Free People

"I started my career as a brand manager at a small local company, and today we have grown into KTKTosmetics, one of the largest cosmetics manufacturers in Ukraine. We operate four well-known brands: Mr. SCRUBBER, HOLLYSKIN, SOLIDENT, and BARBER BLEND. Each of these brands has its own unique history, customer base, and character. Over the years, I have progressed to the position of Deputy Director. Every day presents new challenges that I genuinely enjoy. I thrive on tackling challenges and exploring new paths that others have not taken before. Each new task feels like a puzzle; I can see the logic, the direction, and the result."

"Girls often don't dream of becoming directors of metallurgical plants when they are children. I certainly didn't have such plans initially. My background is in economics, but over time, I developed a passion for the manufacturing industry. I began gaining management experience in the industry, starting with concrete fences and then transitioning to casting for artificial Christmas trees. I joined Volynstal as the deputy director, and a year later, when the then director left for abroad, I was offered his position.

“I’ve been in furniture since I was eighteen. I don’t know why — I just always felt it was mine. Back in vocational school, I used to sketch cabinets and kitchens in my notebooks. Later I got an internship at a furniture factory — and ended up staying. I learned everything hands-on. I cut the parts, glued them, delivered them by van, and assembled the cabinets — all by myself. It was a good job. I did everything right, and I was constantly promoted.

"I was born and raised in a village. My father kept a small herd of cows. My whole life has been about the land, the field, the farm. At first, I worked in a collective farm, then, when everything started to fall apart, I went into business, procuring cattle. But the moment came when the community offered me to take care of this land. It was overgrown land — neglected and uncultivated. I agreed to take it on. And that’s when I began to invest: in machinery, in construction, in the soil itself.

"Everyone in my family is deeply involved in finance; they excel at working with numbers, models, and forecasts. It always seemed natural for me to follow in their footsteps, and I believed my future would be in the world of money and investment. I was systematically prepared for this path — I studied abroad in Spain and completed an internship in Hong Kong. However, when I turned eighteen, life took an unexpected turn, and so did I.

A month ago, Bank Lviv joined the "Berry Prykarpattia" farm's initiative. During the "Field of Victory" event held near Ivano-Frankivsk, the participants planted 10,000 strawberry seedlings. The proceeds from the sale of the berries will support military families. We had the chance to interview Bohdan Lutchyn, the manager and owner of the berry farm, who is a bright, creative, and free-spirited individual.

Summer has ended, but we're not sad about it! We made the most of it. Small and medium-sized businesses worked hard —building, creating and launching. As a result, two new dining spots, Gazda and Budzini, opened on Shevchenka Street in Lviv in August. Bank Lviv supported the project by quickly providing a financial loan on favorable terms.

"War is a great sorrow. It destroys and kills, and going through it is stressful for the human body, both physically and morally. The dental system also suffers from it. The invasion started unexpectedly, and many of our defenders were at the front without dental prophylaxis. They need help with sanitation and treatment so they do not have to experience at least a toothache on the front line. I was convinced that dentists are very much needed during the war.

"Thirty years ago, we were part of the UkrTsukorprom system, belonging to the state. In the 1990s, we divided the land and issued shares for all the property, transforming us into a private company. Since then, we have kept pace with the agricultural sector, consistently harvesting good crops. Our farm is a traditional one. We currently rotate between eight and nine crops. These include winter wheat, grain corn, sugar beet, sunflower, soybeans, and rapeseed. We also maintain animal husbandry, which is uncommon these days.