Irina Gushchina

Irina has been working in PR and strategic communications for 20 years. She is a certified public relations professional and holds an MBA degree in Communication and Leadership from the Quadriga University of Applied Sciences (Berlin, Germany). She is a member of the European Association of Communication Directors and the co-founder of the Russian branch of the international Global Women in PR association.

In November 2020, Irina joined DiDi, the world’s leading mobility technology platform, where she is responsible for development and implementation of the DiDi communication strategy in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, strengthening the company’s reputation in diverse stakeholder groups.

Formerly, Irina held the position of Communications Director for Russia and Eastern Europe at KFC, and earlier at Uber; before that, she had worked for more than five years as Director for Public Affairs and Communications with the Russian division of Abbott – one of the leading international health care companies. She was also responsible for strategic communications and CSR at Pfizer, the world’s largest producer of pharmaceutical products. Irina also worked for about six years in journalism and PR consulting, in particular, in Edelman international PR agency.

Irina is a winner of many professional awards. She was included in the Top-Comm rating by the Russian Association of Communication Directors and the Top 1000 Russian Managers rating by the Russian Managers Association and Kommersant Publishing House.