The International Business and Finance Association brings leaders together: Igor Vykhrystiuk’s success story in the international business community

For over seven years, the International Business and Finance Association (IBFA) has been bringing together entrepreneurs, financiers, innovators, and business leaders from around the world. Founded in Madrid in 2017, the International Business and Finance Association has become an influential platform for knowledge sharing, establishing international contacts, and promoting modern approaches in business and finance. IBFA members represent key areas of the global economy and influence the direction of business development as a whole.

In June 2024, Igor Vykhrystiuk, a Ukrainian entrepreneur, innovator, and head of Spec Bud Engineering LLC, a company that implements projects for the construction of modern treatment facilities, joined this prestigious association.

Igor, how did you feel when you became a member of the IBFA, and what does this event mean to you from a professional point of view?

By becoming a member of IBFA, I first and foremost felt recognition for my many years of professional work not only at the national level, but also internationally. For me, participation in IBFA is a real tool for expanding my business horizons. IBFA brings together people in business and their views on the development of entrepreneurship and the future. Being part of this circle means engaging with people who think strategically, act globally, and embrace challenges.

IBFA allows you to communicate on equal terms with world-class professionals, learn new approaches to business management, and find out about financial trends and new technological solutions.

In particular, for me as a specialist working in the field of wastewater treatment plant construction, it is an opportunity to develop export directions, bring our technologies to the European market, and attract partners to joint projects. IBFA is also a platform through which I can represent Ukraine as a country of engineering innovation, demonstrating that we are capable of creating effective, environmentally friendly, modern solutions. IBFA strongly supports environmental initiatives in business, and this helps me find like-minded people.

Igor, please tell us about the process of joining IBFA. After all, it is quite difficult to get into such a prestigious association as IBFA.

Admission to the International Business and Finance Association is a multi-level and quite demanding procedure aimed at selecting professionals with an impeccable business reputation, significant achievements, and a proven ability to influence the development of their industry. The association brings together those who shape economic trends and implement innovations.

The first stage is the collection of a complete set of documents, where candidates must confirm at least three years of active professional experience, provide a detailed biography, a description of successful projects, publications, participation in exhibitions, conferences, or competitions. Contributions to the development of the industry are of great importance — innovative solutions, examples of implemented technologies, the development of new approaches to management or business organization.

An integral part of the procedure is letters of recommendation from well-known entrepreneurs, company executives, experts, or public figures. These letters should attest to high professionalism, business ethics, strategic thinking skills, and influence on the industry community. The presence of authoritative recommendations significantly strengthens the candidate’s profile and demonstrates that the specialist is recognized in the wider business environment.

After reviewing the documents, the candidate is invited to a mandatory online interview with the IBFA Council. This is a key stage during which the candidate’s alignment with the Association’s values is assessed: openness to cooperation, willingness to share experience, leadership potential, and desire for global impact. Only after this is a decision made on admission to the IBFA.

Thus, membership in the IBFA is not a formality, but a recognition of professional reputation and influence in the industry at the international level. The Association brings together people who are changing approaches to business, seeking innovative solutions, and striving to develop global partnerships.

What new opportunities for business growth and scaling does participation in IBFA open up?

First and foremost, it is access to the international arena, new contacts, participation in forums, training programs, access to analytics and practical experience of colleagues from different countries. IBFA also means influence, the opportunity to be involved in global trends and decisions.

For my business, it is a chance to attract foreign partners to new and promising projects, promote environmental solutions, and participate in joint international initiatives. And for international investors, it is a chance to implement their ideas in a reliable environment.

Thank you for talking to us! Finally, what are your plans as an IBFA member in the near future?

Thank you very much! For me, membership in the IBFA is an opportunity to go beyond the local market and implement my ideas in an international business environment. My immediate plans are to scale up the environmental technologies I have implemented to the European and North American markets. I see a high demand for effective solutions in the field of organic waste processing and engineering infrastructure modernization.

I recently established a company in the US, which will serve as a platform for introducing my knowledge and technologies to the American market.

In addition to the technological direction, I also plan to become more actively involved in IBFA activities — participating in international forums, sharing experience, and attracting foreign partners to cooperate with our entrepreneurs. I believe that through IBFA we can build new business models that create value and support global sustainability.