Pavel Popov
IT & FinTech Advisor · AI Expert
Tashkent, Uzbekistan / Remote
About Me
25 years in IT across Russia and Central Asia. Started as a developer, grew to CIO of major banks. Went all the way from writing code to managing IT strategy at board level.
Founded and built AI practices in several organisations. Was implementing machine learning when it was still called data mining. Today I work with modern LLMs, build speech analytics and automate processes for banks, telecom operators and government organisations across CA.
Independent advisor since 2022. I work at the intersection of strategy and execution — helping not just to design, but to deliver. I know the CA market from the inside: sector-specific regulations, technology landscape, hiring specifics and culture.
Areas of Expertise
IT Strategy
- IT audit & diagnostics
- IT strategy development
- Transformation roadmap
- IT governance
- Vendor management
AI & ML
- Machine Learning scoring
- Speech Analytics (ASR/NLP)
- LLM integrations
- Anti-fraud systems
- AI-driven development
FinTech Delivery
- DWH / BI for banks
- Digital & mobile banking
- RegTech & DWH
- Payment integrations
- Turnkey teams
Work Experience
Independent IT & FinTech Advisor
АКБ «Туронбанк»
Strategic consulting on AI, digital transformation, and IT strategy for banks and fintech companies across Central Asia. Focus on markets of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
CTO / Director of AI and Anti-fraud, Banks Soft Systems
ООО «U-BSSYS»
Led AI and anti-fraud directions for a FinTech company. Built products and teams for banks across the CIS region.
CEO, IT Company (subsidiary of a Top-5 bank)
ООО «ПСБ-Лаб»
Built an IT company from scratch: 120-person team, AI practice, sales structure. 3B+ RUB project portfolio. Stake sold to a strategic investor.
CDO / Head of FinTech Practice, Bell Integrator
Bell Integrator
Developed fintech and DWH/BI practices at a large IT integrator serving companies with $100M+ in revenue. +$8M in FinTech revenue in 2 years.
CIO, National Bank of Uzbekistan
Бэнкс Софт Системс
Led full digital transformation of one of the largest state banks. Built 4 cross-functional IT teams, launched AI practice, managed $25M+ budget.
Head of Speech Technologies Practice
Крупнейшие IT-интеграторы РФ
Built a speech tech practice from scratch at a leading CA IT integrator. Achieved market leadership in 6 months. +$3M revenue, 10x year-over-year.
Education
until 2005
Specialist — Physics Faculty
Lomonosov Moscow State University
until 2007
Postgraduate Studies
MGUPI
Courses
2024 · Skolkovo
Advanced Negotiations
2017 · HSE
Blockchain for Business
2016 · IT-Expert
PMP, Project Management, ITIL Foundation
2014 · HSE
NLP in Business
Languages
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