interview

1. 98
02/2013 COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR
QUESTIONS TO...
The personal side of communication directors
VANYA BABANIN
How do you explain your job to your friends?
I always say I communicate. Professionally.
And since they always laugh, I then talk about
the reputation management, media relations,
marketing communications and employee
branding. And my kids think I organise par-
ties every day.
If heads of corporate communications didn’t
exist, what would your profession be?
A negotiator seems to be right. Or maybe a
business development consultant.
Who is your favourite character in history?
Two of my favourite characters in history are
Buddha and Sun Tzu: controversial characters
but both very successful in their teachings.
What is utter happiness for you?
Being content with myself
Who are your present-day heroes/heroines?
The ‘normal’ people in our life: everyone who
finds their place, does their job and don’t pre-
tend to be the biggest influencer or decision
maker in history
What has been the most emotional moment in
your career to date?
Emotions seem to have been stronger
years ago: I can still recollect the trem-
bling in my knees when I won at the na-
tional debate contest in Bulgaria. Now
I find emotions every day (or they find
me), but in smaller doses. A huge expe-
rience has always been the yearly target
agreement negotiation with Daimler.
What is your greatest weakness?
The drive to move things I work on faster
often costs me a lot of sleep time.
Which talent would you like to possess?
The management of physical limits.
What do you dislike most?
Irresponsible behaviour.
What book do you have on your bedside-
table?
Today, it’s the German edition of Pippi
Longstocking!
Would you ever have liked to belong to
another nation? If yes, which…?
It would have been interesting to get back
in time and wake up as a Scandinavian
warrior or an eastern princess.
Photo:Private
Head of EditorialTeam: Dafydd Phillips
Editor: Grit Fiedler
EACD:Vanessa Eggert, Nina Roßmann
Graphical Concept:
Steffi Butter, Franziska Söhner
Layout: Sarah Schlingmeyer
Illustrations: Ivan MataTamayo
Photo Editor: Stephan Baumann
Advertising: Norman Wittig
(norman.wittig@helios-media.com)
Web design: Dennis Otto
(dennis.otto@helios-media.com)
Publishers: Rudolf Hetzel, Marc-OliverVoigt
Contact: Square de Meeûs 37
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel +32 (0)2 219 22 90
Fax +32 (0)2 219 22 92
info@communication-director.eu
www.communication-director.eu
Helios Media
Square de Meeûs 37, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Price: 120 euro yearly: 4 editions of the
magazine, access to the website, regular
newsletter. For members of the EACD,
a yearly subscription to the magazine is
included in the membership fee.
Print: PieReg Druckcenter Berlin GmbH
Benzstraße 12, 12277 Berlin
Imprint
Vanya Babanin
Head, PR and Corporate
Communications,
Balkan Star Automotive
Bulgarian-born Vanya Ba-
banin joined Balkan Star
Automotive in 2005 as
a marketing professional
specialising in commercial
vehicles. She became the
company’s head of public
relations and corporate
communications in 2007,
a position she maintains
today. Before joining Balkan
Star, Vanya worked in sev-
eral public relations-related
jobs, including as a special-
ist for TePro Metal and as a
managing partner for PRe-
vent consultancy. She also
worked for two years as a
stringer and producer for
German television broad-
caster ZDF.
Head of PR and Corporate Communications, Balkan Star Automotive