Denis Gutenko Headshot

Denis Gutenko

  • CDDRL Visiting UELP Scholar, 2021-22

Biography

Denis Gutenko joins CDDRL after most recently serving as the head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine. Holding this position from 2019-20 he was responsible for dismantling the large-scale State Fiscal Service into three accountable units: Tax Administration, Customs and Tax police.

Before joining the State Fiscal Service, Gutenko had worked in the Ministry of Economy since 2015. Gutenko promoted deregulation and improvement of business climate agenda. He initiated and successfully lobbied Parliament to adopt laws on the liberalization of international trade and currency, the transparency of scrap metal exports, and the reform of a corrupt ecological tax policy. Gutenko also led the removal of administrative barriers and outdated currency restrictions, resulting in the increased flow of services and payments for Ukrainian freelancers and small and medium enterprises. 

Prior to this Gutenko began his career in the private sector as a banker, auditor and agribusiness manager, experiences that sparked his interest in improving the Ukrainian state bureaucracy and fighting widespread corruption.

Gutenko’s focus while at CDDRL will be on good governance and public administration reform, both of which remain significant opportunities and challenges for Ukraine. He looks forward to being an active member of CDDRL's Leadership Network for Change and to continuing to challenge himself while at Stanford.

In The News

Left to right: Denis Gutenko, Nariman Ustaiev, Yulia Bezvershenko -- fellows of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program -- and Francis Fukuyama, senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
News

Stanford welcomes Ukrainian emerging leaders after COVID-19 disruption

After a hiatus due to the pandemic, fellows of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program are now on campus, ready to begin their ten months attending classes and working on projects tackling issues relevant in Ukraine.
cover link Stanford welcomes Ukrainian emerging leaders after COVID-19 disruption
Photo of Nariman Ustaiev, Yulia Bezvershenko, and Denis Gutenko
News

Welcoming the Fourth Cohort of Ukrainian Emerging Leaders to Stanford

After the program was postponed in 2020, the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of law is pleased to have Yulia Bezvershenko, Denis Gutenko, and Nariman Ustaiev join us on campus this year.
cover link Welcoming the Fourth Cohort of Ukrainian Emerging Leaders to Stanford