Ukraine / Slovakia – 2022 was a disruptive year for industry, and few people know this better than Ukrainian national Vakhtang Dzhukashvili. As CEO of a company headquartered in Prague but with strong economic ties to Kyiv, Vakhtang understands first-hand the effects – personal, political, and economic – of the Russian-led invasion of Ukraine. His company has had to adapt more quickly and more profoundly than most others in response to the shockwaves of Russia’s invasion. Curiously, however, he does not hanker after the status quo that reigned over the global economy in the years leading up to the Ukraine war and to COVID-19. “I’m old school,” he told Truck & Bus Builder; he is happy to see manufacturing supply chains being brought closer to home, and he expects this will change the state of global industry permanently. 

Vakhtang is CEO and co-founder of a truck and van modification business called Pulsar Expo sro, established in Ukraine but now based in the Czech Republic. He runs the company alongside fellow co-founder and wife Yuliya Khomych, who is now Director of Strategy. Vakhtang’s background was in automotive sales, which gave him expert knowledge of commercial vehicles (particularly Ford’s Transit vans). The creation of the Torsus brand, however, in 2016 was motivated by a desire to push the modification of vans and trucks into offroad applications. As the idea developed, Torsus switched its focus to vehicles modified for the purpose of transporting people in “harsh” and “hardly accessible” terrains – providing transportation which is safe and robust but also comfortable.