Leo Popokh, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Carrollton, Tx, Us

Houston, Texas, Us

Led Container Network Functions (CNF) Orchestration innovations within HPE Aruba's Telco Vertical, aligning products and solutions strategies with market trends (Nephio and Linux Foundation) and customer requirements.Directed the design, development, and implementation of a cloud-native, scalable Service Orchestration Platform and 5G slicing solutions for a major telecom operator, utilizing edge cloud technologies (OpenShift and OpenStack) to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction.Led cross-functional teams spanning pre-sales, delivery, solutions, product management, R&D, and marketing, delivering cutting-edge, customer-centric solutions.Fostered strong relationships with key clients and industry stakeholders, enhancing HPE's market position as a trusted provider in AI-driven OSS, 5G automation, and NFV orchestration.Spearheaded the development of advanced 5G automation solutions for Verizon, Telefonica, VIVO, and Spark establishing HPE as a leader in NFV orchestration.Delivered advanced 5G automation solutions to Verizon and Telefonica, positioning HPE as a leader in NFV orchestration, resulting in a 5-year TCV of $19.15M for Verizon.Drove innovations in 5G E2E orchestration, establishing HPE as a preferred vendor, contributing to significant customer contract expansions.

Houston, Texas, Us

Defined and executed the 5G Management and Orchestration (MANO) strategy, partnering with industry leaders and clients to ensure successful outcomes.Delivered as a lead architect Verizon’s ONAP NFV orchestration, integrating over 80 different 4G and 5G network functions, generating $7.6M in first-year revenue.Secured HPE's position as the exclusive orchestration vendor for Shaw Communications, contributing to $12M in revenue.

Houston, Texas, Us

Directed cross-domain collaboration to enhance HPE's telco product portfolio, driving strategic product development for Verizon, Telefonica, VIVO, AT&T, Rogers, and Shaw Communications.Delivered solutions that aligned with ONAP standards, resulting in significant revenue growth and long-term partnerships.Led HPE's strategy for Verizon's ONAP/VSOP Service Orchestration, generating a 5-year TCV of $19.15M, including $5.6M in licenses and support.Achieved $4.55M in revenue through virtual network function (VNF) deployments across Verizon's enterprise, wireless, and wireline segments.

Houston, Texas, Us

Pioneered the deployment of virtual network functions (VNFs/CNFs) at major U.S. service providers, including the first-ever production deployments.Championed HPE's telecom analytics and 5G product portfolio, leading to enhanced customer experiences and operational efficiency for service providers worldwide.Managed high-impact projects, including a $39M Network Operations Center (NOC) deal with Shaw Communications.Implemented a CI/CD and DevOps strategy for Shaw Communications, resulting in significant operational savings and increased customer satisfaction.

Houston, Texas, Us

Domain Architect with Hewlett-Packard CMS/OSS Americas domain with experience in leading industry Solution Architecture methodology for Service Fulfillment, Service Assurance, OSS/BSS integration and overall Resource and Configuration Management.

Houston, Texas, Us

Led joint projects between HP and Telcordia, resulting in the creation of a Worldwide Inventory Management group and a strategic partnership. Contributed to product roadmaps and solutions blueprints, integrating eTOM, NGOSS, and ITIL frameworks into HPE’s Service Management solutions for scalable and practical implementations.• Secured a $3 million contract with AT&T for large government agencies, delivering a secure communications solution (VPN over MPLS) that influenced HPE’s product roadmap and features enhancements.• Established the team and the development of Time Magazine's Digital Media Solution, digitizing the magazine archive and creating a digital library that generated $5 million in revenue and enhanced user engagement for millions of subscribers.

Houston, Texas, Us

Evaluated and contributed to joint HP and Telcordia projects, leading to the creation of a Worldwide Inventory Management group and a partnership between HPE and Telcordia.Actively participated in the Product Roadmaps and Solutions Blueprint, bridging eTOM, NGOSS, and ITIL frameworks into HPE’s Integrated Service Management blueprint for practical, scalable solutions.Secured a $3M contract with AT&T for large government agencies, delivering a secure communications solution (VPN over MPLS) that influenced HP’s product roadmap and feature enhancements.Let the team and the development of Time Magazine's Digital Media Solution, digitizing the magazine archive and creating a digital library that generated $5M in revenue and enhanced user engagement for millions of subscribers.Successfully managed key accounts such as America Moviles, Comcast, and Verizon, showcasing strong customer relationship management and substantial revenue contributions to HP's global portfolio.

Dallas, Tx, Us

Provided strategic guidance and mentorship to SMU's inventors and startups, assisting in technology transfer, commercialization, and go-to-market strategies for university innovations.Collaborated with SMU's Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) to foster corporate and investor partnerships, support research funding opportunities, and enhance the university's commercialization initiatives.Successfully facilitated the establishment of multiple corporate and investor partnerships, enabling SMU’s startups to secure essential funding and resources.Enhanced the utilization of SMU’s research facilities, faculty, and students, driving innovation and discovery across diverse scientific and vocational fields.

Dallas, Tx, Us

Serve as Professor at SMU, delivering a diverse range of courses in Computer Science and Engineering, including:• CS 3339 - Information Assurance and Security.• CS 7359 - Software Security.• ECE 8379/CS 8377 - Fault Tolerant Computing.• CS 7317 - Requirements Engineering.• CS 3330 - Database Concepts.• CS 7315 - Software Project Management and Planning.• ECE 2381/CS 3381 - Digital Computer Logic.

Columbus, Ohio, Us

Developed and implement a multi-year enterprise architecture roadmap aligned with business objectives, leading to a 25% improvement in system interoperability and a 15% reduction in technology redundancy.Established and enforce enterprise-wide architecture standards, frameworks, and governance models, reducing project delivery risks by 20% and improving compliance rates across IT projects by 30%.Introduced and led a system modernization program that decommissioned outdated legacy systems and consolidated overlapping technologies, resulting in $5M in annual cost savings and a 40% improvement in operational efficiency.Successfully led a cloud migration initiative, achieving 80% cloud adoption across core business functions, reducing infrastructure costs by 25%, and enhancing system scalability and resilience for improved service delivery.Designed and implemented a data governance and analytics framework, increasing data accuracy by 30% and enabling real-time insights that contributed to a 15% increase in revenue through data-driven decision-making.

Houston, Texas, Us

Architected and implemented the Shared Infrastructure Utility (SIU) solution, integrating provisioning processes and services to enable shared infrastructure as a service, utilizing a service-oriented architecture approach.Led project management and solution architecture for the deployment of provisioning, performance, and fault management systems in a production environment, ensuring seamless implementation and service delivery at the customer’s site.Designed and developed "One View" Provisioning Portal to provision Ethernet, ATM, TDM, Telemetry, and Video connections in a multi-vendor environment to increase mission creation, performance and effectiveness by 60%.

Herndon, Va, Us

Designed, developed, and engineered automation solutions for Nortel/Architel, collaborating with XO Communications infrastructure and networking teams to streamline service activation for Nortel DMS 250/500 network elements. Delivered digital phone line-side features that reduced service delivery timelines by 40%, accelerating time-to-market for multiple enterprise customers and successfully integrating these features into commercially available products.

Designed and implemented JC Penney’s first data center farm, leading the end-to-end architecture across infrastructure, networking, and software integration to serve all corporate and remote users, JC Penney retail stores, warehouses, and distribution centers. This initiative improved operational efficiency by 30%, reduced system latency by 25%, and provided a scalable platform that supported a 50% increase in transaction volume, significantly enhancing business continuity and customer service capabilities across all locations.

Phd, Computer Science

Master Of Science - Ms, Computer Science

Bachelor’S Degree, System Engineering & Architecture