On June 25, 2025, the Business Reputation and Integrity 2025 Forum took place at UNIT.City. The event was a key milestone of the Business Integrity Month and was organized by UNIC.
The Forum brought together representatives of business, government, the expert community, and investors to address a central question: how integrity, transparency, and accountability directly affect Ukraine’s investment attractiveness amid war and uncertainty.
For the Ethicontrol team, participation in the Forum was not only an opportunity to join a professional discussion, but also a chance to once again reaffirm a key conclusion: reputation and systemic compliance are no longer “nice-to-have” options — they are fundamental prerequisites for access to capital, partnerships, and long-term growth.
The core idea of the Forum was clear: business with a reputation matters. Speakers repeatedly emphasized that in today’s environment, transparent management practices, responsible corporate governance, and mature compliance systems are what build trust among investors and insurance institutions.
As Antonina Prudko, Head of the UNIC Secretariat, aptly noted, Ukraine today faces a strategic choice:
either a return to post-Soviet business models with high corruption and reputational risks,
or a move forward as a modern European country where integrity and transparency are the new norm.
The first panel discussion focused on political risk insurance as a tool for attracting investment during wartime. The discussion covered mechanisms such as DFC, ARX, and ECA, and their real role in supporting the recovery of Ukrainian businesses.
The key message was explicit:
without reputational capital, clear compliance procedures, and ESG orientation, companies will not be able to access political risk insurance instruments. For investors and insurers alike, integrity serves as a marker of predictability and reduced risk.
The second block of the Forum addressed transparency and accountability in strategically important sectors of the economy. The discussion focused on energy, extractive industries, agriculture, and IT — sectors that are essential for economic recovery and Ukraine’s European integration.
Participants discussed:
which reputational risks continue to deter investment;
which regulatory changes and standards international partners expect;
how the state and business can develop shared approaches to transparency.
The common conclusion was unequivocal: accountability and openness are becoming the language of trust between Ukrainian businesses and global investors.
The culmination of the Forum was the award ceremony for the first Business Reputation and Integrity Award. For the first time in Ukraine, companies were publicly recognized at the national level for systematically — rather than declaratively — implementing standards of transparency, compliance, and responsible governance.
The winners of the UNIC 2025 Award were:
AB InBev Efes Ukraine — Developing Integrity-Driven Teams
Kyivstar — Integrity Under Pressure
Aurora Multimarket — Promoting Business Integrity
Ukrzaliznytsia — Special Jury Award and Grand Prix
As emphasized by UNIC, the Award is not merely symbolic recognition, but a strong reputational signal for the entire market and a clear benchmark for companies aiming to operate under modern standards.
The Business Reputation and Integrity 2025 Forum clearly demonstrated that:
integrity is becoming part of investment logic,
compliance is the infrastructure of trust,
transparency is a competitive advantage rather than a cost.
For us at Ethicontrol, this is yet another confirmation that our chosen direction is the right one: digital tools for incident management, compliance, and reputational risk management provide a practical response to the challenges highlighted throughout the Forum.