A passion in being part of the bigger picture
Darya Yurkina, our Regional Marketing Manager for Middle East & Africa, works across a multitude of countries and is passionate about playing her part in a global company with a rewarding purpose.
Having graduated in her home country of Russia with an exchange year in the US, a job in hospitality came calling that took her to Dubai – the place she stayed for nine years and where her Electrolux Professional career took off.
What are your biggest learnings about moving to another country for work?
It’s challenging to get out of your comfort zone and embark on the journey. When I moved from Russia to Dubai I was fresh out of university and looking back I am proud of what I did. I was young, I left friends and family behind and the first couple of years were tough because the culture is very different. But it was great learning curve that you shouldn’t make assumptions based on what you are used to.
What brought you to Professional?
I started in hospitality working for one of the biggest hotel groups. I joined Professional in 2014 at the start of their partnership with ICCA in Dubai – the biggest culinary institute in the Middle East. And then in 2016 moved to Pordenone in Italy in the role of Marketing Manager. My initial experience in hospitality has been invaluable in helping me to understand the Professional business a lot better and how we can solve the daily painpoints of our customers today.
What do you value about life at Electrolux?
Personally, I am passionate about what I do and feel I can contribute a small part to a bigger picture, since we as a company actually walk our talk. In Africa, there are many countries where people are still suffering from hunger and food is a global issue in terms of sustainability.
We not only claim to be sustainable and provide better solutions for our customers but, for example, we try to educate and develop concepts to counteract food waste. We are a commercial organization but we live our purpose to shape living for the better for others.
What factors are important to your learning and development?
It’s extremely important who I am surrounded by – people who inspire and challenge you are the biggest motivation to do better.
Learning is important but we also need to apply what we learn. All too often we can get caught up in the everyday routine and sometimes we need to stop and reflect and think outside the box. With training, it’s about bringing what we have learned back into our daily job. I like to think I make an effort to bring small changes into my everyday routine. That works for me.
Do you have a role model that inspires you?
I admire those that have a talent, make a living from it and then give back. So I would say Bono for musical talent, his philanthropy and how much he does for Africa through the initiatives he creatives in his charity work.
Check out our global career site, if you aspire to pursue a career similar to Darya’s.