A company’s success is often measured by numbers, but its real power lies in the people who are able to transform the reality around them. The heroes of today’s article, winners of the “NIBULON’s Pride” award, work in different elements: from managing complex processes at an elevator and building trust with farmers amidst the sounds of shelling, to conquering the capricious waters of the Danube. Despite their different positions, they share a common trait: they do not just adapt to change – they drive it. These are stories of true masters of their craft, proving that for those devoted to their work, there are no closed horizons.
Mykola Alekseienko, Manager of the Novoodeska branch (Mykolaiv region), was recognized in the “Master of Results” category. He was honored for his versatile approach and ability to work productively across various roles, his dedication, initiative, and significant contribution to the common goal, as well as for ensuring high-level service for partners and farmers.
Mykola joined NIBULON in 2011. We previously shared his journey from a maintenance technician to the branch’s chief engineer in the fall of 2023. It is a truly inspiring story, and we sincerely recommend reading it!
Just a few months after that interview, Mykola’s career took another leap. At the end of the year, he was appointed Acting Manager of the branch, and since April, he has served as the Branch Manager. A new role always brings new responsibilities, requiring constant oversight and the organization of processes to ensure the efficient and safe operation of the elevator. Mykola shares:
“Due to Russian aggression, NIBULON lost significant assets and the ability to use rivers for transporting products with its own fleet. The company has changed, restructured, and found new growth opportunities to remain competitive. NIBULON always teaches us new things and encourages development. As a branch manager, I no longer just organize daily operations; I now fully manage the budget of the subordinate unit and ensure proper service for our clients. We are currently implementing LEAN technologies in our production processes to eliminate waste, improve efficiency, and reduce energy and human resource costs per ton without compromising quality or speed.”
The branch has also launched a pilot project to implement a new SCADA system with artificial intelligence capabilities, which will further automate technological processes.
“The work is extensive, diverse, and not always easy. But the company constantly motivates us to grow, gain new knowledge, and improve our skills, which has always helped us overcome challenges and achieve results,” says Mykola, adding: “And when you know you have a real team behind you, it’s always easier to move forward and explore new horizons!”
Our colleague Tetiana Chernobaieva, Senior Regional Specialist in the Trade Department, also works at a branch – the Ternivska branch in the Zaporizhzhia region. Before the full-scale invasion, this location served farmers not only from the local area but also from the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and even Luhansk regions. Tetiana recalls the endless queues of trucks. Since 2022, the situation has become much more difficult due to blocked river navigation, constant shelling, and proximity to the front line.
Nevertheless, the branch continues to operate, finding new ways to ensure grain procurement from the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions. For her consistently high results while working in a combat zone, Tetiana received the “Mastery at Risk” award.
Interestingly, Tetiana did not start at NIBULON from the trade direction, but as a personnel inspector: in 2019, during the construction of Ternivska, she was responsible for recruiting the branch staff from scratch. Then she moved to the procurement department, and later to the commercial division of the trade department. Tetiana’s first education is an engineer in automation of technological processes and production. She also has a diploma as a specialist in accounting and auditing and a master’s degree from Uman University in the specialty “Entrepreneurship, trade and exchange activities.” Such a combination of experience and knowledge, and most importantly, the desire to apply them, simply could not fail to bear fruit in her work in the trade direction.
“I loved working with people, but trade is even more exciting,” Tetiana shares. “The first years after the branch opened were high-energy and fast-paced. Since 2022, the pace has changed for obvious reasons. Often, even after a good harvest, farmers struggle to harvest and deliver it to the elevator. However, I believe this is no reason to give up. On the contrary, we are building relationships with new suppliers and sharing the advantages of working with NIBULON. We know all our farmers personally. With the advent of the Supplier’s Cabinet and the introduction of electronic document management, cooperation has become simpler and faster. But it is personal meetings and communication that help to establish strong, long-term partnerships. Therefore, we try to meet, talk, and learn about their business with new potential partners. And often they are very interesting people with their own inspiring success stories! In the future, electronic document management significantly simplify and speed up all work, but personal contact is very important.”
Oleksandr Vonsovych, Captain of the “Pereiaslavskyi” tugboat, is one of those who deliver Ukrainian grain to the world.
Oleksandr joined NIBULON in 2019 with extensive maritime experience. Since the age of 18, as soon as he received a foreign passport, he got an internship and began to go to sea. He has sailed the Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas. At the NIBULON Shipping Company, Oleksandr started as a Second Mate and intern on the “NIBULON-4” tugboat, moving to “NIBULON-2” as an Assistant Captain within just two weeks. Oleksandr recalls that time as follows:
“I noticed the new NIBULON tugboats on the so-called “Balka Truntaieva,” and decided to leave the long-term sea contracts for the company. Tugboat operations require specific skills, especially with the unique steering systems, but I realized immediately that this was my calling”.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when NIBULON began to develop new logistics routes, Oleksandr began working in Izmail at the newly built Bessarabska branch, transporting grain to Constanta. In 2025, as Captain of the “Pereiaslavskyi” tugboat, he navigated routes to Galati, Constanta, Ruse, Lom, Prahovo, Smederevo, and Pancevo, significantly expanding NIBULON’s presence in Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia. For his exceptional skill in managing barge-tug fleets on these new Danube routes, he was awarded the “Leader in Danube Development” diploma.
“The Danube has a different specificity: there is a strong current here, somewhere there is water, somewhere there is not, so not everyone can pass here,” says Oleksandr and shares his own experience: “I firmly decided to become a sailor back in the fifth grade. I went through all the stages – from cadet, sailor, then I was an assistant, and became a captain at the age of 30. I really like my profession. I know all the subtleties. I go out on the bridge, stand at the helm, and immediately understand what the current is here, how to get around it. I am confident in my abilities and knowledge. Water is my element, I feel it. The sea gave me education, experience, discipline, and knowledge. And I am very pleased that at a young age I can already do such complex maneuvers that not everyone can do. However, despite my extensive experience, each voyage is like a new lesson, during which you notice new details and put them in your memory. Self-confidence is good, but you need to remember to be attentive and take into account many nuances, because one mistake can be costly.”
Three different professional paths, but one common denominator: a deep passion for their work. Mykola, Tetiana, and Oleksandr demonstrate that NIBULON is not just about innovative technology or a powerful fleet – it is, above all, about character. A character that turns challenges into opportunities and risks into new routes for Ukrainian grain. We are proud of our colleagues who, through their mastery, are writing a new chapter in the history of both our company and our country.
You can read this year’s first article from the series “NIBULON’s Pride” at this link.
