Ukrainian publisher among the winners of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025

Yuliya Orlova, the CEO and co-owner of Vivat Publishing House, has been named the laureate of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025.

“It occurred to me that when an F1 driver wins, it’s a victory for the whole team: everyone who built the car and handled the pit stops. Business works the same way and success is only possible through teamwork. Vivat, this is our accomplishment!” Orlova wrote. “The book business is too small among the ‘monsters’ that participated in the competition. And yet it is nice that this is the first time that a publishing house has been recognized as a business at all, and this is a very important precedent for the publishing industry as a whole,” she added.

Orlova was honored with the award in the Business Phoenix category. According to the award’s official website, the evaluation criteria included the owner’s entrepreneurial spirit, commitment, influence within the industry, and the growth of the business.

The national selection of the competition began in February 2025. After a thorough review of the applications, a shortlist of 16 nominees was formed, from which the main winner was selected. The jury of the competition included: Andy Hunder, President of the American Chamber of Commerce, Vitaliy Sych, Editor-in-Chief of NV Media House, and Olena Vdovychenko, CEO of METRO Ukraine.

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year is a competition founded by the EY company in 1986 in the United States. The program currently covers 79 countries, and the competition is open to owners of medium and large businesses. The winners in each of the participating countries are determined by a national jury consisting of independent experts. 

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Images: Yuliya Orlova’s Facebook page

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn