Aleksey Chekanov

Led IT of the organization through a period of high uncertainty without loss of productivity and amount of delivery. Ensured infrastructure and IT systems stability and security under extreme operational conditions, maintaining full business continuity. Redesigned the organizational structure by introducing product-oriented horizontal domains (e.g., unified billing, Search & Recommendation, CRM), aligning tech teams with strategic business goals. Drove a company-wide AI transformation, embedding AI into software development, internal tooling, and business process automation -reducing cost and manual workload. Increased overall engineering efficiency by 20–30% through process optimization, automation, and improved delivery discipline.

Scaled the IT organization from 20 to over 350 people, building a flexible and resilient structure, robust development processes, and a strong engineering culture ready to face any challenge. Turned IT into a driver of business growth, helping CIAN evolve from a local startup into a nationwide market leader with over 20 million monthly users. Laid down a solid technological foundation by adopting a microservices architecture in a cloud infrastructure. I initiated the implementation of ML/AI solutions to automate key business processes, which significantly improved efficiency and reduced operational costs by 50%. Successfully integrated a number of acquired companies (M&A), aligning teams and products without sacrificing efficiency. This ensured synergy and a unified focus during periods of business expansion. Brought IT of the company to IPO readiness and supported its successful listing on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Moscow Exchange, where CIAN reached unicorn status with a valuation exceeding $1 billion. Developed moderation and anti-fraud systems (trust & safety) that increased user trust and protected the platform from abuse. As a result, CIAN became the leader in content quality and relevance, outperforming competitors with lower resource usage. Ensured business continuity and security by advancing information security systems and establishing disaster recovery plans. I fostered synergy between InfoSec and IT teams and raised awareness of security issues among engineering teams. Promote autonomy and initiative within teams and support professional growth through trust-based leadership and a democratic management style. I built a culture of mentorship and open horizontal communication. I believe in growing people through delegation of responsibility rather than rigid control.

Led multiple full-stack engineering and QA teams (20+ people), ensuring consistent delivery practices and on-time releases across major digital platforms: dmir.ru, realty.dmir.ru, auto.dmir.ru, zarplata.ru, partner.dmir.ru. Optimized SDLC processes by introducing structured release cycles, peer code reviews, and regression testing — which improved deployment stability and reduced user-reported bugs by 30%. Implemented DevOps workflows and real-time monitoring, achieving 99.9% uptime across all services hosted on in-house infrastructure (prior to cloud migration). Participated in designing scalable modular architectures for high-load systems serving over 5 million monthly users. Managed annual and project-based IT budgeting, covering infrastructure, licensing, and travel expenses, while keeping within CAPEX and OPEX targets under growing operational load. Collaborated closely with Product and Project Managers, developing strategic roadmaps and backlog prioritization, contributing to sustainable user base growth and revenue expansion across platforms.

Led a team of developers and contributed to the full-cycle development of the company’s web platforms. Built and maintained high-performance web applications.

Led the development of a software suite for issuing and tracking identification labels for audio/video media products. Managed a cross-functional team of software engineers and system specialists, supporting distributed office infrastructure across multiple locations.

Designed, developed, and maintained the company’s web platforms.