Natalia Ulyanova is the owner of the consulting company Una//Partners, founder of the platform for joint projects between government and business Level UP, and a graduate of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School's program for business founders Presidents' MBA kmbs.

Natalia started as a lawyer in a small company, ICF Legal. Eventually, she became a co-owner and managing partner, and led the company into the top 50 law firms in Ukraine and the top 500 law firms worldwide. Together with her team, she even joined Deloitte, one of the 'Big Four' auditing companies in the world. But Natalia and her team decided to leave to start a new business from scratch.

In a partner material first published on MC.today, Natalia Ulyanova shared why she chose her own business over a partnership at Deloitte, how she began to unite business and government, and how the Presidents' MBA kmbs helped her achieve this.

How I joined a big company and returned to my business

In 2005, I joined the then-small law firm ICF Legal Service as a lawyer. I wanted development for myself and the company. By 2011, I had grown to CEO, and five years later became the managing partner.

We dealt with taxes, business structuring, mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Then we started offering comprehensive personalized solutions so that entrepreneurs could address not only the legal issues of their business with our help, but also those related to finance, marketing, and investments.

Such services were in high demand. By 2016, our staff had increased from three to 50, profits doubled for several years in a row, and in 2018 reached seven figures. By 2018, we had entered the top 50 law firms in Ukraine and the top 500 law firms worldwide. We had over 1000 successful cases and more than 150 clients.

Thanks to our successes, we were noticed and offered to join Deloitte — a company that unites tens of thousands of specialists from independent firms around the world and is part of the 'Big Four' auditing companies worldwide.

I hesitated because I had never worked in a structure where most actions needed to be coordinated — despite the fact that I was to become a partner. However, it was interesting to work with such a renowned company. Moreover, at that time, we felt like a team of superstars but saw that we had hit a 'ceiling'. We discussed everything with the team and decided to try. Natalia and her team joined Deloitte in 2018.

We seemed to enter a parallel reality, where there is an extraordinary structure, subordination, system, and cool people. But different. Therefore, the experience was somewhat painful. We concluded that we should learn systematization and structuring, not just 'fly' — in this, we were already good. But we are not 'system people'. And after a year and a half, we left Deloitte to start a new business and lead it with more freedom than is possible in a 'Big Four' company.

How the MBA at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School helped me

All these changes happened in parallel with my studies at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School. I enrolled in the program for business founders Presidents' MBA in the spring of 2018, while still working at ICF.

The business school, in addition to knowledge, gave me a lot of support. I consulted with Eduard Maltsev, the head of Presidents' MBA, when making the decision to transition to Deloitte. And when the question arose: 'What next?' — I also figured it out with him while studying for the MBA.

The path from co-owner of a boutique firm to a partner in a 'Big Four' company — to a startup founder and investor, I went through with my teachers and fellow students.

During my studies, I really liked the 'humanitarian days', when we met with philosophers, musicians, and other cultural figures. Amazingly, it turns out that for business inspiration, you need spiritual inspiration. This stayed with me even after my studies. I started attending concerts and lectures more often. This is how I get energy, switch off, and then return to work with new strength.

It was very valuable not only to change myself but also to see how other members of the MBA group changed. We learned not only from the teachers but also from each other's experiences.

I graduated in the spring of 2020, but I still communicate a lot with my fellow students at kmbs: we meet, share experiences, and push each other towards development. And soon we will announce a series of joint projects.

After Deloitte — Level UP Ukraine

After leaving Deloitte, I founded the company Una//Partners. It's a startup where we work on a project basis. I moved away from the idea of maintaining a large staff, instead engaging different team members for different projects. I have a base of specialists, most of whom I 'grew' — over 50 people.

One of the main vectors of our work is the comprehensive structuring of investment projects. For example, for the Georgian Industrial Group, we created the first Ukrainian concession — the Kherson port.

This is the first Ukrainian concession — a public-private partnership. On one side, the agreement was signed by a foreign investor, the Georgian Industrial Group, on the other — the state, and on the third — organizations that acted as independent public arbitrators: the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Una//Partners provided full support for this agreement. And now we are planning to support the second concession.

Una//Partners also works with the UN Global Compact on developing startups. Among them is a company developing 'smart' eco-houses PassiveDom, producers of paper from fallen leaves RE-leaf Paper, producers of blinds with solar panels Solargaps, and the innovative center 'Promprylad.Renovation'.

The second direction of my work became the networking platform Level UP Ukraine, which helps the government, business, and society unite for joint projects. We have been holding forums for five years and have entered the top three Ukrainian forums.

When we were with kmbs on an offsite module to Sweden, I was fascinated by the idea of building an ecosystem. In fact, I implemented it in Level UP. We are not just another forum 'to talk', we are about action and interaction.

It was thanks to Level UP Ukraine that the Kherson port concession started. There are also many small collaborations. For example, at the Level UP forum in 2020, a collaboration was born between the IT company Powercode, the UN Global Compact in Ukraine, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Now Powercode participates in creating digital products not just as a contractor, but as a partner, for example, the company's team joined the development of the 'Diia' portal.

Now we have an already formed community that collaborates outside the forums. It includes ministries, the State Property Fund, and other government institutions, as well as over 10,000 entrepreneurs, European associations, such as taxpayers, IT communities, business associations CEOClub, SUP, URB, Aspen, the Entrepreneurs Club of Bukovina, and others. We also have a mobile application Level UP Ukraine, where you can share your project and find those who can help implement it.

What hinders cooperation between business and the state

It can be difficult for business and the state to agree on the terms of cooperation. From the business side, the main problem is distrust. Business is afraid that it will sign a public-private partnership agreement, invest money, and then be thrown out.

From the state's side, the problems are different: there are strict criteria that they cannot deviate from, and they are often not very progressive. Legislation is not yet fully adapted to modern realities, so it can be difficult to provide conditions that satisfy the investor.

For example, when working on the Kherson port concession, we encountered the fact that the concession law was not adapted to current realities at all. We found a way out, and the lessons learned formed the basis of the new law.

To overcome the distrust of companies and investors, successful cases are needed: then they will believe that it really works. We are currently preparing several such projects jointly with the Ministry of Infrastructure, among other things, we have a request for the concession of the Izmail port.

We also understand that education can help establish cooperation between business, the state, and society. Therefore, we include this topic in forums, invite educational institutions to cooperate, including kmbs. At the Level UP forum in 2020, the dean of kmbs, Oleksandr Savruk, spoke. He talked about the education of entrepreneurs, about the education of the new era — and then businessmen approached me and thanked me for what they heard. And I can always turn to kmbs teachers with questions from any field: from finance to marketing.

About environmental and social projects

One part of the Level UP ecosystem that I am most fond of today is social projects for the restoration of cultural and architectural monuments and infrastructure development. Ukraine has many cool historical places that are now neglected but actually have huge tourist potential, can provide new jobs, and promote regional development.

I am from Kamianets-Podilskyi, where there is a beautiful old fortress that is gradually falling apart. The local government does not have the money for restoration, legal experience, or access to investors. And this situation is everywhere in Ukraine.

But I have the knowledge, skills, and experience that can be useful for restoring tourist sites. I see that investors are interested in monuments, ready to enter public-private partnerships with the state. And I want to help. Negotiations are currently underway with investors regarding two objects in Kamianets-Podilskyi — the barracks and the fortress.

Once, my friends came to me and suggested joining the Re-Climate startup. The idea was not mine, but I really liked it, so I agreed. My friends and I invested our own money in this project, and we also attract investments from other people and companies.

Our goal is the mass planting of trees to restore Ukraine's green fund and clean the air of carbon emissions. There are now many global initiatives to reduce emissions to prevent Earth's temperature from rising to critical levels. We are also making our contribution. And this startup is an example of how a social idea can become a business.

The business model is as follows: companies or individuals invest, we plant trees together with forestry enterprises and study how much carbon they absorb. Investor companies receive 'units' — units of greenhouse gas emission reductions — in their account. Then we enter the international market and sell units for real money to companies that have emission reduction obligations. We share the profit among ourselves and the investors.

We have already planted 8,000 trees, which is 2 hectares, in the Rivne region. And now we are planning planting on 42 hectares together with an American company that is investing in this project.

Chose the freedom of her own business over a partnership at Deloitte