are mobilized to the front line or have remaining the nation.
Operate has a beneficial impact on our mental health and fitness mainly because it distracts us from the war about us and presents us a little something meaningful to do, as revealed by a new HR study. Several workforce associates also use the option to participate in digital team sessions with a psychologist, arranged by way of an SAP Staff Aid Method.
When you fulfill in the morning, it is very widespread in Ukraine now to check with, “how was your night time?” or “are you all right to talk now?” — so getting conscious and caring for your mental wellness have become our reality. We also now have three “mental overall health very first aiders,” including myself, who have graduated from SAP’s Well being Administration method.
How are our buyers in Ukraine handling the tough condition? How can SAP help the country’s recovery?
Corporations in Ukraine are struggling with considerable difficulties thanks to the ongoing war. Quite a few organizations are grappling with disruptions to source chains as well as regulatory uncertainties. SAP is committed to supporting Ukraine’s restoration efforts. We delivered a charge waiver on our providers throughout 2022 and 2023 to all present prospects and associates from Ukraine – that corresponds to about €70 million help. We will also lengthen this provide into H1/2024.
Suitable at the beginning of the war SAP identified the area that necessary fast assistance: clinical procurement for the hospitals and other health care requirements. We promptly presented Professional medical Procurement of Ukraine (MPU) with SAP Ariba, our stellar procurement alternative. The agency deployed this solution exceptionally immediately. This designed procurement and shipping and delivery of medicines faster and far more successful.
It is extremely positive for our business enterprise that MPU is now passing on ideal practices to other point out establishments and thus accelerating Ukraine’s electronic transformation. This also has a major impact for SAP globally: MPU became an ambassador for SAP. Their industry experts held a keynote at the global Shell out Connect meeting last yr and we hope to have them speak all over again at Sapphire 2024.
At the Planet Financial Forum in Davos, Christian Klein satisfied with our Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov. They declared the donation of a sure number of S4/HANA licenses to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to assure that logistical procedures inside the ministry and Ukraine Armed Forces are up to the world’s criteria.
How is SAP assisting young people today obtain the abilities and community they need to be portion of Ukraine’s foreseeable future reconstruction and digitization?
I am quite optimistic regarding our young technology and SAP items. We started off to increase SAP skills in the current market by promoting instructional plans, as properly as by way of revamping our cooperation with superior-profile universities. In Oct past calendar year, SAP University Alliances introduced a 55-month-lengthy S/4HANA on the internet understanding program globally. About 25% of the 800 participants are Ukrainians, and they are the most lively team, the instructor told me.
We have also partnered with Junior Accomplishment (JA) Community in Ukraine. We invested in the reskilling of teenagers and vocational university pupils. We even brought a Ukrainian team to JA’s European Championship. One more job is the Social Impression Award that supports young social business people.
Thank you for your time. All the greatest to you and your staff.