New Appointment in the Corporate Business of the Holding

Starting on the 1st of October the new Marketing and External Communications Director of Corporate Business in Vipservice is Mila Sidorina, who has previously worked at the same position at CWT Russia, a company which is a part of the holding. Mrs Sidorina will be responsible for the unified promotion strategy for all brands that constitute the Vipservice corporate unit portfolio. We asked her to tell us more about the goals and tasks she now faces and share her short-term plans.

— Mila, you have an almost 10-year work experience as a Marketing Director at CWT. Is this new appointment a new challenge for you?

— Yes, I'm very excited about the new tasks that are ahead. I would like to use my expertise, reputation and experience to propel the corporate business of the holding to a new professional level. My goal for the next year is to help the team at VIP Corporate Travel and CWT Russia to make a name for themselves, to shape the right perception of the corporate business of the holding and Vipservice brand as a whole.

— What changes will the marketing department at VIP Corporate Travel and CWT Russia encounter?

— Previously, both companies, despite being part of the same holding structure, went their own way. Now we will join our efforts and create the right positioning for the overall Vipservice corporate brand. We've already planned a few activities with the clients: meetings and round tables. The next step is to develop the overall marketing plan for 2019 for both business units. It's important we use the effective communication tools and channels, create interesting formats and work together as a team so that we monetise our activity.

In general, the work at the department of marketing and external communications will be aimed at improving the Vipservice corporate business awareness, development and upgrade of the companies that are part of the holding corporate business to new leading positions in the Russian market.

— What will your first steps be?

— I've already drafted a few specific tasks and now I just need to implement them. One of them is Vipservice Corporate Business Open Day, which we've planned for the 31st of October at the premises of VIP Corporate Travel. The invited clients and suppliers will get a chance to assess the so-called restart of the corporate business: in work processes, human resources and quality of service.

Moreover, this year Vipservice will be sponsoring BBT Awards 2018 in the nominated category of the Best Innovative Product for Business Travel. We are going to put a lot of effort to make our participation memorable. I believe that in 2019 we will be able to participate in BBT Awards as a nominee, not a sponsor. And we will present our work to the market. We have reasons to expect a strong result.

— Those goals are impressive! How do you feel now, right before the start? Are you anxious? Are you excited?

— I am excited but I am also very focused, I want to create and reach the goals we set. More than a year ago when CWT Russia just became the part of Vipservice holding, some experts showed concern in the effectiveness of that combination. They said it was impossible to unite something that cannot be united: two different cultures, two different business units. My team and I took it as a challenge of some sort. Well, the holding already possesses a wide and successful experience in consolidation of different clients in sub-agent business, and we will use that knowledge when implementing our plan. We will prove that the consolidation of TMCs on the Russian market is not only possible but also very feasible, and if it's accurately managed, it will be a win-win for the industry and the clients. Our business units are ready to share the best practices and experience to move forward and to win.