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Mitya Frikh-Khar

Product Leader | B2B/B2C SaaS | Building Discovery, Alignment & Delivery Systems

Mitya Frikh-Khar
Berlin, Germany

Experience

Oct 2024 - Present
1 year 5 months

Chief Product Officer

SHC Group

  • Defined product strategy for healthcare identity management: B2B platform expansion, compliance foundation for future audits, and expansion into new practitioner segments

  • Assessed payment platform viability through customer interviews—evidence showed customers needed 7 distinct solutions, not one platform

  • Took on CTO role after departure—established predictable development process, achieved 80%+ delivery predictability

  • Built structured product function: assessed capabilities, enabled scaling, hired Senior PMs, defined Product and Product Development responsibilities across organization (resolved conflicting interpretations)

  • Built product operating system: outcome roadmaps, discovery/validation processes, data-driven decisions—shifted team to strategic planning

  • Enabled transparent growth paths: created career frameworks across Product, Customer Success, and Engineering

  • Planned loss → profit, 19% revenue growth

  • 70% interruption reduction

  • 80%+ delivery predictability

  • Velocity +100-150%

  • Developer satisfaction 75-80%

  • Cross-functional alignment across Product/Engineering/Sales/Marketing/CS

May 2023 - Jul 2024
1 year 3 months

Principal Product Manager

socialPALS GmbH

  • Defined product vision and strategy: positioned socialPALS as "local campaign automation platform"; segmented customers and value propositions—enabled focused development

  • Pivoted platform from customization to template-first self-service based on customer discovery; reduced campaign setup from 8h to 2h

  • Defined upgrade path for all customer segments—eliminated need for dedicated product builds

  • Prevented CRM build inside platform—justified buying existing solution, saved months of development, refocused engineering on core platform

  • Established discovery practices (customer interviews, usability testing, prototype validation)

  • Shifted development culture from requirements to engineers participating in problem-solving

  • Established Metabase analytics, trained cross-functional teams for data-driven decisions

  • First vision/strategy in company history

  • Campaign setup reduced from 8h to 2h

  • Self-service eliminated support bottleneck

  • Saved months CRM development

  • Data-driven culture

Jan 2021 - Apr 2023
2 years 4 months

Senior → Principal Product Manager

kfzteile24 GmbH

  • Identified search as strategic leverage point (35% abandonment); user research revealed terminology mismatches; validated through prototypes and A/B tests: +15% search-to-find, +4.5% add-to-cart, -15% returns

  • Delivered Customer Data Hub 4 months early—centralized data from 3 systems, fraud reduced to near-zero

  • Co-created B2B Plus product vision, loyalty program, and business model; introduced unit economics framework and defined car lift as counting unit

  • Led 3-PM e-commerce group (catalog & search, checkout, mobile) establishing validation-first culture: introduced customer discovery requirements, prototype testing, evidence-based prioritization, and shared planning across all teams

  • Transformed cross-team collaboration from post-launch reviews to joint planning and ongoing alignment—Product/Engineering/Marketing/CS working toward shared outcomes

  • +15% search-to-find, +4.5% add-to-cart

  • -15% return rate

  • Customer Data Hub delivered 4 months early

  • B2B Plus vision and business model defined

Jun 2019 - Mar 2020
10 months

Director of Products

jCat

  • Identified UI complexity as growth constraint: customers confused by individual board choices; redesigned to tiered model (Basic-Pro-Premium) based on willingness-to-pay research: +17% conversions, +30% ARPU

  • Transformed two core services into main revenue drivers (combined 70% of company revenue): recruiting SaaS and real estate SaaS

  • Justified self-service tier management tool—enabled live pricing and functionality optimization across segments and regions without development

  • Established continuous discovery practices: customer interviews, data analytics, collaboration with customer support and account management

  • Established predictable delivery processes, outcome-oriented planning

  • Transformed company from service to product-led mindset (sustained after departure)

  • +17% conversions

  • +30% ARPU

  • Two products = 70% of company revenue

Mar 2018 - Jul 2019
1 year 5 months

Senior Product Manager

softgarden e-recruiting GmbH

  • Launched Referral Manager (new SaaS module), validated through customer interviews, pivoted from dashboards to "refer simply, track progress"; became 15% of SaaS revenue

  • Launched new version of the mobile app based on customer research and prototype testing—focused on core recruiter workflows: +40% usage, -30% time-to-hire

  • Established discovery and validation practices: continuous customer interviews, prototype testing, validation before development

  • Partnered with Head of Product to establish outcome orientation, continuous discovery, and predictable delivery—these practices became the foundation for product discipline

  • Established predictable delivery processes and documentation standards; developer satisfaction improved from "so-so" to 8/10 across both teams

  • Referral Manager: 15% of SaaS revenue

  • Mobile app: +40% usage, -30% time-to-hire

  • Developer satisfaction: so-so → 8/10

Jun 2016 - Mar 2018
1 year 10 months

Director of Products

jCat

  • Identified UI complexity as growth constraint: customers confused by individual board choices; redesigned to tiered model (Basic-Pro-Premium) based on willingness-to-pay research: +17% conversions, +30% ARPU

  • Transformed two core services into main revenue drivers (combined 70% of company revenue): recruiting SaaS and real estate SaaS

  • Justified self-service tier management tool—enabled live pricing and functionality optimization across segments and regions without development

  • Established continuous discovery practices: customer interviews, data analytics, collaboration with customer support and account management

  • Established predictable delivery processes, outcome-oriented planning

  • Transformed company from service to product-led mindset (sustained after departure)

  • +17% conversions

  • +30% ARPU

  • Two products = 70% of company revenue

Jan 2012 - Nov 2015
3 years 11 months

Founder, CRM (B2B SaaS)

Self-funded and operated

  • Conducted full validation lifecycle: two initial concepts failed; pivoted to CRM for car repair shops

  • Validated CRM concept—30 repair shops signed up as first customers

  • Partnered with major spare parts distributor, evolved CRM to include integrated spare parts ordering—simplified end-to-end repair process

  • Business model validated through partnerships and revenue—sold to strategic partner

  • Multiple evidence-based pivots

  • 0 → 30 partnerships → profitable business model → sold to strategic partner

  • Team growth: 0 → 4 people

Jan 2010 - Dec 2011
2 years

Chief Project Officer

RBC SOFT

  • Hired as project manager, promoted to Business Partner in 6 months
  • Led 4 project managers and co-led 4 designers
  • Improved business marginality to 60% and increased annual sales by 30%
Jan 2007 - Dec 2009
3 years

COO

Premium Engineering

  • Coordinated 140 people across 6 departments in 3 regions
  • Implemented MS Dynamics NAV and built internal project management system
  • Created cross-department KPIs to align performance
Jan 2007 - Dec 2007
1 year

Head of Design/Engineering

auto.ru

  • Led 7-person team; shifted team from ticket-trackers to outcome owners
  • Established discovery-validation-delivery loop
  • Contributed to platform growth before its sale to Yandex in 2014 for $175M

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Information Technology (15.5 years), Automotive (7 years), Manufacturing (3 years), Retail (2.5 years), Real Estate (2.5 years), and Healthcare (1.5 years).

Information Technology
Automotive
Manufacturing
Retail
Real Estate
Healthcare

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Product Development (13.5 years), Information Technology (5 years), Operations (5 years), Project Management (5 years), Procurement (4 years), and Sales (4 years).

Product Development
Information Technology
Operations
Project Management
Procurement
Sales

Summary

I build product functions that identify high-impact opportunities and deliver them predictably— enabling growth-stage companies to scale with confidence. I help teams discover what customers actually need, align cross-functionally on outcomes, and ship with sustainable rhythm. 20+ years building B2B and B2C SaaS products across healthcare, e-commerce, HR-tech, and marketplaces. Product Leader and founder across multiple companies—leading product, design, and engineering teams; hired and developed product managers, designers, and engineers. Computer science background.

Languages

German
Native
English
Advanced

Education

Sep 1999 - Jun 2005

Moscow State University of Radio-Engineering Electronics and Automation

Diploma · Computer Software and Automated Systems · Moscow, Russian Federation

Profile

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Mitya based?

Mitya is based in Berlin, Germany.

What languages does Mitya speak?

Mitya speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Mitya have?

Mitya has at least 17 years of experience. During this time, Mitya has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 9 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 9 months. Note that Mitya may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Mitya be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Mitya would be well-suited for roles such as: Chief Product Officer, Principal Product Manager, Senior → Principal Product Manager.

What is Mitya's latest experience?

Mitya's most recent position is Chief Product Officer at SHC Group.

What companies has Mitya worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Mitya has worked for SHC Group, socialPALS GmbH, and kfzteile24 GmbH.

Which industries is Mitya most experienced in?

Mitya is most experienced in industries like Information Technology (IT), Automotive, and Manufacturing. Mitya also has some experience in Real Estate, Retail, and Healthcare.

Which business areas is Mitya most experienced in?

Mitya is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Information Technology (IT), and Operations. Mitya also has some experience in Project Management, Procurement and Purchasing, and Sales.

Which industries has Mitya worked in recently?

Mitya has recently worked in industries like Information Technology (IT), Automotive, and Retail.

Which business areas has Mitya worked in recently?

Mitya has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Marketing, and Information Technology (IT).

What is Mitya's education?

Mitya holds a Bachelor in Computer Software and Automated Systems from Moscow State University of Radio-Engineering Electronics and Automation.

What is the availability of Mitya?

Mitya will be available from May 2026.

What is the rate of Mitya?

Mitya's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.

How to hire Mitya?

To hire Mitya, click the Meet button on the profile to request a meeting and discuss your project needs.

Average rates for similar positions

Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.

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Market avg: 890-1050 €
The rates shown represent the typical market range for freelancers in this position based on recent contracts on our platform.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.