Russian Immigrant Achieves Senior Tech Role in Israel Without Hebrew
At 24, Zalina Bakhisheva arrived in Israel with limited possessions but a strong ambition to build a career in the country's high-tech sector. Lacking Hebrew language skills, professional connections, and a deep understanding of the local landscape, she faced skepticism about her prospects. However, Bakhisheva believed her talent, perseverance, and passion for her work would pave her way in the competitive industry.
Before her move, Bakhisheva worked in journalism and digital media in Russia, creating video content for major companies like TVC, Foxford, and Dodo Brands, and managing her own blogs with over 300,000 followers. Her projects garnered over 250 million views, with a total social media audience exceeding 2.5 million.
Her initial steps in Israel were challenging, requiring her to validate her experience, adapt to a new work culture, and take on various projects. Within months, she secured her first role in the creative field with the startup LetsTalk, focusing on advertising creatives for the American market. This position marked her transition to evaluating video performance not just by views but by advertising campaign results, integrating data-driven insights into her creative process.
Bakhisheva then joined Popixels, an Israeli company known for its video editing apps, Temply and Vixer. There, she advanced to developing creative strategies for international markets, including the US, Australia, and Spain, and contributed to new creative approaches for the apps themselves. She produced over 350 performance creatives for Meta and Google, utilizing AI tools to expedite idea testing.
Her career progression culminated in an offer from Riverside, an international tech company, for the position of Senior Performance Video Creative. This role signifies her recognition within the Israeli tech sector and performance marketing. In her current capacity, she oversees the entire advertising creation process for Google and YouTube, from audience research and concept development to production and campaign analysis. Within her first six months, one of her created commercials became one of Riverside's top-performing campaigns internally.
Bakhisheva's journey highlights that success in Israel's tech industry is not solely dependent on technical expertise, local education, or Hebrew proficiency. Her background in journalism, video production, and audience understanding provided a strong foundation for her career at the intersection of technology, marketing, and creative strategy.
