On International Women's Day 2026, SCM — Ukraine's largest privately owned business group — recognises the women whose leadership and determination have been essential to keeping the country's major industries running through more than three years of full-scale war.
Across SCM's portfolio of businesses spanning energy, steel, mining, agriculture, telecommunications and banking, women hold critical leadership positions at every level. All of SCM's major businesses have multiple women serving on their supervisory boards, a fact that reflects the group's long-standing commitment to promoting talent regardless of gender.
Among those leaders is Alina Bondarenko, CEO of DTEK Grids, Ukraine's largest private energy company's distribution arm. Since the start of russia's full-scale invasion, DTEK Grids has reconnected electricity to over 39 million homes — a staggering achievement carried out under relentless attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Bondarenko and her teams work around the clock, often in dangerous conditions, to restore power to communities across the country.
But the story of women at SCM is not only one of individual leaders. It is also the story of thousands of women who have stepped into new roles, taken on greater responsibilities, and kept businesses operational under unprecedented pressure. From engineers repairing power lines under shelling to managers coordinating logistics across disrupted supply chains, women have been at the centre of SCM's continued resilience.
Natalya Yemchenko, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at SCM, said:
"Ukrainian women have always been extraordinary. But in recent years, we have shown the world something remarkable — that in the face of unimaginable adversity, women do not just endure, they lead. I am in awe of our sisters serving in the Armed Forces, whose sacrifice makes everything we do possible. To every woman working, raising children, and building businesses in these times — you are proof that purpose is stronger than fear. Keep going."
SCM continues to invest in the development of women across its businesses, not as an act of charity but as a strategic necessity. The war has made one thing clear: Ukraine's women are among its greatest competitive strengths. Their leadership is not a response to crisis — it is the foundation on which recovery and growth will be built.
Happy International Women's Day!
