Today we will introduce you a very special person, a young woman with a contagious smile that has been living amazing experiences, meeting fantastic people and traveling in places where most of us only dream about.
Her name is Antonia Nikolova and she is currently working for DHL as Regional Talent and Development Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
We met her, in the coquettish city of Bonn, Germany, which has been her home away from home for the past year.In front of a cup of tea in the most wonderful setting, with pine trees gracefully covered in the first snow, we tried to take her back where it all started.
"I guess it all started because I wanted more than life could have offered me if I would have never left my home town in Bulgaria", she began her story. I was part of AIESEC and dreaming about studying abroad, but my parents couldn't afford to pay for that, therefore I applied for several scholarships and got accepted in a couple of universities here, in Germany". In the same time period she received an award from her university in Bulgaria for Best Student and an official meeting with the Minister of Finance from Bulgaria radically shifted her views to the point that she decided to remain in the country and bear a hand to building a better future for youngsters like her. "I declined the scholarships and got fully involved in the AIESEC activities".
"What made you stop believing and influenced you towards leaving the country?", we were curious to know. "The political involvement" she sighed and we moved further on with the discussion. She started a Traineeship in the International Relations Department within DHL at their offices in Bonn, Germany only to move to their Corporate Executive Department which was more into the direction of HR, her recently acquired point of interest. "I met really inspiring people during a Leadership Program. Being among people with international careers in Leadership had such a powerful impact on me, that I instantly decided the course of my career path". "Ok, that was the moment when you decided what you wanted to do, but how did you actually end up doing the thing you like?" we asked. "After finishing my Traineeship I had to move back to Bulgaria because there was no position available for me in the company". There was also a difficult period because Bulgarian nationals needed visas in order to work in Germany.
She kept applying for jobs abroad and obtained one in the UK but along came the disappointment because there were a series of problems with the paperwork and she couldn't carry forward. Almost immediately, she received an offer from the DHL headquarters in Brussels and met the head of the HR Department. "At that time, this lady was in her 50s, and as she further on told me, she saw herself in me at that age. She told me, ok, you don't have experience, but I want to give you a chance". She became Antonia's mentor and possibly that one person that positively determined the course of her career. She successfully delivered large HR projects despite her being Junior and proved that she did not take her chance for granted.
After four years of living and working in Brussels as a HR Consultant on Leadership Topics and struggling with the weather she decided that a change was much needed and found herself more and more attracted to the Asian culture, lifestyle and traditions. Singapore had been of particular interest for Antonia, even without her knowing much about this eclectic country or about the reasons that made it so appealing to her. She started applying and received a series of rather peculiar rejections. "For one particular job I was rejected because I was a woman and I was too young to be on a Senior position. That was the last time I included my age in my CV".
She finally obtained a position of HR Specialist in Leadership for Asia and Pacific in Singapore and packed her bags to move there. "Was it a cultural shock? How did you feel when stepping out of the plane with your suitcases knowing that this will be your home? It's not a vacation, you cannot pack your bags and go home when you don't like it anymore" we smiled and curiously asked. "I had no time to have a cultural shock", she laughed. "After a night flight I just took a cab to the hotel and then another one to the office, it was my first very busy workday". Actually, her cultural shock happened in her first weekend in Singapore. While looking for the cinema on a well-known commercial street she saw a huge queue in front of the Louis Vuitton store. "People would have killed to enter that store and buy those high priced items. Well, that was a shock for me!", she added astonished.
"Did you manage to travel around while you were in Singapore?" we were, of course, curious. And travelled she did! She went to Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, China. While in the swim we were pry about a must-see place in the world in her vision. "Bali", she answered without even thinking about it. "The couple of times that I've been to Bali have offered me such different and amazing in their own way experiences, that made me really fall in love with it and it's energy". Antonia decided to leave Singapore after living there for two years. "I wanted to do more and I knew that while being there, I will never be given the opportunity to grow. Also I was missing my friends and family. For the first time, I was missing them!". After being away from the loved ones and out of her comfort zone, she finally realized that family and friends were the most important links that kept her world unbroken. Therefore, she moved for the second time in Bonn, Germany, to take over the Regional Talent and Development Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa position at a very early age but with plentiful experience. "I knew where I was coming to" she gave a laugh. "It's small, at least compared to Singapore, I only have one Brazilian bar nearby…but I wanted to be in Europe".
Among the questions we had for Antonia was one in which we asked her to give an honest advice to young graduates seeking an international career. "First decide what you want to do and be really frank with yourself. If you want to work abroad, find a way to do that whether through an internship if not possible through a first job. A Master's program, a summer course or a short-term project can be the start of your international career. Go for large companies. Do not underestimate positions in the consultancy companies. The Big 4 are always looking for young fresh talent. They don't care if their talents are from Bulgaria, China, Vietnam or Ecuador. And dream big. You are as big as your dreams are!"
The interview with Antonia left us rewinding images from her life at high speed in our minds. Europe and Asia melting together in a nameless footage about one powerful and yet so sensible young woman who dreamt about changing the world. The people she met along the way, though we have never seen their faces, seem now so familiar to the point that we could have met them. Antonia's life story made us realize that it is, nevertheless, up to us to make a change in our small universe and to take all the chances that life is giving us because, as she argues, as long as you dare to say Goodbye, life will reward you with a new Hello!
We would like to thank Antonia one more time for sharing her inspiring story with us!
With love,
Laura & Elena
PS: Don't forget to put your rose colored glasses on and dream! Because if you dream it, you can achieve it!
And if you have any kind of inquiries contact us at rcgstaff@gmail.com
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