Some companies sell training programs. Others transform the way people think, make decisions, and build teams. That is what Ascendis has been doing for more than 28 years. Operating across Central and Eastern Europe, the company has offices in Bucharest, Chișinău, and Kyiv and partners with hundreds of corporate clients.
At the core of Ascendis's approach is the belief that development begins not with the transfer of knowledge, but with lasting behavioral change. Ascendis entered the Ukrainian market in 2019, just before the pandemic, and has continued its operations throughout the full-scale war.
We spoke with ELENA DAVID, Managing Partner of Ascendis Ukraine, and LIUBA CUZNETOVA, Business Partner at the company, about why traditional corporate training is losing its effectiveness and how Ukrainian businesses continue to invest in developing their people even during wartime.
Ascendis has been operating for more than 28 years. How has the company evolved, and what motivated its expansion into the Ukrainian market?
Elena David: Ascendis was founded in Romania and has grown into one of the leading providers of corporate learning and development services in Central and Eastern Europe. We work systematically with businesses, helping develop leaders, management teams, and employees at every level of the organization.
Our approach goes far beyond knowledge transfer. We believe learning should transform the way people think, lead, and make decisions – ultimately driving stronger business performance.
Ascendis entered the Ukrainian market in 2019. We recognized a mature market with strong demand for high-quality corporate development and made a long-term commitment to building our presence here. A year later, the pandemic began, followed by the full-scale invasion. Despite these unprecedented challenges, we chose to stay in Ukraine.
Today, Ukrainian businesses need strong leadership, resilient teams, and the ability to make sound decisions amid constant uncertainty more than ever before. These are precisely the areas where our experience can be particularly useful.
What sets Ascendis apart from other companies in the corporate learning and development market?
Liuba Cuznetova: We do not use off-the-shelf programmes, nor do we sell ready-made training packages. Every project begins with a thorough analysis of the client's context – their corporate culture, strategic objectives, leadership challenges, and the specific needs of their teams.
Our focus is not on the number of training hours delivered, but on the business outcomes the client wants to achieve. We explore the company's strategic priorities for the coming year, identify the barriers to growth, and determine which behavioral changes among employees will have the greatest impact. Based on these insights, we design a tailored learning solution.
Elena David: Another key differentiator is our international expertise. We have worked with leaders and teams across Central and Eastern Europe, applying methodologies that have proven effective across various industries and corporate cultures.
At the same time, we never bring international programs to Ukraine without adapting them. Every solution is carefully tailored to the Ukrainian context – its leadership culture, market realities, and the unique challenges companies face today. Ukrainian context has its own specific characteristics and remains extremely complex.
What types of companies are investing in team development today, and what outcomes do they expect from learning and development programs?
Elena David: Our clients are medium-sized and large companies across a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, FMCG, banking, manufacturing, IT, agribusiness, and retail. They include both multinational corporations operating in Ukraine and Ukrainian companies that continue to scale their businesses.
Regardless of the industry, companies increasingly recognize that their resilience depends on the quality of leadership and their teams' ability to perform in conditions of constant uncertainty.
Employee development is no longer viewed as an added benefit - it has become a requirement for maintaining performance and enabling sustainable growth.
Liuba Cuznetova: The most common requests we receive relate to developing leadership in times of change, managing teams under constant pressure, and fostering psychological safety – a work environment where people feel comfortable speaking openly about challenges, acknowledging mistakes without fear, and at the same time remaining accountable for results.
This is particularly relevant for companies whose employees are living very different realities today: some are working from within Ukraine, others from abroad, while others are serving in Ukraine's Defence Forces. The leader's role is to preserve the cohesion, engagement, and effectiveness of such teams.
What builds long-term client trust in Ascendis?
Liuba Cuznetova: Above all, honesty. We never promise that a two-day training program will instantly transform a team or a business. Development is not a one-off event – it is a continuous process. We are transparent about this from the outset and are committed to supporting our clients for as long as it takes to achieve meaningful results.
Elena David: It is equally important for us to recommend what the business truly needs – not simply what is easiest to sell. If we believe that a client's initial request does not address the underlying issue, we say so openly and work with them to identify a more effective solution.
That level of professional honesty is the foundation of trust – and one of the main reasons our clients continue to return to us with new challenges.
FROM CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT TO EDUCATION
One of Ascendis Ukraine’s separate areas of activity is working with educators in frontline and de-occupied communities. To support this initiative, the company established a non-governmental organization that applies its experience in leadership and team development to the school environment.
We spoke with ANASTASIIA SIKOZA, Head of the NGO Ascendis Ukraine, about how corporate expertise can be applied in education, why the organization works specifically with teachers, and how such programs contribute to building Ukraine’s human capital.
The idea grew out of practical observation. In our work with managers, leaders, and teams in the corporate sector, we regularly meet young professionals – recent university graduates – with strong academic backgrounds, ambition, and tremendous potential. At the same time, many of them still need to develop essential skills such as teamwork, emotional intelligence, assertive communication, and critical thinking in real-world situations.
That led us to ask two important questions: When should these competencies begin to develop? And what needs to change so that businesses no longer have to build these skills from scratch after young professionals enter the workforce?
This is how the idea of working with teenagers and schools emerged. Ukraine has talented, highly motivated teachers who know their students well and support them every day under extraordinarily challenging circumstances. Our role is not to replace educators, but to equip them with additional tools that help develop the skills young people will need to learn effectively, collaborate in teams, and take responsibility for their decisions throughout their lives.
Why did you choose to work with teachers rather than directly with children?
Because teachers have a multiplier effect. By helping one educator transform the way they interact with students, foster critical and creative thinking, and manage classroom dynamics, these approaches can ultimately reach hundreds of children over the course of that teacher's career.
Our primary focus is on educators working in frontline and recently de-occupied communities. They teach and support children under extraordinary levels of stress, serving as a vital source of stability in their students' lives. At the same time, teachers themselves need support and practical tools to navigate this new reality.
We equip them with practical methodologies in the areas where we have the strongest expertise: emotional intelligence, growth mindset, teamwork and collaboration, assertive communication, and strategic and critical thinking. These are not abstract theoretical concepts but practical skills that teachers can apply in their classrooms the very next day.
What connects Ascendis' work in the corporate sector with its initiatives in education?
What unites these two areas is a shared focus on human capital development. We have the expertise, experience, and proven methodologies that can be applied not only in the corporate environment but also in education.
Ukraine's reconstruction is about far more than rebuilding infrastructure or attracting investment. It also depends on the people who, in 10–15 years, will be making decisions, building companies, leading teams, and shaping the country's future.
If today's students learn to think critically, collaborate effectively, communicate openly, and take responsibility, they will become a stronger foundation for Ukraine's future human capital.
At Ascendis, we have always believed that people are capable of far more than they often realize. That is why we decided that unlocking this potential should begin long before a person's first job.
We are also deeply grateful to the Ukrainian companies that support the work of the Ascendis Ukraine NGO. For them, this is a conscious investment in education and in the country's future. Every contribution helps nurture a generation capable of critical thinking, collaboration, and responsible leadership.
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