Uutinen -
From Kyiv to Helsinki – Maryna escaped the war to Finland
When Maryna Horban returned to her home country Ukraine in 2017 after a six-year stint abroad, she soon found and bought her dream apartment in the capital city of Kiyv. Having done her Master’s degree in Financial Law in nearby Irpin, she was familiar with the city from her student years. Five years later, on February 24th 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Two days later the first bombs fell on Kiyv.
We met up with Maryna in the Huawei Finland Office in Helsinki to talk to her about her journey.
- I spent six years in China teaching Science and Maths before returning home, and then started giving language classes. I haven’t really been able to use my Tax Law degree, because the Ukraine Tax Code changed while I was away, Maryna laughs.
When asked how a Master of Law found her way to a tech company, Maryna blames it on fate.
- I wasn’t even looking for a job when I found the open position at Huawei Ukraine. What caught my eye was the requirement of Chinese language, and as I both speak and type Mandarin, I decided to apply. Then I actually did some online stalking and sent my now boss a message on LinkedIn introducing myself. Clearly it worked, and I’ve been with Huawei since May 2021.
- I knew the company from my time in China, but during those years Huawei was still developing into the tech giant it is today. I joined as a recruiter and I did find it challenging, but at the same time it brings me job satisfaction when I succeed in hiring a very experienced telecom engineer or a top sales person.
Women already in Tech
Huawei has a long-running global initiative called Women in Tech, the aim of which is to encourage young women and girls to join the tech industry. As a HR professional, Maryna says that women are already studying and working in tech, and that focus should be put on the employers.
- I don’t think we have to encourage women anymore. Instead we have to encourage employers to hire more women into the tech industry. From a HR perspective there are no differences between female and male engineers, for example. As long as someone has the needed skills, they should be given the opportunity. And we need to encourage companies to give those opportunities.
- About skills, something I’ve noticed at Huawei is that all employees are sort of “universal workers”, meaning everyone here has many functions. The diverse job descriptions make for great teamwork and I would say the best thing about working here is the multinational team of coworkers.
Escaping the horrors of war
Maryna’s life changed horribly at the end of February, when her home country was invaded by Russia. She and her colleagues stayed in Kyiv for two weeks after the attacks began, but when the city of Bucha just 15 kilometers from her home was taken by Russian forces, she and two colleagues from Huawei decided staying was too dangerous.
- We packed our bags and drove west. During the escape we were looking at our options and thinking of safe places to go. My sister lives in Estonia since many years, but I’m glad I didn’t make any rash decisions in my panic to get away. Instead we stayed in Western Ukraine for a while.
- Soon the attacks started there as well. That’s when I started seriously thinking about moving abroad to find a safe place for myself and my parents. I was happy for the opportunity to come to Finland and work for Huawei here. I’ve been here for three weeks now. My parents are still staying in my childhood home in Central Ukraine. They are safe for now, but there is always the “if”.
The importance of keeping in touch
- I’m very relieved that I’m able to keep in touch with my parents. We have had hardly any connection problems. In addition to them, I also have friends still staying in Kiyv, although some friends have moved to the western part and some have gone abroad.
- I’m extremely grateful for operators and telecom companies that are keeping connections going in the warzone. There are also other ways for companies to help in this situation. Donations and financial help can be done on everyone’s own initiative, but the most important thing would be for companies to continue their business in Ukraine as far as possible. Companies that stay continue to pay taxes which helps the economy, but they also help in that employees don’t lose their jobs and salaries and their motivation to stay in Ukraine. Even if companies move their offices to other cities, staying in Ukraine still helps.
When asked about her future plans Maryna says she enjoys working in Finland, but plans to return home to Ukraine as soon as it is safe.
When that is, remains to be seen.
