Knowledge is a great motivation for further development

Sergey Kornilov, a former MIB student and the current PR-director at ABBYY LS, shares his impressions about the studies.

Sergey Kornilov

Current job : PR Director at ABBYY LS

Prior education: Specialist degree in Public Relations, Kazan National Research Technical University (Kazan, Russia)

Professional areas of interest: PR, IT industry, electronic devices

Languages proficient in: Russian, English

Hobbies: Reading books on Kindle, travelling to music festivals

Recent journey: Wagner opera festival in Saint Petersburg

 

Sergey, in 2008 you graduated from Kazan National Research Technical University with a specialist degree in Public Relations and afterwards moved to Moscow where in few years you became a PR expert specializing in IT industry. Notwithstanding such successful career start, in 2012 you applied for the Master of International Business program at the Higher School of Economics. Why was this degree necessary for you? 

 In February 2012 I was hired as the head of PR department at Naumen, a Russian software development company. Among my top responsibilities was developing PR strategy for the company’s product launch in the APAC region (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand). That included producing numerous publications in major publishing houses, organizing press conferences, media lunches and rounds for journalists and bloggers and managing relationships with key industry players. For Naumen that was first global launch of their software and the success of it greatly depended on the effective PR campaign. Back then I realized how essential were international business skills in my daily job: our PR strategy was part of a bigger business strategy and so I wanted to understand all the stages of product launch worldwide. This was the time I started looking for an international business program.

Sergey, how did you find the structure of HSE MIB program? How much value addition it has created for you?

Above all I enjoyed research opportunities immensely: Higher School of Economics offers a fantastic platform for conducting research, while MIB program runs research seminars where students learn how to organize and develop an effective research process. Working on my thesis was a real challenge, but I’m glad I was provided with all the needed tools and support that led me to a successful graduation project. At the defense of my thesis, I was even offered to continue postgraduate studies at HSE!

 

Sergey, speaking about challenges, can you think of some most surprising or challenging moments during your time at HSE MIB when you learned the most?  

Without any doubt you learn every day from your classmates, professors and guest speakers. Networking opportunities offered at HSE MIB are numerous and contribute immensely to our career development. One specific moment that has taught me how to follow deadlines took place during first year of master’s program. Together with my classmates we were conducting real consulting projects for various companies and hence were divided into project teams.  When I had to deliver my piece of work, I was on a working trip in Hong Kong and had to look for some place with Internet connection at 3 a.m. so that we could submit our project on time. That was really challenging and at the same time rewarding experience.

 

Sergey, today you are the PR Director at ABBYY LS. Can you shed light on specific project(s) you are currently working on? How do you apply your recently obtained MIB degree?

ABBYY LS has created very unique software for translating anything from journal articles and specific documentation to whole websites. This software allows to perform necessary language localization services rapidly, when business decide to go global. Currently, we are introducing this software in the international markets and as a PR Director I am responsible for creating effective brand awareness of our product. Skills obtained at MIB allowed me to understand all the stages of the global product launch. Later it helped me in creating successful PR strategies which contributed to our business strategy.

 

Sergey, as a proud alumni of MIB program what would you say to its prospective students?

Two years of studies at HSE MIB is a very exciting time. Knowledge is a great motivation for further development and the moment you stop learning something new, you start procrastinating. Enjoy your time while studying for the Master of International Business program!