History of IPSM company
From vision to leader in procurement consulting in Ukraine
1. Establishment of the company: from idea to the new market in Ukraine
In 2018, Marina Trepova and Victoria Kravchenko founded IPSM. At that time, they had experience in procurement, strategic consulting, and teaching. Maryna Trepova, CEO of IPSM, took over the management of the company and the part related to procurement, while Victoria became the marketing director.
We saw that there was no culture of professional procurement management in Ukraine. Companies had strong financial departments, analysts, and auditors, but procurement remained an “operational pain” where the main goal was long considered to be to negotiate a lower price without taking into account other important aspects. Most decisions were made on an ad hoc basis, and the departments were dominated by formality and a lack of understanding of their contribution to the overall result. We wanted to change this.
This is how IPSM was born – the first company in Ukraine to professionally provide B2B procurement services: consulting, training, outsourcing, and audit. We created a niche where there was none and began to actively develop the market. Our first clients were colleagues from the business school Marina graduated from. And then our performance and the doors of new companies opened.
The first joint photo of the co-founders of IPSM: Marina Trepova and Victoria Kravchenko.
2. Mission and values: not just services – culture change
We see our mission as formulating a culture of professional, transparent and strategic procurement in Ukraine and abroad.
”Our main goal is not only to build a business but also to develop the market as a whole. To raise the bar of the profession. To make sure that procurement becomes a strategic partner for business. We want every company to understand that effective procurement is not a cost, it is a profit.
Maryna Trepova
Our key values:
- Professionalism: We are experts who work with data, analytics, and the market.
- Honesty: We tell the truth to our customers even if it is unpleasant. We build honest and transparent partnerships with our clients.
- Impact: We do not just conduct procurement trainings; we change the way teams think.
We train procurement professionals to become strategists, helping companies reduce costs by 10-90% without putting pressure on suppliers, build ethical models of interaction, launch new procurement methods and tools for our clients, conduct audits of procurement processes, and assist CEOs in understanding how to transform costs into assets.
3. Development and key milestones: from two funders to international activities
The company developed naturally, from request to request. People began to talk about us exclusively as those who can be trusted. Reputation is our top priority and asset. At first, Marina and Victoria worked together: they did projects, conducted training, and built approaches from scratch. In 2019, we began to grow — the first permanent team members joined us. When the company was only a year old, we already organised Ukraine’s first International Conference on Procurement and Supply Chain Management — at our own expense and with our own ambition.
The successful combination of Marina’s expertise in procurement and Victoria’s experience in marketing, export, and project management gave us a strong boost.
”We started by visiting clients ourselves, explaining things, engaging consultants, and taking on big tasks. It was about visionary spirit, ambition, and the ability to implement everything with our own hands.
Viktoriya Kravchenko
In 2020, the pandemic made us more flexible: we created online products, held the first international online conference in Ukraine, and started working with foreign markets.
- The core team consists of 5 specialists responsible for sales, customer support, marketing, training, analytics, and management.
- A network of 20+ experts in negotiations, procurement category management, SRM, risk management, supplier management, finance, and project management who are engaged in projects on a targeted basis.
4. Expertise and uniqueness: why IPSM is chosen by the largest companies in Ukraine
”The role of procurement in companies is often underestimated, but we are successfully changing this perception. We understand that procurement is not just a "technical function" but a complex and integrated role that requires deep business competencies."
Maryna Trepova
What is our difference?
- We don’t teach “how to ask for a discount,” we build procurement strategies.
- Each client receives their own uniquely assembled solution from us, customised and out of the box.
- We create our own methods, adapted to Ukrainian and international realities and an integrated educational procurement ecosystem.
- We speak the language of business (finance, risks, opportunities).
- We find opportunities to improve the procurement process, and it is measured in money.
Clients come to us for honest analytics, to get out of the “operational routine”, to create a team that speaks the same language as the CEO and knows how to manage suppliers.
Since 2024, we have been actively promoting the topic of AI in procurement and prepare analytical products at the intersection of AI, category management, and digitalization.
5. Customers and results: we measure success not only in money
Our clients include:
DTEK, Ukrgasvydobuvannya, Kredobank, Bel, Nova Poshta, Intech, SoftServe, Ciklum, Rud, Vodafone, Uklon, Veres, UkrOboronProm, MHP, Kernel, Medical Procurement of Ukraine dozens of medium and large businesses from agriculture, pharmaceuticals, IT, and industry.
Cases we are proud of:
- Procurement outsourcing for an agricultural company – saved 42%, the client’s team focused on strategy.
- Category management at Darnitsa – for the first time in Ukraine, a complete process, including analytics, has been built, risk matrices, and category strategies. With our help, the client received a high-quality transformation of the organizational structure of the Procurement Department.
- We helped the Ministry of Health to build an efficient supply chain of medical products for Ukrainians.
- Supporting the procurement function for an international IT company and cooperation for several years.
- Consulting projects in Kazakhstan (audit and category management)
- Together with SCMDOJO, an international platform for supply chain professionals from the UAE, we create English-language training programs.
- We have examples of when we assembled a team for an international project in the energy sector: someone analysed financial portfolios worth billions of dollars, someone managed production safety, and someone built analytics. And everyone worked as one. The client is at the centre. This has been the principle forever.
6. Team and leadership: a business built on trust and professionalism
Marina Trepova, our CEO, is a is a visionary, facilitator of negotiations, speaker at international conferences. Her leadership style is not a “leader” but a “gatherer of meaning“: she helps everyone to open up, asks deep questions, and always keeps an eye on where we are going.
”Marina's leadership is one of the key factors that keep the company going. She is not just an expert in procurement. She is a person who knows how to negotiate. She doesn't push with authority, doesn't lead from a position of strength.
Viktoriya Kravchenko
Business coach in procurement, blogger, member of the NGO Transparent Procurement.
She was the coordinator of public procurement reform at Nova Kraina State Enterprise.
In addition, Maryna is the project manager of the House of Knowledge and the academic leader of the globally recognized qualification program for procurement from CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) in Ukraine.
She was the coordinator of public procurement reform at Nova Kraina State Enterprise.
In addition, Maryna is the project manager of the House of Knowledge and the academic leader of the globally recognized qualification program for procurement from CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) in Ukraine.
He has 20 years of experience in marketing, trade marketing, sales and operations management in international and local business.
Graduate of the British Chartered Institute of Marketing, certified export consultant, Visionest Institute (Estonia), Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade (UK).
His main focus is international marketing and sales, personal branding, and online sales.
Graduate of the British Chartered Institute of Marketing, certified export consultant, Visionest Institute (Estonia), Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade (UK).
His main focus is international marketing and sales, personal branding, and online sales.
How it all began…
Today, IPSM is a predominantly female team. And although we have never focused on gender, it turned out that it was women who united around common values: independence, responsibility, ambition and humanity.
”Women's professionalism is a pill against gender bias.
Maryna Trepova
We do not have micromanagement. Everyone has their own area of influence. We discuss, argue, and learn. But most importantly, we trust each other.
Our team works mainly online, but this does not hinder efficiency and the achievement of results. Everyone in the team knows about their contribution to the overall success.
7. Looking to the future: new countries, new products, new opportunities
Our plans for the coming years:
- Entering international markets with clear products for medium-sized businesses.
- Promoting procurement outsourcing in Ukraine.
- Launch of new online programs on Category Management, SRM, Negotiations, and Project Management, adapted to European realities.
- Building of the IPSM AI for the procurement analytical platform – with the ability to evaluate categories, risks, and strategies.
- Development of the procurement community.
We are confident that procurement is not just about saving money. It is about growth, ethics, trust and business strength. And we, the IPSM team, are ready to partner with those who want to change their company not just ‘anyhow’ but in a real way.
