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PRNext’26: “Navigating Chaos” – Where to Look for Brand Guidance in 2026
The world no longer offers us calm harbors, but only storms of varying intensity. That is why the 23rd International PRNext Forum, which will take place in Kyiv on April 8, 2026, has “Navigating in Chaos” as its motto this year.
PRNext’26 Agenda spans from current trends in modern brand communications: social initiatives of business in wartime, AI-transformation of business, community building, professional development of PR specialists and much more. The Program will be opened by a special guest of the forum – Ukrainian writer, artist and co-author of the fantasy universe "Chronicles of the Force" Olha Navrotska, who will share her vision of how the modern Ukrainian cultural code is created.
Next, in her keynote speech, Olena Derevyanko, Head of the PRNext’26 Organizing Committee, Partner of PR-Service Agency and Vice-President of the Ukrainian PR-League, will dwell upon the changes in the methodology and practice of reputation management that are taking place under the pressure of social and technological processes.
The talks about the current state of things will be continued by a panel discussion participated by servicemen and volunteers, namely about the human dimension of war and the relevance of supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and veterans by society. These issues will be discussed by Oleh Kalashnikov, Head of Communications Department of the 68th Artillery Brigade, Vitaliy Derevyanko, Deputy Commander of the 1st Dmytro Kotsiubaylo Separate Assault Brigade, Oleh “City” Petrenko, Head of the Staff Fund of the 3rd Army Corps, Oleksandr Shevchenko, Serviceman of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine of the “Chimera” Unit at the “Tymur Special Unit” and famous volunteer Milena Taranenko under the star moderation of Ahava Teslenko from ICTV.
Head of the Communications Department of the Territorial Defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (TRO Media) and co-founder of the Veterans Theater Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi will tells about the work of this unit. Maksym Kolesnikov, CMO at TAF Industries, will share his experience in building the reputation of mil-tech brands in modern conditions. And one of the leading Ukrainian experts in the field of Executive Search and former Head of the CEO Club Ukraine, Ihor Kabuzenko, will give an overview of the trends in the search for C-level specialists.
The second session of PRNext’26 will be held in the format of a case marathon “The Might of Business to the Country”, where companies leading in various sectors of the economy will present their proud projects. The guests of the Forum will be able to hear about them from Ksenia Sikorska, Marketing Director at PUMB, Denys Kazvan, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Uklon, Olena Plakhova, Director of Communications and Government Relations at Kernel, Volodymyr Haidash, Corporate Communications Director at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, in a duet with the company`s HR Director Kateryna Zaloznykh, as well as Head of PR at EVA stores chain Oleksandra Hnatyk and Deputy Head of Communications at Epicenter-K Iryna Shynkarenko
In the third block, which is dedicated to ideas and technologies, Roman Ivanov, Director of New Products at Philip Morris Ukraine, will emphasize the intricacies of working with a brand in complex product categories. Ivan Melashenko, Co-Founder and General Producer of Mamahyhotala, will talk about low-budget and resonant video production. Eduard Ivakin, Co-Founder of Basein Bureau, will reveal the issue of how to build a corporate reputation in order to attract the best specialists.
On the topic of AI-transformation in the communications sector, the Forum guests will hear a practically oriented speech by the Creative Director and Co-Founder of SHOTS Petro Storozhenko in tandem with the Partner and COO of this Agency, Maryna Martynova. And a fireside chat with Tetyana Andrianova, CEO of Octava Capital and Head of the Corporate Security Committee of the Ukrainian State Agency for Information Security, will continue this topic in the context of challenges for business cybersecurity.
Well, and according to a long-standing tradition, the culmination of PRNext’26 will be a solemn ceremony awarding the winners of the National Corporate Reputation Management Quality Rating “Reputation ACTIVists.” This award will be given for the 11th time to the country’s reputation champions from among Ukrainian companies and international companies operating in the Ukrainian market.
So, hurry up and ensure your participation in this extraordinary cross-industry event, especially since, thanks to the support of partners, the Organizing Committee has halved the cost of tickets compared to last year. If you want your brand not to get lost in the information noise and confidently move through the chaos, see you at PRNext’26!
Reference: The PRNext International Forum is a non-profit crowdfunding event that is implemented due to the contributions of participants and the support of partners who share its values. They are the ones to ensure the meeting of those who shape the standards of the communication industry. This year, the event was supported by PUMB as a financial partner, Kernel as an agricultural partner, as well as Kyivstar, ATB Corporation, Henkel Ukraine, EVA, Epicenter, Printstore Group Catalog Factory, EBA, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Wine of Ukraine and Ukrvinprom, Morshynska and PepsiCo Ukraine, Nash Format and Summit Knyha, Camellia.
Media partners — NV, Media Holding "Apostrophe", MMR, VOMO, Delо, "We Ukraine", OBOZ, The Page, "Bukvy", ESPRESSO, Dsnews.ua, "Minfin", Mind UA, RBC-Ukraine, Pershyi biznesovyi, Live Media HUB.