Ukroboronprom announces completion for post of CEO, appoints German Smetanin as acting CEO

MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - The Supervisory Board of JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry (Ukroboronprom) has appointed German Smetanin as the company's acting CEO following Oleg Gulyak's transfer to a new job and has announced an open competition to fill the position of Ukroboronprom CEO, Ukrainian media outlets said, citing the company's statement on social media.

The Supervisory Board thanked Gulyak "for his dedicated, professional and effective work" in the post of Ukroboronprom CEO.

"Under his leadership, the company continued to successfully accomplish its key tasks, including the corporate governance reform and the construction of an anti-corruption infrastructure. In addition, Ukroboronprom's international partnership with foreign arms manufacturers was strengthened substantially and the introduction of promising products progressed further. As a result, the share of new and modernized weapons and military hardware stood at 96% last year. Besides, the company's consolidated net profit topped UAH 1.309 billion in 2024," the statement said.

The Supervisory Board has announced an open and transparent competition for the post of Ukroboronprom CEO, it said. Smetanin, "like all candidates with the required professional competences, has a right to take part in the competition on equal terms," it said.

The candidates' selection and preliminary evaluation will be carried out by the Ukrainian branch of the Odgers Berndtson international company, which specializes in top management recruitment.

Odgers Berndtson will begin selecting candidates on July 28, 2025.