Mrs Andri Anastasiades, First Lady of Cyprus and President of the Radiomarathon Foundation: «I would like to extend my sincere and warm congratulations and appreciation to the organisers of the Cyprus-Russia Gala «Ensemble Productions» and its director Olga Balakleets. I also wish to wholeheartedly thank the generous sponsors of the gala, lnterros Group. The fact that this Gala will be taking place for the 10th consecutive year demonstrates that it has become a firmly established festival in the hearts of both Russians and Cypriots and one through which our solid bonds of friendship, the spirit of Russia and the hospitality of Cyprus are being celebrated».

For Premiere, writer and founder of the Business Woman Awards in Cyprus, Janice Ruffle, interviewed Olga Balakleets, the founder of the Gala as well as Ensemble Productions Ltd. — an amazing lady who has achieved a distinctive Russian cultural presence in Cyprus as the creator of the Cyprus-Russia Gala Performance.

Olga, the whole creation of the Cyprus-Russia Gala Performance has been an amazing success, now in its 10th year. Tell us about this extraordinary journey.
I could never have hoped that my initiative for a Gala would go so far and that this year, 2016, it would be celebrating its 10th anniversary. Having arrived in Cyprus just over 10 years ago for the first time and seeing the strong Russian presence here, I immediately decided to capitalise on my experience as an organiser of cultural events and create an event with particular interest in promoting Russian culture in Cyprus. The initiative was supported by the then First Lady of Cyprus, Fotini Papadopolou, and the Presidential Palace was chosen as a hosting venue. We have certainly had lots of challenges! In particular, experiencing difficult times with the economic crisis on the island, but I am not a person who gives up easily and I am proud to say that not one gala has been cancelled in all the years. Part of the extraordinary journey has been building a strong list of the events’ supporters, partners and dedicated audiences, which, pleasingly, still grows year after year.

How has the event been enhanced by your strong relations with the First Lady of the Cyprus Republic, Mrs. Andri Anastasiades?
Our current patron, Mrs Andri Anastasiades, has been extraordinary with her personal touch on many details of the event. I have sincere respect for her as a highly creative person and her suggestions make the Gala even more successful and appealing to the audience. It is a privilege to have this high patronage endorsement, which certainly confirms the status of the Gala. We are also delighted to be supporting the Radiomarathon charity, of which Mrs. Anastasiades is also a patron; bonding a special and strong connection between this successful event and one of the island’s largest charities.

Under your company, Ensemble Productions Ltd, have you considered creating a similar event in other countries, based upon the same theme and representing Russia?
Absolutely and not only considered, but realised. My company has successfully organised the Arab-Russia Gala in Dubai and the Italy-Russia Gala in Rome and, now, we are preparing the Greece-Russia Gala, not to mention many other events which were excellent showcases of uniting Russian and other cultures on the same stage. Most of these events were dedicated to a particular occasion and were not planned as annual events, whereas the Cyprus-Russia Gala became a successful annual event from the launch date.

I applaud your initiative of the Creative Women Conference; launched at the Elysium Hotel, Paphos, Cyprus this year. What are your future plans for this event?
Firstly, I would like to thank you for your inspiration for the creation of this event dedicated to the creativity and success of women. I was truly thrilled that this first event was a success and united international old with new friends who are now working together! So many wonderful ideas were discussed, opinions shared, solutions found — you simply felt an inspiration in the air! It was a conference with a difference and we have exciting plans to take the platform around the world, but to keep a base in Cyprus, particularly as this magical island was the home of the first Creative Women event and it attracts many international forces here.

You have received many accolades, one being the Russian Business Woman of the Year Award in Cyprus at the Russian Embassy, in the presence of the Russian Ambassador. How do you see the future of Russian female entrepreneurs launching businesses in Cyprus?
I am thrilled to be a winner of the Russian Business Woman of the Year Award in Cyprus and thank you for creating this special award celebrating the success of Russian and Cypriot female entrepreneurs on the island. You gave me and many others greater strengths, power and vision for the future and it is simply wonderful! I feel extremely positive about the future of Russian female entrepreneurs and have experienced their strong presence year after year.

As a high profile figure operating on a global scale with a tight
schedule, do you ever have the chance to travel leisurely and, if so, do you have a favourite country and pastime?
I travel a lot, but I am afraid that, at the moment, there is no leisure travel for me planned. It is always connected to business, my events and accompanying my son to his performing commitments. However, apart from my beloved Cyprus, I love Italy and its rich culture and, recently, I have developed a passion for Greece.

What or who inspires you to continue to strive creating corporate events, succeeding in bringing nations together in a cultural arena?
The desire and necessity to unite people in this current political climate can only be truly achieved by cultural initiatives. Also, I believe, there is a necessity to return humanitarian values into our lives. Soon, I will be in a position to announce some ambitious, but very meaningful, plans which will be a good attempt at achieving this.

How do you balance being a parent and a business woman?
Every business woman has her own plan…it is not easy at all, but our love for our children and dedication to what we do helps find solutions…be strong, be well organised, with little sleep, I suppose!

Travelling the world on business, do you feel there are different challenges for women country by country?
Yes, I do and it is very exciting to watch these differences and the challenges women can face in some countries. By the way, it applies not only to the Middle East, where I occasionally work, but even to some Eastern European countries. However, I am pleased to see women are rising up and becoming stronger and stronger. The political arena of today is also confirming this female status. However, we «women» should never forget our femininity and our role in the world and totally appreciate the support that we receive from our male partners. It is only natural and can bring even more beaut­­iful results for what we are doing.

The 10th Cyprus-Russia Gala Perfor­mance will take place on Saturday 10th September, 2016 at 7:30pm at the Presidential Palace, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Tickets: €100 on-line at
www.tickethour.com.cy
Tel: 77 77 70 40
The event is made possible by: Interros, presented by Ensemble Productions Ltd.