Expat Guide to Networking in Kyiv

In recent years, Kyiv, famous for its great traditions, hospitable people and dynamic cultural life, has been growing as an international hub for conferences, business meetings, and a variety of interesting networking events. Networking is a great way to break out of the usual routine, begin to understand an unfamiliar culture and make new friends. No wonder it is so popular among foreign residents and locals alike.
The mix at networking events in Kyiv is typically 55/45 Ukrainians and foreigners/expats, who come to these events looking for interactions that are fun, enriching, career-enhancing, and thought-provoking. We talked to three representatives of leading networking organizations in Ukraine about their networking secrets and got their frank advice on how to build high-quality relationships during networking events. So, get yourself in gear and go networking!

Meet our Expats

Anders Ostlund

(Sweden, founder of Fryday)

I came to Ukraine as I saw many opportunities here compared with Sweden, where I lived before. Living in Ukraine has been a fantastic journey, with so many great emotions and experiences. Doing business in Ukraine can be, as everywhere, a challenge, but with the right attitude and some healthy risk management, Ukraine has a lot to offer.

George Lupascu Pruna

(Romania, InterNations Ambassador)

I have been living in Kyiv for the past six years, so I’ve been able to experience the wide range of political issues this country has been dealing with. I decided to move here after falling in love with the city from the moment I first visited it, being guided by my future wife. As my profession and credentials allow me to work almost anywhere in the world, moving here was a fairly easy step, and since 2015, I’ve been working as an accredited consultant on intercultural management and organizational change management. In Ukraine, I`ve been a business advisor to companies in various industries including companies from the retail and logistic sectors, helping them to drive initiative taking or solve the communication issues between their departments. I’ve joined InterNations in 2012, in search for English speaking new friends and in 2015 I was selected as the Ambassador for the Kyiv community, continuing the tradition of interconnecting the expats who are choosing Kyiv as their new home. In Ukraine, I particularly like the InterNations networking events as people are very friendly and if you understand the local cultural elements you can create a cozy atmosphere in which people can connect at a deeper level, developing stronger relationships.

John Jones

(USA, former InterNations Ambassador, co-founder of MultiNations)

I came to the Soviet Union when I was a university student. I moved to Irkutsk (Russia) in the late ’90s. However, I did not enjoy the winter cold, so I decided to move to Kyiv. Kyiv is close to my business and has a good airport hub. Currently, my primary business is environmental services, health and safety. Also, I am the director of business development for a solar startup called Focal Line Solar, which aims to build a factory that will export CSP panels in Ukraine and all over the world. Additionally, I cooperate with business development for the Frishberg & Partners Law Firm to provide legal services for companies dealing with migration issues to Ukraine and the USA.
I was an InterNations Ambassador for a few years. Later, my two partners and I founded a new free expat community networking group called MultiNations. I also accepted the presidency of the Kyiv Lions Club for one year in July 2017.

Why say “yes” to networking in Ukraine?

George Lupascu Pruna

Ukraine is the biggest country in Europe with a great economic potential. The Ukrainians are closer in values to the Western world than the people from other developing countries, so doing business here is easier. Ukraine is a tourism and entertainment mecca, offering almost all the services and possibilities one could wish for. Having trustworthy friends and acquaintances will help you get the best service or deal.

John Jones

Kyiv is the “Biggest Little Capital in Europe.” People are more relaxed and open to meeting in Ukraine. This country is small enough to be relaxed and friendly, and big enough to have everything a company needs. It is one of the few places where expats can live side by side with all other nationalities and ethnic groups. Ukraine offers great opportunities for business, especially in IT, engineering, ag, medicine, shipbuilding.

In your opinion, what are the great networking platforms/places in Kyiv?

John Jones

There are many options for networking in Ukraine, at all levels and fields. Some good ones are the British Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (my personal favorite), the Ukrainian-Austrian Association, the Rotary Club, CouchSurfing, Language Exchange Club Kyiv, the American Chamber of Commerce, and America House. There are numerous groups that require an entry fee to their events, but I feel this is unnecessary and the commercial nature of it detracts from networking with locals.

In addition, the Art Zavod Platforma venue as well as the Irish/English pubs are great for events, networking and friendships. The Caribbean Club and Habana are good places for dancing and meeting the international community.
George Lupascu Pruna

There are many places to connect with other people and foreigners in Kyiv, but I’ve chosen to join InterNations because this platform best fits my worldwide travel needs.

Anders Ostlund

Fryday is the only one, of course.

Tell us about an expat community you represent.

Anders Ostlund

I founded Fryday in 2010 as a platform where the local and international business communities can meet in a nice setting and socialize for private or professional purposes. That mission has not changed since the very beginning. Today, the business communities keep coming and they pursue that mix of social and professional agendas.

George Lupascu Pruna

I organize events for the InterNations community in Kyiv, and I’ve chosen this platform because I travel a lot and InterNations is mostly designed for such professionals. The advantage that InterNations brings is the opportunity to join an event in a different part of the world every week (or even every day), if your job enables that for you. One event that I particularly enjoyed was InterNations’ 10-year anniversary celebration, which started in Auckland at what was for Kyiv 10 a.m., then continued in Sydney, further in Jakarta, and so on, until our turn came in Kyiv to continue with the celebration. After us, it went all the way to London, New York and then Honolulu, while keeping us connected with the other Ambassadors. That was an event that really made you feel global and connected.

Our events are joined mostly by foreigners, but we also have our local members who have lived in different parts of the world and know what it is like to be a foreigner. They are willing to give a helping hand or advice in any challenging situation.

Who among our readers might be interested in joining your community?

Anders Ostlund

I think most of your readers fit the profile of local and international professionals, with an interest in socializing because they are new in Kyiv, or in networking professionally because they are running a company in Kyiv. Fryday has no official criteria for joining; anybody with an interest in our community and who shares our values can join. All it takes is to come to a Fryday event or subscribe to any of our online channels, and you are a part of Fryday’s community.
George Lupascu Pruna

The InterNations platform can be joined by anyone who travels a lot, has a passion for foreign languages, or simply wants to enjoy the company of foreigners. Enjoying such events is the most important criterion. In general, in expat networking events it is crucial to understand that the world is full of diversity, of people who hold different and sometimes opposite values than yours. To join the community, go to the website and apply to be accepted. In München (InterNations’ headquarters), the application is evaluated and a response goes out fairly quickly.

What makes networking in Ukraine special? What are the cultural characteristics of Ukrainians to keep in mind while socializing in Kyiv?

John Jones

Ukraine is special; it is very open to foreigners. Ukrainians are genuinely interested to know about other peoples and cultures and to improve their knowledge of languages and business.
When Ukrainians attend a networking event, they tend to dress well: suit & tie, dress. So Westerns who prefer casual style tend to feel underdressed. But Ukrainians (especially younger people) are pretty relaxed about this. For men … just because a Ukrainian woman starts a conversation with you, it does not mean she is interested in dating. … Don’t get distracted 😉

Anders Ostlund

Networking in Ukraine does not differ so much from other places as to warrant special behaviour. It is worth keeping in mind for a foreigner that Ukrainians are fairly direct and will ask you for benefits very soon after you meet. You might also face a tendency to “fire and forget” with referrals. Often, people don’t think with a long-term perspective. These characteristics can be found everywhere in the world, though, so it’s worth keeping in mind wherever you are.

One interesting local point I would like to share is nicknames. Ukrainian nicknames are like a mystery—and a jungle. While in Sweden Oskar is Oskar and it would be very strange if someone called him something else, in Ukraine, you might hear five or six variations of the same name, and it’s good to be aware of that.
George Lupascu Pruna

As I am a licensed practitioner on cultural differences I could tell you a lot about this, but I’ll try to be as brief as the article allows us to. There are six cultural dimensions in Prof. Hofstede’s model, that capture the different central tendencies in most of the societies: power distance (PDI), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance (UAI), long term orientation (LTO) and indulgence (IVR). Going briefly through these dimensions for Ukraine will give us the following. On PDI, Ukraine scores 92—very hierarchical—which has the impact that nationality matters for Ukrainians. For example, Ukrainians will treat foreigners coming from Western Europe or the U.S. much better than their co-nationals. Age and function matter as well, so you will find it difficult to start a conversation with someone visibly older than you or who considers himself/herself of a higher position, unless of course it is obvious that you’re a foreigner. On IDV, Ukraine scores 25—quite collectivist—which means that it will take you a long time to earn the Ukrainians’ trust, unless you are already good friends with one or two Ukrainians, which in that case means their friends will become your good friends in no time. It is doubtful that anyone will achieve a trusting relationship just from an official networking event, so if you get the feeling that’s happening, better think twice. On MAS, Ukraine scores 27—quite a feminine society— which explains why ensuring a pleasant life is more important than improving the business. Pushing for a deal might get you the opposite result, so allow time to build the relationship. On UAI, Ukraine scores 95—very uncertainty avoidant—which explains why the Ukrainians express their emotions easily, be it happiness, anger or frustration. Join in that expressivity, as that is a good sign. On LTO, Ukraine scores in the middle, 55, explaining why, in business, Ukrainians will mostly look for fast wins and not really care to invest in long-term business relationships. If you feel the opposite, take some more time to think things through. On IVR, Ukraine scores a low 18, explaining why there are so many people who believe that life is hard and work is even harder and that they should better learn to get used to that, versus trying to change something.

Of course, you can’t capture a culture in a paragraph, and there is always the danger of stereotyping, but that is why for my clients I do two days of workshops, to be able to convey in the right way the complexity of these cultural tendencies.

Are there any special do’s and don’ts while networking in Ukraine?

Anders Ostlund

My first observation about networking in an international community is that there is no “normal.” Don’t assume the other person has the same references or knowledge or awareness that you have. When avoiding the presumption of normal, you also open up a whole series of topics to be discussed. Different countries have their own different styles, and they all have their different normals. For example, for me it was a challenge at the beginning to deal with the Ukrainian temper. The same person can be furious at the beginning and then very cool and smiling two minutes later. Versus in Sweden, we have this mellow temper, so that when a Swedish person is angry and upset with you, he is gonna be angry for a long time, it could be forever almost.
It is also very important to succeed in making a positive lasting impression. Often, people say the same things as all the others, and thus, people often forget them. So the most important thing is to be remembered in a positive way; that’s what we want to achieve.

George Lupascu Pruna

As Ukraine is a collectivistic society, people pay attention to all the details related to a conversation, from the tone of voice to the word choice and all the way to the whole interaction history between the two of you. Also being too direct might come off as offensive.

John Jones

Be polite

Speak clearly. Avoid foul language.

Be open and approach people in good faith.

Remember you are an ambassador of your country and your culture.

Smile, be open and honest.
Don’t take advantage of naiveté or inexperience.

Remember: any expat community is diverse, uniting people with different goals and world views, and there is no reason to trust everybody. Don’t accept everything as the truth. Verify everything if it is something important. The biggest danger to an expat is another expat. We tend to trust other expats too easily, as we think they must be like ourselves.

Most important is to have fun networking and make new friends from around the world.

Share your tips on how to overcome nervousness and show yourself in the best light during such events

Anders Ostlund

Easy. Prepare yourself for the event in advance. Ask yourself: Where is it? Who will be there? Can I bring a friend or colleague to support me? The best way to overcome fear is to practice visiting such events. No theory will help, I think. Keep mingling until you find people you like, or ask the host who might be a good fit for you. Try to make a person feel comfortable, try to find the common ground. No magic here.

George Lupascu Pruna

This is one of the reasons why InterNations has such a thorough selection process for its Ambassadors. As an Ambassador you’re constantly watching to see whether a newcomer has joined the event and needs introductions, so that we make it easier for the new members to attend our events and become quickly integrated. In InterNations, you can simply approach a group, say “hi,” and mention that you are new. Our members will take care of the rest.

John Jones

Everyone attending a networking event is there to meet people. Ninety-nine percent are open and friendly. Look for people who are smiling and look relaxed. While trying to make conversation, work the room. One by one, greet people and introduce yourself, and you will quickly find a connection to someone. Remember, most networkers are happy to help a sincere and honest person. Don’t be shy. Smile and walk with a spring in your step.

How can you better finish a conversation? What are some ways to follow up after networking events?

George Lupascu Pruna

As long as you enjoy the conversation, you can say that you’ve found the right people. If you feel that you are stuck, you can always excuse yourself and move on, without offending the other person. Understanding cultural differences will enable you to figure out what is appropriate in a particular culture and what would be considered offensive. Starting and finishing a conversation is very culturally-, personality- and purpose-specific. For following up, I would recommend getting in touch with the new acquaintance by phone as soon as you are available. I’m not really in favor of following any rules such as waiting three days or a week, but that is just because my schedule doesn’t allow that extra constraint, otherwise following up too soon might convey you as needy, while following up too late might convey you as not serious.

John Jones

Exchanging visit cards or LinkedIn addresses is a good way to finish your talk. After 10 or 15 minutes, thank the company you’ve been speaking with and excuse yourself to go and meet more people. Follow up the next day with an email or a message about how you enjoyed meeting and suggest meeting again for coffee.
Anders Ostlund

When you are finishing the conversation, try to come up with something positive and add value for that person — there might be something that’s easy for you to do. After the event, the best thing is to write a short note saying that it was nice to see you at that event and express hope that you can touch base soon again. Then it’s a great idea to connect on social media. Also, write a thank-you note to a host. These messages don’t have to be essays; keep it short — thanks, and keep in touch. If you received such a message from somebody else, reply nicely. Overall, keep your promises, and stay in touch over time. Thus, they will remember you and you will be top-of-mind, the first one they think of in your field.