LODNON—Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year provoked a unified response from the communications sector, including the closure of operations in Russia and the banning of Russian entries in numerous awards competitions. But some communicators have been fighting Russian aggression for many years—since the aggression of 2014—and have been playing a more direct role in the defense of Ukraine.

Most prominent among them in Nataliya Popovych who in 2014 cofounded the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, an NGO and an analytical and international communications hub established with the aim of amplifying Ukraine’s voice internationally in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and occupation of eastern Ukraine in response to the pro-democracy movement in Ukraine.

In the wake of this year’s invasion, Nataliya and her team founded WeAreUkraine.info, a repository of factual information about the Russo-Ukrainian war. More than an information portal, it serves as an advocacy platform regularly publishing and providing tools for global engagement in advocating for the Ukrainian cause, including boycotting Russian organizations.

For this impressive work, bringing her communications skills to bear on a geopolitical challenge of enormous significance, Nataliya Popovych will receive one of our SABRE Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement at our annual awards ceremony, taking place tomorrow night at the Guild Hall in London.

An entrepreneur, international communications expert and civic activist, Nataliia was previously the CEO of PRP, Weber Shandwick’s affiliate in Ukraine and Russia, before founding her own consulting group, One Philosophy, a 70-consultant strong team of five companies in public relations and communications, including Be—it Agency, One Health, Changers, Republic and Solutions for People.

Over the past five years, One Philosophy has been recognized as the Best Agency to Work for in EMEA as well as the Agency of the Year in the post-Soviet markets by this pubvlication, and its client work has won numerous SABRE Awards.

The firm has worked with international institutions such as USAID, UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, GIZ, Council of Europe, as well as for multinational companies such as Mastercard, Coca Cola, McDonalds, Philips, Avon, and state institutions, such as Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, Energy Efficiency Fund, and others.

In addition to the Crisis Media Center, Nataliya has spearheaded the Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group, which provides counsel across the globe on the threat of disinformation campaigns originating in the Russian Federation and targeting the EU, NATO, Western democratic governments and societies. In 2020, she also led the launch of The Resilient, a business platform sharing knowledge and lived experience among business founders and leaders to help them deal with the pandemic.