“Today, the approach of simply sending a resume and waiting for a call doesn’t work.” New DXC Luxoft CEO Olena Hryhorko — about her appointment, management style, hiring, and priority steps

We asked Ms. Olena about the details of her appointment to the position, her management style and planned first steps; at what stage the merger process with the parent company DXC Technology is; about the nuances of cooperation with foreign customers and what specialists are currently needed by both the company specifically and the IT industry as a whole. Olena Hryhorko agreed to answer our questions in her first interview in her new role.   

«The appointment was not a surprise, but a natural next step»

— Please tell us about your appointment to a leadership role at DXC Luxoft. How exactly did that happen?

— From July 1, 2026, I will officially head DXC Luxoft in Ukraine.

My story with the company began back in 2007. During this time, I have come a long way in operational management, being involved in key processes — from business development to ensuring the continuity of the company’s operations in Ukraine. Therefore, this appointment was not a surprise, but rather a natural next step.

Were there any doubts? The responsibility is great, especially in the current conditions. But when you know the company from the inside, you know the people and processes, it gives you confidence that you will succeed.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Olena Samborska for her significant contribution to the development of DXC Luxoft in Ukraine, her professional leadership, and her many years of support for the business. I wish her every success.

What is important: the business management structure in Ukraine remains unchanged. DXC Luxoft continues to operate stably, fulfills its obligations to clients, and Ukraine remains an important location for the company. We are here — and we continue to strengthen our presence.

— How was the process of transferring cases from Olena Samborska? Did you receive any advice and guidance from the previous head of the company?

— The process of transferring cases happened quite naturally, because we had been cooperating together for many years and were involved in joint processes.

This allowed for a smooth transition without significant changes to the business or teams. I am grateful to Olena Samborska for her many years of cooperation and the valuable experience I had the opportunity to gain over these years.

— The merger with parent company DXC Technology is a rather long and complex process for Luxoft. Tell me, at what stage is this process now?

— The integration of DXC Luxoft and DXC Technology is part of the company’s global development, and it is already at a fairly mature stage. The point is to combine the engineering expertise of DXC Luxoft with the scale and technological capabilities of DXC Technology. For our clients, this means access to a much broader range of services and competencies — in essence, they get the capabilities of a large global company with a focus on engineering quality.

For the teams, these are new horizons of development within the international organization. And in Ukraine, we continue to work as usual: the changes have not affected either the fulfillment of obligations to clients or the daily work of the teams.

— What are your first priority steps in your position?

— My priority today is to ensure business stability, support for our teams, and further development of the Ukrainian location. Most of the areas for which I am currently responsible are well known to me from previous experience with the company, so this is not a sharp change of course, but its consistent continuation.

— How can you describe your own management style and has it changed in recent years?

— I would describe my management style as open, partner-oriented, and very human. Respect for people, honesty in communication, and a willingness to take responsibility have always been important to me.

My leadership style has really changed over the past few years. While I used to focus more on processes, today I focus much more on people. The past few years have taught us that behind every project, deadline, or business decision, there are people with their own challenges, experiences, and circumstances.

The war changed many of us. It taught us to listen more, to support more, and at the same time not to lose the ability to make difficult decisions. Therefore, for me today, leadership is not about control, but about trust, open dialogue, and the ability to unite people around a common goal.

— Are there processes and tasks that are fundamentally new for you compared to your previous position?

— Most of the areas I am responsible for today are familiar to me from previous experience, as I commented earlier. For many years, I have worked with issues of operational efficiency, business continuity, infrastructure development and support for the company’s activities in Ukraine. Therefore, for me this is not so much a change in professional focus as an expansion of the scope of responsibility.

The main difference of the new role is greater involvement in strategic issues of business development and representing the company at the national level. Previously, I actively interacted with external professional communities, educational and business initiatives mainly in the regions. Today, this experience opens up new opportunities — to represent the company at the national level, participate in a dialogue important for the industry, and work together with other market participants on the future of the Ukrainian IT industry. For me, this is not only a new role, but also a new scale of responsibility, trust, and opportunities.

About the labor market, foreign clients and changes at Luxoft over 20 years

— How are foreign customers currently reacting to cooperation with Luxoft’s Ukrainian offices? Is there a gradual increase in customers after the first shock years of the war?

— At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the main issue for many customers was the ability of Ukrainian teams to continue working in wartime conditions. Over the years, the Ukrainian IT sector has proven its resilience, ability to adapt and ensure continuity of services even in the most difficult conditions.

Of course, war risks remain part of our reality. But during this time, people, businesses, and customers have learned to work with these risks. We have invested significantly in business continuity, backup infrastructure, and operational resilience. The best confirmation of the effectiveness of these solutions is that throughout all the years of war, our teams continued to work stably and fulfill their obligations to customers.

The market today remains competitive for all industry participants, but Ukraine continues to maintain a strong position as one of the leading locations. Our key strengths are high technical expertise, quality of specialists, deep domain understanding and ability to work in complex environments. These factors help us maintain the trust of existing clients and participate in new business opportunities.

— In the current difficult conditions, how does the company balance between preserving the Ukrainian professional core and customer requests for relocation/distributed teams?

— For us, it has never been a question of choosing between Ukraine and other locations. It is a question of diversifying risks and building a sustainable business model for clients.

Ukrainian expertise remains an important component of our global business, and the combination of a strong Ukrainian team with the capabilities of an international company allows us to provide the necessary level of resilience and flexibility for clients.

Today, it’s no longer a story about relocation. It’s a story about global teams, risk diversification, and the ability of a business to operate effectively in any environment.

— The labor market is currently very difficult not only for junior-level specialists, but also for experienced specialists. Which specialists are you currently paying the most attention to and what competencies for IT professionals at the current stage are, in your opinion, of primary importance?

— Indeed, the job market today is significantly different from what it was before the full-scale invasion. The number of vacancies is generally lower, competition for open positions is higher, and this applies not only to beginners, but also to experienced specialists.

At the same time, the market continues to work, new projects and vacancies appear. In my opinion, today’s employers value not only strong technical expertise, but also the ability to quickly adapt to changes. Technologies are developing very quickly, so the willingness to constantly learn and master new tools is becoming one of the key competencies.

I would also like to highlight the importance of cross-industry experience. Today, more and more clients are looking not only for technical experts, but also for specialists who can transfer best practices between different industries, understand the business context, and find solutions at the intersection of technology and business. These are the skills that often become an additional competitive advantage.

AI competencies are also becoming increasingly important. This includes not only specialists who directly work with AI solutions, but also the ability to use modern tools to increase their own efficiency and create additional value for the client.

At the same time, I would advise professionals to take a more proactive position in their job search. Today, the approach of simply sending a resume and waiting for a call does not always work. It is important to independently look for opportunities, maintain contact with recruiters and company representatives, attend professional events, expand your network of acquaintances and not be afraid to remind yourself. Very often, new opportunities appear precisely thanks to professional contacts, recommendations and personal activity of the candidate.

— As we understand from your LinkedIn profile , you have been with Luxoft for almost 20 years. What are the main changes, in your opinion, that can be distinguished in the company’s development over this long period?

— Next year will be 20 years since I’ve been working with the company, so I’ve been really lucky to watch how it’s changed over that time.

The most notable changes are the scale of the business. The company has grown significantly, expanded its geographical presence, and become part of the global DXC Technology ecosystem, while maintaining its own culture and expertise.

The nature of work has also changed significantly. Over the years, the complexity of projects, technological solutions, and client expectations have increased. Today, success is determined not only by technology, but also by the ability to combine engineering expertise with an understanding of the business and client needs. What impresses me most is how the role of Ukrainian teams has changed. Today, Ukrainian specialists are an important part of the company’s global expertise and work on complex solutions for clients around the world.

The last few years have been a serious test for all of us and at the same time have shown how much can be achieved by people who are dedicated to their work and take responsibility for their work. That is why I am especially proud of the Ukrainian teams, their professionalism, their ability to adapt to changes and continue to move forward even in very difficult circumstances.

For me personally, these almost twenty years are, first of all, a story of constant development. Roles, responsibilities and challenges have changed along with the company, but the main thing has remained unchanged — people. It is professional teams, mutual trust and a culture of cooperation that have always been the foundation on which the company’s development has been built.

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