Hawrylyshyn | Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation

Celebrating the Centenary of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn

ROAD MAPS TO THE FUTURE

October 19, 1926 – October 24, 2016

“Everything I have done in my life, I started with a dream”

Bohdan Hawrylyshyn was born on October 19, 1926, in the town of Koropets (now a small urban settlement in the Monastyryska district, Ternopil region, Ukraine; at the time part of the Buchach county of the West Ukrainian People's Republic, under Polish occupation and administratively within the Ternopil Voivodeship). His father was a neighbor of Marko Kahanets. In 1930, his father purchased approximately 10 hectares of land between the town of Buchach and the village of Zhyznomyr, where he built a house that still stands today.

Hawrylyshyn attended primary school in Zhyznomyr for three years, then enrolled at the Polish-language gymnasium in Buchach (completing the seventh grade in the 1936/37 academic year and the eighth grade in 1937/38), which was later converted into a secondary school following the arrival of the Bolsheviks. From September 1941, he studied at the Chortkiv gymnasium, and in the 1943/44 academic year at the Drohobych gymnasium. During World War II, in 1944, he was taken to Germany as a forced laborer. After 1945, he lived in a displaced persons camp. In 1947, he emigrated to Canada, where he worked as a lumberjack, organized evening classes for Ukrainians, and was active in trade unions.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1952 and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1954 from the University of Toronto. From 1954 to 1960, he held positions in research, engineering, and management in Canada. In 1960, he moved to Switzerland. In 1976, he earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Geneva.

From 1988, he worked on a pro bono basis in Ukraine. Following the restoration of Ukraine's independence, he served as an advisor to several Presidents of Ukraine, Prime Ministers, and Speakers of the Verkhovna Rada.

Bohdan Hawrylyshyn devoted nearly thirty years to the International Management Institute IMD-Geneva. He held the positions of Director of Education (1960–1968), Director of the Institute (1968–1986), and Honorary Fellow (1986–1989). In Geneva, he taught courses in economic development, international operations management, the global business environment, governance of nations, and other subjects.

In 1990, he founded the International Management Institute in Kyiv. From 1996 to 1997, he served as Director of the International Academy of the Environment in Geneva. He conducted seminars, chaired conferences, and delivered lectures at universities, to professional groups, and at international conferences in more than 85 countries.

He also played a key role in establishing the International Renaissance Foundation in Kyiv in April 1990, and served as Chair of its Supervisory Board from 1991 to 1998.

A member of Plast – the National Scout Organization of Ukraine – since 1940, he belonged to the Lisovi Chorty (Forest Devils) unit from 1946. From 2006 to 2008, he chaired the National Plast Council, the organization's legislative body. He was also a member of the initiative group “First of December.”

In 2010, he established the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Charitable Foundation, whose mission was to develop a critical mass of young Ukrainians

who would gain firsthand experience of how the best-functioning European countries operate and, in turn, form a critical mass capable of transforming Ukraine.

“I believe it is the youth who can transform Ukraine”

In 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity, he created the Declaration of Human Responsibilities. It consists of 15 principles that serve as guideposts for a more democratic societal development.

On October 24, 2016, at 5 a.m., Mr. Bohdan passed away surrounded by his family at his apartment in Kyiv. His ashes were laid to rest at the cemetery in his native village of Koropets.

Since 2017, the Foundation’s core programs have been supported by the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation, established by Mr. Bohdan’s wife and children.

Every year on October 19, a Chrysanthemum Tribute Ceremony takes place in Shevchenko Park in Kyiv, where flowers are planted near the memorial stone erected in his honor. In 2021, on the occasion of Mr. Bohdan’s 95th birthday, the event brought together many of the Foundation’s friends and partners.

Bohdan Hawrylyshyn’s personal materials (important documents from his civic activities, correspondence, and other papers) are preserved at the Central State Archive of Public Organizations and Ukrainica.

A memorial room dedicated to Bohdan Hawrylyshyn also operates in his native village of Koropets in the Ternopil region.

Milestones in the Life of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn

1926

Bohdan Hawrylyshyn was born in the town of Koropets (now a small urban settlement in the Monastyryska district, Ternopil region).

1937

Becomes a member of Plast, the National Scout Organization of Ukraine.

1944

Taken to Germany as a forced laborer; completes his secondary education in a refugee camp.

1950

Marries Leonida Hayovska. The couple has three children.

1954

Having earned his engineering degree from the University of Toronto in 1952, he obtains his Master’s degree from the University of Toronto in 1954.

1957

Studies at the International Management Institute (IMD-Geneva) in Switzerland until 1958.

1960

Begins leading educational programs at IMD-Geneva, teaching courses in economic development, the global business environment, international operations management, and governance of nations.

1968

Assumes the role of Director of IMD-Geneva and leads the institution for eighteen years.

1969

Contributes to the founding of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

1971

Co-founds IMD-Delhi (India).

1972

Becomes a member of the Club of Rome.

1973

Becomes a member of the International Academy of Management.

1974

Becomes Chair of the Symposium at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, a role he holds for 24 years.