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98 02/2013 COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR QUESTIONS TO... The personal side of communication directors VANYA BABANIN How do you explain your job to your friends? I always say I communicate. Professionally. And since they always laugh, I then talk about the reputation management, media relations, marketing communications and employee branding. And my kids think I organise par- ties every day. If heads of corporate communications didn’t exist, what would your profession be? A negotiator seems to be right. Or maybe a business development consultant. Who is your favourite character in history? Two of my favourite characters in history are Buddha and Sun Tzu: controversial characters but both very successful in their teachings. What is utter happiness for you? Being content with myself Who are your present-day heroes/heroines? e ‘normal’ people in our life: everyone who finds their place, does their job and don’t pre- tend to be the biggest influencer or decision maker in history What has been the most emotional moment in your career to date? Emotions seem to have been stronger years ago: I can still recollect the trem- bling in my knees when I won at the na- tional debate contest in Bulgaria. Now I find emotions every day (or they find me), but in smaller doses. A huge expe- rience has always been the yearly target agreement negotiation with Daimler. What is your greatest weakness? e drive to move things I work on faster often costs me a lot of sleep time. Which talent would you like to possess? e management of physical limits. What do you dislike most? Irresponsible behaviour. What book do you have on your bedside- table? Today, it’s the German edition of Pippi Longstocking! Would you ever have liked to belong to another nation? If yes, which…? It would have been interesting to get back in time and wake up as a Scandinavian warrior or an eastern princess. Photo: Private Head of Editorial Team: Dafydd Phillips Editor: Grit Fiedler EACD: Vanessa Eggert, Nina Roßmann Graphical Concept: Steffi Butter, Franziska Söhner Layout: Sarah Schlingmeyer Illustrations: Ivan Mata Tamayo Photo Editor: Stephan Baumann Advertising: Norman Wittig ([email protected]) Web design: Dennis Otto ([email protected]) Publishers: Rudolf Hetzel, Marc-Oliver Voigt Contact: Square de Meeûs 37 B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel +32 (0)2 219 22 90 Fax +32 (0)2 219 22 92 [email protected] www.communication-director.eu Helios Media Square de Meeûs 37, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Price: 120 euro yearly: 4 editions of the magazine, access to the website, regular newsletter. For members of the EACD, a yearly subscription to the magazine is included in the membership fee. Print: PieReg Druckcenter Berlin GmbH Benzstraße 12, 12277 Berlin Imprint Vanya Babanin Head, PR and Corporate Communications, Balkan Star Automotive Bulgarian-born Vanya Ba- banin joined Balkan Star Automotive in 2005 as a marketing professional specialising in commercial vehicles. She became the company’s head of public relations and corporate communications in 2007, a position she maintains today. Before joining Balkan Star, Vanya worked in sev- eral public relations-related jobs, including as a special- ist for TePro Metal and as a managing partner for PRe- vent consultancy. She also worked for two years as a stringer and producer for German television broad- caster ZDF. Head of PR and Corporate Communications, Balkan Star Automotive

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98

02/2013 COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR

QUESTIONS TO...The personal side of communication directors

VANYA BABANIN

How do you explain your job to your friends? I always say I communicate. Professionally. And since they always laugh, I then talk about the reputation management, media relations, marketing communications and employee branding. And my kids think I organise par-ties every day.

If heads of corporate communications didn’t exist, what would your profession be? A negotiator seems to be right. Or maybe a business development consultant.

Who is your favourite character in history? Two of my favourite characters in history are Buddha and Sun Tzu: controversial characters but both very successful in their teachings.

What is utter happiness for you? Being content with myself

Who are your present-day heroes/heroines? The ‘normal’ people in our life: everyone who finds their place, does their job and don’t pre-tend to be the biggest influencer or decision maker in history

What has been the most emotional moment in your career to date?

Emotions seem to have been stronger years ago: I can still recollect the trem-bling in my knees when I won at the na-tional debate contest in Bulgaria. Now I find emotions every day (or they find me), but in smaller doses. A huge expe-rience has always been the yearly target agreement negotiation with Daimler.

What is your greatest weakness? The drive to move things I work on faster often costs me a lot of sleep time.

Which talent would you like to possess? The management of physical limits.

What do you dislike most? Irresponsible behaviour.

What book do you have on your bedside-table? Today, it’s the German edition of Pippi Longstocking!

Would you ever have liked to belong to another nation? If yes, which…? It would have been interesting to get back in time and wake up as a Scandinavian warrior or an eastern princess.

Phot

o: P

rivat

e

Head of Editorial Team: Dafydd Phillips

Editor: Grit Fiedler

EACD: Vanessa Eggert, Nina Roßmann

Graphical Concept:

Steffi Butter, Franziska Söhner

Layout: Sarah Schlingmeyer

Illustrations: Ivan Mata Tamayo

Photo Editor: Stephan Baumann

Advertising: Norman Wittig

([email protected])

Web design: Dennis Otto

([email protected])

Publishers: Rudolf Hetzel, Marc-Oliver Voigt

Contact: Square de Meeûs 37

B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

Tel +32 (0)2 219 22 90

Fax +32 (0)2 219 22 92

[email protected]

www.communication-director.eu

Helios Media

Square de Meeûs 37, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

Price: 120 euro yearly: 4 editions of the

magazine, access to the website, regular

newsletter. For members of the EACD,

a yearly subscription to the magazine is

included in the membership fee.

Print: PieReg Druckcenter Berlin GmbH

Benzstraße 12, 12277 Berlin

Imprint

Vanya Babanin

Head, PR and Corporate Communications, Balkan Star Automotive

Bulgarian-born Vanya Ba-banin joined Balkan Star Automotive in 2005 as a marketing professional specialising in commercial vehicles. She became the company’s head of public relations and corporate communications in 2007, a position she maintains today. Before joining Balkan Star, Vanya worked in sev-eral public relations-related jobs, including as a special-ist for TePro Metal and as a managing partner for PRe-vent consultancy. She also worked for two years as a stringer and producer for German television broad-caster ZDF.

Head of PR and Corporate Communications, Balkan Star Automotive