The Cabinet of Ministers has approved candidates for the positions of members of the supervisory board of the state company "Forests of Ukraine." The supervisory board includes three independent members and one representative of the state.
According to a statement published on the Ministry of Economy's website, the candidates for independent members of the supervisory board are Markiyan Vitvitsky, Roberts Strīpnieks, and Harjuunpää Jani Risto Samuel. Alexey Kucher has been appointed as the representative of the state.
"The formation of the supervisory board of 'Forests of Ukraine' will introduce high standards of corporate governance that meet the requirements of the law and the OECD guidelines. The work of the independent supervisory board will enhance the level of trust in the company from international partners and potential investors," noted the First Deputy Minister of Economy Alexey Sobolev.
"Forests of Ukraine" is one of the largest forest users in Europe and the largest forest user in Ukraine. The state company specializes in forestry management, protection, use, and reproduction of forests; management of hunting resources, protection, reproduction, and rational use of the State Hunting Fund on lands utilized by the enterprise.
The Ministry of Economy reminded that in August 2024, the committee for the appointment of leaders of enterprises critically important for the economy approved requirements for candidates for the positions of members of the supervisory board of "Forests of Ukraine" and announced a competitive selection for independent members.
On April 30, 2024, the government included "Forests of Ukraine" in the list of entities critically important for the economy, whose leaders and supervisory board members are appointed with the involvement of the appointment committee.
Markiyan Vitvitsky previously worked at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry of Canada and is a member of the Board of the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce.
Roberts Strīpnieks served as the chairman of the supervisory board and the general director of the state joint-stock company "Latvian State Forests," and was a member of the executive council and audit committee of the European Association of State Forest Managers. He worked at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Latvia.
Jani Harjuunpää is the general director of the Eastern Office of Finnish Industry. He has served as a member of the supervisory board of "Oschadbank," and has been an expert and consultant for the IMF and the World Bank.
Alexey Kucher heads the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine. He was the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration and a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the ninth convocation.