Conscensia has most of its consultants in war-torn Ukraine
25. June 2024
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Conscensia, which has around 200 IT consultants in Ukraine, has achieved great success despite the challenging situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
We have especially seen an impressive mindset from our Ukrainian IT consultants over the past few years, working under quite different conditions. CEO of Conscensia, Torsten Bielefeldt Schlägelberger says,
“We are extremely proud of our employees in Ukraine, who deliver amazingly well. There is a drive in the people here that is stronger than what you would otherwise experience. For the simple reason that they are in the situation they are in.”
Despite the uncertainty of war, we have maintained our office and customer teams in Ukraine, with our Ukrainian consultants based in our office in Lviv, close to the Polish border. Some of our customers also choose to have their team of consultants distribtuted in both Ukraine and Poland, giving them the best of both delivery hubs.
However, some new customers are reluctant to work with consultants in Ukraine, even though our colleagues still deliver high-quality software development and provide important support to the country. Torsten Bielefeldt Schlägelberger points out;
“The front door to our part of the world is under pressure. And when money comes into the country, it does something good for the individual citizen, and a lot of their money is donated to the war, it’s their contribution as well.”
To safeguard our operations in Ukraine, we have developed a comprehensive business continuity plan with contingency measures such as Starlink networks and emergency generators that can come into effect during temporary interruptions.
It is important for us to be thoroughly prepared for possible future challenges so that we can maintain normal operations at our development centre in Lviv.
To get a more accurate understanding of the situation in Ukraine, we naturally follow local news and work closely with our Ukrainian management team.
“When you just follow Danish or major international news, there’s a tendency to think that when a bomb falls, it affects the whole country. I think there is a misperception of what is actually happening in Ukraine.”
Torsten Bielefeldt Schlägelberger himself plans to travel to Ukraine in September to meet with Ukrainian employees and get a first-hand impression of the situation. He notes that although travelling to Ukraine is not recommended for Danish customers for obvious reasons, there is an opportunity to meet with Conscensia’s management in Warsaw, Poland.
Overall, we have succeeded in maintaining and even strengthening our business in a war-torn region, our colleagues in Ukraine have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and resist, while providing important support to our Ukrainian employees and the wider community.
