Former Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman has officially stepped down as Vice Chairman and independent member of Ukrainian utility Energoatom’s Supervisory Board. Energoatom said in a statement: “The decision to step down early is related to Patrick Fragman’s new professional commitments, specifically a full-time job offer.
At the same time, the current stage of Energoatom’s work requires a significant level of commitment from Supervisory Board members and their regular participation in the work of the company’s corporate governance bodies.” Supervisory boards oversee the executive management of state-owned companies, which dominate Ukraine’s energy, banking, and infrastructure sectors.
In a written statement to the Kyiv Independent, Fragman clarified that his departure was due to a higher-than-expected workload on the board that conflicted with a new full-time job offer and other professional commitments.
Fragman was approved as an independent board member on 31 December 2025 and assumed the role of Vice Chairman during the board’s inaugural meeting on 26 February. His exit comes less than five months after his initial selection.
The seven-member Energoatom Supervisory Board, comprising four independent experts and three state representatives, was established as part of a major anti-corruption and corporate governance overhaul. The energy enterprise fell under intense international scrutiny following the exposure of a major corruption ring by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
During his time on the Supervisory Board, Fragman was involved in analysing the company’s financial situation, evaluating the investment programme, and developing approaches for Energoatom’s further development.
Energoatom has already initiated a streamlined selection process to fast-track an independent replacement from its existing pool of pre-vetted candidates to maintain regulatory continuity. The other three independent members of the Board are: Rumina Velshi (Chair) – a Canadian nuclear safety expert and former CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission; Laura Garbenciute-Bakiene – a Lithuanian finance, audit, and risk management specialist with experience at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant; and Brice Bohuon (Bujon) – a French attorney specialising in energy regulation who held senior positions at EDF International.
State representatives are: Vitalii Kindrativ – Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment & Agriculture; Serhii Sukhomlyn – Head of the State Agency for Restoration & Infrastructure Development; and Maksym Malashkin – State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy.
Fragman’s sudden departure has sparked speculation on social media, particularly after Energoatom was at the centre of a $100m corruption scheme last November involving key allies of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a Ukrainian opposition lawmaker from the Holos party, said on his Telegram channel that Fragman, along with Brice Bohuon had both submitted their resignations due to unpaid salaries. Zhelezniak also said that if the two did in fact step down, that “Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev and everyone responsible for corporate governance should be dismissed immediately”. The Kyiv Independent was not able to verify whether Brice Bohuon had stepped down as well.
Fragman denied the cause of his resignation was unpaid salaries. “It was planned from the start that salaries would be paid quarterly. There are indeed some small glitches, but we expect them to be resolved quickly,” he said, without elaborating on what those glitches were.
Long associated with corruption and poor management, Energoatom’s new Supervisory Board has been trying to turn the company around. The board said it suspended an employee earlier in May after receiving information from law enforcement relating to potential criminal violations. As part of the Energoatom’s reforms, the board is currently tasked with finding a new CEO and management team.
