Mykhailo Fedorov: Marketer becomes minister to make Ukraine digital-friendly

Age: 28
Education: Zaporizhia National University
Profession: Minister of digital transformation
Did you know? Fedorov is the youngest minister in Ukraine

Mykhailo Fedorov is one of the key figures in the current government, serving as a deputy prime minister and the minister of digital transformation — all at the age of 28.

Elected to parliament as a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, Fedorov designed the new Digital Transformation Ministry and spearheads its work.

Now as the youngest minister, Fedorov is focused on designing systems for Ukrainians to vote, run a business and receive public services online. In other words, he has taken charge of Ukraine’s electronic government.

Fedorov aims to have at least 25 million Ukrainians, most of the population, use government e-services at least once a year, to make the internet omnipresent and to ensure the whole country has at least basic mastery of computer skills.

“Only then, I’d feel my work’s done,” Fedorov says.

The tech-savvy leader from the southeastern city of Zaporizhia, with nearly 750,000 people, came into politics through the marketing profession. He ran a small agency called SMMStudio that wound up working on Zelensky’s presidential campaign in 2019.

After only four years in business and less than a year in politics, he is now responsible for deciding what laws and budget resources Ukraine needs in order to develop its e-government.

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The most laborious task for Fedoriv is understanding the legacy of former officials. In 28 years of independence, government officials acted incoherently, he says.

Nobody tracked progress in the tech sphere, knew how many online registries functioned or even knew the budget for Ukraine’s digitalization, according to him. As a result, electronic services appeared chaotically and people did not use them.

Fedorov promises everything will be different. The techie has already come up with a digital strategy for the next five years, and his new ministry has unveiled a brand image named Diia, under which the government will provide e-services.

Diia has a carefully designed style, including fonts, colors, logos, mottos and a detailed strategy, laying the visual and practical foundation for the e-governance rollout.

Fedorov is focusing on ordinary Ukrainians who, for example, need to get a marriage certificate, register as an entrepreneur or change a passport photo.
Fedorov is confident that he will succeed. He believes that digitalization can become a national project that unites Ukrainians while also — through transparency — helping rid the country of corruption.

“When you have a profound, clear understanding of how it should be, everything comes together,” Fedorov says. “I am not super emotional about it, just focused on my task.”

Fedorov’s main hobby is his family, and on the weekends the Fedorovs like having breakfast, going to the cinema and walking in parks. “My daughter barely speaks, but the word ‘park’ is her favorite.”

For Fedorov, being a father and a minister are very similar posts.

“A good manager mentors and teaches his team. The task is to make people around better, to help them grow and succeed,” he says. “The same with children.”

Fedorov believes in his venture and hopes he will be remembered as one of the best.

“I came as the youngest minister,” he says. “I want to leave the office as the most efficient one.”