Zanthi Galiatsatos is the Communications Manager for Canadian designer RUDSAK, responsible for translating the thoughts of RUDSAK’s founder, Evik Asatoorian, into action, words into stories, and to give visions a voice. Having lived in Greece, London and Canada, here’s what a day in her life looks like and where she sees herself in five years…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
My main goal is to translate the thoughts of RUDSAK’s founder Evik Asatoorian into action, words into stories, and give visions a voice.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
Working at RUDSAK came about organically about a year ago because I was moving back to Canada from London. A good friend of mine was working at the company, and I was looking for a job in fashion. Once I spoke to Evik, I sensed ambition and direction. I then made it my mission to unveil untapped potential at the company.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Understanding people and being understood. In the ‘who said what to who, where, why and in what way’, things get lost in translation. And, of course, the words hardest to understand are the ones unspoken.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Judging from the last five, I reckon life and I will nudge each other quite a bit. I’ve already lived in Canada, Greece and London, so who knows where the next five will take me!
What does success look like to you?
Success is not something seen. It’s something felt and understood. To me it is having freedom and fulfillment. I believe these two to be interdependent.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
Having to write a press release in Greek is one that left quite an imprint on me. I stared at my screen, tapping all keys on the keyboard to first learn where all the letters were. Once I had that figured out, I had to write with comprehensive, professional, poetic, engaging flow. This had profound impact on my sense of personal identity.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Be quick to grasp onto opportunities but don’t rush through them. Be slow in savouring them while they unfold. Give opportunity the chance to find you. And persevere with patience; you become remarkably more cultivated this way.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
I should look into helping to save polar bears from drowning in the Arctic. I’m afraid, though, that the damages in this case can’t be rectified. It is frightening if you have a think about it. More so for them at the moment; they haven’t got the faintest idea of what is happening to their home.
What to you is notable?
A four-year-old learning how to ‘write’ with alphabet fun on the iPad. I feel like that’s the future writing back to us in cryptic code.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
I don’t discriminate. They’ve all wonderfully weaseled their way into our lives. However, Blackberry is best for thumb-typing and iPhone is great for Face Time chatter, and all that other fancy fun stuff. I admit to being a sucker for anything Apple. Sadly my Blackberry sleeps in bed with me. They really should consolidate them all. Having to choose can get emotionally confusing. Just make sure the new and improved version always starts with i.