We Motivate People to Go Beyond the Scope of What is Offered

In 2025, delo.ua named Valery Krasovsky one of Top 100 Best CEOs in Ukraine, selected by executive experience, anti-crisis management skills, use of innovation, leadership, and change management.

In an interview to delo.ua, Valery shared what qualities make a good CEO, how to recognize problems in a company, how to change your management style during a crisis, and much more. Here is an English version translation of his interview.

You have been holding the position of CEO for more than 10 years. Based on your experience, what are the top 3 qualities or skills that a CEO must have?

I have been in C-level positions for much longer, as I was the Chief Operating Officer for quite a long time. Of course, the company was smaller back then, but it doesn’t matter how many people you have in your team, how many cities you have offices in, or how many large customers you work with.

Our company has always taken this very seriously. Our clients value us because they can rely on us and entrust us with the most complex projects. No wonder the level of customer satisfaction is getting higher every year – in 2024, it reached a record 98%.

Responsibility to employees is not just about timely payments or career opportunities. Thanks to our horizontal hierarchy, we give everyone the opportunity to express their opinions and voice their concerns. It is the CEO’s duty, having given this opportunity to people, to take a responsible approach to solving the problems raised and to keep own word.

And in order to catch problems in time, you need to have a good understanding of what and how the company you run is organized. I guess I was lucky. I started out as a developer in the mid-90s. Then I was a team lead, a project manager, and then I joined business development. In 2002, when the company was founded, our team had 6 people. And, of course, everyone was involved in virtually all tasks, but each focused on their own area of responsibility. This gave us a deep understanding of many processes. It also helped us create exactly the company we wanted – a company by developers for developers, where everyone could realize their potential. Today, more than 20 years later, our people remain our greatest treasure.

With the co-founders of the Sigma Cooking internal community and the authors of the Sigma Cook Book

Finally, the third quality is the desire for continuous business development. From the very inception of the company, we have strived to take advantage of every opportunity to grow the business.

At the beginning, our client-centered approach helped us, and it remains the same today. Over time, we began offering more and more new services to our customers, trying to help them solve their problems, not just “do what we were told.” This approach led to the creation of an entire ecosystem around Sigma Software, which includes a product portfolio, a startup accelerator, and an educational platform. All of this not only allows customers to get a turnkey project of any complexity, but also opens up many opportunities for the growth and development of people in the company. And a strong team is the key to business success.

What do unstable times require from the heads of Ukrainian IT companies?

To be even more responsible. In unstable times, people need to understand that they will not be left alone and will receive support in the place where they spend most of their time, i.e. in the company. Ensuring stability, providing comprehensive assistance: from evacuation and finding housing to psychological counseling and providing comfortable working conditions anywhere in the world. All this requires a lot of dedication and responsibility from the key team and the business leader.

Be able to take risks. It seems that since the beginning of the invasion, Sigma Software has been more active than ever in implementing new initiatives, opening new business directions, entering new markets, and joining new projects. Starting something new is always a risk, since it may not be successful. However, this should not be an obstacle: failures are necessary to gain new knowledge and experience.

Lead people by personal example. People follow someone they trust, who keeps their word, who does not call for something they do not do themselves. Someone who also works for the result together with everyone else, gives advice, and doesn’t just sit in an office or in emails cc silently and demand results.

What are the indicators of a successful business for you, and how do you recognize problems in a company before they start to destroy the business?

A successful business is one that is actively growing. For example, if a company goes public, the two main indicators that are evaluated first of all are annual growth and margin. And these indicators should be at least 15%, and preferably 25%.

How do you achieve such indicators? I have already mentioned this: you need to have an understanding of all processes, a professional and dedicated team, and always develop the company as a startup. This will also help to see systemic problems that can slow down the business at an early stage.

Has the full-scale war become a professional competency test for you as a CEO? How do you think you passed it?

2022 was a test for everyone.

Even before the invasion, our team modeled several scenarios of how events would unfold. Including the worst-case scenarios, although no one seemed to fully believe that this could happen. The preparations we made in advance allowed us to quickly organize everything we needed to help people and ensure business continuity.

This included the creation of a team of volunteers who were constantly in touch with those in the dangerous regions and helped them. This included the centralized evacuation of more than 3,000 people, including our employees and their families, as well as employees of other companies who were not as prepared as we were. This included finding and providing temporary housing as well as constant communication. No one controlled anyone, everything worked because everything was prepared, and our specialists were able to take responsibility and solve problems on their own.

At the same time, we actively communicated with our customers, did our best to ensure that work on projects continued, quality was maintained, and deadlines were not shifted. This hard, but well-coordinated work of the entire team allowed us to resume work at 100% in just two weeks, as well as to retain clients and specialists. Then came new challenges – extremely rapid globalization, when in just one year we opened almost 20 new offices in Ukraine and 5+ countries. This was also done to provide decent conditions for people who relocated, as well as to reassure customers of the stability of the business.

Of course, we all did and are doing a lot to tell the world about the potential and capabilities of the Ukrainian IT industry and Ukrainian engineers. Even these challenging times open up new opportunities that we need to be able to seize.

How competitive is the IT market in Ukraine today? Have foreign customers returned to it? What growth points do you see?

It is quite competitive now, we feel it. Why? Customers from Europe, the US, and Asia choose Ukrainians because they have a strong educational background, are flexible, creative, and responsible.

Valery speaks at many international conferences 

Ukraine remains attractive for orders because IT companies have a steady dialog with the government and a convenient taxation regime, IT education is developing, and companies in the market have considerable experience in working with different business domains and understanding the specifics of different businesses. Last year, our company attracted 68 new customers. Though these are not always large companies or large projects, it indicates that customers continue to trust us despite the instability in the world.

Another trend is artificial intelligence. Almost every customer today comes with a request for AI, with the help of which they plan to optimize costs and increase productivity. And many of them turn to Ukraine because Ukrainian companies have great expertise and R&D capabilities.

GovTech is also something that will develop in the next not even years, but decades. This is an ocean of opportunities where the IT industry can help make the life of every citizen more comfortable.

What allows you, as a head of Sigma Software, to maintain a motivated and efficient team in the face of an acute shortage of personnel?

I won’t tell you all the secrets 🙂 Although probably, this question is better to ask the team. It seems to me that we have achieved the goal we once set for ourselves: to create a place where everyone can realize themselves, do something special and incredible. Of course, as a large company, we have a lot of processes. However, we have always motivated our people to go beyond the scope of what is offered. Do you want to develop a new direction? Let’s try it if it will benefit the business. Want to try yourself in a new role? We will fully support you in this and provide training opportunities. That’s why our specialists often make a career in a different place than where they started. For example, a recruiter can become a business analyst, a tester can become a cybersecurity manager, an office manager can become the head of the office, and an assistant manager can become the head of PR, etc.

The atmosphere in which they work every day also motivates people. The events of recent years have given everyone the opportunity to feel supported and cared for. Our team, which is now spread across 21 countries, remains a big family.

Among IT professionals, you can often hear that their work in large companies is a “corporate galley”. Have you ever thought about consciously building a business with a human face? What recipes have you found for yourself?

Of course, there are companies where the work is very monotonous, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. Any business that wants to be successful is very cautious about the use of money, especially during economic crises and geopolitical challenges.

Communicating with Sigma Software specialists during the traditional Fika – a meeting with the management to learn the latest news and ask any questions

Customers are constantly demanding even greater efficiency, new approaches, and new ideas. In such conditions, it is difficult to remain a “galley” where everyone does the same thing every day “from here to lunch”.

If we take Sigma Software as an example, in addition to the various opportunities I have already mentioned, the company has programs and communities to develop entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. We invest in startups of our specialists and build product companies. Probably any profession has some form of routine. But we are definitely not boring, and we are definitely not a “galley”.

How important is the employer brand today?

It is always important. An employer brand is a powerful competitive advantage for a business that allows it to attract talented people who share the company’s values and approaches. And this, in turn, helps to get new customers who, of course, want to work with the best.

With the team at IT Arena 2024 conference

The employer brand becomes even more important when it comes to rapid globalization and the need to build teams in new markets. We know this well from our own experience. It is always difficult to start, because no one knows the company. It takes systematic and planned actions to get people to know you, understand your culture, and want to join you. We have already built this not only in Ukraine but also in other countries where we work.

Today, charity and participation in supporting the defense forces has become an integral part of life for Ukrainian companies. How do you develop this direction? Does the initiative come from you as a CEO or from the team?

Many initiatives aimed at systematizing our charity efforts came from me, but everyone was involved on their own will.

In the first three days of the war, our team raised $150 thousand. The company doubled this amount and directed it to help the army. It was our first donation. At the same time, the Sigma Software Unity Fund charity fund was launched. To date, the fund has donated about $5 million to support the Ukrainian Army and civilians.

This activity is no longer just charity, it is part of our CSR program, as it includes volunteering, involvement of specialists in pro bono projects, joint partnership initiatives with clinics, volunteer organizations, IT clusters, the government, etc. Through the Fund, we also support our colleagues who have joined the Armed Forces.

What are the three biggest mistakes made by young businesses? What do you advise them to stop doing as soon as possible?

They start selling without building relationships. People buy from those they trust, so you shouldn’t save time by removing this stage. If you fail, most likely there will be no second opportunity.

They want to take without offering something in return. To sell something, you need to make the other party interested. If you were offered something to buy, but you could clearly see that only the seller would benefit from it, would you buy it?

They don’t see the big picture. This is often the case when it comes to M&A. It is believed that when a company is doing well, it does not need it. But the truth is that when things go bad, no one will want to buy this company. Also, executives often have high expectations for company valuations, without taking into account global experience.

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