Elena Kulikova Email & Phone Number

Design director with over 13 years of experience in the design field, including 6 years in a leadership role. The combination of experience in working with creativity and digital products enables me to flexibly approach any task. This experience has provided me with an understanding of how to make design business-oriented.Early in my career, I worked as an entrepreneur, overseeing collaborations with freelancers on advertising materials for the Hyundai brand. Now, in my leadership position, I approach my work as my own business, managing stakeholder expectations.My most notable achievements include building an 80-member design department and successfully integrating design culture into the company. I take pride in the specialists I hire and the conditions I create for their development within the organization. Professional designers bring fresh ideas and influence products.During my time at Raiffeisen Bank, I co-led the launch of the brand team, participated in the selection of art directors, chief editors, and researchers. I conducted kick-off sessions to establish the working process of the internal creative agency, adopting a Scrum approach to make the team's work predictable and transparent for the entire organization.I dedicate a significant amount of time to the development of the Russian design community by organizing events and providing a space for knowledge exchange. I initiated several meetups and conceptualized a major design conference in fintech, held for two consecutive years, featuring presentations from industry-leading companies. This has served as a powerful tool for employer branding, attracting top talents.I believe that design is a crucial business tool and creates a competitive advantage. Interface design relies on the brand and works to strengthen it. Therefore, my current focus is on developing synergy between products and the brand.