August-September 2014. Behind me — maternity leave, a few years without an active career, and the clear understanding that I wasn’t going back to Russobit-M. Not because the company was bad, but because life had changed.
While I was away, the office had moved far beyond the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD). Commute one way — 2 hours. Total of 4 hours a day that I could have spent on my child, work, or sleep. My salary, by the way, hadn’t been indexed during my leave either. And now I wasn’t alone — I had a little person who needed a nanny, diapers, and a mom who wasn’t a walking zombie.
Going back to a place where you’d quickly burn out? No, thanks.
And then — KYOCERA Document Solutions. A multi-stage selection process: first with the recruitment agency, then with future colleagues, interviews, tests. Honestly? It was terrifying. The job market after maternity leave is a whole separate quest. Many employers look at you skeptically: “Haven’t you fallen out of reality? Can you handle it? Won’t you be constantly taking sick days?”
But I made it. They noticed me, appreciated me, and… hired me.
Special thanks to Tariq Alhourani — the person who believed in me back then. Without his decision, my life could have turned out completely differently. Thank you, Tariq! (And extra thanks that we’re still friends.)
September 2014 marked the beginning of my 9+ year journey with this company.
What kind of company was it?
In the Russian distributed office, there were only about 45 of us. Yet we were one of the largest taxpayers in the Russian Federation and leaders in the B2B printing equipment market. That classic case where a small team plays a huge game.
And Kyocera Corporation itself is a Japanese giant. Founded in 1959 in Kyoto. 60,000 employees worldwide, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. They make everything: from high-tech ceramics and solar panels to laser printers and mobile phones. The company’s priorities — ecology, technology, and quality of life. And I became part of all of it.
And straight into a management position.
Years later, I still think: this was a breakthrough. After maternity leave — into management at an international corporation. Proof that motherhood doesn’t end your career if you actually know how to use your brain and aren’t afraid to take chances.
I spent over 9 years at Kyocera. And I still remember that time with warmth. It was a family. Small, powerful, and highly professional.
P.S. And the commute to the office now took me less than an hour. Karma, I guess.