Taras Rybalko

XPLORUM, AI spinoff venture of Softengi (IT, AI, software)

• Transformed an unstructured internal AI initiative into XPLORUM, defining strategy, governance, and operating model for a product-led venture inside a service-oriented IT organization, positioned for scale and spin-off.
• Repositioned an AI platform into a provider-agnostic foundation with a unified knowledge layer (RAG, LLMs orchestration), enabling three products (bidXplore, salesXplore, solveXplore) and rapid expansion into adjacent domains.
• Drove execution speed, reducing MVP cycles from months to weeks through rapid prototyping and “vibe-coding” practices.
• Enabled group-wide commercialization, embedding the platform into BU client offerings to accelerate AI adoption and revenue under board-level oversight.

• Defined OpCo-level strategy, leading digital transformation and strategic initiatives, contributing to double-digit revenue growth and 50%+ EBITDA.
• Achieved $70–$100M in shareholder value through a passive infrastructure spin-off program.
• Expanded digital asset user base 2X to 3.5M (35% penetration) through local digital strategy implementation.
• Secured $160M in new business revenue (FinTech, MediaTech, BigData) with 40% CAGR YoY, driving profitability from ‑15% to positive single-digit within three years.

• Led group CVM & base management reporting to the Group CVM director, managing a $25M OPEX and $18M CAPEX budget, 30+ global CVM experts, 20 Eurasia hub specialists, and three contractor teams across 12 markets; achieved positive ROI 1.5 years ahead of plan.
• Designed and executed a digital CVM strategy (customer profiling, next-best offer/action, real-time personalization), integrating TVE, FMC, content, and third-party propositions, delivering a 10pp customer satisfaction uplift and just-for-you real-time campaigns.
• Built and scaled standardized CVM capabilities by introducing a global CVM tool via tendering, deploying advanced data-modeling libraries, and running benchmarking, performance management, and global best-practice forums.
• Drove material revenue and retention impact by creating and scaling the Eurasia CVM hub, growing CVM revenue contribution from 1.2% to 6–8% (35%+ CAGR), delivering 12 consecutive quarters of QoQ growth, and reducing annualized churn to below 20% in the flagship prepaid market.

• Led business & customer intelligence reporting to the CSO, owning operational business reviews, commercial budgeting, forecasting, and end-to-end reporting and analytics; managed 10 analysts and planners, 15 BI/IT stakeholders, and a double-digit million-dollar OPEX budget with disciplined performance monitoring.
• Strengthened CEO, board, and HQ decision-making by streamlining quarterly board reporting and ad-hoc executive analysis, supporting budget reviews, KPI approvals, and investment funding; achieved 8.5+/10 executive satisfaction and formal CEO recognition for safeguarding budget and investment discipline.
• Designed and secured board approval for a $5.6M CAPEX iCLTV program, enabling contextual marketing within 12 months and forecasting $20M incremental revenue over a three-year payback, supported by a detailed roadmap and organizational design.
• Protected a 40% EBITDA margin, remained 15% under CAPEX budget, enabled continued YoY EBITDA growth, and supported brand repositioning and growth identification through 100+ market and consumer research studies managed with a $1.5M research budget.