The Lviv IT Cluster is changing leadership for the second time in 2026. Mykhailo Lemak, who took over the organization only in July, is stepping down due to deteriorating health. On November 16, former head of the Ukrainian Startup Fund Pavlo Kartashov will become the new CEO.

Why Mykhailo Lemak is stepping down

Lemak took over the Cluster on July 8, 2026, replacing Stepan Veselovskyi in the role.

Before that, Lemak served in the military and took part in combat during the full-scale invasion.

According to Mykhailo, the organization is currently undergoing a transformation that requires the leader’s full commitment. Due to his health, he cannot maintain the necessary pace of work.

“This decision was not easy for me. The organization is currently going through an important stage of transformation, and to implement everything planned, it needs a person who can focus entirely on work,” he explained.

During Lemak’s tenure, the Cluster held a strategy session, analyzed internal processes, and organized the IT Arena 2026 conference.

Work is also ongoing on the IT Research Ukraine study, the results of which are planned to be presented in December.

Sviatoslav Kavetskyi, Chair of the Supervisory Board, noted that Lemak had given advance notice of his decision, so the organization had time to prepare for the leadership change.

“A change of leader does not mean a halt or a revision of all the plans developed. On the contrary, we have a good foundation to move forward consistently,” Kavetskyi emphasized.

What is known about the new CEO, Pavlo Kartashov

Pavlo Kartashov has more than 20 years of experience in public administration, technology development, and attracting investment.

From 2018 to 2024, he headed the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF). Under his leadership, the fund helped create the defense-tech cluster Brave1, implement the European program Seeds of Bravery, and organize the participation of Ukrainian startups in international technology conferences.

Later, Kartashov served as an adviser on economic affairs, technology, and innovation at the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States, and as Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.

Most recently, he was co-head of the Ukrainian Climate Office, where he worked on climate policy, industrial decarbonization, and attracting financing for Ukraine’s recovery.

According to Kavetskyi, Kartashov’s candidacy had already been considered during the previous CEO selection process.