The year that made us stronger: the story of Opti Global in employee stories Kyiv

24.02.2023
The year that made us stronger: the story of Opti Global in employee stories Kyiv

February 24, 2022isthe date that divided the life of Ukrainians intobeforeandafter. With the advent of a full-scale invasion, we are faced with challenges that should not have arisen in the civilized world of the 21st century.

But history has placed us in circumstances that, contrary to popular expectations, have been overcome. During this time, each of us proved to ourselves that we are stronger and more courageous than we thought before.

We would like to dedicate this material to the Opti Global and Opti Taxi team, which not only adapted to the crisis circumstances of work and life, but also definitely develops with faith in a better future.

February 24, 2022: Memories of the day that changed everything

Each of us has a personal story associated with this day. Unfortunately, many of us since that day have lost loved ones, relatives, left our homes and jobs.

Despite these difficulties, we have managed to adapt to new circumstances and even acquire new skills and competencies that will be useful to us even after peaceful life returns to our homes.

Alexandra Shapenkova, Head of Human Resources of the Opti Global group of companies,tells about the first day since the beginning of the full-scale invasion , who every hour remembers the first day of the full-scale invasion : work, to my question:Why?,shereplied, We started a war.At the same moment I heard an explosion. The first calls and messages were, of course, addressed to relatives and friends. After them, it was the turn of the Opti team. I even woke up some of my colleagues and branch managers.and was the first to let them know what had happened. I took the initiative and adjusted the processes over the phone, which saved us a lot from chaos. We could evacuate or continue working in these emergencyconditions.

Opti Global and Opti Taxi joined the long list of domestic companies that remained in operation when the full-scale invasion began. Together, representatives of the system business managed to control the situation in the country and provide tens of millions of Ukrainians with access to the most necessary goods and services.

Opti-taxi in the first months of the invasion: how the troops got out of the crisis and helped the population and the army

Opti Taxi is the most extensive transport service in Ukraine. At present, we have branches in more than 40 cities of the free country. The strength and advantages of our brand are in the regions and a large team.

Of course, the leadership of our branches and ordinary workers from the first hours began to help those who were forced to leave their homes and seek asylum.

Bogdan Kaschenyuk,head of the Ternopil branch, talks about last spring:Tens of thousands of refugees have arrived in the city since the invasion began. I gave temporary shelter to many of them. Yes, in my house at different times there were about 100 people who left the area of active shelling. Of course, I hostedfriends from Opti with their families.

Like many other Ternopil residents, Bogdan continues to work for victory:In my free time I do stand-up. Together with a group of comedians, we organized a tour of the cities of Ukraine and have already visited Ternopil, Lvov, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnitsa, Rivne, Khmelnitsky. We managed to collect a substantial amount of money, which we transferred to the needs of the fighters of the 241st tacticalaviation brigade .

The head of the Khmelnitsky branch, Vladislav Tozhevsky, did a great job this year:“At the beginning of a full-scale war, a huge number of refugees arrived in our region, some of whom were forced to stay in the region for permanent residence. . We have a large room for organizing the work of the Call-center, which has become a temporary center for internally displaced persons. Our dispatchers have switched to remote work because we have equipped places for living in the office and received citizens in need of housing.

Our colleagues from Kyiv arrived first. We provided the entire team of drivers and office workers with a place to relax, brought everything necessary for life. They donated blankets and other essentials. They brought hot drinks and food.

The second stage was the evacuation of the company's vehicles from Kyiv to Khmelnitsky. We posted an announcement that we were leaving in an escort and welcomed everyone who wanted to evacuate safely.

Special thanks to the drivers who, in the first days of March, volunteered to transport cars with people who had difficulty leaving Kyiv on their own.

Due to the fact that in our office there are no conditions for long-term accommodation, we accepted people for several days, and then helped them go to Europe by bus or find an apartment and stay in apartments and houses in the city and region, region.

In just a month and a half, we organized a temporary shelter for more than 250 people.

In the first weeks of a full-scale war, a huge number of people arrived in our city every day and every night by road, bus and rail. Together with the city council, a team of driverswas organized to help people get to their permanent place of residence at night .

Taxi Opti in Khmelnitsky took over all transportation costs at night. In March 2022 alone, we helped over 1,500 people.

The representative of the Opti family in front-line Zaporozhye had to face other challenges:For the first time in its history, our city has become a real hub for refugees who left the occupied cities of southern Ukraine. From the beginning of the invasion to the present day, our drivers and employees have transported hundreds of parcels with humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons and citizens in difficult life situations. For a while, our office turned into a warehouse and a meeting place for volunteers. Funds for the needs of the victims are collected by jointefforts, many donations come from the company's staff, as well as from my friends and acquaintances.

Opti Global Group, year of full-scale hostilities: we look to the future with confidence

The most difficult times for life and business are behind us. Now the head brand and the holding are actively working and developing.

From 2023, Opti Global will launch a new Opti Cargo project and will develop related brands: Opti Digital, Opti Connect, Opti People, Opti Tir and is preparing to upgrade its own travel business.

All this would not have been possible without the company's team, as Petr Kovtun, founder and CEO of Opti Global, emphasizes:I want to thank the entire team of Opti Global and Opti Taxi for their perseverance and dedication. Thanks to you, we did not stop at the most terrible full-scale war and fulfilled our obligations to millions of passengers in all corners of the country. and saved jobs for our employees and partners.The main value of our companyisthe team . Together we not only survived the year, but also continued to develop new projects, which is extremely valuable in the second year since the start of a full-scale war. Now we know for sure that we are strong and can face challenges that previously seemed insurmountable.

This year we have completed a large number of projects. From the very beginning, we have been helping to finance the Armed Forces by supporting the volunteer movement. Separately, I would like to note our projects aimed at fighting the invaders, overcoming the consequences of a full-scale war, adapting the victims and restoring our country.

Thank you for trusting our partners:

  • National Police of Ukraine;

  • Fund of the competent help of the army"Come back alive";

  • Star Life Foundation;

  • charitable foundation"Ukraine indestructible";

  • charitable organization Klaster Veterano Syber;

  • productionstudioColleaguesStudio;

  • Muscreators digital platform;

and many others!

Together we proved that we are stronger than we thought a year ago. I'm sure we can do many more things that seem impossible today!

Let's win together, Glory to Ukraine, Glory to the resilient people!