“Synergy brings greater results than when each person contributes on their own,” Alyona Onishchenko, the Co-Chair of the ESG Hub
In recent years, more and more companies have adopted the ESG, and since the beginning of the full-scale war, this direction has taken on a whole new meaning to it. To follow the ESG principles means to be a socially responsible business that takes care of its staff, supports the community, and contributes to the shared victory.
“How is the ESG area changing both in Ukraine and globally? What are the advantages of a responsible business? How to choose among social projects and what to expect as regards sustainable development in the future?” — these were the questions we discussed in our interview with the members of the ESG Hub 2023 Committee Board.
Our first conversation was with Alyona Onishchenko, the Operations Lead of the “Breathe” Charity Fund and the Co-Chair of the European Business Association ESG Hub.
Alyona, please tell us a few words about yourself, your experience and expertise. How did you start dealing with the ESG, in the first place, and how long have you been doing it?
I have been immersed in the ESG area for a long time. As of today, I have almost 17 years of continuous work experience in the area. At the very beginning of my career, only Marketing, PR or HR Departments dealt with charity projects. Being a marketing professional, dealing with ESG initiatives was a part of my job. I was engaged in a number of charity and educational projects. We supported and patronized orphanages, arranged study programs for young doctors, and promoted ESG programs related to medicine. Later on, when I joined the Sayenko Kharenko Law Firm, our approach to the work became more systematized; we started elaborating long-term ESG and sustainable development strategies. In collaboration with the HR team, we implemented a number of projects that we are very proud of.
How do you come up with ideas for the projects? What does initiative planning start from?
We receive an immense number of inquiries. Some of them come from our clients and partners; some emerge while brainstorming in a team; and some we just adopt for ourselves, as they truly correspond to our goals and values. Moreover, we make observations on which areas lack support and join the collaboration with other funds or organizations.
A remarkable example for me is “The Power of Signature” Project that we implemented before the full-scale invasion. As the 15th Sayenko Kharenko Anniversary was approaching, we wanted to do something special that would make a real difference not only to our clients but to the whole country. We wanted it to be huge, and as we deal with documents and their signing, we had this idea to create a project on how signatures can influence the destiny of people, nations, and countries. And we did it! “The Power of Signature” Project turned out to be interesting to each and every Ukrainian population group: from pupils to seniors. People came to see the exhibition from far and wide, and we received only positive feedback from everyone. Later on, we scaled the project, created a website and elaborated the 3D format for the exhibition during the lockdown. After the first restrictions on travelling had been lifted, we even held an exhibition at the “Boryspil” Airport.
Please tell us about your work for the “Breathe” Charity Fund; how this fund is related to the Sayenko Kharenko Law Firm; and how much of your time this work occupies.
Partners of the Sayenko Kharenko Law Firm, Mykhailo Kharenko and Sergii Pohrebnoi, together with the Ukrainian businesspersons, Viacheslav Lysenko and Yurii Kryvosheia, created the “Breathe” Charity Fund in April 2020 when Ukraine, together with the whole world, faced a horrid challenge, namely the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund has somehow changed the format of its operation since February 2022; however, the area of healthcare remains its primary focus. Since the first days of the war, members of the Sayenko Kharenko staff have become fund volunteers helping to bring humanitarian aid, getting goods from warehouses and delivering them to hospitals, as well as actively engaging in all the processes. There was plenty of work to do. We collected inquiries from hospitals in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Kherson. We stood up united, and we all contributed to our common cause.
Given the firm has always worked on the most significant and complex projects, our workload quickly returned to the levels from before the war. Thus, I dedicate my own free time to work on the projects for the fund. However, when the things you do inspire and motivate you, when you are able to see the result of your efforts, it definitely gives you the strength and energy to contribute even more.
A New-Year Campaign, for which over 5.5 million hryvnias were collected, has become the fund’s recent success. Donations came from 17 different countries. Please tell us how you cooperate with international donors, where you encounter them, and why they help Ukraine.
Even before the war, we made a decision to join the Alternative Giving global movement and donated a part of our budget for the New Year celebration to a charity initiative the “New Year’s Miracle from SK”. In 2022, Sayenko Kharenko together with the “Breathe” Charity Fund continued its tradition for charity initiatives dedicated to holidays by launching the “Christmas Miracle during the War”. The firm has chosen two projects, which it supported itself and which it invited everyone to give their support to as well, namely the “Light for the Children” aimed to provide children with basic necessities for times of outages, like flashlights, power banks, reflectors for clothes, etc., and the “Wrap with Warmth” aimed at buying individual winter sets of things for the elderly.
We were pleasantly surprised by the number of foreign partners and clients willing to support us. With our joint efforts, we were able to raise over 5.5 million hryvnias. The smallest donation was 10 hryvnias and the largest was 80,000 US dollars donated by “Ameropa”, the international Swiss fertilizer and agribusiness trading and manufacturing company. Benefactors from 17 different countries joined the campaign, which has once again confirmed the fact that foreign partners are willing and ready to help Ukraine. Even before the campaign was closed, we had raised more funds than we anticipated, and therefore we were able to help more nursing homes for the elderly, as well as to extend the assistance provided to the children who suffered because of hostilities.
Alyona, you work, participate in volunteer activities, and hold the chair of the ESG Hub. How do you manage so many things at once, and where do you get resources needed to decompress?
I have had the best of luck, for I work in a company and team that support me immensely; and the fund is my vocation, the thing that motivates and inspires me. As regards the ESG Hub activities, our cooperation has long transformed into friendship, and our weekly Hub Board meetings, as well as our monthly community meetings, inspire and rejuvenate us. We do awesome things together. You evolve yourself, share your expertise with your colleagues, and exchange your experience. Can you even call it ‘a load’? For me, it is a kind of rest, as well as the opportunity to talk about things I am fond of. Besides, I have two dogs, and when I feel completely exhausted — like when my ‘inner’ battery is low — I take them for a walk in the woods with me, and in a few hours of spending time outdoors my energy is fully regenerated!
How do you manage challenges and problems?
The only thing that can upset me a little is when you do something that matters for the country, as well as try to help people who need it the most, but instead of some gratitude, you receive complaints. And it surprises me still. Fortunately, such situations rarely occur. However, when it happens, I cannot but feel distressed. Moreover, luckily, our volunteering community is utterly consolidated, and everyone is willing to help each other. If I lack expertise or experience in a certain area, I am always welcome to contact my colleagues from other funds, talk to them and get all the information I need. Due to the fact that everyone is so helpful, we are able to solve issues efficiently.
Alyona, what tendencies do you currently observe as regards ESG? What is it that businesses are currently in need of, and what should they pay attention to?
We have held many meetings within the ESG Hub. A significant change led to the fact that companies started considering ESG conscientiously. Companies do a lot for their staff; they help the country and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The importance of social responsibility has increased immensely, and ESG projects moved to a new and conscientious level.
I fully understand that after the war there will also be a separate focus on the environment. That is why we are bringing environmental topics up for discussion in 2023. Once we win the war, there will be many projects focused on the environmental restoration of Ukraine, in which businesses have to partake.
Is there anything you would like to wish for our audience?
I take great inspiration in seeing how everyone stood up united as one and started to implement truly impressive projects together. I wish that, after our victory comes, we will carry on with this cooperative culture, for we are able to do a lot more when we are united! And, of course, I wish for us to win the war!
Glory to Ukraine!
