Karina Dubina Honoured for Inspirational Leadership, Resilience and Social Impact

Karina Dubina, founder of Backstage Salon, received the Medal of Honour for Inspirational Leadership and Social Impact at the Parliamentary Society for Arts, Fashion & Sports Assembly.

The event, hosted at the House of Commons by Alex Davies-Jones MP and Rebeca Riofrio, focused on dignity, safety, inclusion and responsibility across the creative industries.

Dubina’s speech was one of the most personal of the evening.

She spoke about beginning her journey in Ukraine, where she built Backstage not simply as a beauty business, but as a community centred on people, confidence, respect and opportunity.

She reflected on the impact of the war in Ukraine, including the damage suffered by one of the locations she had worked so hard to build. Yet her message was not one of loss, but resilience.

“Resilience is not about what we lose,” she reflected. “It is about what we choose to build afterwards.”

After arriving in the United Kingdom, Dubina used Backstage London to help skilled Ukrainian professionals rebuild their careers and regain confidence in a new country.

She also spoke about her work as an ambassador for Zemliachky, an organisation supporting women affected by the war in Ukraine.

Her honour recognised perseverance, leadership and the belief that a successful organisation is measured not only by growth, but by how it treats people.