Ekaterina Yankova

UK-educated marketer with diverse experience in pharma, public sector, and finance, coupled with expertise in emerging tech research and technical writing. Insatiably curious, thirsty for knowledge, and eager to learn through practical experience. Strong collaborator and problem-solver, leveraging diverse set of skills to deliver results to stakeholders. Chartered Marketer (UK). Eligible to work in Canada. 

SBERBANK  | 06/2021 - 03/2023                                                                                                                  Moscow, Russia                                                                              

Project Manager – AI/ML Department (Sber AI)

Russia’s largest bank transformed into a leading technology player and AI pioneer, Fortune 500 Rank: 270 (2022)

Reported to Managing Director, Methodology and Popularisation of AI. 

• Produced data-driven analytical materials and engaging presentations on emerging startups, market forecasts, industry trends, and state-of-the-art AI algorithms for C-level executives.
• Conceptualized and coordinated the AI Journey Science 2022 academic conference in collaboration with national AI Centers, which garnered over 55M live views from 180+ countries and featured 150+ speakers.
• Managed program, speaker and website for AI Journey 2021, Russia's largest and only AI event attended by the President of Russia, with 50M+ live views from 75 countries; secured 250+ industry speakers, including Tom Gruber and CIFAR’s AI Chair Marc-Antoine Dilhac; received Appreciation Award from First Deputy Chairman of the Board.
• Co-led the development of the Sber’s first Social AI Research center's strategic roadmap and operational plan, which has guided the center's activities and pilot projects since its launch in 2021.
• Developed educational curriculum for AI startups with Silicon-Valley based 500 Global VC for Sber500 accelerator.
• Executed 20+ events for Sber’s internal AI community per annum, including hackathons, workshops, and speaker series, attended by an average of 150 members each.
• Revamped the centralized AI modeling process throughout all groups across the bank, resulting in significant improvements in efficiency and a reduction in the time required for model deployment.
• Led the methodological development of a 10k-question benchmark in collaboration with AI researchers to evaluate Sber's ChatGPT analog, resulting in a significant improvement in its accuracy.

Tools used: ARIS BPA, Microsoft Visio, CMS systems, Confluence

IT DEPARTMENT OF MOSCOW GOVERNMENT │06/2018 -  06/2021                                                      Moscow, Russia 
Digital Marketer / Research Analyst / Lead Research Analyst 

Executive authority, responsible for Moscow's IT infrastructure and the execution of the "Smart Moscow 2030" strategy                                                                                                  

Reported to Head of Department for Digital Technology Popularization.

• Joined as a digital marketer during the MVP stage of ICT.Moscow, a media platform on Moscow's tech and startups,   led the brand's digital strategy and execution, including defining the target audience, establishing the brand's positioning, selecting appropriate digital channels, and crafting messaging for each channel to shape the brand's digital presence from the ground up.
• Achieved explosive growth of daily unique visitors from 0 to 3,000 in under 12 months using targeted SEO campaigns. Grew 4 social media communities to 20k+ followers, including Facebook and Twitter.
• Developed and delivered a weekly digital marketing dashboard in PowerBI for executives, providing key metrics and insights to enable data-driven decision-making and optimized marketing strategies.
• Within 12 months, the platform entered the top 20 most cited technology publications in Russia, later earned multiple local awards and was shortlisted for the Media category of the 2021 UN’s WSIS award.
• Produced weekly email newsletters, targeting 60K Moscow-based businesses, highlighting available city resources.
• Acknowledged for strong research and analytical skills, coupled with a deep curiosity about technology, transitioned to Research Analyst and was subsequently promoted to Lead Research Analyst.
• Led cross-functional team (analysts, UX/UI, graphic designers, web developers) to develop all-in-one online knowledge bases on emerging tech (AI, IoT, 5G, AR/VR, blockchain) with relevant news, analytics, startups, and verified use cases. Reduced tech bases' time-to-launch from 3 to 1.5 months by introducing process enhancements. 
• Developed 2 junior analysts into proficient analysts and contributors to knowledge base expansion and maintenance.
• Conducted a global analysis of 5G use cases and research labs, covering 300+ cases and 120+ labs worldwide, providing valuable insights that informed the launch and strategic direction of Moscow's first 5G research lab. Proposed and prioritized a range of 5G pilot projects, City ultimately chose to implement all recommended projects.
• Advised Moscow Mayor's team on global G2B portal trends, informing the online service strategy for businesses.
• Created a digital database of 2500+ tech solutions by Moscow startups, gaining expertise in the city's startup ecosystem; identified promising startups for potential partnerships with the City.
• Collaborated with 27 government agencies to collect, analyze, and visualize data on 100+ smart city indicators for 
  a joint study by Moscow and ITU, recognized by the smart city community for actionable insights.

Tools used: Google Analytics & Adwords, Trello, Jira, Confluence, Miro, PowerBI, Tableau, CMS systems, MailChimp

JOHNSON & JOHNSON │ 03/2014 to 07/2017                                                                                            Moscow, Russia                                                      

Marketing Coordinator – Diabetes Care Companies –  OneTouch® 

Reported to Marketing Director, Russia & CIS and assisted in implementing integrated multichannel marketing strategy for OneTouch, a self-monitoring blood glucose brand. Managed $750K CAD budget.

• Managed copy clearance and production for 120+ marketing and sales materials annually, the highest in EMEA.
• Received J&J Bronze Award 2017 for a digital campaign that featured actual diabetes patients as brand ambassadors, sharing their experiences to create an authentic emotional connection with consumers.
• Executed multiple in-store retail activations nationwide, from business case development to post-campaign analysis. Piloted e-commerce category management initiatives with key retailers, resulting in a 58% increase in meter sales.
• Served on a team that launched the brand's loyalty program, resulting in 60k new customers in the first year.
• Led packaging development for high-priority launches, delivering 100+ artworks on-time/budget as part of the global NPD team. Managed a short-notice adaptation of packaging to comply with regulatory changes within a tight timeline of 2 months instead of the standard 12 months, ensuring uninterrupted supply chain continuity.
• Facilitated the organization of Russia's largest-ever diabetes screening initiative with over 600k individuals screened.
• Orchestrated a strategy customer acquisition initiative that offered free meter trial kits; within 3 months,  generated 13% of all test strip sales; daily testing frequency rates of kit recipients tripled. Designed educational kits for children with key opinion leaders, resulting in a 49% increase in kit orders and a 6% increase in HCP’s' brand preference.
• Earned Certificate of Merit from Russia's top patient association for organizing an authentic summer camp with a dedicated medical team, improving the quality of life of low-income children with diabetes.
• Identified the most effective marketing channels and optimized marketing spend using marketing mix modeling and ROI analysis, resulting in a 25% increase in marketing ROI.

Tools used: Salesforce, ZincMaps, IMS Health, artwork management software

PUBLICIS GROUPE │ 11/2013 – 01/2014                                                                                                    Moscow, Russia

Account Executive Intern - Renault

THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF MARKETING (CIM) | 2020                                                      London, United Kingdom

Professional Diploma in Marketing, Driving Innovation, Pass with Merit

REGENT’S UNIVERSITY LONDON | 2013                                                                                      London, United Kingdom 

Bachelor of Arts in Global Business and Design Management, 2:1

Languages: English – Advanced | French – Intermediate 

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES

• Chartered Marketer designation, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK (2022)
• Certificate in Digital Strategy & Tools, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK (2017)
• Currently studying to take the PMP exam (expected in June 2023)