You're reading: Hunder: Ukraine needs better self-promotion

Andy Hunder, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, says Ukraine's government has already made tangible changes to improve the country, but has failed to communicate the achievements.

The 44-year-old British-Ukrainian was appointed on April 15 as head of the business association with more than 600 member companies from 50 countries.

“The government isn’t communicating its messages,” Hunder told the Kyiv Post. “I came to them and asked: ‘Who’s responsible?’ They said: ‘Everyone is responsible.’ In business, when everyone does everything, it means that no one is doing much of anything.”

One government spokesman is needed to inform the public about reforms as well as explain to investors why they should park their money in Ukraine, he said.

“Why shouldn’t they invest in Chili, Cuba, or Hungary, or Canada, why choose Ukraine? These messages are there and they could be delivered, and they need to be packaged in professional manner,” Hunder said. Someone needs to “go out, banging on doors of businesses, and saying: ‘Come and invest in Ukraine.’ We need a salesman, not a pencil pusher, that’s how you get things done.”

Also important is for authorities to design a one-voice policy while delivering their messages, Hunder said, “all singing one tune, one song, amplifying the message.”

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, speaking at the Kyiv Security Forum on May 28, however, took a different stance on the matter. To invite investors while Russia’s war is still ongoing is similar to asking a person to buy an apartment in a building that was set on fire, according to the prime minister.

“While the tanks are at the border, the investor will decide to wait,” he said.

According to Hunder, there are countries with ongoing conflicts where the economy is flourishing, such as Israel.

“The conflict is only in 6-7 percent of the territory, 93-94 percent of the territory is fine. Look out the window,” he said, pointing at Kyiv’s urban landscape. “Yes, we have an issue, and we don’t know whether it will last for two weeks, two months, two years or 22 years.”

There are success stories, moreover, to share of investors coming and making money, Hunder said.
Agriculture is one of the most successful and attractive. Ukraine can feed up to one billion people, he said.

Another area is the $5 billion information technology inustry.

“Land and brains,” he smiled.

Unfortunately, there are companies losing money in various sectors, including retail, where consumers are eschewing non-essntial goods, and the banking industry, where financing has dried up amid bad loans.

“It is difficult for business to operate during these times, but we are optimists, and those, who are still here, they are also optimists,” he said.

Hunder championed the commercial launch of 3G, high-speed mobile Internet, which followed “the most transparent tender in Ukraine’s history.”

However, he cautioned, bureaucracy and corruption remain.“My three P’s on corruption are: prevent, publicize and punish,” Hunder said.

Accordingly, the newly established National Anti-Corruption Bureau and business ombudsman are prevention tools.

The bureau is charged with investigating allegations of corruption by senior government officials, including the president, Cabinet of Ministers, Parliament and oblast governors. The ombudsman assesses complaints lodged by businesses of unfair treatment, and requests further investigation by authorities.

Publicizing is the job of Ukrainian media, Hunder said, noting that the latest media reports on corrupt officials have shown the effectiveness of the second “P.”

For instance, the former acting traffic police chief, Oleksandr Yershov, resigned just several hours after the media uncovered the lavish lifestyle of his family, complete first-class flights and posh cars. According to his income declaration, he hardly could afford it.

The last part – punishment – is not being done, Hunder said.

“The third ‘P’ is very important, because otherwise people won’t be scared. It’s about making people do the right thing – by stopping them doing wrong things,” he said.

Despite all the challenges that the Ukrainian government has yet to face, now is the time “to ring the bell” – to invite new investors, like IKEA and Starbucks, to find a way to keep old ones from leaving, and to promote the Ukrainian brand to the world, Hunder said.

In his words, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine is ready to take on those tasks, working closely in tandem with government.

On July 13, the chamber and other groups will hold a government -promoted Ukrainian business forum in Washington, D.C., where the main industries represented will be agriculture, information and energy.

Kyiv Post staff writer Alyona Zhuk can be reached at [email protected].

American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine Fourth of July Picnic
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