Ukrainian Forests CEO contest: three key candidates and decision timeline

Competition for leadership of the state forest fund

At the state enterprise "Ukrainian Forests", the personnel process for selecting a new general director is gaining momentum. Three main figures have entered the contest: the current acting head Ihor Zubovych, Serhiy Bleskun, and Taras Kuzmych. It appears that each of them has their own vision of who should control the forest, as the contest involves control over significant financial flows of the state forestry sector.

Position of the current head

Ihor Zubovych currently heads the structure, but his position is weakening. His management is being criticised, and information pressure on the leadership is increasing. Within the enterprise's staff, two camps are operating in parallel: the old team and new appointees. Zubovych has to balance between these groups of influence, trying to prove that he is the one who should remain at the helm.

External reformer and his risks

Serhiy Bleskun positions himself as an external reformer who is to complete the corporatisation process and reboot the management system. However, he lacks experience working in the forestry industry. An additional complication is information about the possible lobbying of his candidacy by Odesa business circles, specifically the entourage of Borys Kaufman, which adds intrigue to the contest.

Compromise option with a past

The third contender is Taras Kuzmych, who already works at "Ukrainian Forests" as the director for production efficiency improvement. He may be considered a compromise option if there is no consensus regarding the first two candidates. At the same time, his managerial past, specifically his work at the "Nadra of Ukraine" National Joint-Stock Company, is not without media criticism.

Withdrawal of other candidates and decision timeline

Other participants in the race, specifically Viktor Smal and Oleksiy Kucher, have effectively left the main competition. Smal continues to work in the State Forestry Agency system, while Kucher returned to head the State Regulatory Service.

The finale of the personnel saga is expected in the first half of November. Among the indicative dates, 10 November is mentioned, when the supervisory board is to determine the winner. The main issue remains not only the selection of a specific individual, but also who will come with the new head, whose interests he will represent, and who will ultimately gain control over the billion-scale flows of the state forestry sector.