Research Associate (Research England Policy Support Fund in Economics)
MSc, PhD (Donetsk State Academy of Management), Dr Sc (Sumy State University)
My research interests include public administration, sustainable development and the integration of systems thinking into management practices.
I focus on developing innovative models for effective governance, fostering social resilience and advancing the development of local communities, particularly in Ukraine. My work also emphasises social entrepreneurship and the business social impacts, exploring ways to empower leadership and gender equality through interdisciplinary research and practical solutions to address complex societal challenges.

Professional experience
During her professional career, Dr Anna Chechel has served as a member of editorial boards, contributing to advancing research in public administration, sustainable development and gender studies. She is an active member of international and national professional associations, such as the Ukrainian Association of Professors and Researchers of European Integration, Professional Government Association (Ukraine), Harvard Club in Ukraine, expert of QS Global Academic Survey for Word University Ranking. Dr Chechel has undertaken consultancy work in the areas of public sector reform and social entrepreneurship, including advising displaced communities and fostering inclusion in Ukraine. Her previous appointments include leadership roles in international projects and collaborations with non-academic organisations to develop strategies for community resilience and sustainable governance practices.
Previous appointments
After graduating in Management and Economics, Anna Chechel started her academic career as a Fellow of the Donetsk State University of Management and was the Founder and President of the Graduates Association and leader of the university’s Stuff Trade Union.
In 2014, when the military conflict in Eastern Ukraine started, the Ukrainian government relocated universities from the conflict zone to areas controlled by the Ukrainian forces. Since then, Anna Chechel has headed the Department of Public Administration and Management at Mariupol State University, and she was appointed as a guarantor of the Masters and PhD programs in Public Administration and Sustainable Development. Professor Chechel is a supervisor of PhD and Doctor of Science degrees. She is also a Head of the Adaptive Leadership and Territorial Development Centre and a certified trainer in sustainable development, public administration and leadership. Anna participated in a few international projects as a member of the working group.
In 2017, Anna was a successful participant in the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program ‘Emerging Leaders’, and in 2018, she was invited to an internship as a researcher and observer at the Executive Program for Senior Civil Service and Local Government Officers ‘Senior Executive in State and Local Government’ at Harvard Kennedy School (USA). In 2022-2024, Dr Chechel was a Resident Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School. She has more than 100 papers and publications. Her scientific research covers environmental economics, sustainable development, environmental security, strategic management, public administration and leadership. She has diplomas and awards from the state and local authorities.
Anna’s career has evolved and remodelled to accommodate rapid changes in Ukraine’s politics and society. In the newly independent Ukraine, following the fragmentation of the Soviet Union, a transition took place from a planned to a market economy. Management structures became critical, and Administration came to be treated as a scientific discipline. Her first degree in Donetsk University was in Economics and Management and her PhD was in Public Administration. In 2014, she was appointed head of the Department of Public Administration, and she took advantage of an observership at Harvard University, USA, to help formulate the course, which became very well-attended.
The first phase of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2014 displaced Donetsk University to Mariupol and, since her own departure to the United Kingdom, the University has moved again, to Kyiv, where she still teaches online. Between 2005 and 2014, Anna became involved in the development of university trade union politics: she was elected head of the student’s union in 2007, and she subsequently transferred her skills to the representation of University staff.
In summary, Anna has worked at the forefront of Ukraine’s transition from a Soviet-style command economy to a European market economy. In her academic work, she has intellectualised the required managerial changes and, in her trade union work, she has explored their application. Through her teaching, she has become influential in the development of Ukrainian public policy.
Publications
Selected publications
- Prokopenko, O., Chechel, A., Koldovskiy, A. and Kldiashvili, M. (2024) “Innovative models of green entrepreneurship: social impact on sustainable development of local economies.” Economics Ecology Socium, 8(1): 89-111 (DOI: 10.61954/2616-7107/2024.8.1-8)
- Chechel A.O. and Tarasenko, D.L. (2024) “Development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine in conditions of increasing turbulence in the external environment [in Ukrainian].” Scientific Perspectives, 3(45): 454-465 (DOI: 10.52058/2708-7530-2024-3(45)-454-465)
- Chechel, A. and Zelinska, M. (2023) “The legislation, state policy and incentives for social entrepreneurship support in European countries [in Ukrainian].” Scientific Innovations and Advanced Technologies, 14(28): 270-285 (DOI: 10.52058/2786-5274-2023-14(28)-270-285)
- Popova, O., Chechel, A., Fomina, O., Myroshnychenko, G., Medvedieva, M., Hoholieva, N., Tomashevska, O., Chernyshov, O., Nesterov, Y. and Molodchenko, O. (2023) “Assessment of relationships between smart technologies, corporate sustainability, and economic behavior of companies.” Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 2(13(122)): 41-51 (DOI: 10.15587/1729-4061.2023.275731)
- Prokopenko, O., Prokopenko, M., Chechel, A., Marhasova, V., Omelyanenko, V. and Orozonova, A. (2023) “Ecological and economic assessment of the possibilities of public-private partnerships at the national and local levels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” Economic Affairs, 68(01s): 133-142 (DOI: 10.46852/0424-2513.1s.2023.16)
- Prokopenko, O., Chechel, A., Sotnyk, I., Omelyanenko, V., Kurbatova, T. and Nych, T. (2021) “Improving state support schemes for the sustainable development of renewable energy in Ukraine.” Polityka Energetyczna: Energy Policy Journal, 24(1): 85-100 (DOI: 10.33223/epj/134144)
Awards and honours
- Best Alumni from Donetsk State Academy of Management, Ceremony for the Best University Graduates in the Donetsk region, Donetsk, Ukraine, 2000
- Young Scientist of the Year, Person of the Year Ceremony for the Donetsk region, Donetsk, Ukraine, 2012