Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with private equity on Friday, praising the “trust” that the UK-headquartered and women-led Horizon Capital has placed in rebuilding efforts for the nation.
“It is very important to believe in our joint journey,” said Ukraine’s president.
Led by CEO Lenna Koszarny, Horizon is an emerging markets fund in Europe with an emphasis on Ukraine and Moldova, with over $1.4 billion assets under management. Backed by investors from eight Western countries, including the United States and Germany, Horizon prioritizes “high standards of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”),” and making strategic investments in women-led companies.
The day of the meeting between Zelenskyy and Koszarny, Horizon announced raising $250 million for investments in Ukraine aligning with this vision.
“Investing in companies with a strong commitment to gender diversity is good business, as this leads to improved financial performance, higher employee satisfaction and better outcomes,” said Koszarny in a statement. “We firmly believe that companies with diverse leadership teams are more innovative, resilient, and ultimately, make better decisions and achieve greater results. This is more important now than ever in Ukraine…”
Zelenskyy’s meeting with Horizon comes as institutional capital eyes rebuilding efforts in the region. Last December, Zelenskyy met with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, following both parties’ decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on driving public and private investments into Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion.
“In accordance with the preliminary agreements struck earlier this year between the Head of State and Larry Fink, the BlackRock team has been working for several months on a project to advise the Ukrainian government on how to structure the country’s reconstruction funds,” said Ukraine’s government following the meeting.
