Meet the Ukrainian who works for UAE firm from war zone, travels 35 hours for meetings in Dubai

Maria Shtonda's life took a remarkable turn when she secured a job with the Dubai-based company Genieology. Operating from a conflict zone, the Ukrainian national, a self-taught designer, was presented with a golden opportunity that allowed her to continue working in her country and keep her hopes alive in the face of adversity.

"At the time, the fighting hadn't begun, but I wanted to be close to my family," she said. "And my boss agreed to let me work remotely. This ensured I could be with my family when they needed me the most."

Besides dealing with the threat of shelling, frequent power and internet outages, the designer faced transport hurdles, and commuting became a challenge for her. "Earlier, it would have just taken me an hour to fly from my local airport to Warsaw and then take an international flight anywhere," she said. "But now, airports are ruined, and the airspace is closed. Whenever I have to travel to Dubai for a team meeting, it takes me more than 35 hours to get there. I must take an 18-hour train to the border of Poland and then another 10-hour train ride to a bigger city like Warsaw. Then, I take the 5-hour flight to Dubai."

Tough times

First arriving in the UAE in 2016, Maria worked as a waitress. Sensing she wanted to do something more, she did a short design course before returning to Dubai and working as an office admin. "I worked hard to build my portfolio between my job," she said. "Then I would print my resume and drop it off to places while also reaching out to people on LinkedIn."

Her hard work and perseverance paid off when she finally launched a job in Genieology. "They took a chance on me," she said. "I was passionate, and they appreciated that."

As soon as she landed her job, trouble started brewing in Ukraine. "I asked if I would be allowed to work remotely because I wanted to be close to my family," she said. "My boss agreed, and I went home."

Within days of returning home, the conflict began. "I will never forget the day when I was jolted awake at 4am on February 24, 2022" she said. "I was supposed to sign off a project, and I had a major meeting that day. I immediately texted my boss and told her that I could not log into work." Her boss asked her to take care.

Dream team in Dubai

For Maria, the biggest support came from her team in Dubai. "My teammates were calling me, asking me to return to Dubai immediately," she said. "They offered me a place to stay and a car. They were all worried about my safety. I realised that I had a dream team who would support me through anything."

Once war broke out, Maria had to leave her home in Kharkiv due to fighting. "My family includes my mother, grandmother and me," she said. "My number one priority at the time was ensuring their safety." After changing homes, a couple of times, the family decided to flee to Poland, where her mother worked for several years.

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