Julia Yakovenko

SUMMARY

• Held senior roles in risk management at leading Ukrainian oil, gas, and energy companies: 5 years.
• Led internal control and compliance at top global agricultural companies: 3 years.
• Led external audits projects for commercial and financial clients at a Big 4 firm: 6 years.
• Provided consulting for the IFC / World Bank Group.
• Led own start-up business: 1 year.
• Experienced in international, cross-functional, fast-changing and complex environments.
• More than 14 years of managerial experience, leading teams of 2 to 20 people.
• Deep expertise in risk management, internal control, audit standards and best practices. ACCA certified. Master’s degree, finance and credit, diploma with honor from KNEU.
• Fluent in English, basic French; proficient in MS Office etc.

KEY STRENGTHS

• Strong analytical skills, including strategic thinking, holistic perspective, structured problem-solving, and sound decision-making.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across all organizational levels; result-driven, team-oriented, and open-minded.
• Advanced planning and organizational abilities, with expertise in prioritization, multitasking, and time management.
• Demonstrated proactiveness, leadership, integrity, adaptability, and positive energy.
• Efficient in project and people management.
• Skilled in delivering presentations to boards, committees, and leadership teams.
• Effective in training and coaching others.

EXPERIENCE

DTEK Energy

DTEK Group is the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector: generating electricity at thermal power plants, wind, solar; extracting natural gas and mining coal; distributing and supplying electricity to end consumers; trading energy resources on Ukrainian and international markets etc.

DTEK Energy: Coal-based electricity production and mining.

Risk Manager with direct reporting to CEO

May 2024 – till now

DTEK group level

• Led risk management (RM) project for the DTEK group: conducting an “as is” assessment and designing the “to be” state for RM functionality, organizational structure, and a roadmap to achieve the target model, all based on best RM practices, standards, and relevant benchmarks.
• Developed unified RM framework and methodology for the group, incorporating tailored approaches for managing various types of risk, including strategic, operational, financial, reputational, regulatory, compliance, fraud, ESG, and business continuity risks. Developed approaches for consolidating risks at the group level.
• Fostered intragroup and cross-functional collaboration across RM teams of the group’s holdings and the Group’s control functions, including internal control, business process management, business continuity management, security, compliance, cybersecurity, internal audit, as well as the ESG team and others.
• Prepared presentations and reported to the Group’s Control Functions Project Lead and Steering Committee, ensuring clear communication of risk management progress and outcomes.

DTEK Energy level

• Risk Management:
• Developed the risk management framework.
• Coordinated the RM process, including setting risk appetite and tolerance, risk identification, assessment, prioritization, development of management strategies and effective plans.
• Oversaw risk realization and execution of mitigation plans.
• Prepared presentations and reports for internal and external stakeholders, reporting regularly to the Audit Committee and CEO.
• Scope: key risks, business plan risks, fraud risks, compliance risks, investment projects risks
• Assessed RM system maturity and developed improvement plans.
• Business Process Management:
• Reviewed and updated the business process matrix and model.
• Reviewed, corrected, and verified regulatory documents related to business processes.
• Reported status to the Audit Committee.
• Internal Control:
• Designed controls and developed risk and control matrix.
• Managed segregation of duties (SOD) risks.

Ukrnafta the largest oil and gas company in Ukraine: oil and gas exploration, production, refining, and retail distribution of petroleum products through its extensive petrol station network.

Chief Risk Officer / Director of Risk Management Department

January 2022 – February 2024. 2 years 1 month

• Ensured effective risk management through the timely identification, analysis, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting of risks.
• Ensured compliance with ERM legislation and policies.
• Developed risk management process in accordance with OECD guidelines.
• Prepared and delivered reports on key risks to the Risk Committee and Supervisory Board.
• Established and maintained cross-functional cooperation with all departments at all organizational levels.
• Managed the RM team including task assignment, coordination, performance review, and coaching.

Risk Manager with direct reporting to the Vice President of Strategy and Development

March 2021 – December 2021. 10 months

• Developed and implemented risk management systems including regulations and methodologies from scratch, in alignment with international standards and best practices.
• Oversaw the full risk management process, ensuring proper identification, assessment, prioritization, and mitigation of risks, as well as continuous monitoring and improvement.
• Prepared and delivered detailed reports and presentations on key risks and mitigation measures to the Risk Committee, Supervisory Board Audit Committee, Board members, and other stakeholders.
• Enhanced organizational risk awareness by conducting targeted training sessions for risk owners.

IFC /

International Finance Corporation the part of the World Bank Group

Short-term Consultant, agriculture projects stream / financial services sector

February 2020 – May 2020. 4 months

• Contributed to projects supporting SMEs in agriculture, including the agrarian crop receipts project and long-term agricultural financing initiatives.
• Facilitated the adoption of various financial instruments by financial institutions in Ukraine.

Bayer Crop Science / Monsanto was a leading American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company, was acquired by Bayer AG in 2018. Bayer is a global company specializing in healthcare and agriculture.

Monsanto UA Internal control and compliance manager with direct reporting to EMEA internal control and compliance manager and UA country head

March 2017 – January 2020. 2 years 11 months

• Conducted risk assessments of key processes and identified gaps in internal controls, providing recommendations and developing remediation plans to minimize risks, with follow-up on execution and reporting to EMEA leadership.
• Developed and implemented new policies and procedures, including Vendor Due Diligence, Tender, and Spending policies.
• Performed due diligence checks, assessing reputational, operational, and financial risks of counterparties.
• Identified breaches in compliance with corporate policies, provided recommendations, and ensured follow-up on issues such as conflict of interest, gifts, spending policy, misappropriation of assets, code of conduct, delegation of authority, FCPA, and data privacy.
• Raised employee awareness of corporate rules through training and internal communications.
• Coordinated internal and external audits, facilitated discussion of findings, and managed follow-up actions.
• Integrated the internal control frameworks of Bayer and Monsanto legacies.

KPMG Ukraine a global leader in audit, tax and advisory services, BIG 4.

Supervisor

Overall: 5.5 years

Period 1: July 2015 - February 2017. 1 year, 8 months.

Period 2: January 2002 - September 2005. 3 years, 9 months o • Conducted audit, compilation, and transformation of financial statements, identifying gaps in internal controls and providing recommendations for improvement.

• Managed audit projects, including planning, resource and task allocation, oversight of execution, and communication with internal and external stakeholders regarding results.
• Led and developed the audit team through motivation, coaching, supervision, and performance assessment.

Own start-up Fast food restaurants’ chain “Soup & Co”: 4 restaurants in Kyiv

Operational Management

September 2013 - May 2014

o • Established the business model.

• Managed operations across sales, marketing, production, supply chain, finance, and HR.
• Led crisis management initiatives, including expense optimization.

• Kyiv National Economics University. Master’s degree, finance and credit, diploma with honor
• ACCA certified