Partner, COO, MD - Trade Finance & Payments Infrastructure
FinTech · MENA / CIS · Russia · Dubai, UAE
Total compensation band $260K+. The figure is the member's band, not an offer.
This executive is a senior operating partner with over 19 years building and scaling investment, technology, and cross-border trade businesses across the GCC, India, and Russia. Experience spans founding trade-finance and payments infrastructure handling over $1.5B in volume, representing principal shareholders of a major Gulf conglomerate, and raising over $70M for energy-technology ventures at a state innovation foundation. This leader is comfortable operating under uncertainty, building complex operations from zero, and working directly with shareholders, C-level executives, and government ministries across multiple jurisdictions.
Achievements
- Built a cross-border trade-finance and payments infrastructure handling $1.5B+ since 2023, ranking among the top three clients for rupee operations at two major Russian banks
- Represented the principal shareholder of one of the Gulf's largest privately held groups in Russia, leading an orderly asset exit with no reputational or financial loss amid rising sanctions risk
- Founded and led the Skolkovo Oil & Gas Technology Centre, raising $70M+ in investment and building a 50-company resident portfolio with partnerships including BP, Chevron, and Gazprom Neft
- Launched AI-based industrial IoT sales from scratch across the Middle East and India, closing $7.5M+ in contracts with Saudi Aramco, Coal India, and Indian Railways
- Set up a joint PMO with McKinsey under the Russian Presidential Commission for Economic Modernization, delivering RUB 3B in co-generation investment and cutting public-institution energy consumption by 20%
Skills
- Trade Finance
- Private Equity
- Deal Structuring
- Due Diligence
- Stakeholder Management
- Crisis Management
- Market Entry Strategy
- Cross-border Payments
- AML
- Strategic Partnerships
- Government, Public Sector
- Growth Strategy
- Russia-India-Middle East trilateral trade and payments structuring
- Sanctions-era shareholder exit management
Looking for
- Operating Partner
- Managing Director, Trade Finance & Payments
- Shareholder Representative / Board Advisor
Experience
- Partner, Brokerage, International Trade and Finance — Alpine Peak Commercial Brokers Jun 2022 - Present
Designed and manages trade-finance and payments infrastructure across UAE, Hong Kong, and India handling $1.5B+ since 2023, including compliance, counterparty risk, and CFO-level banking relationships.
- Partner, Shareholder Representative in Russia — Kanoo Venture Apr 2020 - Sept 2022
Represented the principal shareholder of the Kanoo Group in Russia, led portfolio projects and export-import operations up to $50M/month, and managed an orderly exit from Russian assets amid rising sanctions risk.
- CEO, Russian Business — TripFactory.com Apr 2020 - May 2022
Built a Kanoo-backed tour operator's Russian operations and technology from scratch, obtained the local tour-operator licence, and grew the partner network to 2,000+ travel agencies.
- Head of Middle East & India Business — Zyfra, Renova Group Mar 2017 - Apr 2020
Launched international sales of AI-based industrial IoT solutions from scratch across the Middle East and India, closing $7.5M+ in contracts and leading government relations to secure project budgets.
- Director, International Development / Technology Entrepreneurship Development — Skolkovo Foundation Apr 2011 - Jun 2016
Founded and led the Oil & Gas Technology Centre, raising $70M+ in investment, building a 50-company resident portfolio, and launching a mentorship programme with 500+ business leaders.
- Investment and Finance Expert, Energy Efficiency Working Group PMO — Presidential Commission for Economic Modernization Jan 2009 - Apr 2011
Helped establish and run the Commission's PMO jointly with McKinsey, coordinating federal and regional energy-efficiency initiatives and delivering RUB 3B in co-generation investment projects.
- Investment Analyst / CFO of Portfolio Companies — Vostok Nafta Investment Ltd. Jun 2007 - Jan 2009
Analyzed early-stage investments including Avito.ru and Tinkoff Bank for a $4B-cap Swedish fund, and served as Deputy CFO at Black Earth Farming, coordinating IFRS audits across 20 subsidiaries.
Languages
- English (C1)
- Russian (C2)
Anonymous until this leader says yes. No name, no photo, no contact details. An introduction is sent only after they accept.
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