What are you most excited about when you work with your team? 

Communication. In my job and in my life I´m a sociable person, I enjoy working with the people in our very interesting and diverse team. Before the pandemic, we spent a lot of time together in our office. Now that we all work online from home, we are missing the face-to-face communication. Of course, we still work intensively together via teams and video conferences. And we opened a chat in WhatsApp, which we use frequently. Honestly, these chats helped us to learn more personal things about each other. What are each of us interested in? Who likes to do what the most? We got to know ´colleagues´ children and even pets! I really hope we will have more opportunities to meet this year. In Person.  

You love travelling around Europe in your car every year! How do you organize your trips from Moscow and what was the longest distance you ever drove?  

Yes, my friends and I love to travel by car. It's much more interesting than flying. You can see a lot more from the window of the car and also stay overnight where the plane is unlikely to land. For example, we once visited the beautiful, ancient Roman, Macedonian capital of Skopje. I don't think I would ever have got there if I had just bought a plane ticket. The car is much more comfortable, you can take more things with you and also bring back many more gifts from your holiday. The longest distance we drove by car was 9,000 kilometers - Italy! My warmest and most pleasant memories are always from Italy. Russia is so big that the distances in Europe don't seem so big to us....  

Which city on your travels impressed you the most and why?  

Budapest is one of my favorites. It is breathtaking, full of contrasts, agile shimmering in the sun. This city has taken my heart by storm! And even now, as I write my answer to the question, I am filled with joy, as if I were back on one of Budapest's waterfront promenades. It's probably because the city reminds me a lot of my hometown in southern Russia, Astrakhan. Astrakhan is also on the river and is as contrasting, noisy and sunny as Budapest. 

With so many exciting things to do, what is your motto in life?  

I would call Mark Twain's saying my motto in life: "Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile."  

Which Evonik site have you always wanted to visit?  

Evonik in Brazil. I've never been that far from home!