“In outsourcing one year means five”

How did you end up at UCMS?

I looked for a job only once – usually employers found me themselves. I vaguely remember the interview at UCMS Group, I was very worried. I talked on Skype with Svetlana Kiselchuk (CEO), told something about international reporting.

Did you come to the position of project manager?

Yes. Initially, I had to deal with IFRS. But the accounting department was developing rapidly, we did not have time to recruit employees, so we had to start projects ourselves. I am extremely happy with this experience, because I learned a lot from it.

And again, I know all clients personally, it helps a lot in my work – you already know the client’s expectations, select a team for them and build interaction.

Then you became the head of the accounting outsourcing department?

Yes, in 2014, in October. October is always my month of changes. Svetlana Makashina (head of the accounting department until 2014) left the company, and at that time I was already her right hand. In general, we had a smart combination: Sveta was solving global problems, I was selling and managing, Lena Novikova (project manager) was implementing and leading. I knew all the processes of the department, so it was obvious to everyone that my candidacy was the most suitable one.

Was it scary?

Sure! The department was four years old, it was at the very peak of its development, there were a lot of strategic and managerial tasks, plus I always had a lot of projects. At that time, I was completely unable to delegate, and this became a huge problem. But we have amazing managers! Natasha Alenicheva (HRD until 2018) and Svetlana Kiselchuk (CEO) taught me how to be effective in time management and delegation.

Are you also a sales director now?

Yes, and I remain the head of the accounting department. The department is my child, I raised it for six years, built the processes, and now it functions independently. My tasks are the following: strategic development, general control, solving of complex problems. All other operational work is already on the teams.

Why sales?

My mom is a goddess sales woman. For myself, I thought that I would never be able to do this, but, apparently, the talent was inherited. When I started working in outsourcing, I realized that I want to work in revenue generating departments. As a project manager, I went to sales meetings, and that was my favorite task. And in 2019, our company needed a new sales director.

I had to spend a lot of time to understand all the nuances of marketing. Colleagues were very helpful. During this year we have built efficient processes, launched a new CRM system, found new suppliers, and made a new website. There is still a lot of work ahead, but now there is a clear understanding of what to do and how to do.

Quiz

What do you like in your job?

That almost every day something new appears. Well, our team, of course! I appreciate the adequacy of colleagues, their responsiveness and professionalism. What we are doing is really great. Our service is not just of high quality, it is personal. Each client is a friend, or at least a partner.

Describe us in one word

Impossible-unreal-very-cool. One word 🙂

What do you wish the team?

Not to lose our individuality, to remain a big family, to give our clients positive emotions, to solve their problems. Constant growth and development. And many thanks to all colleagues for being such beautiful people!

How do you imagine a perfect weekend or vacation?

Fly to another country, take a car there, go to a new city every day, spend nights in unusual hotels, taste local food and drinks, watch beautiful buildings and structures, wander along narrow and wide streets.

Do you have a hobby?

I was presented with a world map on which you can erase the countries you have visited with a coin. I just want to erase it all! In general, my child is my hobby, she takes 90% of my free time.

What do you love the most?

Travel, eat tasty things, watch wonderful movies and read cool books, and be lazy 🙂

What are you afraid of?

All that is not treated.

Is there something that you don’t have enough time for?

I never asked myself this question. I began to think about the answer and realized that, in general, there is enough for everything, that’s oddly enough. At work, there is often not enough time for everything, but apart from that, life seems to be ok 🙂

Whatis your favorite city?

Barcelona.

Do you have any flaws?

Bad memory, and I’m also not a very sociable person.

I, for example, do not know how to do it in another way. I do not know how to abstract from clients. Each client is a friend, or at least a partner. Almost all of our employees have the same understanding of the world as I have. Therefore, everything is simple, clear and elegant.

Tell us about your advantages?

Adequacy, sense of humor, healthy indifference, a sufficient amount of patience with people.

МИНУТКА НОСТАЛЬГИИ

The most vivid impression from your childhood?

I really believed in Santa Claus (and now I do). And I still remember how gifts suddenly appeared under the tree, although I closely followed everything.

When and how did the first money appear?

The main income came from selling chewing gum to classmates, which I bought in bulk from grannies in the market. And in our free time from “work”, my friends and I arranged concerts for neighbors, to whom we sold tickets for a small fee. We gathered our vocal and instrumental ensemble and performed: we made posters, prepared entertainment program, costumes, decorations, baked a cake for guests.

What did you want to become as a child?

It seems to be called an archivist. I had a large binder box. I imagined myself as an investigator in the prosecutor’s office and prepared cases for suspects.

At the worst, I also imagined myself as a salesman in a store. In early childhood, I had few ambitions, but I had a mother, and at the company she worked for I could sit at the counter and sell bakery products, click the abacus and count the income per day.