Today we are going to tell you about an amazing young woman with impressive achievements in business, an Executive MBA student, Yulia Akatova.

In 2018, Yulia worked at Virgin Connect and her sales team was ranked number one for the year. As a manager, she earned Virgin Star status and the opportunity to go to an international gathering of Virgin's different business lines in England at the Branson family estate. "We came to the estate, which is in the suburbs of Oxford. Huge enclosed grounds, security guards in black suits with radios, barriers, feeling like you were in a movie and about to become part of it... oooh, very exciting! This is the estate where his children live. Richard Branson himself lives on his private island Necker in Hawaii.

By the way, I recommend everyone to read R. Branson's autobiographical books "Losing My Virginity" and "Screw It, Let's Do It". They really motivate me!"

Yulia is now involved with Sberbank's Ecosystem, and since ecosystems are a dominant factor in the development of economies in many countries around the world, we thought it would be useful for EMAS students to learn more and asked Yulia to tell us about it in more detail: "A month ago I became part of this ecosystem, we create and sell digital solutions for business automation. A client can buy any product from the ecosystem when they come to the bank, and the bank employees are happy to give advice and recommend the right service." 

Yulia also shared with us what motivates her and helps her move forward: "I am inspired by stories, movies, books about successful people. I try to surround myself with educated, diverse people who are smarter than me, which also helps me to raise my level. I am constantly learning new things, taking various master classes and training courses. Getting into EMAS school is one of my important achievements, and I hope to be able to toss my graduation cap in the air soon!" So many different ideas take note, friends!

And the main advice from Yulia: "Believe in yourself and always retain your humanity in any situation. That's what my grandmother taught me, and this a valuable, timeless piece of advice. If you want to do something but are afraid to do it, try it, move forward. I strongly recommend watching the movie "Second Act" (2018). And, as Richard Branson said, "screw it, let's do it!" Be bold and love life!"

We wish Yulia success and hope that you are inspired by her story and ready to go forward towards new goals and achievements, because you are studying at EMAS, and WE MAKE THE STRONG SUCCESSFUL!