Artem Akulov Email & Phone Number

Russia

Result: 2.6x revenue growth in 2 years (from 9.3 to 24.2 billion rubles), transforming a B2B sales startup into a product-driven B2B/B2C/B2B2C company with a 61.5% growth rate.Managed VHI products, self-service tools, AI-driven service features, websites, intranets, mobile apps, B2B portals, and agent interfaces.o Developed and implemented a product-channel model, shifting product responsibility from Sales to Product functions, and built teams from scratch.o Conducted customer development to define the brand message and core values, leading to a product manifesto, quality standards across all stages, and a roadmap focused on customer value and profitability.o Redesigned the digital process (discovery-delivery-post launch) with a stage-gate approach, preventing unprofitable launches, accelerating TTM, and engaging all back-office departments.o Prepared success reports for the Board of Directors (defended by founders).Key Metrics:- Prevented unprofitable product launches using the stage-gate approach.- Reduced TTM by 40% (from 120 to 70 days) with a roadmap targeting 30 days by 2025.- Cut VHI service cost-to-revenue from 10% to 5%, maintaining CSAT at 4.7.- Achieved 1 min 24 sec payout speed, with 38% resolution by chatbot.- Increased online appointments in VHI from 20% to 25%.- Boosted ARPU in VHI by 7.3% and deal conversion rate by ~10% (via A/B testing).- Improved product quality and minimized on-site expertise: a) Introduced A/B testing in UI/UX, reducing customer journey time by 10% with low-cost hypothesis testing. b) Created a product manifesto to standardize requirements, raising NPS by 11.7%. c) Bundled North Star Metrics: LTV, chatbot-resolved tickets, payout speed, and document requests, surpassing target outcomes (values ​​higher)

o Increased NPS by 20% (from 43% to 63%), reduced data retrieval time by 30% (from 2 minutes 39 seconds to 1 minute 51 seconds), and decreased errors by 25% in an internal bank data search product using AI solutions:- Coordinated a cross-functional team (backend, frontend, QA, analysts, designers), holding regular meetings to discuss tasks, priorities, and progress, ensuring project goals were met.- Consistently collected user feedback and launched several major releases, raising NPS by 20% and enhancing employee engagement.- Applied best Agile and Scrum practices, organizing workshops and training sessions to boost team performance and cohesion.o Doubled the conversion rate (CR) of the product showcase to 8.14% for a top bank:- Conducted a comprehensive user behavior analysis using tools like heatmaps, engagement metrics, and behavioral segmentation, identifying key pain points with designers and devising solutions.- Managed A/B tests to validate hypotheses and secured approval for interface improvements that increased conversion rates.- Led the product roadmap and strategy, gathering feedback and prioritizing tasks (using RICE, WSJF) to maximize business impact.o Enhanced team performance by up to 20% (CvC, velocity, cycle time, throughput, business value) and increased engagement by 15% in client product factories:- Adapted and implemented Agile practices, creating educational materials and conducting training for Product Owners and tech leads.- Defined requirements for retrospectives and demo presentations, improving team engagement and IT-client alignment.- Introduced control processes to boost discovery and delivery efficiency, including automated A/B testing, design and art reviews, and stage-gate approaches.o Reduced OPEX for product development by up to 15% through organizational and process changes:- Designed target product operational and organizational models.- Developed resource management systems.

Moscow, Moscow City, Russia

o Reduced product implementation delay (plan/actual) from 14 to 2 weeks (85%):- Introduced bi-weekly demos to discuss interim results and additional “wants” with the client.- Digitized security service requirements into a guide for quicker result checks (PO and team leads were not prepared to read the security documentation).- Facilitated joint creation of a result image with the client (HRD), eliminating misunderstandings and disagreements from the start.o Doubled project goal alignment with strategy (from 40% to 95%) by establishing a requirement for project goals at the Bank’s Investment Committee:- Developed and integrated project evaluation standards to ensure the strategic relevance of each initiative and improve portfolio manageability.- Created a methodology for analyzing and tracking key metrics, enabling effective monitoring of project alignment with the bank’s strategy and making timely adjustments.- Reduced project launch time by 33% (from 70 to 45 days) through the introduction of Agile practices, checklists, guides, and training for POs and tech leads:o Implemented Agile methodologies and standardized checklists at each project cycle stage, reducing launch times by one-third.- Conducted training for Product Owners and tech leads on process optimization, improving planning and reducing coordination time.- Designed and introduced step-by-step guides, enhancing team efficiency and ensuring faster task execution without compromising quality.

Early Career Path: o Began my career as a business consultant in strategy and operations at KPMG, evolving into an internal product manager through various transformational projects. This journey exposed me to a wide range of industries and business systems, including Telecom, IT integration, Heavy Industry, Oil Refining, and Power Generation.o Before joining PSB, I helped transform a manufacturing company to adopt a product-driven approach, which made me realize that the next step in my development was moving into a product role within the FinTech industry.

Certified Courses, Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

Vocational Certificate, Report Summarizer / English-Russian Translator, 5.00 (5.00)

Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Automatisation And Management, 4.5 (5.00)