Dina Mostovaya is CEO and founding father of Madrid-based consulting agency, Mindset Consulting. Drawing from over 15 years of expertise, Mostovaya has been instrumental in offering strategic communications assist to tech and life science corporations in addition to enterprise funds throughout the US, Europe, and Latin America. Her experience lies in growing and implementing campaigns that resonate globally.
Mostovaya was named the Bulldog PR Awards PR Star of 2022, in addition to a PR Star Beneath 40. As well as, she’s a member of the International Girls in PR Affiliation, a member of the TEDxWaterStreet’s Advisory Board, and a decide for The Worldwide Enterprise Awards by Stevie Awards.
The award-winning international cultural and communications marketing consultant is a staunch believer within the important position of cross-cultural relationships in as we speak’s world. As borders between nations blur, Mostovaya emphasizes the rising significance of cultural consciousness for PR professionals. She firmly asserts that possessing a deep understanding of numerous cultures has turn out to be more and more essential on this international panorama.
We caught up with Mostovaya to get her ideas on the way forward for the communications business.
What e-book, podcast or different media do you suggest to different comms professionals?
I’m actually fascinated by cross-cultural communications, and one notably good e-book I like to recommend to all my friends who work globally is “The Tradition Map” by Erin Meyer. Since we at Mindset Consulting work with shoppers and journalists from the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and the LATAM area, it has helped me to construct higher connections with them. Meyer explores variations in communication kinds: for instance, she explains how one can present destructive suggestions, persuade somebody and write emails, how choices are made, and so on.
One other long-time favourite e-book of mine is “By no means cut up the distinction” by Chris Voss. I learn this e-book a few years in the past and take into account it the very best one about negotiations, which is why I nonetheless comply with its ideas in my every day life.
As for the podcasts, I like listening to Purple Sky Gasoline For Thought and PR Roundtable with Jesse Wynants to remain contemporary and up to date in regards to the newest information and developments within the business.
What’s your favourite software you utilize commonly for work?
To start with, my every day routine includes checking my Telegram messenger, which I take advantage of for communication with each my shoppers and group. As well as, as somebody who works carefully with startups and buyers, I discover myself steadily utilizing Crunchbase to remain knowledgeable in regards to the market and its gamers. To maintain monitor of my packed schedule, I depend on Calendar by Readdle, which helps me handle all of my duties and appointments in a single handy location.
What excites you most about the way forward for communications?
I’d say the significance of cross-cultural relationships and 360 model communications.
Borders between nations are blurring and so, to achieve success, it’s important to be culturally conscious and successfully talk with folks from numerous backgrounds. From my expertise, as somebody who lives between Barcelona and London and builds a world enterprise, I can positively say that the power to find out about and adapt to varied cultures is one thing that each PR skilled and entrepreneur ought to work towards. The significance of cultural sensitivity can be confirmed by a number of disaster instances not solely in tech, however within the artwork and style industries (e.g. Dolce & Gabbana’s scandal in China in 2018).
Apart from, as we speak the position of popularity grows steadily, and pervasive model communications turns into a should. The notion of a model is formed not solely by its positioning and tone of voice but in addition by the values it conveys, the colour of the emblem and UX expertise within the software or on the positioning, the standard of packaging and the fabric from which it’s made. Most significantly, the notion and angle an viewers has in the direction of a model relies on the habits and existence of key firm audio system. Textual content and audio communications are usually not all the pieces, we’re on the brink of the long run, the place we understand manufacturers tactilely and intuitively.
What communications problem retains you up at night time?
As we proceed to face an power disaster, provide chain disruptions, worker strikes, and a myriad of different financial and social considerations, I work in a continuing state of problem-solving mode. Because of this new predictive disaster administration tradition, I discover myself honing my disaster communications abilities and dealing with the difficult conditions of our shoppers.
As well as, I’m involved in regards to the prevalence of pretend information and the overwhelming variety of bots on social media platforms, which is essentially attributed to generative AI and its poster youngster ChatGPT. These elements hinder our potential to realize a transparent understanding of present occasions, presenting a big problem for PR professionals who should adapt accordingly. These days, folks are likely to belief those that current data extra successfully, fairly than those that convey the reality straight.
What’s the largest problem you’ve overcome in your profession?
After Russia’s Ukrainian invasion, there have been so many points to resolve in a second. Navigating a portfolio of dozens of shoppers, all in disaster mode with uncharted wants, plus shifting to Europe and relocating the corporate was the largest management problem in my 15-year-long profession. This expertise has taught us quite a few invaluable classes and examined all of our values like transparency, honesty, and resilience.
However, this disaster grew to become a brand new chapter for Mindset Consulting and our shoppers. We’ve got continued to efficiently propel the corporate ahead, and since our launch in Madrid a 12 months in the past, our portfolio has added British, French, German, Spanish, Swiss and Estonian startups and VC funds. We additionally developed new recruitment and onboarding applications and carried out worker teaching practices to assist development and sustainable psychological well being. At present, our group consists of prime professionals from main cities like New York, San Diego, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Tel Aviv and extra, and we proceed to develop and rent.
What’s the finest recommendation you’ve ever gotten?
Among the best items of recommendation I’ve ever gotten and have been following for years in my profession after which in my entrepreneurial ventures is to take the place of an equal accomplice and talk brazenly; to be an unbiased and unbiased marketing consultant, fairly than only a performer.
Since studying is certainly one of my core values, I’m devoted to being a lifelong scholar, and I’ve discovered quite a bit from international professionals. Thus, Claudine Moore, founding father of C.Moore Media (acquired by Allison+Companions), has been my mentor for years and made an important contribution to my improvement. She taught me to take a strategic view on enterprise targets, construct my private model within the U.S. and develop within the path of enterprise consulting. She additionally motivated me to maintain finding out, which is why I made a decision to go to New York College the place I’m at the moment widening my information in worldwide affairs, gender and human rights, and extra.
I additionally need to point out Marvin Bower, who grew McKinsey from a small agency to a pacesetter within the consulting business. He’s a legend for me, I share his values, ideas and morality. I’ve learn all of the books about his profession and the corporate he led, and I consider he was a rare instance of how one can do enterprise.
Isis Simpson-Mersha is a convention producer/ reporter for Ragan. Observe her on LinkedIn.
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