Team

Founding Dean and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lviv Business School at the UCU, Vice Rector for implementation of UCU strategy at the Ukrainian Catholic University.

Her areas of expertise are Organizational Behavior and Learning Organizations, Organization Development, Entrepreneurship.

Background:

Sophia Opatska received her education from Ivan Franko University in Lviv, a degree in International Economic Relations, and defended her thesis work in Management and Human Capital Development, a member of the Board of Directors of European Federation of Catholic Universities (FUCE). She studied at Executive Education programs the University of Michigan Business School (USA), IEDC- Bled School of Management (Slovenia), China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and had on-the- job training at InnoSpace Company (Denmark) and at the Warsaw School of Economics (Poland). In 2017, she was on a semester fellowship at Nanovic Institute of European Studies, University of Notre Dame (USA). Sophia Opatska is a founder and supervisor of the Global Shapers project in Lviv and an Advisory Board member at the Emaus Center. 

Work Experience:

From 2001 to 2004 she held the position of the MBA Program Director at the Lviv Institute of Management. From 2004 to 2007 Ms. Opatska worked as MBA Director at Kyiv Mohyla Business School (kmbs). In 2007 she worked on building the personnel development and training system for Concern Galnaftogaz OJSC. She is Founding Dean of Lviv Business School at the Ukrainian Catholic University, which she had been leading for 10 years. From 2016 Sophia is Vice Rector Academic Affairs at the Ukrainian Catholic University and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of LvBS.

Career history:

Her areas of expertise are Organizational Behavior and Learning Organizations, Organization Development, Entrepreneurship. Sophia is a contributor to a number of cases on above topics in the context of Central and Eastern Europe and specifically Ukraine which is still overcomming its post communist past. Her focus at work is – creation of Entrepreneurial University and ecosystem around it.

Master in Management in Foreign Economic Activity of Companies at Lviv National Polytechnic University. Studied economics at the University of Coventry (UK). Experience in project management in ‘Nordpraktik’ program (Stockholm, Sweden). After that – initiated several successful projects in Ukraine, including franchising projects. 15 years of practical experience in business, including management and development of family business, launching and management of start-ups. Representation of foreign companies interests in Ukraine.

Master in International Economics of Kyiv National Economic University, LLM in Intellectual Property of Turin University. Trained in WIPO (World Intellectual Property
Organization). For two years has worked at the State Department of Intellectual Property. Participated in the work over the project of development and implementation of the Competitiveness Strategy of Lviv by 2015 as a part of the Effective Management Foundation team. Has been working in Lviv Business School of UCU since 2012, was
engaged in various projects: organizing Intro conferences, publishing book translations, developing and conducting training programs, launching LvBS intellectual centers – for family business and business design, etc. Since the beginning of 2017, in the position of a Director for Development , has been in charge of marketing, international partnerships, alumni network development, development projects, LvBS intellectual centers and activities in other cities. She also teaches business design at the MS in Innovations and Entrepreneurship program.

17 years of experience in finance and accounting. Skilled in financial planning of organization activity, optimization of company taxation, and financial accounting. Holds a degree in ‘Finances’ of Lviv Polytechnic National University.

Oksana holds a position of Director of Kyiv Center of UCU since May 2016.  Prior to taking up this post, she was Executive Director of Yalta European Strategy and headed the Department of Educational Programs at the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. In 2008 – 2013, Ms. Kulakovska was Director of Executive MBA Program and Deputy Director of Lviv Business School at the Ukrainian Catholic University. Among her achievements, there is development and implementation of partnership development program between leading business schools of the USA, Poland, and over 40 higher educational establishments offering business education in Ukraine within the framework of the Consortium for Enhancement of Ukrainian Management Education, CEUME, Kyiv. Oksana has developed ideology and implementation of the first post-diploma studies (PDS) in Ukraine, arranged over 25 international study tours into 7 countries of the world for heads of leading Ukrainian companies and universities. A native of Lviv, Ms. Kulakovska received comprehensive training in Business Administration, Strategic and Marketing Planning in Lviv Institute of Management, Warsaw School of Economics, University of Minnesota, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, CEU Business School. 

Received a specialist diploma in Tourism Management. Graduated from postgraduate studies at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin majoring in Human Resources Management. Has worked in the Training and Development department in IT company for 5 years. She is a member of a non-government organization since 2014, and coordinating the all-Ukrainian charity action “St. Nicholas won’t forget about you”. Participated in the international youth educational projects and programs, such as EU program “Youth in Action” and ERASMUS + in Poland, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. At the moment, is the Academic Director of LvBS.

Halyna holds an MBA from Lviv Institute of Management. She has been working as a marketing professional for over 15 years. Halyna created and developed the dairy brand Galychyna. She also worked with the following brands: Lvivske (beer), Ljubljana, Bandinelli, and others. Halyna is the co-founder of the MATE marketing agency, which deals with the strategic development of brands. She is the Head of Marketing, PR, and Sales at Lviv Business School of UCU (LvBS).

Nataliia holds an MA in French Philology and MA in Economics from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She also graduated from KMBS and MIM programs in marketing and finance. Nataliia gained 15 years of practical experience in Ukrainian and international companies. She worked as a Marketing Director at Concern Galnaftogaz, L’OREAL, Egis, and Lafarge. Moreover, she was in private consulting in strategic marketing and business development for 7 years. Before joining the LvBS team, Nataliia spent 3 years in the private education sector: she developed the concept of an international bilingual school, created and tested innovative career guidance programs, and trained teachers.

Nataliia studied at the program “Fundamentals of designing the educational experience” (School of Education), as well as delivered lectures on communications and HR marketing.

Professor in Leadership, HR&OD, CEO of UCU Center for Leadership. Andriy Rozhdestvenskyy served as a profiler and analyst in Israel’s security service, where he specialized in counter-terrorism matters, including special communications and negotiations. Later he became HR Business Partner-Retail at Oschadbank with subsequent promotion to Head of Personnel and Training in the bank (35,000 employees). Rozhdestvenskyy adjusted classical sales techniques to the bank’s needs and then started tailoring training programs to suit the needs of other areas of business (telecommunications, IT industry, agriculture etc.). As a result, he started his own business – a consulting company with emphasis on developing and tailoring personnel training systems for specific businesses.

Andriy provides assistance to organizations specializing in childhood cancer and alcohol and drug rehabilitation. He is a member of the movement “Change Ukraine – Start with Yourself” and organizer of the Everest 2025 project. Mr. Rozhdestvenskyy received a higher education degree in Psychology from the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, did his post graduate studies at the G.S. Kostiuk Institute of Psychology in Kyiv and successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis. He also successfully completed Anna Vlasova’s HRM School.

Executive Director of the UCU Center for Entrepreneurship.

Master of International Economic Relations at Ivan Franko National University in Lviv. He worked as the Director of Corporate Clients Department in the insurance company “Universalna”, Director of the company “Terrin”, which developed, launched and managed a network of restaurants “A la minute”, “Pasta Mia” and “Hot Café” sales points for the network of filling stations “OKKO”. Later he worked as the Development Director of the company “Galnaftogaz”. Mr. Petrenko worked as a consultant in shopping, entertainment and restaurant business for several years.

Master of Business Administration at Lviv Business School of UCU (LvBS), graduated from the Key Executive MBA Program.

His hobbies include travelling, skiing and diving. Motorcycle is a favorite transport.

Master’s degree in Accounting and Auditing, Lviv Commercial Academy. More than 8 years experience in the field of sales. Participation in the organization of international trips and conferences. Worked in the field of hospitality and tourism for lengthy period.

Loves to travel in her free time.

She graduated from the Faculty of Geography at Ivan Franko Lviv National University (LNU). She studied the MA at Non-profit Management Program at the Institute of Leadership and Management of Ukrainian Catholic University ILM (UCU). She coordinates the activity and development of Lviv Family Hub.

She has seven years’ work experience in an international company’s sales department in the FMCG sphere; she gained experience in creating and implementing a new project in the Western region of Ukraine. She worked in the Marketing Department team, and she was the Head of Development at Raphael Pilgrimage Centre of Lviv Archdiocese of UGCC. She gained experience in strategic planning, writing and implementing projects; among them, educational courses for youth at the Patriarchal Commission on Youth Affairs (PCoYA) of UGCC. She participated in LvBS
corporate program “Building an Effective Organization” for PCoYA of UGCC. She works in a team of people who organize Viter Nadii – the All-Ukrainian Youth Festival.

Here at Lviv Business School of UCU, she works as the Manager of the Alumni Association and the LvBS Community.

Master of Journalism at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She has 10 years of journalistic experience, began work on the third year of study at TRC «RAZOM», worked for 7 years at the information agency «ZIK», more than 2 years later – at the information agency «Vgolos». She was trained on radio «Independence» and «Radio Eco», as well as in the educational edition of the Armed Forces of Austria «Truppendienst».
At the Lviv Business School is responsible for promotion of master’s programs, partner cooperation, event organization and content filling.

Yuliia holds an MA in Administrative Justice from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She has experience in corporate law providing support to foreign businesses in Ukraine. Yuliia is a member of the Ukrainian Bar Association.

She completed the online program “Design thinking for business innovations” of Darden School of the Business University of Virginia. Yuliia worked as a freelancer in the domain of illustrations, visual design, and brand promotion. She was working as a journalist for an NGO for one year.

Yuliia was a team member of the Ukrainian coworking network Coworking Platforma: she dealt with the operational processes of the location in Lviv. Then Yuliia became responsible for marketing, PR, and the organization of local events at Futura.

She has been volunteering for the “Ukrainian Volunteer Service” NGO for 4 years.

Yuliia works as a Marketing Team Lead and Digital Marketing Manager at LvBS.

In the meantime, she paints abstractions in oil, likes product design and Transcarpathia.

Vladyslav studied at the Master’s Program in Media Communications of UCU, participated in the Erasmus+ international program, and was a member of the team working on rebranding, creation of branded clothes, and production of the commercial for the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Center.

He also was the executive producer on Radio 412 for the 2019–2020 season. Before joining the LvBS team, Vladyslav worked in the Black Impala creative video production studio and SICK agency.

Anastasiia is currently studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at the Ukrainian Catholic University.

She has been working in SMM for nearly 3 years. Anastasiia provided information support for the following events: TEDxUCU, Career Forum, Place of Opportunities, etc.

Moreover, she worked in sociological agencies and conducted a bunch of studies (sampling, surveys, and data analysis). Anastasiia has experience in conducting in-depth interviews.

In her spare time, she likes traveling, painting pictures by numbers, and watching old favorite movies.

Khrystyna holds a BA in Sociology from the Ukrainian Catholic University. Within the framework of her diploma project, she conducted research on the topic “Formation and functioning of public spaces”. In 2018, Khrystyna studied at the pre-acceleration program of the UCU Center for Entrepreneurship.

Moreover, she actively works for NGOs:

•         2015–2017 — a member of the “Young Leaders of Ukraine” NGO, where she worked in the “Open Youth Forum 2016” organization team and was involved in writing grants and project management.
•         since 2017 — a member of “Your Space” NGO. Khrystyna is a manager of the “Collider of Changes” leadership school. She took part in the creation of the “Art Yard” performance and event platform. Khrystyna writes grant projects in the domains of culture, education, and urban planning for the NGO.

She was working in a sociological agency and conducted researches on politics, tourism, family business, and IT.

In 2019–2020, Khrystyna organized events at the Center for Entrepreneurship and coordinated Executive Education programs at Lviv Business School. In March 2021, she was promoted to Training and Development Manager. Now Khrystyna helps participants to choose the program according to their needs and expectations.

In the meantime, she likes cycling, psychology, and delicious food.

Candidate of Economic Sciences in the field of the World Economy and International Economic Relations. Taught courses on Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Competition State Policy and Public Procurement at Lviv Polytechnic National University. Has experience in teaching English, including English for banking. In 2012-2013 did an internship at the Economic Policy Committee and Committee on Finance and Banking at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Participant of Ukrainian and international conferences and trainings.

Learning Master’s degree in Management of Foreign Trade and Customs in Lviv Polytechnic National University. Did an internship in leading agriculture company Lely International N.V. in Netherlands and worked in small IT companies in sales. Participated in organization of English camps for students and finished courses on social entrepreneurship. In LvBS she is a program coordinator of HRM in Business and MA in Human Resources and Organization Development.

Got a Master’s degree in Turkish Language and Literature and Translation at  Kyiv National  Taras Shevchenko University. In 2015-2018  headed the Kyiv Branch of the Association of Ukrainian Catholic Students “Obnova”. Has repeatedly been a co-organizer of youth events in the UGCC Kyiv Archeparchy. Studied abroad and had experience in sales, education and translation work.

In spare time, dances lindy-hop, travels, hikes in the mountains and  goes in for swimming.

Executive education program manager of LvBS.

Larysa holds a Specialist Degree in International Economic Relations from Lviv Academy of Commerce. She defended her Ph.D. thesis in Economics, Organization, and Enterprises Management. During her career, Larysa worked on marketing and management of educational projects, as well as the provision of specialized education for marketing professionals.

She taught marketing disciplines at Lviv University of Trade and Economics. Larysa was working in the marketing team of the private educational institution network Ecoland for over five years. She has experience in organizing educational activities and projects for children and teenagers. Her main professional interests include service marketing, consumer behavior, branding, as well as education and development issues for children and adults.

Larysa is a Manager of the Academic Department at LvBS. She is responsible for marketing programs, content management, and collaboration with lecturers of the courses.

Oksana worked in the public administration sector and banking system as an Economist, an Auditor, as well as a Head of Department and Branch of a bank. She has been teaching economics and management at Lviv State University of Life Safety since 2009.

Oksana holds a degree in Accounting and Auditing from Lviv Academy of Commerce. She defended a Ph.D. thesis in the Development of Productive Forces and Regional Economy and a Ph.D. thesis in Pedagogy. In 2020, Oksana had an internship within the scope of the Kirkland Research Program of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland.

Bohdan is studying for his Master’s degree (Master in History) at Ukrainian Catholic University. During his studies at UCU, he was an active member of students’ organizations. He took part in organizing such events as Velykden Razom (Easter Together), St. Nicholas Day Charity Auction, Studentska Pokrova (Students’ Intercession) of UCU Students’ Brotherhood. He has some experience in writing analytical articles; he is the member of ‘Prosto Dumka’ analytical group. Executive education program manager of LvBS.

Daryna fell in love with Odesa while studying for a Master’s Degree in law at the National University “Odesa Law Academy.”

She started working with students from the first days in her Alma Mater. Daryna organized scholarly conferences and did her best to ensure students have the most interesting leisure activities. She was a corporate and bank lawyer for 3 years.

Daryna is a Customer Experience Manager at LvBS.

She is driven by a love for travel. Paris is her place of power. She dreams of a journey across South America — lfrom the Panama Canal to Ushuaia.

Daryna likes reading and is eager to broaden her horizons. Her top must-read books include “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand, “Becoming” by Michelle Obama, and “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez.

Natalia holds a Specialist Degree in Finance from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She was in the hospitality industry for 10 years and went from a waiter to a restaurant manager. Natalia was a catering manager for 3 years. She collaborated with the social project “My father protects Ukraine” and helped to organize meals for the wards of the fund.

Natalia deals with the program MA in Human Resources and Organization Development and Executive Education program HRM in Business at LvBS.

In 2011, Marta received a Specialist Degree in English Language and Literature from the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She worked as a translator at several companies. In 2012, Marta started working as a translator and a specialist in the organization of general aviation operations at Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport.

In her spare time, she travels and is fond of swimming, skiing, and music.

Marta is a Manager of the Master’s program in Marketing at LvBS.

In 2016, Olena graduated from Ukrainian National Forestry University with a Bachelor’s Degree. She received a TESOL Certificate and worked as an English teacher for nearly two years. She also finished an online course in SMM.

In 2018–2019, Olena lived in China, where she organized movie nights for the community of Ukrainians in Shanghai. She also assisted the Red Shanghai community in organizing stand-up events.

Being an animal-lover, she worked at the Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr. Olena promotes a zero-waste lifestyle too. Her hobbies are traveling, learning and yoga.

Olena deals with the Master’s program in Marketing, as well as Executive Education programs at LvBS.

Olena holds an MA in Enterprise Finance from Lviv Polytechnic National University. She worked in the banking sector. In particular, Olena took an active part in creating an in-house training center at Volksbank, as well as conducted internal training in customer service.

She enjoys water activities in summer (in particular, kite surfing) and skiing in winter.

Natalia Reshetova is a Doctor Europaeus of Philosophy. She was awarded Cum Laude for her European Ph.D. thesis “Satisfaction with Democracy in Ukraine from 2005 until 2011” from the University of Deusto (Spain) in 2015. In 2016–2017, Natalia was a postdoctoral researcher at GESIS — Leibniz Institute for Social Science in Cologne, Germany. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Melbourne in 2019. Natalia researched the impact of the Ukrainian language on the satisfaction with democracy in Ukraine at the School of Social and Political Sciences.

She was working at the International Research Project Office (IRPO) at the University of Deusto, supporting the internationalization of research. Natalia started working at Ukrainian Catholic University as an Erasmus+ KA2 Project Manager at the International Academic Relations Office in 2020 and continued her career as an International Academic Project and Partnership Manager at Lviv Business School of UCU.

Natalia holds an MA in International Relations & Translation Interpretation (with honors) from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, an MA in Public Policy from the University of Deusto (Spain), and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Relations (Spain). She was teaching quantitative methods for staff and students in English and Spanish at the University of Deusto.

Her areas of expertise are international cooperation and intercultural awareness. Furthermore, her fields of interest are political science, democratic performance, social values, statistic analysis, and ethnolinguistic factors. Natalia has advanced proficiency in English and Spanish languages

Master of Innovative activities Management of National University of Water Management and Natural Resources Use (National University of Water and Environmental Engineering – на сайті) and Master of Psychology, Rivne State Humanities University. Worked as a marketing manager and HR Marketing Specialist in IT company. Have 5 years of pedagogical experience with children. Participated in international environmental and educational projects and ERASMUS + programs in France.

Iryna holds a degree in International Relations from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. After graduation, she did an internship at the International Relations Committee of Lviv Regional State Administration (regional government) and as Assistant Director of the Main Economic Department.

Olena holds a Specialist Degree in Management of Organizations from Lviv Polytechnic National University and a BA in Organization of Service in Hotels and Tourist Complexes from Western Ukrainian Collegium.

She gained experience in London and was an intern at hotels and travel agencies in Lviv. She worked as an Office Manager, an Assistant Director, and later on as a Commercial Department Manager at a Danish textile enterprise in Lviv. 

Olena is an Administrative Manager at LvBS. She is responsible for all organizational and business processes of our office.

Hobbies: traveling, mountains, skiing, cooking

Specialist in Finance at the Institute of Post-Graduate Education and Pre-University Education of Ivan Franko National University in Lviv. She has 17 years of experience in finance and accounting. Worked as an accountant and chief accountant. Participated in the transformation processes of the companies. Studied at the Program of International Certification of Professional Accountants САР/СІРА.

Graduated from the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”, specialty – management in production, is a qualified engineer-economist. Experienced accountant for 13 years.

Master of Political Science at Ivan Franko National University in Lviv.

For more than 5 years Solomiya worked in the non-governmental sector, where she gained experience in project management and organization of training programs and large-scale conferences, as well as cooperation with international organizations (European Commission, UN, USAID, BST, etc.).

Solomiya is still actively involved in the implementation of reforms, as she is the Coordinator of the NGO “Centre UA” in Lviv.

At the Lviv Business School Solomiya is a Manager of Business Design Center and Family Business Center, coordinates research on Ukrainian companies and organize events.

Has a ten-year experience in television journalism and online media. Before LvBS worked at the Lviv media hub Tvoemisto.tv as the Advertising Department Coordinator and organizer of the Discussion Platform. Master of Journalism at Ivan Franko National University in Lviv.

At the Center for Entrepreneurship Oksana is responsible for promoting, content filling and organizing events.

Halyna holds an MA in Management of Organizations from Lviv Polytechnic National University. She was working at the international company Nestle Business Services Lviv for over 4 years. During this time, Halyna gained experience in project and team management, process setup, implementing department performance indicators, and conducting internal company audits. She has successfully implemented and established an effective system of cooperation with international clients and partners of the company on 15 world markets. Halyna has experience in organizing events, workshops, and training programs with foreign experts and international participants.

Halyna is working on the development of LvBS Consulting direction at Lviv Business School of UCU. It is designed to provide comprehensive practical support to clients’ businesses by involving a wide range of specialists and experts from LvBS and UCU.