UNLA Board Member Iryna Shapovalova is preparing a manual that could change the way influence is understood in Ukraine
Iryna Shapovalova, a board member of the Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association, has started working on a book that she calls her most personal and at the same time professionally daring project. Her upcoming publication, FEATURES OF NATIONAL LOBBYISM, is not just a study or another analytical text about the mechanisms of influence. It is a textbook that should become the first for many who choose the profession of lobbyist, and at the same time a story about a person who dared to enter a complex field where there are no established traditions, safe ground, or ready audience.
In her book, Iryna Shapovalova seeks to show how influence is born in our country and how trust is formed – not in theory, but in real life circumstances. This is her personal attempt to describe the path to change that is born between choice, inner core, and the daily struggle for the right to be heard.
Between the lines of this book is her personal story. It will also tell how she overcame her fate, not allowing circumstances to define the limits of what is possible. And about how she found the courage to stand up for what she wanted, even when silence, distrust, or resistance reigned on the other side.
At the center is a woman, both fragile and strong, who knows how to turn great challenges into opportunities and build domestic lobbying as a new, honest, and responsible profession.
Her book is not only about the profession, but also about the people who create change. About those who know how to work with strategies without losing their humanity. About those who dream of influencing the future without losing sight of values. About those who are looking for support and a point of balance in a difficult time.
Iryna has a long way to go: writing, polishing her thoughts, doubts, and discoveries, but she is already walking it with an open heart and a firm belief that after her work, the world, both Ukrainian and professional, will be at least a little better.
The book is scheduled to be published in 2026. Iryna Shapovalova dreams that it will become a reference for everyone who works for social change: analysts, communicators, managers, public figures, business, and everyone who wants to understand how real influence is built.
Quiet words of support and opinions of those around her are more than just attention for her. It is a force that helps her move forward, as Iryna herself says: “The best strategy is to remain human, even in a big game.”
