Open to opportunities

Yulia Kurdina

@yuliakurdina

Message

I reframe change communications to drive employee attention, action, and adoption.

United Arab Emirates

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead change, learning, and culture communications that move beyond awareness—using employee insight, stronger narrative, and creative storytelling to drive meaningful action and sustained adoption.

I lead strategic narratives and communication at Culture Co., helping organisations reframe change, learning, and culture initiatives through the employee lens.

Previously, I led employee communications across HR at First Abu Dhabi Bank, creating clear, human messaging around performance, development, rewards, Emiratisation, and the employee value proposition. I build the full communication arc—from positioning and audience segmentation to narrative, creative concepts, rollout, and reinforcement.

I also co-founded Story of Source and Urban Nomads, scaling two editorial e-commerce businesses to six figures. My background spans advertising, marketing, internal communications, and entrepreneurship, including work for Bloomingdale’s, Unilever, Atlantis the Palm, MOTIONGATE Dubai, and Heineken.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Strategic Narrative Lead, Co-Founder

Current

Culture Co

Jan 2026 - Present (7 months)

Co-founded and leads strategic narrative development for Culture Co., focusing on reframing change and culture initiatives to drive behavior change.

Communications Strategy Narrative Development Change Communications Culture Transformation Creative Direction

Head of Employee Communications

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)

Oct 2022 - Jan 2026 (3 years 3 months)

Lead internal comms across all HR functions, from performance & development to rewards and Emiratisation—creating clear, human messaging that drives engagement and connects employees to our strategy and value proposition.

Internal Communications Employee Engagement HR Communications Communication Strategy Messaging Frameworks

Co-Founder

Story of Source / Urban Nomads

Nov 2018 - Feb 2022 (3 years 3 months)

Launched and scaled two editorial e-commerce businesses (www.storyofsource.com and www.urbannomads.ae) to 6 figures. Owned the businesses from A to Z - directing overarching marketing and business strategy and budget allocation, developing and executing content, overseeing customer acquisition and retention, etc. via integrated marcom solutions.

E commerce Development Marketing Strategy Content Development Customer Acquisition Budget Management

Marketing Manager

Bloomingdale's

Mar 2017 - Nov 2018 (1 year 8 months)

Directed conceptualization and implementation of marketing communications - including but not limited to strategy, direct marketing, digital media and events - for the Bloomingdale’s UAE and Kuwait Beauty and Fashion portfolios.

Marketing Communications Direct Marketing Digital Media Event Planning

Account Director

THOMPSON

Feb 2013 - Feb 2016 (3 years)

Oversaw day to day client-agency relationships, directing client servicing, planning, creative and production teams through strategy, conceptualization and execution for a variety of clients including Unilever, Atlantis the Palm, MOTIONGATE Dubai and Heineken

Client Servicing Account Management Strategic Planning Creative Direction Production Management