Our Structure
Ukrainian-Austrian Association is registered in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Management Board:
Alfred F. Praus, President
Alfred F. Praus has a distinguished international career in top level management of Austrian-based industrial and engineering groups such as RHI and Waagner-Biro, the latter of which he successfully restructured and turned around. He has been living in Ukraine for 15 years meanwhile. There he started projects in logistics and tourism development, further on focusing on investment promotion and advising. Since 2019 he is a General Secretary of International Counсil of Business Associations and Chambers in Ukraine (ICBAC). Alfred has a broad and far-reaching network in business and culture in both countries.
Stefan Haboeck, Board Member
Stefan Haboeck is member of the City Council of Wels, Austria, media spokesman of Member of European Parliament, Dr. Paul Ruebig and was President of PanEuropean Youth of Austria. Stefan started activities in Ukraine in 2015, supporting the Pro Maidan Pro European movement; he has a strong network and an Austrian entrepreneurial background. He will focus on the Austrian aspects and tasks of Ukrainian-Austrian Association.
Marianna Kordun, Board Member, Head of Operations
Marianna holds a Master's Degree in Arts with honours from Kyiv National Linguistic University. Besides her native Ukrainian and Russian, she is fluent in English and Spanish. Prior to joining the Association, Marianna worked in a leading law firm, where she assisted highly-committed professionals in a wide range of domestic and cross-border matters. She also has experience with major international cultural and sporting events.
Supervisory Committee
The Supervisory Committee is a body supporting, sponsoring and fostering the development of Ukrainian-Austrian Association as well as advising the Management Board on strategic issues. Actual members are:
Dr. Erhard Busek ✟ 13.04.2022
Dr. Erhard Busek is a distinguished Austrian personality widely known and highly esteemed in all Europe. After having been Minister and Vice Chancellor of Austria he was appointed, among others, Balkans-delegate of European Union, a task he successfully performed with initiative and impetus for several years. Today he is President of Vienna Economic Forum, Honorary President of Europäisches Forum Alpbach and Chairman of IDM – Institut für den Donauraum und Mitteleuropa.
Olha Bosak
Olha Bosak is Founder and CEO of Olha Bosak Management Consulting with a focus on energy issues. After having held senior positions in both public and private sector, she served as Director of the Center for Reforms of Oil & Gas Sector and Corporate Governance of SOEs at Naftogaz of Ukraine. Worked at the Presidential Administration, with Ministries, international organizations and big companies both in Ukraine and abroad. In December 2018 she joined the Norwegian energy company AICE Hydro as a Partner and Member of the Board of Directors. Olha is co-author of two books and in the past years she has also developed a distinguished international career as painter; her high-level network is vast indeed.
Nils Grolitsch
Nils Grolitsch is one of the main Austrian industrialists invested in Ukraine. EUROGOLD Industries in Zhytomyr has a workforce of approx. 1,200 meanwhile, producing household goods; with their recently developed high-end surfboards they have won several world cup races already. Currently they are establishing industrial-scale production facilities for these boards in Zhytomyr.
Igor Zhaloba
Igor Zhaloba is highly esteemed doctor of historical sciences, professor. He is currently Head of the Chair of International Relations and International Law at the Borys Grinchenko University of Kyiv. Igor Zhaloba is co-chair of the Austrian-Ukrainian commission of historians; Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Society for the History of Diplomacy and International Relations and Chairman of the Board of the Pan-European Union of Ukraine.
Vitaly Portnikov
Vitaly Portnikov is a well-known Ukrainian publicist, political analyst and TV presenter. He is the author of several journalistic books and artistic prose. Vitaly Portnikov had founded the political show "Politclub", which currently airs on the Espreso TV Channel. He is also the head of the Ukrainian part of the Ukrainian-Polish Partnership Forum and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Public Broadcasting of Ukraine.
The Supervisory Committee will later on be broadened to up to 9 members
with Austrian and Ukrainian personalities holding key positions in business,
politics and culture.
Additionally there may be installed an Academic Council with key academic experts,
writers, professors and civil society leaders to support Austrian-Ukrainian friendship
and the image of Ukraine in Austria and beyond.