Olena Makarenko leads KPMG's Forensic arm in Ukraine
KPMG in Ukraine has promoted Olena Makarenko to Head of its Forensic practice.
Makarenko has been with the Big Four accounting and consulting firm since 2010, having previously worked in the Strategy & Operations division of rival Deloitte and briefly as a consultant at a local Ukrainian consultancy. During her career, she gained experience with topics such as business process improvement, cost cutting, procurement, outsourcing and corporate governance, but in the latter decade she increasingly focused on forensics and risk compliance.
Today, Kiev-based Makarenko specialises in helping clients to assess and manage risks, conducting due diligence on counter-parties, leading internal investigations and preparing expert witness reports for use in international litigation and arbitration.
Her forensic track record spans projects including anti-corruption compliance reviews, the development and implementation of anti-corruption systems and anti-fraud controls, financial investigations, analysis and improvement of business processes, and the design and implementation of internal control systems.
Makarenko has served clients both in the public and private sector, with a focus on the financial services industry and in particular large Ukrainian banks.
Commenting on her appointment, Makarenko said, “It is a great honour and responsibility for me to lead KPMG’s Forensic team,” adding “the largest such team in Ukraine.” She continued, “We plan to continue providing the highest quality services and products to our clients.”
Alongside her role at KPMG, Makarenko is a member of the UNIC Executive Committee. This network – the Network of Integrity and Compliance (UNIC) – was launched by the Business Ombudsman Council of Ukraine, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). UNIC’s mission is to promote ethical and responsible business in the country.
Last month, Ukraine's government selected KPMG for one of the country’s largest privatisation projects.