Galyna Pustova, Head, CDTO Campus, Ukraine

1) How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive?

As the Head of CDTO Campus - a national educational project that develops digital leaders for Ukraine’s public sector - I see inclusivity as the foundation of trust.

Our programmes are open not only to civil servants, but also to professionals from business, IT, and NGOs who want to join GovTech and drive change. We intentionally design learning environments that bring together diverse age groups and genders. 

After identifying the gender gap in cybersecurity, we launched a dedicated training programme for women.

This programme enabled women to progress to advanced digital courses. Together with UNDP in Ukraine, we are also scaling a women’s leadership programme in digital transformation. 

All our programmes are free of charge and run on a competitive basis, attracting the most motivated candidates while ensuring equal access to opportunities.

Amid the war, inclusivity has become even more urgent - many of our students come from communities affected by displacement or frontline service.

Our goal is to build capacity across all regions and ensure digital policies reflect our society’s diversity and resilience.  

2) What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

One of the most powerful moments came when, as Chief of Staff to the Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, I helped lead the digitisation of Ukraine’s traditional employment records, known as “labour books.”

For decades, these paper records defined people’s careers. Seeing them fully digitised was transformative: employment data, social benefits, and pension calculations became accessible, and transparency improved. 

Around the same time, I contributed to the early rollout of Diia - Ukraine’s flagship digital identity and services platform.

When Ukrainians could use a digital passport instead of paper documents, and more than 50 countries recognised Diia’s digital ID, I realised how profoundly technology can empower citizens when built on trust. 

3) What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?

It was CDTO Campus - Ukraine’s national educational project for training Chief Digital Transformation Officers and other digital leaders across government.

What began in 2024 as a pilot has expanded to 30 programmes, four faculties, and 1,300+ graduates. We co-designed curricula with global partners like Google, Cisco, and Microsoft to meet real public sector needs. All training is fully funded, ensuring equal access.  

Success is measured not only in numbers but in trust - when graduates launch new services, increase transparency, and share knowledge across government. 

The recognition from international partners has also been remarkable: Estonia, UK, Germany, and many others have already expressed interest in scaling the Ukrainian model of digital leadership education abroad.

4) What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people? This can be about a specific project or a broader lesson about your work.

We learned that local realities often differ from national priorities. Ukraine has over 1,400 municipalities, each with its own context — from communities near the frontline to those temporarily displaced or rebuilding critical infrastructure.

Initially, our digital leadership programme for local communities was designed as a single long-term track. But as we engaged with more participants, we realised it needed a complete redesign.

Local digital leaders don’t just need to implement national policies - they must also initiate bottom-up projects that reflect real citizens’ needs. 

This insight led us to create a new five-month programme, Digital Transformation in Public Governance for Local Authorities, producing dozens of student-led projects that address local challenges.  

5) We hear a lot about AI. What's a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

At CDTO Campus, we take a very practical approach to AI. Our goal is to show how it can serve citizens - as a tool for inclusion, accessibility, and trust.

We partner with global leaders such as Google, Microsoft, Cisco, AWS and others to develop training programmes for the public sector on responsible AI use, automation, and data ethics. 

Through these programmes, our students have already created real solutions for public administration - from enhancing citizen feedback to launching Ukraine’s first AI-based public service for youth and sports registries.

One graduate, for instance, developed an AI assistant that improves internal communication and innovation culture in a state bank. 

At the national level, Ukraine is also integrating AI into the Diia ecosystem, using automation and predictive analytics to make government interactions faster, more transparent, and accessible for everyone.

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6) How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?

One area clearly defining the future of government is cybersecurity.

As Ukraine continues to digitise and move services to the cloud, cyber resilience has become essential for every civil servant  - from everyday users to national digital leaders, especially in a country facing full-scale war. 

Ukraine is part of the Tallinn Mechanism, a multinational initiative signed by 12 countries to strengthen cyber resilience. CDTO Campus plays an active role in this effort by hosting training programmes for public sector leaders focused on practical cyber defence, awareness, and resilience. 

We see cybersecurity not just as a technical issue, but also as a leadership challenge requiring strategic thinking and emotional resilience. 

7) What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

Be ready to act - even within constraints. Innovation in government operates under strict legal frameworks, so a digital leader must be creative within limits. 

Public innovators need to be part visionary, part advocate, and above all resilient. In Ukraine, we continue building digital solutions amid war - a true test of leadership and purpose.  

Stay open-minded, patient, and brave. Progress is rarely linear, but persistence and integrity always lead to impact. 

8) Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?

Our students inspire me most.

Many come from small towns or communities affected by war, yet their determination and belief in knowledge drive real change. 

Ukraine is living through a profound societal transformation, where women are increasingly taking on leadership roles as many men serve on the frontlines.

I am inspired by the strength of women, the courage of our defenders, and all citizens who, despite exhaustion and uncertainty, continue building our country, believe in its victory, and invest their time and energy in its future. 

 9) If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be?

My first and clearest priority would be to stop the unprovoked Russian aggression and protect our people.

With unlimited resources, I would invest in technologies that strengthen defence and civilian protection - advanced cyber-defence, early-warning systems, humanitarian logistics, and digital tools for reconstruction.

Above all, my dream project would put human life and dignity at the centre, protecting communities, safeguarding essential services, and ensuring a faster and safer path to recovery. 

10) Outside tech, what excites you the most?

I am deeply passionate about travel and learning from different cultures.

As an Oxford Executive MBA graduate, I had the opportunity to see the world through new perspectives - to understand the unique challenges societies face and to experience countries through the eyes of their citizens.

I also find great joy and discipline in sports. Regular training helps me stay disciplined, centred, and ready to keep moving forward - no matter how difficult the path.