Battle for the CEO Chair of “Forests of Ukraine”: Who Will Control the Billion-Dollar Flows of the State Forestry Sector

Battle for the CEO Chair of “Forests of Ukraine”: Who Will Control the Billion-Dollar Flows of the State Forestry Sector

A struggle for the CEO chair is unfolding at the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” At stake is not just a position but control over one of the largest state assets. There are three main contenders: acting CEO Ihor Zubovych, Serhiy Bleskun, and Taras Kuzmych. And each, it seems, has their own vision of who should get the forest.

This is reported by "Vykryvach."

Ihor Zubovych currently runs the enterprise, but holding onto the position is becoming increasingly difficult. His management is criticized, informational pressure is mounting, and within the structure the old team coexists with new managers. So Zubovych must balance between the two camps while also convincing others that he should remain at the helm.

Serhiy Bleskun is vying to be an external reformer. His candidacy is associated with completing corporatization and rebooting management. However, he lacks experience in the forestry sector. And reports of possible lobbying by Odesa business groups, including associates of Borys Kaufman, add intrigue to the contest.

The third player is Taras Kuzmych, who already works at “Forests of Ukraine” as director for increasing production efficiency. He could be considered a compromise option if no agreement is reached on the first two candidates. However, his managerial past, including work at NAC “Nadra Ukraine,” is not without media criticism.

Meanwhile, Viktor Smal and Oleksiy Kucher have effectively left the main race: the first remains within the State Forestry Agency system, the second returned to lead the State Regulatory Service.

The finale of the personnel saga is expected in the first half of November. Among tentative dates is 10 November, when the supervisory board is to decide on the winner.

But the main question of the contest is not even the surname of the new CEO. More interesting is who will come with them, whose interests they will represent, and who will ultimately gain control over the billion-dollar flows of the state forestry sector. Because in this story, it seems, trees are not the only thing being fought over.