Sofia Borodulina

Special Assistant To Chief Executive Officer

I work with mid- and senior-level professionals who are navigating career transitions or leadership growth and want to make thoughtful, well-positioned decisions about what comes next.

My clients typically work with me to:

• Navigate career transitions and step into broader or more visible roles
• Strengthen executive presence, judgment, and decision-making
• Lead effectively across cultures and diverse teams

My work combines executive coaching, career strategy, leadership development, and facilitated workshops. 

With a background as a former VP of Talent Acquisition and Associate Partner in executive search, I bring a pragmatic, business-led perspective to career and leadership development. I am PCC-credentialed by the ICF and work with evidence-based frameworks and assessments, including MBTI Step I & II, EQ-i 2.0, Reiss Motivation Profile, Hogan, and others.

Based in Abu Dhabi and working across the UAE and Europe, I support leaders who want to grow their careers without losing themselves - and who value depth, reflection, and practical application.

If you are stepping into a larger role, preparing for your next move, or recalibrating your leadership path, let’s talk.

Founder

At The Daily Work, we are more than consultants – we are dedicated strategic partners, focused on crafting solutions that elevate your senior personnel into extraordinary leaders.

From comprehensive personality assessments to transformative executive coaching, dynamic emotional intelligence workshops, and strategic career path progression advisory, we provide a full spectrum of support.

We firmly believe that great leaders are not made overnight; they are forged through daily work. 
Ready to do the work? Drop us a message 📩 or schedule a call 📲 (link in bio).

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Our Clients:

International: Harvard Business School, Oxford10 Alumni, Dentsu Aegis, Daimler, UNICEF, HHL, MTN etc.

GCC Area: Bank Muscat, Omantel, Oman LNG, Alizz Islamic Bank, New Metrics, Dubai Business Women Council, KOC, Serenity etc.

Sofia Borodulina-Abboud

"Sofia, why do YOU like working here?"

A candidate once asked me this at the end of the interview. I loved this question. It was bold and honest.

I could feel that he knows of the value he brings and that he's genuinly interested in working in a great company (which we were) - not only one that pays him well.

We made him an offer.

As you interview for your next job, remember, it's not them only interviewing you, but you are interviewing them, as well. 

Don't be afraid to ask bold honest questions that you really care about. 
It can be a gamble, but also - in the right company - you might end up impressing the recruiter.

👉 What unusual questions did you ask in an interview?


#careeradvice #jobinterview #interviewtips #careergrowth #careercoaching #leadershipdevelopment #executivecareers #jobsearch #hiring #recruitment #talentacquisition #professionalgrowth #careermindset #jobseekers #interviewquestions #personalbranding #careertips #leadershipcoach #careernavigation

Sofia Borodulina-Abboud, PCC

Leadership and Career Coach | Former VP Talent Acquisition | Trainer I Facilitator | Partnering with Mid-to-Senior Professionals on Career Transitions and Leadership Development in the UAE

"What does good look like?"

This is one of the most overlooked questions in goal setting - and one of the most critical.

I recently worked with a senior leader (Head of a key function) who approached his annual review confident that he had delivered on nearly all objectives. His manager saw it differently. The reason? They had never explicitly aligned on what good would look like at the start of the year.

In some areas (sales, or certain parts of IT) measurable KPIs are the norm. But in many other functions, success is harder to define, and expectations are often based on vague language, assumed understanding, or passing comments.

As goals are being set for the year ahead, whether you’re a leader or a team member, make it a priority to align on:

1. What are the top three priorities?
2. What does good look like in 365 days?
3. How will we measure it?

Because unless expectations are made explicit, they remain open to interpretation. And leaving the results of your hard work up to interpretation is the last thing you want to experience at the end of the year.


What have you learned to pay attention to when setting goals?

#leadershipdevelopment #executivecoaching #goalsetting #performancemanagement #clarityinleadership #careersuccess

🚩A client of mine was interviewed by just two people. But her role would impact six departments.

When I suggested that she meets more stakeholders, she hesitated.

She didn’t want to appear as “difficult” in the hiring process and signed the offer.

Weeks later, my client understood why not more interviews were scheduled:

The people she didn’t meet during the hiring process became the biggest blockers in the job. Her performance slowed and her enthusiasm about the job declined.

🏁Getting the job isn’t the finish line. 
🏃It’s the starting line.


Even if you are in a rush it’s worth pausing and asking yourself honestly:

“Are you interviewing to get hired, or to set yourself up to succeed?”



Would you ask for more interviews in a hiring process?


#executivecoaching #careerstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #interviewtips #careertransition #jobsearch

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