The 20th anniversary has inspired us to learn about the people without whom our regional offices would never have been the same. We have talked to our Regional Managers in Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Chernivtsi, and Lviv—the four development centers launched after the Dnipro one. Find their stories below.

Maryna Aisina, Regional Manager, Khmelnytskyi

The story began in 2013. I was living in Kyiv when I was contacted by Yuriy Mykhailovskyi (now—Regional Director). He suggested launching a development center in Khmelnytskyi. The idea seemed dubious (coming back to Khmelnytskyi from Kyiv?), but I agreed to an interview.

As it turned out, it was the right decision because, right after the interview, I had a strong feeling I wanted to take on that project.

What hooked me on? First of all, honesty: when at the very first meeting I was told about both success and challenges or unresolved issues, I knew that people were truthful with me, and I wanted to work with them to create, improve, and self-improve together.

Second of all, I loved the idea of working at a large company with many teams, departments, and opportunities to learn from professionals in other fields.

After I took the job, there followed three introductory days in Dnipro, and then the Board and I went to Khmelnytskyi to see the office we planned to rent.

Things were very easy at the beginning.

At first, I even thought there wasn’t that much for me to do: I bought cookies, took care of the office furnishing, conducted interviews. But it was like that only at the start. With time, the number of tasks, processes, and events grew only longer.

Was it difficult to hire first employees? It was interesting. Back then, there were no offices of large companies in Khmelnytskyi, so I think people went to the interview out of curiosity. Then they saw the company’s expertise and reliable team in Dnipro and got to trust us.

I’m convinced that the interviewers played the most important role, though. After the interviews, people were often impressed with our interviewers and wanted to join the company to work with them.

I remember the year when we turned 5, and there were 100 of us! We were going through our office pictures once, and I felt like crying with happiness. I personally interviewed those 100 people at the preliminary interview round. I realized how much we’d done and how far we’d come.  

I’m very proud of the team we’ve formed. Everyone is sooooo cool! I can’t wait till we meet back at the office and see each other in person. So, I have one thing to ask, please take care. And hope to see you all soon!

Nadiya Ivashova, Regional Manager, Sumy

I was introduced to AMC Bridge through my friend Vira Shendryk. She suggested conducting shortish research for the company on the Sumy IT potential.

The idea of the research deeply resonated with me. Of course, when I agreed to it, I couldn’t have imagined that AMC Bridge would become a global project and an integral part of my life.

As I was researching, I got to know the people at AMC Bridge, and I knew I wanted to become part of the team. I joined AMC Bridge right away, as soon as the decision to open the center was reached.

At first, I did various tasks: searched for an office building, furnished the rooms, recruited developers, took care of HR and legal matters. The support of my more experienced colleagues was of great help back then. Mutual support is what helped the project to take off, I think.

Was it easy to find the first people to join the team? Not really. Sumy isn’t a large city, so people were in no hurry to quit jobs at the companies that had been operating in the city for years. Still, AMC Bridge had the expertise, interesting specialization, and charismatic interviewers—all that combined won us our first hires. Now we have a brilliant team that keeps growing. It’s great to see the result of all the efforts.

I love to see how people move from being just colleagues, united by their job, to being friends. It means that we hire people with the same values.

I also love the special atmosphere of our company. I’ve been trying to figure out what helps create it. I have come up with only one explanation: it’s the combination of openness, friendliness, understanding, and mutual help. Every team member radiates these qualities: from management to newbies.

We have much to remember: kayaking, parties, cycling, singing to the guitar, board games, movie nights. There are also very special moments that are not connected with any particular events.

You should see my happy face when colleagues say it’s the best company and team they’ve ever known or when ex-colleagues say that AMC Bridge has the best team!

Ella Yankovets, Regional Manager, Lviv (earlier—Chernivtsi)

Once upon a time… :) In 2013, I was contacted about joining the team that was launching an AMC Bridge development center in Khmelnytskyi. I had just moved to Kyiv and started a new job, so I had to put off the collaboration for several years. But I kept track of the company, and when I was asked to research the Chernivtsi IT market, I agreed to do it. I was carried away with the idea of having an office in Chernivtsi.

The thing I noticed at the Dnipro office straight away was the professionalism of the PEOPLE around me. Having returned to Kyiv, I kept thinking that I wanted to work at AMC Bridge.

Naturally, it was a great challenge to open a development center in a new location. But taking on the project was one of the right decisions of my life. At first, I was taking care of everything myself: the office, collaboration with the local community and university. It was particularly important to form the core team, and I should say that’s not an easy thing to do in a small city where people feel uneasy about new companies. And then you look back and realize that you are no longer alone at the office but with a team.  

So, when we started talking about opening a development center in Lviv, I was ready to take on a new challenge. And Yuliya Starikova became a new Regional Manager of the Chernivtsi center.

Yuliya Starikova, Regional Manager, Chernivtsi 

I came across the vacancy for an HR Generalist at AMC Bridge when I was about to move for work from Chernivtsi to Kyiv. I was reluctant to leave the city where I was born and lived my whole life, so I was very excited about the vacancy! On top of it all, the office was located 400 meters away from my home!

I applied and passed all the stages of the job interview process. When Ella called to tell me about the offer, I was on cloud nine. However, making the final decision was hard since I had already set my mind to moving away.

I chose AMC Bridge, and I’m glad I did. Here I have a perfect team, friends, and an exceptionally varied and interesting job.

At first, I worked as an Administrative and HR Manager, and then a few months later, I was offered to become a Regional Manager. It meant great responsibility. The job has to do with everything about the office, and I love it. I see the direct impact of my work as my location changes and grows.

My job is always about people. It inspires me and “charges” my inner battery. How about this: one of our developers has a great voice; another girl is a brilliant dancer; we also have a ukulele-player and an origami master, and I am just getting started.

We all are very different, but AMC Bridge unites us in many ways. Work is one thing, of course, but there is also so much more. For example, our amazing two-day trip to the Romanian Carpathian mountains by the Transfăgărășean road. At the end of the trip, we climbed Buteanu Peak. Nothing can compare with it!

Another thing to remember is last year’s St. Andrew’s Day. On December 13, the girls came to the office to find no doors in their rooms. Our guys had just removed and hidden them at night according to a similar local tradition.

We have so many memories to share, and this is precious.

Ella Yankovets, Regional Manager, Lviv (earlier—Chernivtsi)

In Lviv, I soon learned that its market was totally different, and the Chernivtsi strategy wouldn’t work there. So, I started by forming a back-office team, and the office began growing.

Everything about the Lviv office is meaningful to me. The first meetup, the Ivano-Frankivsk marathon race, climbing Hoverla, the motherboard cake for the AMC Bridge Engineer’s Day, programming events—that is something to remember. 

It’s joyful to see the fruits of your labor. I am glad when I hear about the success of my Chernivtsi colleagues. When we meet, we have many good memories to share. I am glad to know that I have put myself out developing the two locations and that the job I do matters.

Having gained the office-launching experience, I’ve realized that reaching the most ambitious goals is not about some magical skills or talents. It is about our attitude to problems and the decisions we make to overcome them.