New Zealand-founded digital agency Overdose is providing financial and physical support to about 200 employees in Ukraine and surrounding countries.
Group chief operating officer Paul Pritchard told BusinessDesk the company has about 120 workers in Ukraine, with others in Belarus, Russia, and more.
“Our priority first and foremost is ensuring we know where our people are … that they’re safe, and that they have options available to them.
“These are immensely proud people who are not only integral for us and our business but also the country has survived for a long time under the threat of lots of different aggressors, they will defend it with their lives.”
Following the invasion of the country by Russian forces last week, Pritchard and the wider Overdose team were providing financial and physical support such as the provision of housing to their affected colleagues and families.
Pritchard praised the unity displayed within Overdose’s business and said they are in constant contact with all 200 employees in the area to ensure they know their whereabouts and can monitor their safety.
“It’s something for us that we never imagined we would ever have to deal with but it’s reality now and we’re working with people on the ground there, by the hour, to make sure they’re safe and they’re supported,” Pritchard said.
An image shared on LinkedIn by Overdose's founder Todd Welling taken in Kyiv the day before the Russian invasion. (Image: Overdose/LinkedIn)
Last week, Overdose’s Ukrainian managing director had said they didn’t believe a Russian invasion would happen, and still don’t believe it even though it now has.
All affected
Founded in 2016 by Todd Welling and headquartered in Auckland, Overdose has grown to 450 staff globally with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Singapore, New York, Seattle, Berlin, Vienna, Dublin, and Kyiv. It is a digital commerce agency and works across business, consumer, fashion, outdoor, and retail. It counts Wilson, Tupperware, Signet, and NZ Muscle as clients.
The company has not gone down the traditional funding route of a startup, instead opting to bootstrap.
“The most emotionally and professionally challenging few days we’ve ever encountered for the global Overdose leadership team,” Welling said in a LinkedIn post on Saturday.
Pritchard said it has enough cashflow to support its affected colleagues in Ukraine.
Overdose's group chief operating officer Paul Pritchard. (Image: supplied)“Our business is 100% behind our people there but it is not at risk because of this situation. We're in a very fortunate position where we are well funded, well cashed up, and well supported globally with all of our people.”
Children of employees wanted to donate pocket money and senior staff were forgoing bonuses and pay rises to ensure Overdose can continue to provide financial aid to affected workers.
Pritchard said clients had been “supportive beyond belief”, and the company’s German team had been lobbying its government to provide support.
Many of the Overdose team in Ukraine and the surrounding territories work running development services but prior planning for the unbelievable eventuality of an invasion has meant the business has not been disrupted.
“We’ve got two priorities. The first one is to make sure our people are safe, and the second one is to ensure the continuity of our business.”
There are many ways to donate to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, including directly to Unicef.
