ABOUT · INSTAR

Management excellence
for the AI era.

Master what AI enhances. Become what it can't replace.

PMI

Authorized Training Partner

Premier

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2002

PMI partnership begins

100+

organizations served

4000+

specialists trained

expert consultants

OUR MISSION

To help businesses, non-profits, and professionals achieve exceptional results through high-quality management - the kind that AI enhances but cannot replace.

THE CORE BELIEF

The most valuable managers and executives in the next decade will be those who are smart enough to direct technology well - and deeply, irreplaceably human.

INSTAR develops both: the human management capabilities that AI cannot replicate and the ability to harness AI as a tool.

OUR STORY

Three transformations. One constant: delivering real outcomes.

INSTAR has navigated three major shifts in how organizations work and led its clients through each one. The current shift to AI is not a disruption for us. It is the third time we have done this.

2002
PMI partnership begins
The company that later handed over her PMI R.E.P. rights to INSTAR, began its PMI training partnership in 2002 (R.E.P. - registered education provider). We built the foundation of PM education in Ukraine - and the PMI Ukraine Chapter - developing curriculum, certifying instructors, and proving global standards could be made practical in local organizations.
2008
INSTAR founded by Anna Starynska
The project management consulting and training practice was formalized as INSTAR. Anna Starynska, with 20+ consulting projects already behind her, established INSTAR as the firm that would help Ukrainian organizations build real PM capability and train individuals for exams. From day one, INSTAR worked with both commercial organizations and non-profit programs.
2020
Alina Piddubna joins the team. Transformation begins
During COVID, Alina Piddubna joined INSTAR as co-owner. The pandemic had ended in-person training overnight. INSTAR transformed its entire delivery model - from exclusively on-site classroom training to fully online. The online format opened INSTAR to diaspora professionals, international organizations, and practitioners across Ukraine who had never been able to attend in Kyiv.
2021
INSTAR as Ukraine's first PMI Authorized Training Partner
PMI reviewed and authorized INSTAR's curriculum, instructors, and delivery standards, making us the first Ukrainian company to receive PMI ATP status under the new ATP program launched in 2021.
2026
Category shift: AI-era management consulting and training
The second transformation Alina has led. INSTAR makes its clearest positioning decision: from PM training provider to boutique management consulting and training firm dedicated to developing managers and organizations that thrive in the AI era by mastering what AI cannot replace.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

Values visible in how we work

Outcomes over outputs

We put client needs at the heart of everything we do. Valuable, quantifiable outcomes define whether we succeeded.

Practice over theory

Our services are rooted in practical expertise. If it cannot be applied by next Monday, we proposal whether it belongs in our programs.

Human + AI, not Human vs AI

AI amplifies people - it does not replace them. AI without human oversight is a risk. A human without AI is a limitation.

Accountability - and integrity in what we take on

We take accountability for the results we promise, and we don't commit to projects we don't believe in. It's better to refuse a contract at the beginning than to under-deliver. This is a matter of management ethics.

Ethics and responsibility

We act with integrity. We adhere to PMI's ethical standards and our own. Transparency in all engagements, always.

HOW WE WORK

Three principles that distinguish INSTAR from every other provider

Outcome-oriented

We work with outcomes-oriented organizations, and hold ourselves to the same standard. Every engagement starts with one question: what specifically will change after we work together? We are open to outcome-based models, but regardless of format, accountability for results is always shared. If we cannot see a clear path to a real outcome, we do not take the project.

Data-driven

Decisions are made on evidence. We begin by measuring the current state, and we return to those numbers throughout the work and after. Behavior change matters more than training hours completed. Business results matter more than the number of workshops held. Data tells us what worked and what needs to be adjusted.

AI-enabled

AI is both what we teach and how we work. Our programs and consulting engagements use AI tools in practice: we do not discuss AI abstractly and then set it aside. We demonstrate it in action in every project. We are product-agnostic: the right tool for the client's context, not the tool we happen to prefer.

WHO WE WORK WITH

Two sectors. Different methodologies. The same standard.

INSTAR works with both commercial organizations and non-profit / donor-funded organizations. The purpose - building management capability that delivers - is the same in both. The approach, governance frameworks, change dynamics, and accountability structures differ significantly. We have deep experience in both and apply distinct methodologies accordingly.

COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS

Business performance is the measure

We help commercial organizations with more than 100+ headcount build the management capability to deliver on their AI investments, PMO ambitions, and organizational transformation goals. Governance measured against business outcomes. ROI framing throughout.

Industries: banking and finance, energy, IT and technology, industrial and manufacturing, pharma, retail, telecom, construction etc.

Clients include: DTEK, Metinvest, Farmak, Ubisoft, OTP Bank, Oschadbank, Raiffeisen Bank Aval, UkrSibbank, Kyivenergo, Ukrnafta, Comfy, Eleks, and 200+ others.

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Mission delivery and donor accountability are the measure

We work with grant-ready NGOs, international development organizations, donor-funded programs, and civil society organizations. Governance assessed against board structures and donor requirements. Grant compliance integrated throughout.

Organization types: international NGOs, EU-funded programs, bilateral development programs, Ukrainian civil society organizations.

Clients include: EEF, PACT, EBRD (Ukraine and Georgia), European Commission / AREVA (Energoatom), GIZ, JDC, STCU, and international development programs.

OUR FOUNDERS

Built by people who deliver

Anna Starynska

Founder · PMP · Principal Management Consultant

PMP certified · 60+ consulting projects implemented

Anna Starynska founded INSTAR in 2008, building it from a two-person consulting practice into Ukraine's leading PM consulting and training firm. Before founding INSTAR, she had already implemented a portfolio of consulting projects across Ukrainian industry - experience that gave INSTAR its foundational credibility from day one. She has implemented 60+ consulting projects in PM system development and optimization across banking, energy, industrial, technology, and non-profit sectors.

SPECIALIZATIONS

Development and optimization of project management systems
Corporate university design and PM competency frameworks
Program and portfolio governance architecture
Risk management in project programs and portfolios
Management of global and international projects
Leadership development, communications, and emotional intelligence

Alina Piddubna

Co-owner · Director PfMP · PgMP · PMI-CPMAI® · PMI-ACP · PMI-PMOCP · PhD in Economics · AWS Certified

All verified credentials on Credly

Alina Piddubna joined INSTAR as co-owner in 2020, during the COVID transformation that shifted the company from on-site training to fully online delivery. Since then she has led INSTAR's evolution from PM training provider to AI-era management consulting and training firm - the second major transformation she has navigated with the company. She holds the PfMP - the rarest and most senior PMI credential, held by fewer than 5,000 professionals globally. One of the first in Ukraine. PMI commendation recipient 2018–2020.

SPECIALIZATIONS

PMO establishment, development, and optimization
AI-era portfolio and program management
Organizational AI transformation and change management
AI governance and AI-enabled management systems
Training and consulting: PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI-ACP, AI management

THE FULL TEAM

Eight certified practitioners. One consistent standard.

Every INSTAR consultant brings active delivery experience alongside their credentials.

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PMI AUTHORIZED TRAINING PARTNER · PREMIER

Ukraine's first PMI Authorized Training Partner. Premier status.

INSTAR has been a PMI training partner since 2002 - originally as Spider Ukraine, then as INSTAR. We are Ukraine's first and longest-standing PMI ATP. Our current designation is PMI ATP Premier - the highest tier of PMI authorization.

PMI Authorized Training Partners are the ONLY providers approved by PMI to deliver official, PMI-developed instructor-led training content and certification prep.

PMI

Authorized Training Partner

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Official PMI-developed content

You learn from the same content PMI develops and assesses. INSTAR adds 500+ additional knowledge-check questions and practical templates built from real delivery experience.

Vetted, credible instructors

All INSTAR instructors completed PMI's Train the Trainer program. PMI has reviewed and verified their qualifications.

Pre-approved PDUs

INSTAR courses are pre-approved for PDUs. PDU claims are automatically expedited. Every PDU verifiable on Credly.

Transparent and verifiable

INSTAR is listed in the PMI ATP directory at pmi.org/atp. Our ATP badge is verifiable on Credly at any time.

Aligned to latest PMI standards including AI

Our curriculum is continuously updated to PMI's current standards, including AI integration in the 2026 ECO.

CLIENTS

100+ organizations. 4000+ specialists. 18 years.

INSTAR has worked with organizations across every major sector of the Ukrainian economy, as well as with international development organizations, European institutions, and diaspora professionals.

BANKING & FINANCE

Raiffeisen Bank AvalOTP BankOschadbankUkrSibbankMarfin BankSense-BankUniversal Bank

ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL

DTEKKyivenergoUkrnaftaUkrtransgazMetinvestCentravisBiosphere

IT & TECHNOLOGY

UbisoftCognianceInfopulseInfocomSmartLogicMaterialiseEleks

PHARMA & RETAIL

FarmakComfyFozzy GroupGoodwineNemiroff

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

EEFPACTEBRD (Ukraine & Georgia)European Commission / AREVA (Energoatom, since 2009)GIZ (EURO-2012)Simbrella (Azerbaijan)JDCSTCU

WORK WITH US

Whether you need a corporate program, an organizational transformation, or PMI certification - let's talk.

The first step is a direct conversation about what you need.

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