Kuchma presents Order of Princess Olha to Western NIS Enterprise Fund's president/CEO

KYIV - President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma on June 11 presented the Order of Princess Olha, III level, to Western NIS Enterprise Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Natalie A. Jaresko in recognition of her distinguished contribution toward the development of Ukraine's investment climate.

The order was bestowed upon Ms. Jaresko on June 11 in Kyiv at the All-Ukrainian Meeting on Improvement of Investment Climate in Ukraine. President Kuchma presided over the meeting, which was attended by the prime minister, all oblast chairman, many mayors, key members of the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers, select foreign investors, members of President Kuchma's Foreign Investment Advisory Council, as well as representatives of many diplomatic missions and international financial institutions operating in Ukraine.

Established in 1997, the Princess Olha Order is one the most prestigious national awards recognizing women who have made remarkable achievements and contributions to the national, industrial, social, scientific, educational, cultural, charitable and other spheres of life in Ukraine.

Under Ms. Jaresko's leadership and guidance, WNISEF has become the region's leading private equity fund. It has built a nearly $80 million investment portfolio that includes 24 companies in Ukraine and Moldova. The majority of these companies lead the market in consistently providing high-quality, innovative products and services as a result of their enduring commitment to excellence in all business areas. WNISEF's portfolio companies set standards for other businesses in the region and serve as strong examples of success that attract further potential investment into economies.

Ms. Jaresko has spent over 11 years actively working to attract and promote foreign investment in Ukraine. After serving three years as the first chief of Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine, where she focused attention on encouraging private businesses to invest their capital in Ukraine's fast-growing emerging market, she has embarked on an effort to get directly involved in the country's private sector development by joining Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF).

WNISEF was established by the U.S. government in 1994 to support small- and medium-sized private businesses of Ukraine and Moldova by providing them with capital and the necessary management tools to evolve from entrepreneurial ventures into professionally managed companies.

Ms. Jaresko received a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government in 1989 and a Bachelor of science in accounting from DePaul University in Chicago in 1987. She is a registered CPA and serves on the boards of the International Management Institute in Kyiv, the East-West Institute in Kyiv, and the DePaul University Commerce Exchange.

A Chicago native, Ms. Jaresko was named by Mayor Richard Daley to the Kyiv-Chicago Sister City Committee. She is married and has a young daughter and is also a member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 114.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 6, 2003, No. 27, Vol. LXXI

| Home Page |