DATE
19–20 September 2026
FORMAT
in-person, Kyiv
10 Dobrovolchykh Batalioniv St.
TRAINERS
Oleg Zubchenok
Iryna Zolotarevych
COST
25,000 UAH
A two-day business simulation for prospective and newly appointed CEOs
CEO SIMULATION. CEO in action
Not everyone wants to be a CEO once they’ve become one
Many executives aspire to the role of CEO. But the reality of a CEO’s job is not just about status and the power to make final decisions. It involves constantly balancing conflicting priorities: people, finances, customers, shareholders and the company’s future. It is a job characterised by uncertainty, crisis, and a shortage of resources and solutions, the consequences of which cannot be passed on to anyone else.
This is precisely why the CEO Simulation programme was created – a two-day format in which participants do not simply discuss the role of a CEO, but experience it first-hand through a management simulation.
Why is this important?
Most programmes teach individual functions: finance, marketing, operations, team management or strategy. But the CEO operates across these functions and must see how a single decision affects the entire system.
Other programmes provide models and ‘correct’ answers. CEO Simulation demonstrates the consequences of decisions: what happens to the team, finances, customers, the market and the company following every management choice.
This programme is for those who wish to better understand the real role of a CEO — not from a job description, but through action, pressure, choice and accountability for results.
What makes CEO SIMULATION unique:
1. It shifts participants from the position of a functional manager into the role of the business’s top executive.
Participants do not analyse the situation as outside experts, but make decisions as a CEO, bearing responsibility for their consequences for the entire company.
2. It simulates the real-world complexity of running a business.
Finance, operations, people, customers, shareholders and strategy all interact simultaneously, forcing participants to navigate conflicting priorities and limited resources.
3. Creates a full cycle of management learning through the consequences of decisions.
Every decision influences the subsequent course of events, allowing participants to see cause-and-effect relationships, typical management pitfalls and the real cost of their choices.
4. Provides not only experience but also a personalised CEO Readiness profile.
Participants complete the programme with an understanding of their strengths, areas for development and a concrete plan for preparing for the role of CEO.
CEO SIMULATION is a business simulation that allows participants to experience the intense challenges of being a chief executive officer.
Over the course of two days, participants:
• make strategic decisions;
• work within financial constraints;
• respond to crisis situations;
• interact with the Board of Directors;
• manage team conflicts;
• defend investment decisions;
• experience the real pressure of a CEO’s responsibilities.
There is an option of POST-PROGRAMME COACHING, which helps participants translate their experience into a personalised roadmap, provided by Irina Zolotarevich’s team
THE TRAINING PROGRAMME INCLUDES
1. The programme includes: an online questionnaire and a brief self-assessment.
2. Kick-off. Transitioning participants from functional thinking to CEO-level thinking
3. Growth round (aim: to identify bottlenecks, prioritise resources, and maintain
the system)
4. Liquidity round (aim: to understand the cost of cash-based solutions and the risks (team decision + financial analysis + debrief)
5. People Round (aim: to navigate conflict, retention, difficult conversations and shifts in trust (role-play + decision + debrief)
6. Transformation Round (aim: to drive change under pressure (teamwork + stakeholder map + debrief)
7. Owners’ Round (aim: to defend strategic choices ahead of a board memo and board presentation)
Conclusion: answer “Is this mine?” and “What should I develop?”
Individual scorecard, peer feedback, coaching follow-up
THIS PROGRAMME IS FOR
- Future CEOs
COOs
CFOs
Commercial Directors
HR Directors
Operations Directors
Business Unit Heads
Country Managers - Newly appointed CEOs
Leaders who have recently taken the helm of a company or business unit. - Owners of small and medium-sized businesses
Entrepreneurs who wish to view their own business through the lens of professional
management. - Talent pools at large companies
Participants in leadership development and succession planning programmes. - Start-up founders
Particularly in the fields of technology, Defence Tech and Dual Use, where businesses are rapidly scaling up.
COACHES
Oleg Zubchenok
Strategic adviser, member of supervisory boards and certified corporate director with over 18 years’ international experience in strategy, operations and technology.
Adviser to technology and dual-use companies — I work with founders on scaling, corporate governance and strategy.
Former executive at Shell with responsibility for financial results exceeding $200 million. I work with Ukrainian businesses on growth and digital transformation as part of international programmes.
Vice-President of the Ukrainian branch of the Association of Business Process Management Professionals. PhD researcher at the Kyiv School of Economics.
Iryna Zolotarevych
Executive coach at the world’s highest level (MCC ICF), founder of the International School of Scaling Coaching, MBA lecturer and consultant on leadership and team development.
She works with business owners, senior managers, government leaders and management teams in highly complex and uncertain environments.
Previously, she served as an adviser to the Prime Minister of Ukraine and an adviser to the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine. She has many years’ experience in strategic communications, change management and organisational development.
Her clients and projects include government institutions, international programmes, large companies, professional associations and management teams undergoing scaling, transformation or crisis-driven change.
DO YOU RECOGNISE YOURSELF?
- Are you considering a move into the CEO role?
- Have you been offered the chance to lead a business?
- Do you feel you have outgrown your current role?
- Are you planning to scale up your own company?
- Do you want to better understand the CEO’s mindset?
- Do you want to assess your own readiness for a new level of responsibility?
WHAT WILL PARTICIPANTS GAIN?
Before the programme begins
CEO Readiness Assessment
Self-assessment of managerial readiness.
During the programme
12+ management decisions
Working with the Board of Directors
Financial dilemmas
Crisis situations
People management
Conflicts of interest
Strategic choices
Negotiations with stakeholders
After the programme
Personalised CEO Readiness Profile
Strengths:
- strategic thinking;
- leadership;
- decision-making;
- communication;
- resilience to uncertainty.
Areas for development:
- delegation;
- CEO financial literacy;
- change management;
- crisis management;
- working with shareholders and the Board of Directors.
THE COST OF TRAINING
10, Dobrovolchykh batalyoniv Str., Kyiv
25000 UAH
For your convenience, we offer an online payment option. Register and pay in a way that is convenient for you. 