It is truly an honour for the work from Take Off and Bundlex to be recognised amongst the other incredible CEOs that this island has to offer.
Malta CEOs 2023 is an exclusive publication that celebrates Malta’s most influential disruptors, changemakers and business leaders. The elite publication is owned by Content House Group, one of Malta’s leading media organisations. It highlights CEOs from a variety of industries, such as logistics, finance, banking, legal, architecture, tech, creative agencies, embassies, government agencies, yachting, hospitality, and more.
There were a few common messages from all CEO’s in this year’s edition, which was the frantic need for peace as well as the fight against climate change, two agendas that have always been close to Alona’s heart.
Digitalisation lies at the heart of Take Off and Bundlex’s efforts to reduce the impact on the fashion industry. Their state-of-the-art tech connects unsold inventory from reputable brands to retailers around the world, saving items from landfill and giving fashion a new life.
“The fact that 100 billion items of clothing are produced each year with only half of them sold left an impression on her. When I saw the warehouses full of discarded clothing, I knew this was the opportunity I was looking for. So I spoke with potential clients to understand what they needed and found a gap in unrealised revenue for companies which would also serve a different type of client. I started with Ukraine since having been born there. It was easier to understand the language and culture.”
Not only was Ukraine where Alona and Take Off were born, but it is also home to many of Take Off and Bundlex’s employees, so for the business as a whole, it has been upsetting on an incredibly human level.
“It was very hard because many of our employees are Ukrainian, 10 of whom work in our office in Kyiv. At first, we were hit financially and then emotionally.”
The war in Ukraine has had a profound impact on Alona and it has transformed the way that she leads the business.
“At a certain point, it wasn’t just about business anymore. Once we had good cash flow, I had to turn my attention to other more human problems. I felt that I had to protect my employees, and although I felt intrusive, I had to try and convince them to leave our city because it had become too dangerous.”
A changemaker, a trailblazer, a leader, a colleague and a friend, it is easy to see why Alona has been recognised in this year's edition of Malta’s CEO 2023 and the team at Bundlex are incredibly proud!
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