CIVITTA Challengers - Yaroslav Zhydyk

At CIVITTA we challenge the traditional consulting industry, mixing smart people with lean processes and structures. We are not afraid to encourage our clients to think out of the box and challenge their own industries. This means asking difficult questions and bringing bold, new ideas and innovative solutions to the table.

The idea of CIVITTA is the Challenger Advisory. What does it mean to you to be a challenger consultant and how do you feel this challenger spirit translates to your work?

I have been feeling the Challenger spirit during different projects in CIVITTA. For me Challenger Advisory it's about bringing impact for the client. And when I, as a citizen of Ukraine, am a key stakeholder on the project I’m working on — it’s not only an interesting experience but an enormous opportunity as well.

Now I’m working on the development of a National Economic Strategy for the Government of Ukraine 2030. I’m 20 years old and together with my colleagues, we’re writing a country strategy for the next 10 years – it’s the biggest challenge in my life and the most appropriate explanation of what is Challenger spirit for me.

Tell us a bit about your life outside of work. Are your hobbies along the same Challenger lines?

I can divide my hobbies into 2 types: physically intensive and mentally intensive.

I’m going to run a marathon next year. During the process of preparation, I’m setting sub-challenges: a 30-days run challenge (and if it does not look like such a big challenge, in parallel with the preparation of the National Economic Strategy it was one of the hardest trials of last years).

I’m teaching younger colleagues how to be a Challenger by organizing a Case Club – workshops where I’m sharing my experience in participating in case competitions and in working on consulting projects.

What would you advise a young consultant starting her or his career in Ukraine?

I would advise them to explore everything around them: take part in different case championships, social activities in universities and etc. Such time investments will bring them not only unforgettable emotions but also an opportunity to improve the hard and soft skills that will be requested on their first jobs: analytical skills, teamwork, public speaking, and many others.

And it is not just general motivational phrases about the usefulness of such activities, it is based on my personal experience. I have found my first job through participation in case champ, I became a part of CIVITTA Ukraine thanks to an acquaintance on the case champ and now I’m going to implement one big social project because of my social activity in university. So I can definitely tell that such involvement changed my life.