My consulting and entrepreneurial career spans more than 20 years across three countries, encompassing over 180 projects in strategy, market intelligence, business development, and digital transformation. Throughout this journey, I have combined rigorous analytical thinking with practical business experience, drawing on both my academic research background and extensive hands-on involvement in venture creation and growth.
I have collaborated with international companies, including Siemens, Bosch, Bunge, and other global and regional organizations, supporting initiatives in market analysis, business model innovation, strategic planning, and organizational transformation.
In Switzerland, I contributed to an Innosuisse-funded research and innovation project aimed at developing an alternative digital business model for a regional newspaper. The project addressed key challenges related to digitalization, changing consumer behavior, and the transformation of revenue streams within the media industry.
20+
Years of practice across 3 countries
180+
Completed consulting mandates
5
Founded or co-founded ventures
Entrepreneurial Ventures
My consulting practice has always run in parallel with venture creation. I have founded and co-founded several organisations across Ukraine and Switzerland, each addressing a distinct market gap with a data- and research-driven approach.
Founder
CommunaRank is a Swiss data analytics project focused on the systematic benchmarking of Swiss municipalities across economic, social, and governance dimensions. The project reflects my commitment to building data products that generate practical intelligence for decision-makers — in this case applied to the Swiss public sector context.
Institute for Circular and Hydrogen Economy (ICHE)
Co-Founder, President
ICHE is a public research institution advancing circular economy principles, hydrogen technologies, and entrepreneurship research. The institute brings together leading researchers and practitioner-partners from Ukraine and internationally, working at the interface of science, sustainability policy, and economic resilience.
ICHE is the coordinating institution for the GEM Ukraine national team
GEM Ukraine — Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Ukraine
Co-Fonder, Co-Lead (2022 / 2023)
GEM Ukraine represents a historic milestone: the first national-level GEM study ever conducted in Ukraine, documenting entrepreneurial activity, resilience, motivation, and barriers during one of the most challenging periods in the country’s recent history. The project delivers independent, data-driven insights to policymakers, researchers, and international institutions. Annual reports and an interactive data dashboard are publicly available.
Co-Founder, Managing Partner
BFC was one of Ukraine’s leading management consulting firms specialising in marketing research, strategic business planning, market entry analysis, and export development.
The firm was accredited under the EBRD Business Advisory Services (BAS) programme, working with international development institutions to support business transformation across the region.
Selected Clients & Partners
What I Offer Today
- AI & BI Governance — governance frameworks, data quality, and accountability structures for responsible AI and business intelligence adoption
- Resilience Strategy — adaptive capacity, crisis preparedness, and strategic continuity under uncertainty
- Market Intelligence & Analytics — data-driven research on markets, competitors, and customer behavior, including Power BI dashboards
- Strategy & Business Planning — strategic plans, feasibility studies, and business plans for growth and investment
- Export & Market Entry Consulting — market entry strategy, trade partnerships, and international expansion
- Project Development — end-to-end structuring and execution of business and development projects
Contact
E-mail: viktoriia.apalkova@hefr.ch