ANZ-UKRAINE COOPERATION FORUM

PROGRAMME

1–3 March 2026 | Lviv, Ukraine

Programme Framework & Thematic Schedule

The Forum programme is structured around plenary sessions, thematic panels, focused breakouts, and practitioner-led presentations, delivered across dedicated tracks.

The programme is presented at a structural and thematic level. View actual Forum agenda here

Programme Structure

  • Day 1 — Security, Systems & State Capacity

    Opening & Strategic Plenaries

    • Ukraine’s security environment and international cooperation

    • Government, institutional, and regional leadership perspectives

    • Lessons from Ukraine’s frontline experience across defence, technology, governance, and society

    Defence, Security & Resilience

    • Modern warfare, unmanned systems, and battlefield innovation

    • Cyber warfare, hybrid threats, influence operations, and democratic resilience

    • Defence industry ecosystems and international cooperation models

    • Emergency response, civil protection, and crisis management under armed aggression

    Technology, Cyber & Information Security

    • Cyber operations, cyber resilience, and legal accountability

    • Protection of public discourse and democratic institutions

    • Applied technologies developed and tested under wartime conditions

    Humanitarian & Societal Resilience

    • Emergency management and civilian protection

    • Cultural resilience and safeguarding democratic values under attack

    Interactive Cross-Sector Engagement

    • Structured, facilitated engagement involving all delegates

    • Cross-sector partnership discovery and collaboration mapping

    Day 2 — Application, Business & Recovery

    Strategic Translation & Lessons for Partners

    • Translating Ukraine’s experience into practical frameworks for ANZ and international partners

    • Defence capability development and innovation partnerships

    Defence, Innovation & Dual-Use Technologies

    • Defence-tech cooperation, testing, and scaling

    • Education, training, and force development

    • Practical lessons from Ukraine’s defence ecosystem

    Business, Investment & Market Readiness

    • Investment pathways in reconstruction, infrastructure, and regional development

    • Intellectual property, trust frameworks, and innovation commercialisation

    • Market entry, logistics, dispute resolution, and operating in high-risk environments

    Humanitarian, Health & Social Recovery

    • Medical cooperation, telehealth, and oncology partnerships

    • Mine action and enabling safe recovery

    • Veteran rehabilitation, adaptive sport, and social reintegration

    Values, Responsibility & Long-Term Recovery

    • Corporate responsibility, brands, and values in wartime

    • Community recovery, remembrance, and accountability

    Closing Plenary

    • Priority needs for Ukraine over the next 12–24 months

    • Practical pathways for sustained international engagement

    Session Formats

    Across both days, the programme combines:

    • Full-forum plenary sessions

    • Parallel thematic breakouts

    • Practitioner-led presentations

    • Facilitated interactive and working sessions

    A detailed session-level agenda, including confirmed speakers and timings, is directly with registered delegates.

Forum materials and session-level agenda can be viewed here.

Speakers & Participants

The Forum convenes senior leaders, practitioners, and decision-makers from government, defence, industry, emergency services, business, and civil society across Ukraine, Australia, and New Zealand, with a selection of featured speakers highlighted below.

In addition, the Forum includes participation from Ukrainian industry bodies and institutions, including representatives from organisations such as the Ukrainian Defence Industry Council (including defence tech and dual-use tech manufacturers), the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Lviv Regional State Administration, as well as representatives from Ukrainian government ministries and public agencies.

A detailed programme and confirmed speaker information is shared directly with registered delegate.

The Forum programme is structured around plenary sessions, thematic panels, focused breakouts, and practitioner-led presentations, delivered across dedicated tracks.

  • The Forum programme will include but is not limited to the following speakers:

    • Anatoliy Maksymchuk — CEO, NUMO Robotics 

    • Anna Glotova — Ukrainian Pickleball Federation, Founder / Representative

    • Arthur Bulygin — President, Federation of Technological Sports of Ukraine

    • Ben Green — NZ Emergency Practitioner

    • Borys Drozhak — Co-Founder, Rovertech

    • Christopher Watson — CEO, Greenfield Investments

    • Christina Monets — Head of International Business, Farsight Vision

    • David Meister — Director, KIWI K.A.R.E. Foundation and Dynamic Biogas Poland

    • Dmytro Kravchuk — CTO, Protagonist 

    • Dr. Ilona Khmeleva — Secretary of the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, Non-Resident Fellow at the George Washington University, Member of the Harvard Club of Ukraine

    • Dr Oleksandra Molloy — Drone Warfare Researcher

    • Dr Yuriy Sak — Former Advisor to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Founder of Stratcom War Room

    • Haydn Gaukroger OBE — Head of Strategic Capability (Air), SYOS Aerospace

    • Iryna Diachuk — GR Dorector, Head of Commercial and Financial Law Department Fozzy Group

    • Kateryna Terek — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

    • Kate Turska, MNZM - Forum Founder & Lead, Founder Mahi for Ukraine, Vice-President New Zealand Ukraine Business Association, Chair Ukrainian Association of New Zealand

    • Lauren Guillaume — Chief Strategy Officer, R.T. Weatherman Foundation

    • Lara Gillespie — Founder, Only Passing Thru, Australia

    • Lt. Mykyta Puz— Junior Lt. officer of the 12th Srecial Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine (Ukraine)

    • Lt. Colonel “Fritz” — First Corps Azov

    • Lt. Vlad “Zelandiia” Vernygora — Staff officer of the International Cooperation Branch of the First Corps Azov

    • Marichka Baysa — Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Communications & Government Relations Specialist (Ukraine–West Relations)

    • Mariia Artemenko — Deputy Director, Arbitration and ADR, Europe (incl. Ukraine), International Chamber of Commerce

    • Mark Wright — Honorary Consul of New Zealand in Ukraine

    • Mykolai Sierga — Founder, Cultural Forces of Ukraine

    • Myroslav Popovych — Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry

    • Natalia Karpenchuk-Konopatska — President of Women’s Business Chamber of Ukraine; Vice-President for international cooperation of Lviv Chamber of Commerce & Industry

    • Nazar Kohut — Investment Advisor, UkraineInvest - Ukraine Investment Promotion Office

    • Nazar Podolchak — CEO at Lviv Tech Start-up School, Professor Lviv Polytechnic National University, CEO at SID City Scientific Park

    • Nicholas Samuels — Director, Aequitas

    • Oleksandr Tsybort — Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization

      Oleksandr Yabchanka — Commander, Unmanned Systems Control Platoon, “Da Vinci Wolves” Battalion, 59th Separate Assault Brigade, Armed Forces of Ukraine

    • Olha Kronda — PhD in Law, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Innovation Development, IP Office of Ukraine

    • Olesia Mykhailenko — Counsel in Redcliffe Partners’ Banking & Finance practice

    • Olesia Oliinyk — Fozzy Group, Head of International Projects & Partnerships

    • Orest Fedyshyn — State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Lviv Region

    • Pete Shmigel — Kyiv Post, Author, Journalist and Advisor

    • Roman Tkachenko — TENCORE, CBDO

    • Teresa Lachowicz —Ukraine Crisis Appeal, Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO)

    • Thomas Mutch — The NZ Herald Journalist, Author ‘The Dogs of Mariupol’

    • Tymur Pistriuha — Ukrainian Deminers Association, Head and founder of the national UDA, Executive Director of Demining Solutions

    • Valery Churkin — Head of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center, National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine

    • Vadym Tabakera — Director of the Department of Economic Policy, Lviv Regional State Administration

    • Vasyl Myroshnychenko —  Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia and New Zealand

    • Vira Savchenko — CEO, BDO in Ukraine |  Co-Chair, Ukraine Recovery Committee & Member, Coordination Council Dnipro Office, European Business Association

    • Volodymyr Gorodnychyi — 412 Unmanned Systems “Nemesis” Brigade

    • Volodymyr Svirskyi — CEO, SVP Group Invest

    • Yaroslav Filimonov — CEO, Kvertus

    • Yevhenii Panchenko — National Police of Ukraine, Acting First Deputy Head, International Police Cooperation Department

    • Dr. Yuliia Dukach — PhD, Head of Disinformation Investigations at OpenMinds

The Forum is designed as a full-day, in-person programme across two days, combining plenary discussions, thematic sessions, networking and opportunities for targeted engagement.

The outline below reflects the intended daily rhythm and session formats, rather than a fixed timetable.

Daily Programme Flow

  • Morning

    • Registration & arrival + morning tea & networking (8:30am - 9:30am)

    • Opening plenary sessions (from 9:30am)

    • Strategic, security and context-setting discussions, including defence, cyber and state resilience

    Midday

    • Parallel thematic sessions across core tracks

    • Panels and focused presentations led by practitioners and policy experts

    • Lunch break

    Afternoon

    • Deep-dive discussions and applied case studies

    • Cross-sector sessions spanning defence, emergency response, technology, business and humanitarian domains

    Late Afternoon / Early Evening

    • Plenary sessions focused on cooperation frameworks, investment and reconstruction

    • Interactive Partnership Discovery Session (all Forum delegates participate) - close 19:00

  • Morning

    • Arrival + morning tea & networking (9:00 am - 9:30am)

    • Thematic plenary sessions focused on lessons, application and future pathways

    • Cross-sector and international cooperation discussions

    Midday

    • Parallel panels and breakout sessions

    • Business, investment, reconstruction, defence innovation and humanitarian-focused discussions

    • Lunch Break

    Afternoon/ Early evening 

    • Interactive and working sessions

    • Closing reflections and next steps

    • Closing networking drinks - from 17:00

Poland pre-event, Warsaw, 26 February.

This optional pre-event is delivered by our Polish partners - Polish Investment & Trade Agency (PAIH). 

Seminar: Poland-Australia-New Zealand business cooperation in Ukraine (registration required*)

Date and time: February 26, 10:00-15:00 (Polish time)

Place: Warsaw, PAIH’s Information Centre, 12 Bagatela Street, https://maps.app.goo.gl/Yxv36kysYtCyeMSX7

To register, please complete this form to confirm your attendance:

PAIH Event RSVP 

Interested? Sign up here or email contact@ukraine.nz.

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