Olena Tregub is the founder and Secretary General of NAKO – the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, established in Ukraine in cooperation with Transparency International in 2017. NAKO focuses on promoting good governance in the defence sector, anti-corruption reform in areas critical for national security, and due diligence in the defence industry. NAKO also coordinates the Public Council on Sanction Policy under the Oice of the President of Ukraine – a state-civic platform aimed at strengthening sanctions against Russia. Olena is currently serving her second term on the Anti-Corruption Council of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. She also works with the International Center for Ukrainian Victory, advocating for strong international support for Ukraine. Previously, Olena served as Director at Ukraine’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, managing over $12 billion in international development projects.
She is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts) and Central European University. In 2014 she returned to Ukraine after a decade in the U.S., where she worked as a journalist and policy analyst, to contribute to the country’s post-Maidan democratic transformation. She serves on the Board of Hromadske TV and the Steering Committee of the B4Ukraine Coalition. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Paris-based think tank Eastern Circles and the Washington, DC-based Atlantic Council. She has received multiple awards for her reform work and was named one of Ukraine’s 100 most influential women by New Time Magazine.