The aim of the work is to substantiate methodological approaches and develop scientific and methodological recommendations to increase the ability of the higher education system of Ukraine to demonstrate proactivity and intellectual leadership in strategizing and implementing transformation processes in Ukraine in line with the priorities of sustainable development. The initial hypothesis for forming recommendations on the priorities of sustainable development of Ukraine was the statement that in the modern world, social progress and environmental sustainability depend on the quality of education, which ensures the country’s ability to form significant value propositions in the international exchange of goods and services. Such propositions include high-tech products that meet the requirements of environmental neutrality and resource efficiency. To confirm the hypothesis, a linear regression and variance analysis of the interdependence of the quality of higher education with the ability of countries to export high-tech products was carried out and Ukraine’s rating was positioned in the evaluated set. The insufficient level of use of the potential of new knowledge in Ukraine for implementing technological transition in accordance with the requirements of the concept of sustainable development was indicated. We put forward the idea of transformational leadership of higher education in ensuring the implementation of such a transition. We substantiated the essence, tasks and main directions of proactivity and leadership of higher education institutions in the processes of transformation of socio-economic systems and emphasized the priority of strategic marketing in the formation and positioning of the value of new educational products.