Ukrainian Business Forum 2019

Neel Haria is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accounts and brings with him a myriad of experience spanning over 15 years across a multitude of industry sectors globally. His earlier years have been within auditing and include Grant Thorton and Ferguson Maidment & Co. Neel entered the commerce and industry field in 2012 following his move to Mauritius and joined Amergeris Wealth Management Group AG in 2016 where he is responsible for finance and securitisation structures. Neel is a director at AAFS Securitisations SA and prior to Amergeris he ran the finance function for the securities division of African Alliance a large Pan-African investment bank. He brings with him strong knowledge on international financial markets and its funding structures.

Ihor is a Partner at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang Ukraine and Head of Finance Practice in the Kyiv Office. He specialises in a broad range of finance, banking and investment projects and transactions, as well as corporate governance, corporate reorganisations and financial regulation, compliance and tax matters. Recognised as a leading banking & finance specialist in Ukraine, Ihor has a particular focus on complex international finance transactions, including acquisition finance and project finance in the energy and natural resources sectors, M&A in the banking and financial services sectors, debt restructuring and insolvency, tax aspects of finance transactions and corporate reorganisations, asset management, and aircraft finance.

Ihor is the Co-Chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce and the Board Member of the Banking & Finance Committee of Ukrainian Bar Association. He is a recommended lawyer by the Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and Best Lawyers for his extensive expertise in banking regulatory mandates and banking M&A transactions. Clients highlight his “outstanding technical skills and excellent relationships with clients.”

Tetiana Gryn is a senior associate in Dentons’ Kyiv office. She is a member of the Firm’s Tax Group. Tetiana focuses on tax advisory, tax litigation, tax reporting in commercial, banking, energy, trade, FMCG sectors, including indirect taxes, CIT, WHT, transfer pricing and tax preferences under DTTs. She was involved in a wide range of transactions in the field of customs, tax, financial law, including investment planning, tax and corporate restructuring of multinational companies, tax advisory of global multinational and large Ukrainian companies. Also Tetiana possesses significant experience in advising on various aspects of International Trade, analysis of efficient distribution structures, supply chains.

Christodoulos Damianour is  is a Director of International Tax and Executive Director at Eurofast and he specialises in international tax structuring and planning, including real estate structuring. He has over 25 years of working experience in tax consulting, working with local as well as multinational companies.

He is also a member of a number of international trade associations and a Board Member of some house-hold name companies. Chris is the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Montenegro in Cyprus. He has also conducted over 200 presentations on International Tax Planning, Accounting and Management Consulting in conferences and meetings all over the world.

Bojana is a Investment & Immigration Consultant at Eurofast and she specializes in business development, project management and marketng strategies with 7+ years of a work in an internatonal environment. Previously in her career Bojana worked for a renovated investor and several internatonal companies. Besides that, Bojana is founder of Organizaton of Montenegrins Studying Abroad and Foundaton for Destnaton Promoton.

Bojana holds a Bachelor degree in Law from University of Donja Gorica with specializaton in Business & Tax Law. She has as well atended educatonal programs in Europe and Asia. During her careers she received recogniton from Amnesty Internatonal for her work and commitment and was chosen as one of 26 top youth leaders and delegates in front of Telenor Group and Nobel Peace Price Center.

Bojana is a regular lecturer and speaker on a various destnaton promoton, youth leadership and marketng subjects and is voluntarily mentoring UNICEF’s Innovaton Lab.

Practicing since 1995. Recognized expert in the area of Intellectual Property in Ukraine.

Recognition: Recognized as one of the best experts in the field of intellectual property in Ukraine by international and national ratings including Legal 500 EMEA, World Trademark Review 1000, IP Stars, Ukrainian Law Firms. A Handbook for foreign clients.

Membership: International Trademark Association (INTA). Ukrainian Association of Patent Attorneys.

Education: Kyiv National Technical University, Master of Sciences (with honors); Kharkiv National Technical University, Manager of Intellectual Property; Academy of Advocacy of Ukraine, Master of Laws.

Kateryna Kotova is a Sales and Marketing manager of Leptos Estates representative office in Ukraine, a leader in land and building development, tourism, health care, education and immigration services in Cyprus and Greek islands. Kateryna has over ten years of experience in real estate, business development, construction, investments, financial advisory and EU Citizenship by investment in real estate.

Kateryna holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Finance from the London School of Economics, London, the UK. She has experience in the EU and Ukraine and provides consultation on citizenship and fund investments in real estate in Cyprus and Greece. Kateryna’s goal is to find the most optimal and profitable way for the clients and partners in order to obtain the maximum return from their investment and property acquisition, while they receive hassle free Citizenship.

Panagiotis Panagiotou is a business development manager in Ukraine and the CIS countries at Leptos Estates. The company is a leader in the real estate construction market, and also provides a wide range of tourist, medical, educational and immigration services in Cyprus and the Greek islands.

Panagiotis has more than 13 years of experience in construction, real estate, investment, consulting and EU citizenship through real estate investments.

Panagiotis has a master’s degree in “Commercial and Labor Law” in the International Academy of Personnel, as well as a master’s degree in Kiev National University of Construction and Architecture.

For 8 years Panagiotis headed the Visa Consular Department of the Republic of Cyprus in Kiev, and also spent 5 years in private practice in providing services in the field of selection of foreign real estate, financial and investment advisory, tourism, education and health care abroad.

Born in Port-Louis, Mauritius, Australian citizen, Johel has a Masters Diploma in Banking & Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Business specializing in Accounting from Victoria University of Technology, Australia.

With over 20 years’ experience, Johel has been involved with IP/patents at Lee Cooper, experience in manufacturing/Oil sector, airline industry, accounting firms both in Luxembourg and Australia before creating his own company Synergy Management Luxembourg. He has managed accounting of private equity companies, family office (incl. real estate), soparfi, special purpose vehicles in Luxembourg (SICAR) and other commercial companies.

Johel is fluent in French and English.

Kerstin Ancilleri is a banking and investment expert with nine years in Global Private Banking (at Bank of Valletta International) and nine years in Portfolio Management under the belt. Currently, Kerstin is Director of MRVP at investment company EXANTE. During her three years at the firm, she has created countless partnerships and a successful investment immigration product. Her business ideas translated in EXANTE’s solution for applicants to Malta Residency by Investment Programme (MRVP). EXANTE helps HNWI across the globe expand their horizons and invest into one of the most dynamic EU economies.

Elena has been practicing law since 1999, mainly in field of foreign economic activity, investment consulting, tax planning and asset protection, resolving disputes with state authorities and disputes between business entities. She specializes in holding structures, tax and corporate planning issues (including international ones), M&A deals structuring and preparing business for sale, fund raising and confidential ownership of assets, interaction with Ukrainian and international banks, disputes with tax and customs authorities. Elena is certified asset management specialist and speaker of numerous seminars on foreign economic activity and work with non-resident companies.

Elena’s portfolio of projects includes work for clients from various industries (IT, telecommunications, retail, agribusiness, engineering, construction, financial institutions, light industry).

At LAW GUIDE, Elena oversees practices: International Business, Taxes and Finance, Dispute Resolution.

Denys Siyushov is Senior Associate, Tax and Private Clients at Arzinger Law Office, Ukraine.

He is Head of private client practice.

Specialization: tax law, support of business restructuring, sanctions, structuring of personal assets in Ukraine and abroad, trusts, inheritance law.

Denys has considerable experience in supporting pharmaceutical companies in restructuring business in Ukraine.

Alexander Andreev is Director of Development for AC-Business Experts DMCC.

He graduated from the Odessa National Polytechnic University with a degree in accounting and auditing.
Alexander worked in senior positions in the banking sector in Ukraine. In 2014 he was appointed Commercial Director at Alpha Conculting Ltd, Seychelles.

Alexander is expert in tax planning and creating business strategies for the protection and management of assets. He also specializes in the development and implementation of business models using foreign jurisdictions.

Alexander has following certificates:

Certificate in Value Added Tax (VAT) Essentials, UAE;
Certificate in AML CFT and Compliance Workshop, UAE;
ICSA, International Finance and Administration

Citizenship and Residency Advisor, (London) – Savva & Associates Ltd.

Alexandra Kenna is a Citizenship and Residency Advisor, with Savva & Associates Ltd., and is based in London.

Alexandra advises HNWIs, law firms, family offices, private banks, tax and accounting firms, partners and collaborators from the UK, Former Soviet Union, Middle East and Asia on the Cyprus Investment Programme and the Cyprus Permanent Residency Programme.

Alexandra was raised in St Petersburg, Russia and educated at St. Petersburg University, and she has lived in the UK since 1992. She frequently delivers presentations at many international conferences, forums and events around the globe.

She is a native Russian and English speaker.

Vadym is a senior attorney with the Attorneys Association “PwC Legal” (Ukraine). He has more than 6 years of professional experience advising clients on various legal and regulatory issues.

He has broad experience in complex assignments related to comprehensive legal support of M&A, corporate restructuring, and banking and finance projects (with a particular focus on currency control regulations in Ukraine).

Vadym was involved in provision of services to such reputable clients as Amway Ukraine, Google Inc., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Japan Tobacco Inc., LG Electronics, Oriflame Cosmetics Ukraine, Oschadbank, P&G, Toshiba Corporation, Winner Imports Ukraine, Wizz Air Ukraine, etc.

He is also experienced in projects related to Ukrainian public sector reforms advising Ukrainian state authorities and working alongside with IFIs (World Bank, EBRD, IMF).

Drazen is a qualified lawyer, holding the French “Certificat d’Aptitude à la Profession d’Avocat” (2003) and has been admitted to the Paris Bar (2005). After obtaining his post-graduate degree in Business Law and Taxation from the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis (2001), his Master’s Degree in Tax Law from the University of Burgundy (2002) and his Master’s Degree in European Tax Law from the Ecole Supérieure de Sciences Fiscales in Brussels (2002), Drazen went on to graduate from the ESSEC Business School in Paris, with a Master’s Degree in International Business Law and Management (2005). Finally, in 2015, he obtained his S.T.E.P. Certificate in International Trust Management from S.T.E.P. Geneva.

Drazen has gained an extensive experience in both corporate and personal taxation working with some of the most prestigious international law firms. He began his career as a tax lawyer with KPMG in Paris, where he advised multinational companies and private equity funds on the tax aspects of cross border acquisitions, financings and restructurings. He then joined Gide Loyrette Nouel, where he was providing tax advices to private clients but also being involved in some of the biggest French mergers and acquisitions deals (including LBOs, spin-offs, split-ups etc.). In 2008, Drazen joined Anglo-American law firm DLA Piper in Vienna, where he advised international corporate and private clients on the tax aspects of their investments in Central and Eastern Europe. He joined Reyl Private Bank in 2014, where he’s in charge of wealth and tax planning.

Drazen is the author of several articles, press releases and TV interviews in specialized medias such as Doing Business, Agefi, Le temps, Investir.ch, Denaris and Finews. He’s a member of the ESSEC Alumni Association, affiliated with the Society of Trust and Estate Professionals in Geneva and lecturer of international tax law in Zagreb School of Management (Croatia).

This academic excellence and impressive professional track record enables Drazen to provide creative and valuable advice regarding personal holding companies, trusts and estates and international tax planning for personal and corporate investments. Drazen is praised for his pragmatic and straightforward approach, intellectual flexibility and entrepreneurial mind set. Drazen is fluent in French, English and Croatian.

Dmitriy’s professional activity started in 1995 with background in law and economics with successful realization in the areas of tax, contract law, investment activity, finances and securities. In 2005 Dmitry Mikhailenko launched his own tax practice which successfully developed into a law firm OMP Tax&Legal, later renamed to Crowe LF Ukraine, member of Crowe Global (2017). Dmitry Mikhailenko is known as an all-round lawyer with thinking outside the box. He is author of several draft laws on tax issues, 5 books, more than 500 publications, a speaker of more than 500 conferences and other events on professional issues.

Dmitry actively participate in the work of public councils of the Ministry of Finance, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Tax and Customs Policy, he is President of Association of Tax Advisors, the Chairman of the tax committee at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and advisor to the IT Committee of the European Business Association.

Stella Strati is a Partner with the Corporate, Banking & Finance Department of Patrikios Pavlou & Associates LLC. She is also the General Manager of Pagecorp Group, a global provider corporate administration services based in Cyprus. Stella holds a law degree from the University of Athens and an LLM in European Union Commercial law from the University of Leicester. She has extensive experience in corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, tax law and banking and finance transactions, across a wide range of industries. She advises important local and international companies and financial organizations, as well as leading international banking institutions on all aspects of financial and commercial cross-border transactions and security matters. Stella has assisted some of the largest developers in Cyprus on landmark projects and she is also advising private clients on estate planning, asset protection and more specifically on Cyprus International Trusts Law matters. Stella is a member of the Cyprus Bar Association, STEP and IBA. She participates as speaker and panellist in seminars and conferences in Cyprus and abroad and she has authored several publications.

Owner and CEO of Legal House, Ukraine

2019 Of counsel of Juscutum Lawyers Association on Personal Taxation and Compliance

2016-2019 Partner of tax practice and business efficiency of Juscutum JSC

In 2019 Natalia was acknowledged as an international Legal500 specialist in the field of providing Private client services

Natalia was born in Kiev

In 2005 she received her first higher legal education at the National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”

In 2007 she received a second higher education in finance in the Ukrainian Stock Market Institute

2010 – USAID certificate of leasing business specialist.
2018 – Saïd Business School of Oxford. Oxford Blockchain Strategy Program.

Tax Consultant since 2008. In the sphere of corporate relations she successfully represented the interests of clients in the spheres of energy, production, food industry, trade, transport, agribusiness, retail, IT and others. In the field of private financial advising Natalia provides advice on personal taxation, tax migration, declaration of income and compliance.

Member of the Tax Committee of the Association of Lawyers of Ukraine
Member of the Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine

Participation in lawmaking:
– a member of the drafting group of the draft alternative liberal tax code, in cooperation with the Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine
– a member of the White Paper 2018 development team, in cooperation with the USUBC.
– the head of the development team of the draft law on tax cryptology

Hobbies – learning foreign languages ​​and automation projects (StaffBot)

Senior Lawyer – Tatiana Klimenko.
Head of Legal, Law & Trust International. International lawyer, specialising in the field of corporate and tax law, as well as client representation in labour disputes. Ms.Klimenko, specializes in registering companies abroad, opening settlement accounts at 200+ banks worldwide, opening correspondent accounts for financial organizations (including banks) by financial institutions, tax planning and structuring.

Languages: Russian, Ukrainian, English, French.

Education: LL.M. Yaroslav Mudriy National Law University. (Kharkov, Ukraine), .

Successfully completed an entrepreneurship course in London, UK. Attended courses such as: “Cryptocurrency. The Future of Finance? (London law firm, Mackrell Turner Garrett),«Regulation and its discontents: A changing landscape for international investment law?» (UCLA and Baker & McKenzie Annual Lecture), «StorySelling: How to Stand Out in Your Market, Increase Sales, and Double Your Lead Generation». Tatiana Klimenko is a tireless learner, who is constantly developing her knowledge on international corporate law. Currently, she is reading for her Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

Professional speaker at webinars (international banking law) and specialized conferences.

Attendee of the “BANK OF ENGLAND” conferences (London) “Open Banking – the FCA application demystified”.

Expertise:
Registration of companies, opening accounts and supporting clients in England, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, China, Bangladesh, India, EU countries, etc. Opening accounts, opening correspondent accounts for financial organizations (including banks). Opening of settlement accounts for large companies and holdings. Opening accounts related to cryptocurrency, gambling business. Analysis of tax structuring schemes, client representation in labour disputes.

Mykhailo Shomin is Director of the Compliance Department at SEB Corporate Bank, Ukraine.

Mykhailo has more than 10 years of experience in managing financial risk compliance.

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY (SUMMARY)

Over 20 years of experience in accounting, auditing, tax consultancy;

2015 – 2016 Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine;

2016 – 2018 Adviser to the Minister of Finance of Ukraine on International Issues (BEPS, Transparency Standards – EOIR, AEOI);

2018 – Adviser to the Acting Chairman of the State Fiscal Service on international issues (BEPS, transparency standards – EOIR, AEOI);

Expert EU, GIZ;

Founder and Vice-President of the International Public Organization “Council of Independent Accountants and Auditors” (RNBA);

Author of numerous articles in business and specialized journals

Dmytro Korbut focuses on the largest M&A, corporate restructuring, real estate and tax matters. He has vast experience in advising on the country’s largest cross-border transactions and foreign investment projects

Mr Korbut regularly advises clients on a wide variety of M&A aspects related to acquisitions of Ukrainian businesses and establishment of joint ventures with portfolio and strategic foreign investors including corporate and tax restructuring of the businesses; pre-IPO restructurings of Ukrainian companies; tax planning for foreign investors’ operations in Ukraine; tax planning and corporate structuring in the course of implementation of projects for the construction of commercial, recreational and industrial facilities throughout Ukraine; etc.

Prior to joining Sayenko Kharenko, Mr Korbut ran the Kyiv office of a large Cyprus-based law firm, served as the Head of Legal Department of a major Ukrainian development company, worked for leading international and independent Ukrainian law firms.

Recognitions:
Named among leading M&A lawyers by Best Lawyers International 2019
Recommended in Tax for Ukraine by Best Lawyers International 2019, Chambers Europe 2018 and Ukrainian Law Firms 2018

Education:
LL.M. from the University of Nottingham Law School
LL.B. from the Institute of Law, Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University

Professional membership and involvement:
American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine
European Business Association
Ukrainian Bar Association

Victoria Melnychenko is the Head of Agro&Food and Compliance practices. She has 16 years of experience as an in-house lawyer, head of legal departments of major international companies FMCG and the agricultural industry. Victoria is the speaker of the Liga: Zakon and the author of more than 20 publications in professional legal and business publications. Victoria also has considerable experience as a teacher (disciplines: tax law, economic procedural law, history and theories of state and law).

Victoria specializes in advising clients of the agrarian and food industries on issues requiring expert legal support. In addition, Victoria specializes in advising international and national companies on Compliance issues, including the development and implementation of internal regulations and procedures, and the provision of appropriate training for company employees.

Victoria’s work will consist in the active development of practice, as well as conducting training seminars, master classes, etc. for in-house lawyers, heads of legal function and management of national and international companies.

Victoria Melnychenko began her professional career with an internship in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an assistant to the Chairman of the Committee of State Construction and Local Government. During her professional in-house career, Victoria went from lawyer to head of the legal department, having worked, in particular, in a number of international companies, including Lactalis, BASF, AVON, COFCO INTL.

Nickolas Likhachov is an expert in banking area, he provides professional legal advice on M&A, banking and finance related matters as well as on insolvency and debt restructuring issues and cross-border assets tracing.

During his career Mr. Likhachov supported more than ten M&A international transactions of Ukrainian banks and corporations. He has significant experience in restructuring and realization of distressed debts and assets, asset-backed loans and general project finance. Nickolas has experience in representing the debtors as well as the creditors.

Nicholas was recognized by IFLR 2017 for restructuring debts transactions, performed by his team.

EDUCATION:
Kyiv International University
Royal Institute of Arbitrators (London)

MEMBERSHIP:
The British-Ukrainian Legal Association (Member of the Board)
Royal Institute of Arbitrators (London)
Board of Users of the London International Arbitration Court
Youth International Arbitration Group at LMTC
Stockholm Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Young Arbitrators of Stockholm
Association of Advocates of Ukraine (Head of the Committee of Banking and Finance Law

Oleksandr focuses on private clients practice including comprehensive support services in handling legal formalities pertaining to private capital of entrepreneurs, family business owners and other private clients. He also provides legal advice and assistance within sanctions related matters.

He has more than 25 years of practical experience, both as a head of in-house legal departments and a legal advisor in major law firms.

For more than 20 years Oleksandr Onufrienko has been holding Head of Legal Department position at KINTO, one of the oldest investment companies in Ukraine. Oleksandr also headed the private clients practice of one of the leading law firms in the country.

Oleksandr has extensive and multifaceted working experience in establishing various types of corporate structures, protection against unfriendly takeovers, and the corporate conflicts settlement.

Oleksandr Onufrienko was among the first Ukrainian experts specializing in providing services of private capital structuring for Ukrainian entrepreneurs ensuring their personal interests as well as the interests of their family members.

Oleksandr regularly provides legal services related to the inheritance of corporate rights to large holdings and other business structures, preventing corporations from being taken out of the control of the owners and their heirs, as well as preventing unfair actions by management against owners and their heirs.

Education: two degrees of higher education.
• Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, Faculty of Law, specialty “Jurisprudence”.
• Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, Faculty of Economics, specialty “Agrarian Management. Foreign Economic Activity »
Oleg has been in the legal field for over 15 years. He started his career in 1997 at the State Tax Service establishments. Since 2000 he has served as a legal counsel for a number of enterprises (including the head of the legal unit of a large holding company in the metallurgical industry). In 2006-2007 he worked as the head of the legal department of Distribution company “Gas of Ukraine” National Joint Stock Company “Naftogaz of Ukraine”. From 2007 he has been holding the position of the Managing Partner at the law firm “Stolychniy Advocat”, in May 2015 Mr.Vdovichen founded a law firm “Vdovichen and partners”.

Specialization: tax and economic law, protection from criminal prosecution in the field of economic activity.
Memberships:
• Association of Advocates of Ukraine (Board Member, Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Businesses, Assets and Rights of Investors)
• Union of Lawyers of Ukraine
• Association of Ukrainian Lawyers
In 2015 – 2016 Mr.Vdovichen took an active part in reforming and purging from the corruption of the National Police of Ukraine, acting as the head of the department and was a permanent member of the attestation and appellate commissions at the recruiting centre of the National Police of Ukraine.

Viktoriya Fomenko is a Counsel of Tax and Customs Practice. The main areas of Viktoriya`s specialization are tax and customs law, including domestic and international taxation, cross-border tax and corporate structuring and business planning, structuring of foreign investments as well as tax and customs litigation.

With more than 18 years of experience, Viktoriya has a vast experience in advising a number of big international companies, Ukrainian companies and foreign companies’ subsidiaries in Ukraine. The scope of Viktoriya’s activities covers advising on all tax and customs issues faced by the clients, tax planning of operations and tax structuring of businesses including international jurisdictions, conducting independent review of the tax accounting and consulting on individual taxation plans. Viktoriya has successfully represented a number of clients in tax and customs litigations and has assisted with realization of a number of investment projects.

Yaroslav Romanchuk – president of Association of Ukrainian Business in Poland.
Yaroslav Romanchuk is a Lawyer, Managing Partner, Head of Tax and Customs practice.

Yaroslav Romanchuk advises clients on the most complex issues in corporate, tax, customs, transfer pricing, commercialization of intellectual property, tax planning using intangible assets, business restructuring, and asset protection.

Yaroslav represents interests of both national and international corporations in the most complex tax and customs disputes.

Yaroslav is recommended by the reputable legal directories such as Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Ukrainian Law Firms as the leading domestic expert in the field of tax and customs law.

Yaroslav Romanchuk is the winner in the nominations “Best lawyer for tax disputes” according to the results of the “Legal Aid 2017” and “Best Lawyer on Taxation” on the results of the “Legal Award 2015”.

According to the research results of the Ukrainian edition of Ukrainian Law Firms. A Handbook for Foreign Clients from 2013 to 2018, Yaroslav is among the TOP-5 lawyers in the field of tax law.

Membership and activities:
• President of the Association of Ukrainian Businesses in Poland;
• Member of the Council of Entrepreneurs under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
• TPA Global Transfer Alliance (Amsterdam) Global Transaction Partner
• Member of International Fiscal Association Ukraine;
• Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Transfer Pricing School.