My brands & the arts journey began in 2016 when as a strategic consultant at the Moscow office of the international communications agency Grayling I started working on creative partnerships. I was very curious about best practices, traveled to major art fairs and art exhibitions around the world paying special attention to the way brands were represented at those events.
My curiosity didn’t stop there and in 2017, I published my first research paper “Brands and the Arts: Making Creative Partnerships Work”, which included interviews with the representatives and consultants of BMW, Cadillac, Swatch, Dior, Hennessy, etc.
In 2019, together with Grayling, I released the second paper “Museums at the Crossroads: the Role of Corporate Partnerships” based on the case studies and interviews with the managers from the Louvre, RMN Grand Palais, Tate Modern, Barnes Foundation and other prominent cultural institutions.
In 2020, in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, together with my co-curator Anna Evtiugina, we launched the International Strategies in Art Business post diploma program at the Moscow School of Contemporary Art, Universal University. Now in its third year, the program continues to develop internationally minded talent in art management, and the topic of fundraising and creative partnerships is a big part of the program.
Back in 2020, I also joined the team of the world-renowned orchestra musicAeterna where as the Global Development Director I am responsible for partnerships.
As a lifelong learner, I studied at the National University Higher School of Economics (specialist diploma in political science, 2008), Ball State University (Muncie, IN, USA, MA in Public Relations, 2012), and most recently at the SDA Bocconi School of Management, Bocconi University (Milan, Italy, Executive Master in Luxury Management, 2022) where we also looked at crafting brands through arts and culture based on the examples of such brands as Cartier, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Brunello Cucinelli, San Lorenzo Yachts, and many others.
I love books, arts, and music, and I believe that if brands engage with them more often and in a more strategic way, the world will be a better place.