Vitaly Vanshelboim, assistant United Nations Secretary-General and Chief Executive of S3i (Sustainable Infrastructure Impact Investments) is a significant professional working on major projects of the UN. He is associated with UNOPS, the youngest agency in the UN system.
Since the age of 22, Vitaly Vanshelboim has been a part of the UN and he has contributed a lot for all its projects at a global level. With his visionary eye, he is playing a crucial role in promoting sustainable development and he chooses the young professionals with certain qualities for this job.
We sat down with the CEO of S3i (Sustainable Infrastructure Impact Investments) and he shared with us many important things worth knowing for everyone. Check out the interview below:
We have heard a lot about achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Where do you see the contribution of developing countries on this subject? How important are the roles of UNOPS and S3I?
Vitaly Vanshelboim – Efforts to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030 are being made by individuals and entities on a large scale. But the implementation of introduced policies is not visible and it is due to the lack of sufficient funding from different countries on this very subject.
UNOPS is making efforts to arrange funds from the private sector but it works on the principle of non-profit. It has made its name for its rapid actions, agility, and trustworthy relationships. And it is helping to structure the large-scale infrastructure deals.
A few months ago, you got appointed by the UN Secretary-General as his assistant and the Chief Executive of S3I (Sustainable Infrastructure Impact Investments). What is the objective of this post?
Vitaly- Well, the objective of the UN is to advance the innovative ways of financing for development, and S3I works for executing conceptual works in three domains namely, affordable housing, renewable energy, and health. UNOPS helps to structure the deals and it promotes UN values, transparent culture, and sustainability.
Sir, you joined the UN at such an early age and are still a part of it. What inspired you to associate with this global organization for so long?
Vitaly – Well, I am lucky for being a part of the UN for such a long time. The UN hired me at a mere age of 22 from my home country of Ukraine. And it gave so much responsibility on my shoulder which I am fulfilling till date. I got a boost in my international career after leaving Ukraine in the year 1997.
On your recruitment advertisement for the posts in Helsinki, Finland, it is mentioned, “Gamechangers wanted, bureaucrats, need not apply”. What exactly does it mean?
Vitaly – The motive behind these words is to attract young and innovative minds to display their entrepreneurial spirit at UNOPS. We want to promote an innovative environment using UNOPS, the youngest agency in the UN system. This will help to foster the use of creative approaches to deal with complex tasks. In the case of bureaucrats, the chances of calculated risks and individual decision making reduce to a great extent.
Why is Helsinki, Finland, selected as a base for the S3I office?
Vitaly – It took deep research to select Helsinki, Finland as a base for S3I office and it was not selected out of greed for financial benefits. Finland was selected due to its political stability, favorable environment for start-up, and innovative culture, transparency, and ease of doing business.
You don’t seem to post anything related to your life on your social media profiles. Why is it so?
Vitaly – Well, it’s just that I prefer to stay away from the limelight and it is something that makes me comfortable. There is a lot that I have in my mind to share but I never reveal this to the public. And I may end up revealing it if I write a book after my retirement. I only use social media to ensure the online visibility of S3I in order to build healthy relationships at a global level.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the S3I activities?
Vitaly – S3I activities have got affected due to COVID-19 lockdown and it has stalled all the infrastructure activities for the last couple of months. Currently, important works such as planning, sourcing new deals, and recruitment of young talent are being done by carrying out discussions with institutional investors through various video conferencing solutions.
Thank you very much, Sir, for taking out your valuable time and sharing such worthy information related to your work with us.
