Support and Employment of Veterans and Their Families

Problem Statement

After two years of full-scale war, Ukraine entered a new social reality –  with about 1.5 million veterans returning to civilian life.

This is a generation of people with unique experience and equally unique needs for adaptation, support, and professional reintegration.

By 2024, Ukraine still had no unified standards or practical guidelines for how businesses could systematically work with this topic. Most companies wanted to do the right thing but lacked knowledge and examples of how to integrate veteran support into internal policies, HR processes, communications, or corporate culture.

The topic remained emotionally complex and fragmented, treated more as charity than as a long-term systemic approach.

For Starlight Media, one of Ukraine’s leading media groups, this became both a challenge and a moral obligation: to demonstrate how business can shape a culture of respect, adaptation, and growth for veterans – not symbolically, but structurally.

Solution and Implementation

1. The Idea

The idea of creating the Veteran-Friendly Business Principles emerged in summer 2024 at Starlight Media, initiated by Yana Honcharenko, Chief Communications and

Sustainability Officer. The goal was ambitious yet clear – to create a national roadmap for companies to build sustainable policies supporting veterans, servicewomen, and their families.

From the start, the initiative aimed to unite three key sectors:

• Business, as the driver of real change;
• Government, as the guarantor of policy;
• Civil society, as the expert community.

2. Building the Partnership

Starlight Media brought together three key partners:

• Veteran Hub – provided expert consultation and practical recommendations;
• The Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine – supported the initiative and helped promote it among institutional and corporate partners;
• Forbes Ukraine – joined as media partner and became the platform for the public launch.

This alliance of business, government, and civil society became a unique example of cross-sector collaboration in Ukraine.

3. Developing the Document

The first draft was prepared by Starlight Media and reviewed by Veteran Hub experts, who contributed several professional improvements. After the presentation to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the initiative received support from Minister Nataliia Kalmykova, who helped promote the Principles among state and corporate partners.

The final document includes 12 core principles, among them:

1. Ensure leadership in veteran support at the highest management level.
2. Guarantee fair and non-discriminatory recruitment and reintegration for veterans.

2.1. Develop corporate programs and opportunities for veteran education and re-qualification.

3. Invest in developing a veteran-friendly corporate culture.
4. Provide access to quality physical and psychological health programs and rehabilitation support.
5. Address gender-specific needs of veterans and servicewomen.
6. Create programs and services supporting families of veterans, fallen soldiers, and those missing in action.
7. Invest in building inclusive workplaces, services, and products.
8. Represent veterans and their families fairly and respectfully in marketing and communications.
9. Support veteran-owned businesses and businesses of their families and partners.
10. Support veteran communities and advocate for their interests locally and nationally.
11. Honor and preserve the memory of fallen employees.
12. Measure progress and impact, and report results transparently.

A separate cornerstone was personal leadership of CEOs – only top executives can sign the Principles. This made the document not a formality, but a personal declaration of values.

4. Public Launch

The first public signing of the Principles took place on November 1, 2024 during the Forbes CEO Summit.

At that moment, 20 leading Ukrainian companies from various sectors: banking, IT, retail, communications, and manufacturing joined the initiative.

It became a symbolic milestone when business openly acknowledged the importance of veteran inclusion and took responsibility for shaping a new corporate culture.

Further Development

After the launch, three major meetings of the signatory companies were held:

• February 2025 – exchange of experience in veteran employment and adaptation practices;
• May 2025 – formation of a culture of gratitude toward veterans;
• August 2025 – development of a culture of remembrance at both corporate and national levels.

Companies shared insights, created adaptation programs, introduced veteran officer positions, and co-developed best practices.

In June 2025, 40 defense companies joined the initiative, integrating veteran support into their corporate standards.

Today, the Principles unite over 100 Ukrainian businesses across sectors.

Results and Impact

Today, the Principles represent:

• more than 100 signatory companies;
• three thematic meetings on adaptation, gratitude, and remembrance;
• companies introducing internal veteran coordinators or veteran officers;
• first corporate programs for adaptation, education, and psychological support;
• new corporate traditions of honoring memory, such as a minute of silence and remembrance initiatives.

The Principles have united companies from diverse industries: media, banking, retail, manufacturing, and defense – into a community learning to act with respect and consistency.

The Ministry of Veterans Affairs has emphasized the role of this initiative in developing a sustainable culture of veteran support within Ukrainian business.

Conclusion

The Veteran-Friendly Business Principles are not about formalities – they are about a way of acting.

About businesses that consciously create space for those who have defended the country.

The initiative by Starlight Media has shown that when business, government, and civil society work together,

they can not only provide support but also reshape the culture of interaction. Today, respect, adaptation, and veteran inclusion are becoming not separate projects – but an integral part of corporate thinking and responsibility.