About us
Proxima Marketing is conducting sales, marketing and PR representation services in Russia and CIS. The extensive network provides access to the most relevant markets in the region for hospitably products: luxury hotels, hotel chains as well as high-end DMCs. In addition to this we have experience working with tourism boards.
The extensive expertise the company gained since 2010 allows us to be well-connected with the travel trade and media network, have deep understanding of the national markets including their mentalities and particularities. We always strive to extend the existing database and keep the thriving relationship to offer our partners opportunities to increase awareness and increase sales.
Our team
Valentina Myagkova
Valentina Myagkova, Director of Proxima Marketing, has been working in the field of tourism for almost 30 years, of which she worked in various travel companies for the first 10 years and the next 20 in the field of representation of hotels and DMCs. The formation and development of the Russian tourism business took place before her eyes. She knows all its secrets, peculiarities, habits and requirements. Having worked for over 20 years in the representative sector, she has managed to build warm and friendly relations with travel companies and their management, because during those years she made countless meetings, organized more than 30 educational tours and hundreds of professional events. The first hotels that Valentina represented from 2004 to 2014 were South African Sun International Hotels. Hence her love for Africa. Valentina has visited Cape of Good Hope probably 15 times, and the famous Victoria Falls – 10 times, which, of course, is nonsense for an ordinary person.
And that is why Valentina is deservedly considered the main Russian expert of Africa. Valentina is also famous for her eloquence. Cicero's favorite student, she herself admits that when she tells about the hotel or the destination, she never knows into what colorful worlds this gift will lead her. She listens to herself as if from the outside, and sometimes is surprised by unexpected metaphors, artistic finds, unusual plot twists. Valentina loves to write. Even as a child, she became a laureate of the State Literary Competition, and although this did not lead her to great literature, her creative streak did not disappear. And that's why Valentina acts as Proxima's "living pen", sculpting articles for the magazine and posts for social networks. Valentina herself says that she can easily work as an animator in retirement. Any intricate quizzes, contests are her handiwork. The greatest happiness in life, according to Valentina, is creativity. And love, of course. It is on these two whales she builds her company.
Alexandra Malakhova
Alexandra Malakhova joined Proxima Marketing in 2017. By that time, she had already had experience in tourism, having worked for several years at Leading Hotels of the World. In Proxima, the numerous talents of the young Alexandra were quickly revealed, and she firmly took the place of Valentina's "right hand". How wonderful it is when a young, talented, active employee appears next to an experienced director, and in the blink of an eye introduces all the latest technical and technological innovations into the company's work, follows trends, updates, develops and improves. What takes mature people years to do, young people do in a matter of days. Alexandra became the fresh wind that blew away the age-old dust from Proxima Marketing and made the company sparkle with all facets. Usually people are either humanitarians and then they can’t download files and their presentations don't connect, or techies – and then everything is downloaded and connected, but you don't expect other miracles from them.
Alexandra is good at everything! Like everyone at Proxima, she is a very creative person. Alexandra draws beautifully, studies vocals, learns languages non-stop, although she already knows quite a number, but she rightly believes that there is no limit to perfection. And at the same time, Valentina feels more confident when Alexandra is present at a business breakfast. Because without her magical presence, the presentation will definitely not start, and if it does, it will get stuck at the very climax. Judge for yourself, Proxima Marketing website was created by none other than our multi-talented Alexandra. And, of course, Alexandra goes on sales calls, participates in business events, makes presentations, meets with journalists, and, along with Valentina, she is the face of Proxima Marketing. She will easily answer any question related to the company's portfolio, and even send you a colorful file or program in any format that you wish.
And she will also say magic words, and the file, having arrived on your computer, will wink at you and speaks in a human voice ... nothing is impossible for Alexandra.
Ekaterina Trukhacheva
Ekaterina Trukhacheva became a part of Proxima marketing in 2019. Prior to that, Ekaterina had ten years of experience in the hotel business in Moscow. Initially, Ekaterina was taken on the role of an assistant: to translate programs, work with couriers, book venues for events. No one expected that Ekaterina's role in the company would become so much wider and more voluminous! Who would have thought that Ekaterina would turn out to be such a talented designer, with great taste, interesting ideas, the ability to work in several editorial programs, and most importantly – an incredible desire to invent and create! It is thanks to her that Proxima marketing has gained a reputation as the most creative team among all representative companies. Thanks to Ekaterina, an unusual photo zone, specially designed menus and a colorful invitation appear at each event. Even the paper cups from which the guests drank champagne during a river cruise in St. Petersburg were made by our Ekaterina in the style of
African lodges. And, of course, it is Ekaterina who makes the entire design of the famous Proxima Marketing magazine. And she does it with pleasure, talent and creativity. Ekaterina is a real aesthete. Everything is important to her: color, shape, content. That is why Ekaterina is entrusted with the design of Proxima Marketing social media publications. She sincerely and deeply suffers if the photo posted on Instagram is not of proper quality. Everything in her tender soul resists the protruding pixels. And if it really becomes unbearable, she can quietly erase an old video or photo and obviously feels an immediate relief.
Ekaterina, like everyone else in Proxima, loves traveling, staying at small and cozy hotels with a history, interesting concept and its own character. One thing saddens Ekaterina: such hotels usually do not accept families with children. And Ekaterina has three of them! And, despite the fact that children constantly strive to disrupt the aesthetic world of Ekaterina with diarrhea or scrofula, this does not affect the quality of her work in any way, because, it seems, like everyone at Proxima, she likes what she does.
Marina Balashova
Marina Balashova joined Proxima in 2020 – at the height of the pandemic. And, although there was not much work at that time and the company did not need new employees, after seeing Marina's resume, Valentina Myagkova made a fateful decision to take Marina into the team at any cost. The pandemic will end someday, and employees of this level do not lie on the road!
Marina is an amazing sales person. She has more than 15 years of work as a sales manager in the best travel companies, including 7 years in Sodis. And Marina perfectly understands what kind of information and in what format professional travel companies need to sell the product Proxima represents. Her help to the tour operators is priceless. She provides the very professional support that tour operators dream of finding in representative companies. Of course, presenting a product means being able to colorfully tell about it. But it is so important to understand the need of tour-operators perfectly and be their right hand in the process of working out the itinerary, calculating the tour and offering the product to the client. It is this function that Marina performs in the company. Marina can sell anything: any dead fly in her hands will turn into a butterfly, a butterfly into a bird, a bird into a Boeing, a Boeing into a rocket, and the rocket will get off the ground and rush off into space. Now Marina's efforts are mainly focused on Africa, because this is the destination that is very much in demand among VIP clients. Besides, it is Africa that causes many issues to the tour operators and where they need constant support, because such destinations as South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda are not familiar to them. In Marina's professional hands Africa is shining like a diamond and the services of DMC Ker&Downey Africa have never sold so well.
