Head of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine since 2023, he has radically transformed approaches to forest management through the implementation of digital technologies. Born on August 1, 1984, in Kyiv, Viktor Smal has gone from being a successful IT entrepreneur to one of the key reformers of the Ukrainian forestry sector.
Education
2000–2002: Nizhyn Regional Lyceum at the M. V. Gogol National University. Graduated with a gold medal and the highest GPA among 12 gold medalists.
2001: Laramie High School (Wyoming, USA)
2002–2007: Institute of International Relations at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, International Relations, Political Scientist (International Relations), Spanish Translator
2023–2024: National Forestry University of Ukraine (Lviv), Master’s degree in Forestry.
Fluent in English and Spanish.
Career
2006–2007: Assistant and advisor to Mykhailo Volynets, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament and head of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine. Worked in the Confederation’s international department.
2007–2009: Head of the Boryspil branch of “AVIS Ukraine,” an international franchise company specializing in car rental and leasing. He developed the company’s business at Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport. He also oversaw the operations of AVIS’s regional offices in Lviv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk.
2009–2010: Manager of Foreign Economic Activity at the “LAZ Ukraine” holding company, which manufactured public transportation vehicles. He established a network of business contacts with municipalities and private transport operators in 23 countries worldwide.
2010–2013: Head of the Real Estate Consulting Department at Cybarco Limited, a subsidiary of the Lanitis Group (Cyprus). The company is a market leader in the construction and design of luxury residential real estate in Cyprus. He established a network in Ukraine for the sale of Cypriot real estate.
2013–2016: Launched his own business—the online sports goods store “WillSport.” He subsequently opened four more online stores selling other product categories. Eventually, all five stores were sold as separate businesses.
2015–2020: Founded and developed the IT agency "WebAnatomia," which operated in the field of web production. The agency’s main clients were Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies and regional timber exchanges. In particular, "WebAnatomia" created one of Ukraine’s first online auctions for the sale of unprocessed timber.
2019–2020: As part of the "WebAnatomia" agency, he created the original project GLOICE—the world’s first geolocation messenger for mobile phones, which allowed users worldwide to communicate with local residents. Development of the project was suspended, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021–2023: Deputy Head of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalization.
2023–present: Head of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine.
Public Service
As Deputy Head and later Head of the State Forestry Agency, Viktor Smal implemented institutional digital changes in Ukraine’s forestry sector:
- electronic logging permit – the primary permit document for timber harvesting;
- an electronic certificate of origin for timber – a digital document confirming the legality of the origin of timber and lumber and required for the export of these goods;
- interpretation of satellite imagery to determine precise forest areas, which led to the identification of nearly 2 million hectares of natural forests;
- creation of the state-run online store "DrovaYe";
- implementation of information security systems (ISS) for databases in Ukraine’s hunting sector;
- Extending the mandatory use of the Electronic Timber Accounting System and the electronic goods transport waybill to all forest users;
Changes were also introduced to Ukraine’s regulatory framework regarding forest protection and logging:
- logging practices have been standardized to account for national defense and security;
- clear-cutting for primary use has been banned in the Carpathian region;
- nature-friendly forestry methods have been introduced;
- control over timber transportation has been modernized through the use of electronic waybills (EWBs) with photo documentation;
- the concept of skid roads for accessing hard-to-reach forest areas has been regulated;
- logging for research purposes has been introduced.
In addition, in May 2025, Ukraine received the highest rating for timber exports to the EU. The European Commission published an updated list classifying countries by risk level in accordance with the EU Regulation on Deforestation (EUDR). Ukraine has been assigned low-risk status—the best possible rating.
Awards and Recognitions
Letter of appreciation from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
Family
Father – Ihor Viktorovych Smal, professor in the Department of Tourism and Hotel and Restaurant Management at King Danylo University (Ivano-Frankivsk), Candidate of Geographical Sciences, associate professor, member of the Ukrainian Geographical Society.
In 2015, he volunteered for the ATO. As part of the "Karpatskaya Sich" battalion, he participated in battles for the village of Pisky and Donetsk Airport. During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he fought in the ranks of the same battalion in Irpin and Bucha. Afterward, he served as deputy company commander for morale and psychological support (MPS) and acting deputy battalion commander for MPS on the border of Sumy Oblast with Russia.
His mother, Valentina Volodymyrivna Smal, is a Doctor of Geography and was a professor in the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Natural Geography of the M. V. Gogol State University of Nizhyn, as well as a specialist in vocational education development for the United Nations Development Programme.
Viktor Smal is married and has two sons.