Biography
Education
In 2016, she graduated with honors from the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” with a Master’s degree in Political Science.
Professional Background
Svitlana Denysenko began her professional career at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
In 2016, she joined the Kyiv School of Economics as the President’s personal assistant. By 2018, she became Deputy Head of the KSE Development and Communications Department, and in 2019, she took the position of Head of the Office for Supporting the Work of the Minister of Economy of Ukraine. Since 2020, she has served as the Director of the Kyiv School of Economics Charitable Foundation.
Achievements
Svitlana has many years of experience in team management and fundraising. Under her leadership, the KSE Foundation has become one of the most effective non-governmental funds in Ukraine, attracting large-scale international support during the full-scale war — over USD 170 million as of mid-2025. The Foundation consistently ranks among the most transparent charitable organizations in Ukraine according to the annual analytical review by the Ukrainian Philanthropists’ Association and was recognized as the fifth largest charitable foundation in the country by Forbes Ukraine. In 2025, it became part of key international philanthropic communities — CAF America and Philea.
During her tenure, a wide range of partnership projects has been implemented with the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, and the Ministries of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, Education and Science, Health, as well as numerous international partners and Ukrainian businesses.
Under Svitlana’s leadership, the Foundation successfully delivered fundraising programs supporting education in Ukraine, the KSE scholarship program, and the advancement of science and innovation.
As part of a national-level KSE Foundation initiative to restore children’s access to offline learning launched in 2022, more than 100 shelters were equipped in schools and kindergartens across the country, enabling over 45,000 schoolchildren and preschoolers to study safely among peers under the care of teachers.
To strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, the Foundation has been systematically supplying Ukraine’s defenders with vehicles, reconnaissance drones, and other critically important equipment, including medical supplies, personal protective gear, communications, and optics. Among other achievements: in 2022, the Foundation delivered 12,000 helmets and around 25,000 bulletproof vests to the front line; in 2023, it launched a rapid-response drone supply program, sending nearly 800 reconnaissance UAVs to the front (the number reached 1,900 by mid-2025); in 2024, it completed a program to support reconnaissance and medical evacuation operations, delivering four modernized helicopters, and provided the State Border Guard Service with 100 vehicles to strengthen frontline logistics; in 2025, the Foundation continues to respond to defenders’ requests, providing assistance to over 100 defence units on the line of contact throughout the year.
Under her leadership, agreements aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defense capability at a systemic level were signed, including the launch of cooperation with the Khartiia Corps to implement educational and technological projects.
Another key area of her work includes projects supporting Ukraine’s wartime medical system. In cooperation with the Ministry of Health, a destroyed medical outpatient clinic was restored, and the medical evacuation capacity of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine was strengthened through specialized aviation equipment.
Awards
In 2022, Svitlana Denysenko received the Golden Heart award from the President of Ukraine.
In 2023, she was included in the Forbes Ukraine “30 Under 30” list.
She has been honored with distinctions from the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and others.