Microsoft, the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions, has been approved for U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) membership, according to its executive committee, in an announcement on behalf of the entire USUBC membership, issued at the USUBC annual meeting in Washington on Wednesday.  USUBC celebrates the opportunity to name one of the best known U.S. corporations around the world, Microsoft, as the 100th member.   

 

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) provides software, services and solutions around the globe that help people and businesses realize their full potential.   Microsoft has 94,000 employees worldwide and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA.

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Dorothy Dwoskin, Senior Director, Global Trade Policy and Strategy, Washington, D.C., spoke on behalf of Microsoft at the USUBC annual meeting. She said, "Microsoft is very pleased to join USUBC as the 100th member and looks forward to working with USUBC for the advancement of the Ukrainian business community.  Microsoft is very committed to the Ukrainian market and continues to expand its program in Ukraine."

 

Congratulatory letters about Microsoft and USUBC member 100

 

USUBC received several letters of greetings and congratulations about USUBC`s rapid membership growth the last two years and about Microsoft being named the 100th member. 

 

Letters were read at the USUBC annual meeting from Ukrainian leaders Victor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine; First Lady of Ukraine Kateryna Yushchenko; Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya  Tymoshenko; First Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Vasiunyk; and Minister of Economy Bohdan Danylyshyn.  

From the U.S. side letters were received from the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor and from Secretary of Commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez. 

 

Oleh Shamshur, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, read the letter from President Yushchenko to those who attended the USUBC annual meeting.  President Yushchenko said in his letterk, "I present my compliments to all members of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council and you personally, and have the honor to express my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the acceptance of Microsoft as the 100th member of the Council."

 

Microsoft set up Ukrainian subsidiary in 2003

Microsoft established its Ukrainian subsidiary in 2003. Since then, the local office grew from 5 to 150 employees developing a local partner ecosystem and raising awareness of Microsoft products in Ukraine.   A recent study by IDC found that for every dollar of revenue that Microsoft earns in Ukraine, local IT companies earn an average of US $26.33.  Microsoft Ukraine has been named one of Ukraine’s best employers in 2007.

Microsoft is an active member of the Ukrainian society. It actively engages with the education and business communities to foster local innovation, to use technology to improve education in schools, and to educate teachers, parents and students about child safety online.

 

Microsoft a success story for American-Ukrainian business relations

“Microsoft is a success story for American-Ukrainian business relations. We work closely with the emerging private sector in Ukraine as well as the Ukrainian government on a variety of issues, from software legalization to e-government.   Membership in USUBC is a key to building these relationships."

said Eric Franke, General Manager of Microsoft Ukraine.

 

Franke continued stating, "Working together with USUBC, Microsoft will continue to help build Ukraine’s  local software economy and looks forward to advancing intellectual property rights protection in Ukraine."

 

Mr. Franke has headed the Ukrainian subsidiary of Microsoft since December 2007. Prior to joining Microsoft, he ran several telecommunications companies in Ukraine in Russia, including UMC (now MTS Ukraine), Komstar and GTS.

"USUBC is very pleased to have an important U.S. and international company such as Microsoft as the 100th member" said Morgan Williams, SigmaBleyzer, who serves as president of USUBC.  "USUBC has grown very rapidly during the past 22 months and now has a membership base which allows USUBC to provide its members such as Microsoft with a full-time operation and a significantly expanded program of work," according to USUBC President Williams who is director of government affairs, Washington, D.C. office for SigmaBleyzer. 

 

USUBC membership now stands at 100

Microsoft is the 50th member to join in 2008, and the 78th new member since January of 2007. USUBC membership has quadrupled in the past 24 months, going from 22 members in January of 2007 to 100 members in December of 2008.   USUBC added one new member per week in 2008. 

 

Aitken Berlin LLP law firm in Washington, D.C., along with its subsidiaries, the Homeland Security Industries Association (HSIA) and the Global Development Law & Consulting Group (Global Development), became the 99th member of USUBC.

 

Mars Ukraine was USUBC member ninety-eight. Mars, Incorporated is a family owned company, with six industry leading business units – Chocolate, Petcare, Food,  Drinks, Symbioscience and now Wrigley Gum and Sugar. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Mars, Incorporated operates in more than 79 countries.

 

Pratt & Whitney-Paton (PW-P), an American-Ukrainian joint venture between the Pratt & Whitney division of the United Technologies Corporation, USA, and the E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine, was USUBC member ninety-seven.  

The new USUBC members in 2008 include MaxWell USA, Baker and McKenzie law firm, Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, Dipol Chemical International, MJA Asset Management, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Halliburton, DLA Piper law firm, EPAM Systems, DHL International Ukraine, Air Tractor, Inc., Magisters law firm, Ernst & Young, Umbra LLC., US PolyTech LLC, Vision TV LLC, Crumpton Group, Standard Chartered Bank, TNK-BP Commerce LLC, Rakotis, American Councils for International Education, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP, International Commerce Corporation, and IMTC-MEI.

 

Additional new USUBC members in 2008 are: Nationwide Equipment Company, First International Resources, the Doheny Global Group, Foyil Securities, KPMG, Asters law firm, Solid Team LLC, R & J Trading International, Vasil Kisil & Partners law firm, AeroSvit Ukrainian Airlines, Anemone Green Capital Limited, ContourGlobal, Winner Imports LLC (Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Porsche), 3M, Edelman, CEC Government Relations RZB Finance LLC (Raiffeisen), IBM Ukraine, SoftServe Inc., The Washington Group (TWG), SE Raelin/Cajo, Inc., AnaCom, Inc., Pratt & Whitney-Paton, AGCO/Massey Ferguson, Zurich, Mars Ukraine, Aiken-Berlin LLP/HSIA and Microsoft.