Higher Ground: EPAM Project Manager Marharyta Diachenko Climbs Mount Everest

Higher Ground: EPAM Project Manager Marharyta Diachenko Climbs Mount Everest

In May, a group of six climbers became the first Ukrainian team to reach the summit of Mount Everest, marking the largest group ascent of the peak in the history of Ukrainian mountaineering. In July, the expedition was officially certified by the Nepalese Department of Tourism, and Ukrainian news stations ran the story in celebration. Among those in the record-setting expedition: EPAM Project Manager Marharyta Diachenko.  

“It didn’t feel real,” says Marharyta of standing at the summit of the mountain. She describes standing in the massive, triangular shadow of Everest just before sunrise: “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

An expedition of this level requires steady focus, clear decision-making and the ability to guide a team through uncertainty. Marharyta demonstrates the same qualities in leadership — providing the direction and momentum needed to reach the goal.

Finding Direction 

“Engineering felt like a good, practical profession,” Marharyta explains, since technology has always been part of her life. After growing up in a household of engineers, she pursued subjects like science, math and technology at school, eventually attending the National Technical University of Ukraine.  As she began working as a testing engineer, Marharyta realized her natural love and talent for improving processes and enhancing the functionality of environments and systems.  

 “It’s about the challenge of making things work the way they should,” she says about her passion for testing. This passion led Marharyta through her early career, to EPAM — where she has been part of the technical project lifecycle for almost 12 years.  

“My early projects with EPAM introduced me to some of the strongest professionals I have ever met,” she reflects. “They let me know when I was doing well, and especially when I wasn’t.” Marharyta emphasizes the importance of being able to accept and digest feedback and move forward with new information by putting one foot in front of the other.

Strategic Mindfulness 

Despite not seeing herself as a sportsperson, Marharyta pursued a long list of activities before she began mountaineering — including horseback riding, motorcycling, free diving, skiing and hiking. And though each activity has involved physical pursuit, her participation was never rooted in ambition. “Sometimes it’s enough just to explore and go where you feel like going, without checkpoints or medals,” she notes. “Perhaps the most valuable thing I’ve learned is that not everything has to be a goal.”  

After her first big mountaineering experience in Iceland, Marharyta returned home to find that her perspective had shifted. “My body was tired, but my mind was sharper than ever. I wanted to know how far I could go,” she says. She soon discovered that the higher the climb, the more curious she became. “I always wanted to see what was beyond the next ridge.”  

For serious expeditions, Marharyta says preparation is everything. “I usually start preparing six months or more beforehand,” she explains. “On a mountainside, you don’t rise to the occasion; you fall to the level of your training and preparation.”  

When she was invited to climb Everest, just two months ahead of the expedition, she said yes without hesitation. “After climbing Denali, I knew I had done the preparation,” she says. “But Everest is not just a mountain — it’s a statement.”  

Marharyta’s statement was record-setting. “I became the first woman from Kharkiv to summit both Lhotse and Everest,” she says. But her achievement was not just personal. “It was huge for Ukraine, too,” Marharyta emphasizes. “In the past, only one or two people from Ukraine have made the summit in one day, but all six of us made it together.”

Insight Through Effort 

Balancing technical skills and high-altitude adventure is difficult, but Marharyta has learned valuable lessons from each that have helped her build strong personal foundations. Learning how to “suffer smart,” she says, is imperative to meaningful growth in any area.  

Her colleagues at EPAM have made an incredible difference in her growth. “Many people have acted as mentors and examples for me,” she shares. “It’s very important to have people who will help and guide you, especially as a young professional. I’m so grateful for that part of my career.”   

Under that guidance, Marharyta grew from test engineering into delivery roles and eventually began technical project management. This is where she has learned the most about leadership. “It’s important that my team feels steady,” she says. “I love for new team members to feel stable — not lost in chaos.” 

For Marharyta, leadership is a lot like mountaineering; in either area, there is no room for ego. “You have to trust your team and trust the process, even when it leads to unexpected places — especially then,” advises Marharyta. “I know my team trusts me and I’m helping them find better balance, and that’s what inspires me to keep growing in this field.”  

Interested in joining the bright, adventurous minds at EPAM? Check out our open roles: https://www.epam.com/careers.