Alexandra Simonians appointed Country Director of Helvetas Ukraine

Helvetas Ukraine is entering a new chapter. In summer 2026, Alexandra Simonians took over as Country Director of the Separate Division of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation in Ukraine, succeeding Petr Base, who had held this position for four years. 

Alexandra brings more than 20 years of experience leading complex, multi-donor programmes across more than 15 countries, including in post-conflict recovery. Throughout her career, she has worked in Ethiopia, Syria, Türkiye, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. Before joining Helvetas, she held senior leadership positions with international organisations, including USAID, where she led resilience and recovery programmes in Ukraine. She also brings extensive experience working with institutional donors and managing multi-sector programmes focused on economic recovery and infrastructure rehabilitation. 

We also extend our sincere gratitude to Petr Base for his leadership over the past four years. Under his guidance, Helvetas Ukraine evolved from emergency humanitarian response into a comprehensive development portfolio focused on economic recovery, human capital development and strengthening local capacities. During this time, Helvetas also strengthened its partnerships with international donors, government institutions and local communities, laying a strong foundation for continued growth. 

This next chapter under Alexandra's leadership will build on that foundation. Drawing on her extensive international experience in recovery and development programming, Alexandra will lead Helvetas Ukraine in further strengthening partnerships and advancing solutions that contribute to Ukraine's long-term recovery and competitiveness.