The recently appointed CEO of the Lviv IT Cluster, Mykhailo Lemak, presented a vision for the further development of the largest specialized association in Ukraine. The strategy, agreed with the Supervisory Board, is based on three key priorities, including strengthening the competitiveness of participating companies and diversifying military risks.
The recently appointed CEO of the Lviv IT Cluster, Mykhailo Lemak, presented a vision for the further development of the largest specialized association in Ukraine. The strategy, agreed with the Supervisory Board, is based on three key priorities, including strengthening the competitiveness of participating companies and diversifying military risks.
Lemak told Zaxid.net about his plans in his new position.
The first and main priority, the Cluster leader called creating equal value for each participating company, regardless of its model (product or outsourcing) and size — from 10 to 10,000 employees. Currently, the leader is focused on collecting feedback from businesses in order to adapt the organization’s services to current market challenges.
The second vector of development involves increasing the involvement of participants in the implementation of joint projects. «The cluster should be not only a platform for receiving assistance and services, but also a place for implementing joint initiatives,» Lemak explained.
The third priority is to maintain institutional capacity and fundamental projects (educational, research, such as IT Research Ukraine, and event-based projects — IT Arena, IT Meets) against the backdrop of risks associated with war and the rapid development of artificial intelligence. According to the CEO, the flagship technology conference IT Arena will definitely take place this year, as it remains a key platform for finding new partnerships.
Among the new initiatives, Lemak announced non-public projects to strengthen the state’s defense capabilities, as well as the development of comprehensive veteran policies. The latter will cover issues of mental health, accessibility, retraining, and social adaptation of the military.
«While maintaining the stability and continuity of the Cluster’s movement, it is important to be flexible and dynamic in order to quickly respond to possible challenges and help the country maintain its economic capacity and talents. One part is preserving territorial integrity. The second is preserving the economy. And we understand our role in this story,» Lemak concluded, emphasizing the importance of building partnerships with state and local authorities.
Lviv IT Cluster is the largest community of technology companies in Ukraine. In the winter of 2026, a public corporate conflict erupted around the organization, as a result of which the previous long-term head, Stepan Veselovsky, was removed from his position due to accusations of attempting to register the Cluster’s brands in his own name. After several months of open competition, on July 8, 2026, the supervisory board appointed Mykhailo Lemak, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, former deputy head of the Kherson OVA for digitalization, and a manager with extensive experience in the private sector, as the new CEO.
