Research for Ukraine

She left her country, her friends, most of her family and arrived in a foreign country whose language she didn't understand. "At school, I only understood maths at first," she says. Her parents were also unable to help her with her schoolwork due to her lack of language skills. The experience of having to start from scratch gave Anna an irrepressible thirst for knowledge and the will to achieve.

The drive that Anna developed enabled her to complete school with excellent results and to master a Bachelor's and Master's degree programme with flying colours while working. She is now about to complete her doctorate - the International Joint Cross Border PhD Programme in International Economic Relations and Management at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences.

She has dedicated her entire academic career to the topics of corporate management, leadership and human resource management. She always included a personal touch in her academic work: women in management positions, integration of refugees in the labour market.

She worked full-time at LGT Bank in Vienna during her bachelor's and master's degrees. She made it from receptionist to head of department. "I was very lucky to be able to work at LGT Bank. I learnt a lot," she says today.

To complete her Master's degree, she gave herself the gift of a trip to her home country, Ukraine. "I was interested in the country from an economic and political perspective. And I realised that I would like to continue researching these aspects. That's why I decided to do another PhD programme." She chose the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences, "mainly because it is possible to study here while working." She is now in her sixth semester. Her dissertation has been handed in and only a few milestones remain.

At the same time, Anna Rivna has also progressed professionally. She founded her own company in the field of personnel consulting and the pieces of the puzzle of her life came together piece by piece. As Managing Director of oprandi & partner OG Austria, she plans to develop and expand the company.

True to her motto "to keep your balance, you must keep moving", the doctoral student has been practising Classic Taekwon-Do for 18 years, where she now also offers courses herself. As a black belt holder, she says: "Nowadays it is important to keep fit not only physically but also mentally. Taekwon-Do teaches you exactly that, how I can use my mental and physical strength sensibly and not lose my balance completely...of course I don't always succeed ;)"

What she would like to pass on to other students: "You have to be passionate about your research work, then you will have the motivation to see it through."

"It is also important to understand that you should never see the degree itself as a bridge to professional success, it is much more a certificate that confirms that you can work in a disciplined manner and sometimes under pressure, as well as being able to finish what you have started".

Her dissertation is entitled: Strategies for attracting foreign direct investment to Ukraine. Challenges, Risks and Opportunities. "A country is often built up by international investors. I analysed what the problems are in Ukraine. Why don't investors go there?" To this end, she was in contact with top CEOs from Kiev and gained honest insights. "The result is hardly surprising - the country is historically characterised by corruption and lives in a conflict between Russia and the West." Her work relates to the period before the outbreak of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. She says that she has spent the last few months in an emotional state of emergency. She is touched by the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people. Her hope is that she too can make her contribution to her home country.

Research for Ukraine

When Anna Rivna was 12 years old, her family fled Ukraine for Austria. She left her country, her friends, most of her family and arrived in a foreign country whose language she did not understand. "At school, I only understood mathematics in the beginning," she says. Her parents were also unable to help her with school matters because of their lack of language skills. The experience of having to start completely from scratch gave Anna an irrepressible thirst for knowledge and a will to achieve.

"Since no one in my family understood German, I knew I was on my own and responsible for my own actions," she says. The drive Anna developed allowed her to graduate from school with excellent results and to master a bachelor's and a master's degree with flying colours while working. Now she is about to complete her doctoral studies - the International Joint Cross Border PhD Programme in International Economic Relations and Management at the University of Applied Sciences (FH) Burgenland.

She has dedicated her entire academic career to the topics of business management, leadership and human resource management. She always included a personal touch in her academic work: women in leadership positions, integration of refugees in the labour market. "I remember very well how difficult it was for us to "get a foothold" in a foreign country, so academically I always steered the research in the direction of "How to enable integration for people who were forced to leave their countries and thus face language and cultural barriers, lack of financial support, or lack of access to basic human services."

During her bachelor's and master's studies, she worked full-time at LGT Bank in Vienna. She made it from receptionist to department manager there. "It was very fortunate for me to be able to work at LGT Bank. I learnt a lot," she says today.

After she had completed her master's degree, she took a trip to her home country, Ukraine. "I was interested in the country from the economic and political side. And I realised that I would like to do further research on these aspects. That's why I decided to do another PhD programme." She chose UAS Burgenland, "largely because it's possible to study here while working." She is now in her sixth semester. The dissertation has been handed in.

At the same time, Anna Rivna has also made professional progress. She founded her own company in the field of personnel consulting and the puzzle of her life came together piece by piece. As managing director of oprandi & partner OG Austria, she plans to build and expand the company. "Ukraine and Central Eastern Europe were the plan. Now the war has interrupted this plan. But it is still a big vision of mine to give back what I have learnt to my homeland." She is already doing this in the form of coaching programmes for women at WoMentor.

True to her motto "to keep your balance, you must keep moving," the doctoral student has been practicing Classic Taekwon-Do for 18 years, where she now also offers classes herself. As a black belt holder, she says: "Nowadays it is important to keep fit not only physically but also mentally. In Taekwon-Do you learn exactly that, how can I use my mental and physical strength sensibly and not completely lose my balance...of course I don't always succeed ;)" What she would like to pass on to other students: "You have to burn for your research work, then you also have the motivation to go through with it."

"It is also important to understand that you should never see the study itself as a bridge to a professional success, much more it is a certificate that confirms that you can work with great discipline and sometimes under pressure, as well as being able to finish what you started."

Her dissertation is entitled: Strategies for attracting foreign direct investment to Ukraine. Challenges, Risks and Opportunities. "A country is often built by international investors. I analysed what is lacking in Ukraine. Why don't investors go there?" To do this, she was in touch with top CEOs from Kiev and got honest insights. "The results are unsurprising - the country is historically laden with corruption and lives in a dichotomy between Russia and the West." Her work covers the period before Russia's war against Ukraine broke out. She has spent the last few months in a state of emotional emergency, as she recounts. She is touched by the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people.