Intro/Outro (00:02):

Welcome to Logistics with Purpose presented by Vector Global Logistics. In partnership with Supply chain. Now we spotlight and celebrate organizations who are dedicated to creating a positive impact. Join us for this behind the scenes glimpse of the origin stories change, making progress and future plans of organizations who are actively making a difference. Our goal isn’t just to entertain you, but to inspire you to go out and change the world. And now here’s today’s episode of Logistics with Purpose.

Enrique Alvarez (00:35):

Good day and welcome back to another episode of Logistics Purpose. My name’s Enrique Alvarez, co-founder and managing director of Vector Global Logistics, and I’m here with my co-host and fearless friend, Christie Porter. How are you doing today?

Kristi Porter (00:49):

I am good. I am so excited to have this conversation. We’ve been wanting to have this conversation for six months now, and so I always tell people that when I talk about our Ukraine office, which is what we’ll be discussing and have the head of our Ukraine office here, I always tell people I want to be Daria when I grow up, so I am delighted to introduce people to her and by the end of the conversation they may feel the same way.

Enrique Alvarez (01:12):

I totally agree with you. It’s been like a pleasure having Daria here. It’s great. We’ve actually have known her for a while now. We have the pleasure of working together at Vector as well and what you guys do and everyone that I’ve talked to in the Ukraine are incredibly brave and inspiring and so it’s amazing to have you here. So welcome.

Dariya Mykyta (01:30):

I’m super pleased and super happy and excited about our conversation today. Thank you for inviting me.

Kristi Porter (01:37):

Yes, we are delighted. We’ve had so many good conversations with you behind the scenes and for the last, well Enrique longer, but I had the pleasure of meeting you I guess a year or two ago, and so I’m really excited to have this conversation and for people to find out more about just what your team does, what you’re going through day to day and what’s happening in Ukraine. Because I was talking to in a conversation with somebody the other day and they said, oh, they were involved with Ukraine aid as well, and they said, oh, I talked to somebody, and they were kind of surprised. They were like, oh, the war’s not over. And I’m like, oh, okay. Can we still have a lot of educating to do if some people are feeling that way? So I’m delighted to have you here, head of our Ukraine office. Daria, this is going to be a really fun conversation, but before we get into it, I’m going to ask you some quick questions and just respond with the first thing that comes to mind. Okay?

Dariya Mykyta (02:25):

Okay, sure.

Kristi Porter (02:25):

So coffee or tea?

Dariya Mykyta (02:27):

Definitely coffee. I cannot imagine starting my day without a cup of coffee. Right now I’m sipping a tea, but actually only because it’s 5:00 PM but usually pm. But usually I would choose coffee. Yeah,

Kristi Porter (02:37):

Tea time, right?

Dariya Mykyta (02:38):

It’s tea time, yes.

Kristi Porter (02:39):

Alright. What is one thing you can’t live without?

Dariya Mykyta (02:41):

Well, probably my family, of course in France they are super supportive. This is the one of main things why I live. I live for them, for myself as well, but for my family it’s super important and I just can’t imagine my life without family and friends. Good answer. And what is one thing that instantly boosts your mood? Probably outside workouts. This is something I love doing, it’s because of my father. He did that when I was a child. He used to do it every morning and this is like the habit from him.

Kristi Porter (03:16):

Oh, that’s a great habit. Okay. And your favorite

Dariya Mykyta (03:18):

Book? That’s probably going to be The Little Prince might sound a kind of childish at some point, but this is not only because of the book, that’s because of my memories that I shared with my sister. She used to read me this book when we were kids and we used to a bit sad or happy during reading it. So this is something like we share together. That’s my memory. That’s why I love that book. Love that. It’s actually her favorite book as well. Oh, that’s sweet.

Enrique Alvarez (03:47):

Is your sister older, younger than you?

Dariya Mykyta (03:50):

Older? She’s five years older and now she lives abroad, so we are far away from each other right now. That’s why these memories are super important for me. That’s why when you asked me about the book, this was the first thing I was thinking about.

Enrique Alvarez (04:07):

What’s your sister’s name? Dar.

Dariya Mykyta (04:08):

Her name is Romania.

Enrique Alvarez (04:10):

Well thank you so much for those answers and for sharing a little bit more of you and your family with us. Let’s move on to your background. Tell me a little bit more about your background. Where did you grow some of the things that you might remember when you were growing up in Ukraine, I assume, but go ahead, tell us a little bit more about yourself and your childhood.

Dariya Mykyta (04:27):

Sure, sure. So I was actually born in a small city which is located near the border west Poland. But since my father, he was military, he used to be transferred to a different city, which was leave. And at that time I was four years old, so I remember myself growing up here. So I don’t really have a lot of memories from this small city, but a lot of my relatives, they still live there. My grandmother is there. So we do go to the city during weekends or especially for holidays. Easter, Christmas, we always spend there because all my family and relatives are based there. So we moved to leave. Then I entered the school here. The funny fact about me is that I went to school twice. I mean the first grade I went twice because when we moved I used to be four years old and my mother, she’s a math teacher and unfortunately she had to work a lot. The same with dad and she just took me to school with her, but I was only five years old so I couldn’t really study as much as I should have at that time. That’s why I went to school twice. That’s the

Enrique Alvarez (05:42):

Interesting fact. And I’m sure you’re very good at math today then.

Dariya Mykyta (05:45):

Yes. And a

Kristi Porter (05:46):

Lot of siblings, you got them twice.

Dariya Mykyta (05:48):

Yes, of course. And my mom, she’s a math teacher and my grandmother, she’s math teacher as well. So math as you see was super important a part of my life. And also what is great about my childhood, it was super active. I used to do a lot of different kinds of things. My parents always tried me to try every field so I can better understand what I really like. I did dancing, gymnastics, painting, all kind of sports you can imagine. I almost tried edge of it. So that was fun and I’m really thankful for my parents that they gave me this opportunity to try all of this stuff and for myself that it’s super important not to give up because sometimes when you try something you don’t really like it at first. But then my mom was always like, you should try second time and then you’ll better understand if it’s something that you really don’t want to do or if it’s just something like laziness or something. Because when you’re a kid you don’t really want to wake up at 6:00 AM to go and do gymnastics. So she was the one to influence me and push me a little bit to try more and more. At some point I would just skip something because of course I didn’t like everything I tried. But what I want to say, I spent 10 years dancing. That was something I really enjoyed to do during my

Enrique Alvarez (07:18):

Childhood. What kind of dance is it?

Dariya Mykyta (07:20):

That was like national dances, like Ukrainian dances

Enrique Alvarez (07:24):

Part you had to dress. It was all with a dress and everything.

Dariya Mykyta (07:29):

And I used to actually, I used to travel because there are competitions abroad that you can go and dance over there. So it’s also was cool about it because I traveled a lot with the dance club at that

Enrique Alvarez (07:42):

Time. That’s great. What’s the name of the dance barrier? Even if it’s in you? For me,

Dariya Mykyta (07:48):

We translated, it’s called life Let’s say.

Kristi Porter (07:51):

I love that. That’s perfect. That’s awesome. I love the outlook just that you shared through both what your parents taught you and the fact of trying again and to not give up and the persistence. And obviously that certainly frames who you are today. I have no doubt. Just from our conversations. And so it may be a story that you’ve kind of touched on just now or something else, but is there something you can remember from your early years that you’re like, oh, now I can kind of see who I am or what I’ve done or where I ended up based on that memory?

Dariya Mykyta (08:22):

It’s probably, of course it’s connected with me being a child, but I would better say the main thing was during the teenager when I was a teenager because at that time I had to make my own decisions, who I want to become, which university I should enter, what I want to do and so on and so on. It’s kind of not easy for 16 or 17-year-old girl to choose the life pass, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do at that time and I entered the university and I had to move to a different city capital. So I was 17 years old and I had a life as a grown up. So I started my own past separately from my parents, which is not easy because you move live is a big city, but if you compare it to Kiv, a capital city which is five times bigger and you are a 17-year-old girl in the city starting your own life, it was super challenging. But that’s actually the period when I really became a grownup person knowing what I want, which way in which direction I want to move, what are my main values, main goals, and how do I see my future. So probably that was more like teenage when I used to be a teenager when I realized who I am and whom I want to be in the future.

Enrique Alvarez (09:50):

Well, and you actually went to the university and studied in the national university, correct? At right? Yes. And you studied aviation master’s degree in airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance. That is very impressive. I would’ve never guessed that that’s what you studied. Yes, not at all. Can you share, can you share with us why actually, why did you choose this of course, and what actually drove you to this very interesting and very specific field?

Dariya Mykyta (10:14):

I chose not the easiest way, as you can see it doesn’t at all at all, but the math skills, the math skills seem in handy.

Kristi Porter (10:22):

I lot of math.

Dariya Mykyta (10:22):

Yeah, I’m good at math, but I’m bad at physics to be honest. Basically the university has a lot of physics subjects over there and I was not really good at physics, but I was good at math always. But it’s something like combined, you need to know physics and math at the same time. So the physics were super challenging for me, but math was great. Why I chose this field, it’s probably because of my cousin. So when I used to be at school, my cousin entered this university a bit different field, but the same university and a lot of subjects are the same familiar common subjects. And she used to share how she was passionate about the university, about what they do there, that they have lessons inside of the airplane, which was like wow. Because usually you just regularly visit the university and this was something different.

(11:18):

So they had lessons at the airport inside of the airplane and so on and so on. And I started going a bit deep into this field. I started watching different podcasts, YouTube videos. Also I liked watching about the aircraft crashes. Maybe it sounds weird a bit, but that actually super interesting. I mean you just try to understand why that happened, how you can prevent that in the future. This is about more about the safety and stuff. So I also had such a subject at the university, which was my favorite. You’re just studying about the airplane crashes, which is super cool. So after I graduated school, I definitely knew the university. I wanted to enter what I want to study and so on. So this is how I entered.

Enrique Alvarez (12:10):

Are you afraid of flying? Isn’t this a little bit,

Dariya Mykyta (12:13):

I know that’s what was thinking the same thing.

Enrique Alvarez (12:15):

You kind of know too much and you’re maybe looking at all these different airplanes when you come in and you’re like,

Dariya Mykyta (12:21):

Oh no, that’s why you are not afraid to fly because you know more about the turbulence when the airplane is shaking. You just understand why that is happening and that’s why you are not afraid. Most of people, they’re terrified because the airplane is shaking so hardly and they’re like, oh, we are about to die. And I’m like, guys, relax. This is just turbulence. It’s funny.

Kristi Porter (12:46):

I can still, even though obviously, well you’re in kind of an adjacent industry now, but I can still hear your excitement for it and your passion for it. So it still has carried you through. But so you went into, and it does sound really cool too, to be able to have classes like that. So that’s pretty forward thinking as well. We met you when you were in the trucking industry. So how did you go from this kind of studies to an aviation to road transportation and trucking? And that’s again, kind of a similar industry, but a big shift at the same time. So what led you to your next step?

Dariya Mykyta (13:19):

Well, that’s definitely a huge shift. So to be honest, after graduating the university, I really plan to work in the aircraft industry in engineering and do stuff that I planned to do before. But then COVID started and things started to be different. And at some point I was thinking about, oh, it’s not going to be for long time, it’s just going to take a few, couple of months. But day after day I started realizing that COVID is still, let’s say we still have COVID, nothing is really changing and I need to find another field where I can grow, where I can build my career. And then found the trucking company. That actually was the first one for me to work in the logistics sphere. And I didn’t really know much about the logistics at that time, just general stuff. And I started working as a support representative, just super regular position, but super challenging at the same time.

(14:25):

And I started going deeper and deeper into the industry, understanding how it’s all connected. I mean, when you go to the supermarket and you see the product on the shelves, you just start realizing it’s all logistics. Everything is logistics, it’s all connected. The impact is huge, super huge. And at some point I started realizing I like what I do and I’m passionate about what I do, and I realized that I don’t want to go back to the aviation industry and this is what I want to do right now. And probably maybe the rest of my life, I cannot be a hundred percent sure that nothing’s going to change in the future. But at this very moment, I’m confident that I am where I should be right now.

Enrique Alvarez (15:12):

Wow. Well thank you Dia. As you know, we’ve been involved in Ukraine right after the war started. We’ve been shipping a lot and we’re trying to support the Ukrainian people and UK Ukraine in general. And through that effort, we’ve actually realized how a big country Ukraine really is, how many different minerals it is, how many amazing things. And before that, of course, living in this other side of the world, we didn’t really realize the big impact that Ukraine has in many, many industries. But I guess before, I guess instead of giving you all those different stats, just what do you love the most about Ukraine? What’s one thing that you love about your country or a few things so that listeners out there can relate to Ukraine even more?

Dariya Mykyta (15:54):

What I love in general about my country, because before the war started I thought of how actually Ukrainians progressive are. We have all of this great stuff that even in us, you guys don’t have it to be honest. For example, what I’m proud about is Dia, that’s like for example, the app where you have all your documents, paperwork and everything. So everything is digital. If we speak about business, it’s kind of different story, but I’m talking about regular life. We are super progressive, innovative, which I love. I love our food. To be honest. For me, there is no better food than Ukrainian, don’t get me wrong. I love American food, Italian, Greek, and so on and so on. But for me, Ukrainian food is the best. Once you’re in Ukraine, you should try B and everything. But it’s not only about that because when the war started, I started realizing how the unity that I felt at that moment was like, you can’t even imagine.

(17:02):

So when the war started, we were all frustrated because we never had the war before. I mean we had a war since 2014, but that was full scale invasion, which is a bit different. And we all felt fear at that time. But then I went outside and I remember air alarms going on and on and on, and at that time you didn’t even know what that is, what you are supposed to do and so on. And then people from other regions start coming by cars, by train because we is located near the border, Poland, and I saw all of these people that were in need and all of these people here that used to support them, bring clothes, food, cook on the streets, help kids, women, men’s, like everyone, we’re so united and this is what I am proud about. So the world definitely changed my mindset a hundred percent. So this is what I’m proud about right now.

Enrique Alvarez (18:02):

Well thank you. It must be, yeah, it must be challenging and of course scary and I’ve never gone through what you have gone through and it’s just very brave. So we are very thankful that you also took the chance to open the Vector Ukraine office this last April, and we’re really proud and happy and thrilled to be your partner. What was it like to open an office and launch this new venture in the middle of the war, in the middle of all these different challenges that you’re facing? Tell us a bit more about that.

Dariya Mykyta (18:32):

For me, it was a feeling that despite the war is going on and that Russia is attacking the country and people like every day we still have this potential to grow and to develop something new. I’m super thankful for Vector Global in general, for giving this opportunity for us to open an office, to have this possibility to grow and to bring impact, real impact, and to help other people. It’s not only about the business, but what I realized that the company itself is more about the impact you create doing logistics that was not easy, that was challenging, it’s still challenging, but that’s something great and great that we can grow and develop during even a wartime.

Enrique Alvarez (19:19):

What was one of the main challenges? Was it convincing other people? What’s a day to day in the life of you and your team? How do you live this war while you do all this other things on top of having family and friends and life?

Dariya Mykyta (19:33):

To be honest, every day is unpredictable. You dunno what’s going to happen tomorrow, but you are getting used to it. It’s not easy because for example, during the nighttime you can wake up at 1:00 AM because it’s air alarm, you run the shelter, you sit there till like 8:00 AM 6:00 AM So you spend the whole night in the shelter, but then the morning is coming and you are supposed to start your day and you just try to get used to it. I mean, for example, probably I told Crystal already about that, but at the beginning of the war, I used to be up in the shelter during all night, but right now I just take the Cate, I bring it there, I lay down and I have rest, and the next day I am fresh and ready to start my working day. So this is about something about how you manage it because some people, they cannot really fell asleep. For example, my colleague Mariana, she has two kids and it’s not only about herself, but it’s also about the safety of her kids. That’s why she said, I just cannot sleep. I cannot rest because I’m afraid for my kids and she’s up every once the ear alarm is on. So it’s different. So probably you will need to ask more people how do they manage it? But this is the way I manage it. So you just have no choice. You either do everything you need to do or you either want survive.

Kristi Porter (21:02):

So yeah, I want to reiterate that. So you were talking about this during one of our last leveraging logistics for Ukraine conversations. And so for those who are unaware of that, if you go to our website, there’s a Stand with Ukraine page and you can see our upcoming, what’s been going on as well as when our next meeting is. But one of the things that I want to be clear about that you just said is one of the tactics of warfare is that every night, most nights you’ll hear sirens. And so you don’t ever get a good night’s sleep every night, constantly moving. If you get up and go to the shelter, regardless you’re up because you’re hearing air raid sirens. But some people will get up and go to the shelter. You said you’re in an apartment building, so you can go down to a parking lot pretty easy, but some people may have to go quite a further distance.

(21:46):

So are they doing that every night? They’re tagging children along. So nobody in Ukraine is in one of the affected areas is getting a good night’s sleep. So that is one of the tactics of war. And then you’re also, we have parents, we have, you’re running an office. It is again, I want to be Daria when I grow up. And so for those of you who’ve been tracking along, she was talking about going to college and COVID. So now you also know how young she is. And so she was running a team before we found her and now she’s running our team and doing an amazing job. But yeah, it is a really crazy circumstance to just be living in something like this as well as having to get work done, having to live your life, having to get groceries, doctor’s offices, whatever it may be that most of us will just never have any idea about.

(22:34):

And then one thing you mentioned a little while back to you said everything is supply chain, which is kind of the position we take as well. The supply chain never stops. So you have essential goods going into places like Ukraine that is medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and then you have just everyday necessities that everybody needs to just get by or maybe wants chocolate or something like that. So tell us, I guess more about the importance of maintaining a supply chain in regions that are affecting challenges like this. What is that? What does it mean to people? We’ve seen it stop at times and then keep going. So yeah, just tell us a little bit more about your perspective of what makes you so eager and effective at just keeping the supply chain running, whether it’s everyday essentials or humanitarian aid.

Dariya Mykyta (23:20):

Sure. So in the times of peace, logistics is more about the efficiency, about the cost effectiveness and so on. But in times of war it’s more about bringing people hope, helping them to survive in the regions where you have nothing left. So when I say nothing left, this is like my father, he serves in military, he’s in Haki region right now. And most of the people were evacuated from the fire zones, but we still have people living there, especially if we speak about older generation, this is where they spent the whole life and they better prefer to stay there under the fire than move somewhere where they have nothing at all. So that’s why we still have a lot of people in water zones that you really, they all need these supplies to be delivered to them. And it’s more like logistics is more even critical during the wartime compared to the peace times.

(24:29):

So it’s super, super important right now to keep this supply chain going, working, helping people, even for the people who were transferred to a different more safe zone, they are left without nothing, without clothes. It often happens that they have no clothes, they have no food, they have no job. At some point. That’s why it’s super important for us to help them and to bring them this hope that the life is still going on and that we all will go through that and at the end of the day there will be a piece of brightness during this dark time.

Enrique Alvarez (25:09):

We’re all hoping and praying for that, right? And we’re really, really looking forward to having peace, peace in Ukraine, peace in the world. And so hopefully that will come soon Dia, and thank you once again for sharing some of your expertise with us. I’ve been working with you and the rest of the team for a couple years now, and I can tell the audience that you’re incredibly professional and hardworking and committed and you also have a big heart. I mean, you have been impacted by war and you keep going. And it sounds certain, seems to me that at least every single person that I have had the chance to talk to in Ukraine, they just don’t give up. It’s just unbelievable. I mean, when I found out that the soccer league was still going on or that you’d still take kids to school and I’m like, I dunno, it’s just, it’s inspiring to me. I don’t think I am that brave. I don’t think I would be able to do what you guys are doing. And so it’s amazing What keeps you motivated? How would you describe your leadership style and what keeps you going?

Dariya Mykyta (26:07):

So probably the people I work with, not only people I work with, but my family and my friends. And I already told you that my father, he serves right now and he’s fighting for our freedom and I realized how much harder it is for him to do all of this stuff. And I am here in, I would say more way, more safe place. And this is the minimum, the bare minimum I can do right now. First of all, for my family, for my friends, for the people in Ukraine in general, this is just the bare minimum regarding if we speak the company, for me, people are the most important thing. This is like a heart of success. I’m not only talking about the team you are working with, but also the clients, the partners. It’s super important for me to have reliable people around me and I am happy and I’m actually honored to have such a great team and great people around me right now. This is something that inspires me because maybe it sounds easy to get up after a night, a horrible night of bong being and nonstop. But then I see all these people doing the same thing and this is inspiring. You are not alone. There are millions of people doing the same stuff every day just to keep this country going, just to keep our economy working just to help other people and bring them food, water, clothes and everything just because they want to help. And this is super, super motivating.

Kristi Porter (27:47):

Your team is doing an excellent job. And speaking of that, so we have a results only work culture at Vector, which is of course important to all of us no matter where we are. But if it has mattered, of course a lot to your team who may need to prioritize safety and security versus answering an email or something like that. So we’re all about as long as the clients are happy and the work is getting done, then do it when you can do it. But as we mentioned, Ukraine’s an enormous country, only about 30% or so considered has been affected by the war. So there is of course still lots going on. As you mentioned, there’s still supplies going to the frontline. So I think another thing people may be less aware of is they may think, oh, your team is working on only humanitarian aid, but that’s not true. You’re working on just regular shipments around Europe as well. So first, tell me about some of the projects that you’re working on and then one of the other difficulties you’ve had is just hiring and staffing and keeping. Within the first month of opening, we had somebody that had to go into the war and so it took a while to replace that person. So first talk about some of the projects that you’re working on.

Dariya Mykyta (28:52):

So if we speak about the humanitarian aid, we work closely, we use hand in hand lifting hands, also Chelsea of Mercy and we did a lot of projects for them already, which I’m super happy and proud about that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do regarding the project, like leveraging logistics with purpose. And this is logistics with purpose. This is one of our main values. So humanitarian aid is a huge part of our day-to-day work. But yeah, we also do a lot of other projects. For example, it could be sunflower oil or it could be furniture tires. Last week we delivered blueberries or bananas, all of products, Coca-Cola, Haribo, you probably know these brands of course. So yeah, agricultural equipment. So it may sound like a completely different stuff, but we do a lot of super interesting project. We also have couple more project that I am currently working on that my team is working on. They are more about the project logistics a bit more complex and so on, but it’s not like our office is not only about the humanitarian aid, but yeah, we can transfer agricultural equipment or is there car parts or oil for cars and different kind of stuff. So it’s challenging. It’s super interesting because every project is unique. Every project has something that you never did before or you never thought about before. So we are getting this knowledge more and more with each project.

Kristi Porter (30:39):

Huge agricultural business in Ukraine. And of course Ukraine supplies a lot throughout Europe, Africa, and even to the rest of the world. So if you’re wondering why your groceries are higher than the war in Ukraine is one of those answers. And then also you have to keep a team staff to be able to handle these projects. That has been a challenge as well, finding people. Of course men could get called up at any moment to serve. So what has that been like?

Dariya Mykyta (31:03):

So that’s challenging as well that I would say the most challenging part for me at this moment because like Christie, you mentioned before that we started with a little bit bigger team, but then we a bit shrunk because one of our team members, he had to join military, he started serving in the Army and you understand that I would say 50% of our team, it’s like men’s and they could be serving in the military next day. Today they’re in the office today with you working on the project, but tomorrow they could be in the training camp. That’s challenging Also, if we speak about looking for new people to join our team, a lot of people are serving, and I’m not talking not only about men but also women. They’re also serving in the army. We have a lot of people who moved abroad because of the circumstances they were in.

(32:01):

They lost everything and they are trying to build their life once again from the scratch. That’s why a lot of businesses, not only like Vector Global has these issues, but a lot of other businesses, they are facing this issue every day. For example, when we had this law regarding that man, they cannot leave the country. But then months ago probably or a bit more, it changed and all mens under 22 they could be moving abroad. And this what happened the next day, I would say thousand of people moved abroad and which caused huge problem for businesses. For example, one of the supermarkets, our regional supermarket, which is a huge supermarket, they lost 5,000 workers per one day. Wow, that’s huge. 5,000. So for us it’s challenging to fill the position not only for Vector but for all other companies as well.

Enrique Alvarez (32:59):

You had the chance to participate and represent us DIA in a couple of the world global conferences that we joined, like the WCA projects for example is the last one. What are some of those conversations that you’re having with people from all over the world? I mean, what do they tell you? What are the conversations? What have you learned about their view of the war in Ukraine?

Dariya Mykyta (33:18):

Just in general? WCA was a miracle for me to be honest. It’s a great organization, a great network. It blew my mind at some point because I never went to such conferences before. So that was my first time. I was excited. At the same time, I was a bit nervous when you’re doing something first time, but I was impressed by how people were super supportive. Like everyone I met, they used to ask me how we are doing, how the situation is in Ukraine, what they could be doing more in the future to help us. And they were super supportive and they shared all the knowledge they had. So for example, I’m pretty much young in the industry and this position, you want meet a lot of people my age having the same position as I do right now, but people were eager to share their experience, to share their knowledge with me.

(34:19):

They would answer any of my question, even if it’s something super basic that you all know, but don’t, they won’t be looking at you that you why you don’t know. That’s basic stuff or something. They wanted to share their experience. So my experience in the future is better than it used to be for them. So this is what I loved about the project. There were people from different countries, different companies of course, like freight in companies with different kind of experience and knowledge that they shared with me. And I’m super excited about all other WCA project and all other WCA conferences that I hope I will have a chance to attend.

Enrique Alvarez (35:04):

They’re great community, great group of people, Dan Marsh and everyone else. They’re doing a fantastic job. And I can relate to what you’re saying, right? You go to those conferences and you feel that people are together, they’re very helpful or they’re trying to, they understand that

Kristi Porter (35:20):

You

Enrique Alvarez (35:20):

Need all of us, right to move things around the world. And so they’re very open.

Kristi Porter (35:26):

I’m curious, you talked about all the conversations that you’ve had, what trends have you noticed in logistics? You’re learning a lot at the same time. You’ve switched industries a couple of times. So what are you seeing in industry? What kind of conversations are you having? What trends are you noticing?

Dariya Mykyta (35:40):

Something that I realized, so before the conference, people look at other companies as a competitor, right? They’re like your competitor. And I thought it was this way, but when I went to the conference, I realized that all these people, all these companies, they are more eager to be your partner, to support you in all ways they can and to work together to bring the impact. So they are willing to be more partners than competitors. This is something new for me because before there, I used to be in the logistics field, of course working for a different company, but this is something what was a bit different from my point of view because when I used to work for another company, we were more considering other people as our competitors here, like at Vector, this is what is way different. And you meet new people and they look at you not like your competitor, but like your partner for the future, the people you could be working with in the future on different kind of projects that you couldn’t be doing alone. Because you need somebody in China, India, Australia, and you cannot have offices in all of the countries of the world. So of course you need a partner to share and help you to be successful at the end of the day and to bring this impact.

Kristi Porter (37:08):

I love that. That’s incredible. What are some of your future plans for Vector? What are some of your goals and hopes? I don’t think you and I have actually had this conversation yet, so I’m excited to hear your answer about this. But what are some of the things that you’re planning or hopeful for?

Dariya Mykyta (37:22):

Well, of course the main thing is growing and developing. That’s the main point because we all know the office, Ukrainian office is tiny compared to all other Vector offices. But this is just today in the future, I hope we are going to be one of the major offices to be honest. So basically main thing is growing and developing, building great relationships with people, with the clients. So that’s my main plan at this point. And building this trust probably this is another level of business. When people trust you, they know you. They know Vector Global, they know Ukrainian office, they know of US office, and they trust you to ship or to do any kind of stuff with them because you are providing the great service.

Enrique Alvarez (38:15):

You require a lot of trust, especially in global logistics. And gladia, thank you so much for participating. I know that you’re always very busy, so thank you so much for joining us today. I’m sure that our audience had a blast sharing a little bit of the stories and finding out a little bit more about the Ukraine, how come our listeners connect with you and of course learn more about what’s happening in Ukraine and how they can get involved. How can they actually continue to help if need

Dariya Mykyta (38:43):

To? Of course, it’s probably my LinkedIn. You can message me. I usually try to answer everyone, maybe not every day, every minute, but let’s say you can always connect me via LinkedIn or via Vector Global. So these are two main points. Maybe I can share my context or Christie maybe at the end of the podcast you can share my, for example, WhatsApp as well. So I have WhatsApp, telegram, all at the Messengers. So I will be happy to connect with more people, even if it’s not business related or just to talk, just to get to know each other more. And maybe because you never know, you may know a lot of people and you won’t be working with them, but you will keep in touch and at some point you realize that you could be doing something together, working on some kind of project. So I will be super happy to connect with more people.

Kristi Porter (39:36):

And one of the other things I think we can link to in the notes as well. A couple of months ago, the US Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, long name attended our leveraging logistics for Ukraine call as well. They put out an amazing survey this past July about just doing business in Ukraine. So now if you’re kind of curious about not only Daria’s perspective, but what’s happening in Ukraine, how are people feeling overall, what it’s like for hiring challenges, supplying the right healthcare and benefits to Ukrainians, what mental health is like for their workers, business size and all of that? They have terrific survey that came out. So we were proud members and we’re happy to talk to them. And so we’ll make sure that is linked as well for anybody who’s now more curious about that. Daria, as we wrap up, I would love to hear just what is your perspective when I ask you what does the phrase logistics with purpose mean to you?

Dariya Mykyta (40:26):

Probably already mentioned that couple of times. So it’s the main thing. It’s impact. So the real thing, it’s just not about moving cargo, moving goods around the world. It’s something that at the end of the day, you have people that benefit from there. From all of this stuff, you are changing someone’s life. And I also said today you bring in hope to people, you bring them the instrument to survive, to change their life, to be more motivated, to keep working, living, and do the same we do. Bring something valuable to the table, right?

Kristi Porter (41:04):

Yeah, I agree. Thank you so much for everybody who’s joined us today. Another terrific conversation and we’re so happy to hear from you and know that you and the team are safe and hope that continues. So thank you everyone for tuning in. If you’re interested in this conversation, please reach out to Daria. She’s happy to talk to you, Rahi mentioned, and we’ll have another incredible episode in two weeks. So stay tuned and yeah, keep forwarding the movement, logistics with purpose. Be sure to subscribe.