The global market for equal opportunity solutions is expected to grow to $24.4 billion by 2030. Equality is a global trend, and some Ukrainian companies are already turning it into everyday practice. The story of the event agency ARENA CS shows how women’s leadership and social responsibility can become a strategic advantage — one that goes beyond internal culture and begins to influence the market.
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Leadership Has No Gender
ARENA CS is a business created and led by women. Its founder and CEO, Yana Matviichuk, an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience, has built a space where women’s leadership, initiative, and entrepreneurship drive the company forward. The numbers speak for themselves: 9 out of 12 top managers are women. Among the co-owners, women also hold the majority — two out of three.
In 2023, the company officially joined the UN initiative Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). According to ARENA CS, this step formalized what had long been part of their culture — and became a catalyst for new internal changes
Olena Matviychuk is the owner and CEO of the accounting company WEDOITBM) and Yana Matviychuk is the founder and CEO of ARENA CS.
Real Stories of Growth
People’s stories are the strongest proof that equality works — and ARENA CS has many of them.
One designer started her career as an assistant and is now head of the creative design and production department.
Another example: a woman who decided to change her profession at 52. After studying at the company’s own Great Event School, she became the head of the corporate client department. ARENA CS also supports women returning from maternity leave and those who had to leave their homes because of the war.
Impact Beyond the Office
ARENA CS’s social responsibility extends far beyond internal policies. Since 2015, the team has actively involved women in social and charitable projects.
A major milestone was the co-founding of Women’s Aid International (WAI), where seven female top managers of ARENA CS became co-founders.
Since 2022, the fund has supported internally displaced people, elderly women, volunteers, and mothers who lost their jobs due to the war. Between 2022 and 2024, WAI provided assistance to more than 2,000 women and families across Kyiv, Lviv, and Cherkasy regions and implemented 18 social initiatives together with international partners.
The company also launched the educational project “Social Worker School,” which trained and employed 145 graduates, most of them displaced women.
Equal Opportunities: A New Standard for the Industry
Over the last three years, ARENA CS has organized more than 120 events using equality principles. More than 500 participants completed diversity & inclusion training, and the company collaborated with 40+ partner organizations that support ethical standards.
These practices proved not only ethical but also commercially beneficial. After joining WEPs, trust from international clients — especially donor organizations and diplomatic missions — increased significantly. Young professionals now choose ARENA CS for its values of responsibility and sustainable development.
The company has already set ambitious goals for 2025–2027:
Launch the mentorship program “Women Lead in Events.”
Integrate sustainability practices into all business processes.
ARENA CS shows that a business built on respect, equality, and humanity is not a temporary trend — it is a necessity of our time. And it is also the path to building profitable, resilient companies that shape a new standard of corporate culture in Ukraine.