Energoatom picks Tkachuk as CEO and Pavlyshyn as chief nuclear officer under new governance model
The supervisory board of Ukraine's state nuclear operator Energoatom selected Yuriy Tkachuk as CEO and Pavlo Pavlyshyn as Chief Nuclear Officer, splitting what had previously been a single top role into two. The selections came through a competitive process that began with 78 candidates and were made under a new corporate governance model introduced after a major corruption scandal.
Key points
- Energoatom's supervisory board selected Yuriy Tkachuk, currently head of Ukrgazvydobuvannya, as the company's new CEO.
- Pavlo Pavlyshyn, a former head of Rivne NPP with over 30 years in nuclear energy, was unanimously selected as the new Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO).
- The previous combined top role has been split into two positions: the CEO will oversee operations and development, while the CNO will hold independent professional authority over nuclear and radiation safety and operation of nuclear units, with final decision-making power on nuclear safety matters.
- The CEO shortlist was narrowed from 78 initial candidates to 9, then 5, then 2 finalists heard by the supervisory board; international consultancy Korn Ferry assisted the search.
- New leaders are expected to be offered five-year contracts, which are still being finalized and may include performance-based compensation.
- Pavlyshyn must obtain an individual nuclear license before taking up the CNO post; his previous license was revoked in 2022.
- Two of seven management positions are now filled; selections for the financial, legal, HR and commercial directors are ongoing, with completion targeted by the end of October.
Why it matters
Energoatom operates all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, a critical pillar of the country's electricity supply during wartime. The leadership overhaul follows the November 2025 NABU/SAP 'Midas'/'Mindichgate' corruption investigation, which implicated senior political and energy figures in schemes to withdraw nearly $100 million from the state company. Splitting the previous single top role into a CEO and an independently authorized Chief Nuclear Officer represents a structural change in how nuclear safety oversight is organized at the company.
What happened
The supervisory board of Energoatom selected Yuriy Tkachuk as the company's new Chief Executive Officer and Pavlo Pavlyshyn as its new Chief Nuclear Officer, formally splitting what had been one combined leadership role into two separate positions. The CEO will be responsible for the company's operations and development, while the CNO will hold independent professional authority over nuclear and radiation safety and the operation of nuclear power units, including final decision-making power on nuclear safety questions.
For the CEO post, the field of 78 candidates from Ukraine and abroad was narrowed to a shortlist of five and then to two finalists heard by the board. A nominations committee evaluated the candidates' strategies, psychometric assessments of leadership were conducted, and independent opinions from anti-corruption bodies were taken into account. Pavlyshyn was unanimously supported for the CNO role, where the candidate pool was smaller because the position is licensed and requires specialized training. International consultancy Korn Ferry, represented by Roman Bondar, assisted the board in the search. The supervisory board was appointed in January 2026 and comprises four independent members with international experience and three government representatives; Rumina Velshi chairs the board, and Matthew Murray chairs its appointments and remuneration committee.
The new leaders are expected to be offered five-year contracts, with additional performance-based compensation packages; contracts are still being finalized. Pavlyshyn, who headed Rivne NPP from 2012 to 2022 and served as acting president of Energoatom for four months in 2019–2020, will need to obtain an individual nuclear license — his previous license was revoked in 2022 — before formally taking the CNO post. Energoatom said it would submit his candidacy for licensing once all corporate procedures are completed. Of seven planned management positions, only two are now filled; selections for the financial, legal, HR and commercial directors are ongoing and are expected to wrap up by the end of October, with the new CEO to be involved in the process. As of the evening of 20 September, Energoatom had not yet published a release on its website announcing the appointments.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All five supplied sources are Ukrainian-language and Ukrainian-sourced, spanning media and the state agency Ukrinform. Their coverage frames the appointments primarily as a governance reform: separating the CEO and CNO roles, conducting an open international competition with 78 initial candidates, multi-stage narrowing, Korn Ferry's involvement, and nominations-committee and psychometric evaluation. The articles profile both appointees' prior careers in state energy companies — Tkachuk at Ukrnafta and Ukrgazvydobuvannya, Pavlyshyn at Rivne NPP — and flag outstanding procedural steps such as Pavlyshyn's re-licensing and the still-pending contracts. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi is cited urging the swift appointment of new leadership, and Minister of Economy and Environment Oleksandr Kravchenko and deputy minister Dariya Marchak are identified as participants in the process.
How international sources describe it
The supplied sources do not include a separately framed international perspective on the appointments.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the duration of the selection process: one article describes the CEO selection as lasting about two months, while another puts the combined CEO and CNO selection at about six months. Both versions are present in the supplied material.
Background
The leadership change follows the November 2025 'Midas'/'Mindichgate' operation by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, which exposed large-scale corruption in Ukraine's energy sector. NABU released part of 1,000 hours of audio recordings describing schemes to withdraw nearly $100 million from Energoatom. Among those named as suspects were Kvartal 95 co-owner Timur Mindich, Justice Minister and former Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko, his former advisor Igor Mironyuk, and former Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. In May the new supervisory board, appointed in January 2026 with four independent international members and three government representatives, ordered an internal investigation based on NABU materials, suspended several employees, and set a 19 June 2026 deadline for reorganizing certain Energoatom units. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi in August stressed the need to appoint new Energoatom leadership as quickly as possible. Tkachuk previously served as Ukrnafta's financial director from November 2022 and as its acting head from May to December 2025 before taking over Ukrgazvydobuvannya in December 2025.