Derby PR & communications agency Nielsen McAllister has appointed a new specialist, Alona Vvedenska, who has arrived in the UK after fleeing her home in war-torn Ukraine.
Alona Vvedenska joins the agency as account & content support executive following a traumatic start to the year. With her 13-year-old son, Alona fled Kyiv on an evacuation train in March, arriving in the UK as part of the Homes for Ukrainians scheme.
As a journalist, author of articles, and editor of national Ukrainian periodicals, Alona wanted to get back to work and use her expertise.
Alona’s sponsor, Derby businessman Nino Simone, contacted Nielsen McAllister, which was looking for a content specialist to support its rapid growth.
“We were already recruiting and struggling to find someone with the right set of skills to support new and existing clients. After meeting Alona, it was obvious she would be an asset to the team – and, of course, it feels amazing to be able to help someone in Alona’s circumstances,” said Simon Wildash, director of Nielsen McAllister.
Alona has more than 16 years of background working in PR, supporting international clients such as Rockwool and Siemens with market launches and press engagement. As journalist and editor, she has conducted interviews with celebrities and politicians, and has been responsible for developing magazines from front cover to back.
Alona is now actively using her literary skills and PR experience to further strengthen Nielsen McAllister’s content creation offering for existing and new clients. At the same time, the Green Lane office has provided Alona with a welcoming and friendly environment, with the team bonding over everything from movies to food. Alona has already treated her new colleagues to borscht with papmushki.
Speaking of her difficult year, Alona said: “The experience of war is something that is incredibly difficult to put into words. Everything that seems impossible or unbearable to us in peacetime becomes part of everyday life. It’s a state where you can’t feel normal, but the pain is just hellish.
“I am therefore heartily grateful to the UK and my new colleagues for the opportunity to live and work here. I am very happy to be a part of the Nielsen McAllister team and it’s helping me to achieve a degree of stability during such turbulent times.”
