Русская версия

SERGEY
ZHURAVSKIY

Operations Director. Executive Mentor

Banking | FinTech | Banking-as-a-Service

LinkedIn
Contact
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EXPERTISE

Operational Efficeincy

From building operations from scratch to transitioning to Zero Operations. Standardizing, optimizing, and automating processes.

Crisis Management

Guiding teams and businesses through crises. Stabilizing processes under tight budgets and short deadlines.

Distressed Assets

Fraud prevention. Building strategy and processes for the full cycle of debt collections, insolvencies, restructuring, and NPL Sales.

Business Transformation

Re-engineering operations and implementing new IT platforms. Handling customers migrations from partner banks, product launches, setting up service centers, and expanding into new markets.

Talent Development

Mentoring for career growth and leadership development. Advisory and brainstorming with executives to bring a fresh perspective on strategy, product, and operations. Delivering workshops for teams and lectures at the university.

APPROACH

Zero Operations

Aiming for full automation of operational processes to reduce the need for human intervention to nearly zero.

Learn more
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Secret Cyborgs

Navigating work and leadership in the age of AI for professionals and teams.

Discover Approach

Contextual Mentorship

Sharing knowledge and the "unwritten rules" not through templates, but in the moment, inside the real work context.

Contact

PROJECTS

#1
Bank, a leading European Banking-as-a-Service provider, Berlin
Role: Director Banking Operations | Full-Time
Situation: B2B2X model, 80 partners, 3M clients in the EU. Required: transform operations, prepare for migration of 1M credit cards from a partner bank, and launch distressed assets management. Tight budgets, short deadlines, constant change.
What was done:
Transformed the operating architecture of 300 processes into Zero Operations.
Set up a Flash Teams-based project office.
Built a Zero Operations collections function with 90% automation and 2 FTEs.
30%
cost reduction
x3
capacity of the team
#2
Startup (consulting / FinTech), London
Role: Advisor, Fractional COO | Part-Time
Situation: Early-stage consulting startup.
Strong AI and Big Data expertise, but no product, strategy, or clients.
What was done:
Built product, operations, and marketing strategies, plus core frameworks.
Shared hands-on experience with banks: their needs, pain points, and how decisions are made.
Assembled the team and supported the first sales with hands-on expertise.
2
months time-to-market
3
pilot projects
#3
Executive Career Mentorship, Berlin
Role: Executive Mentor
Situation: A professional has hit a ceiling. Their current role no longer offers new challenges, but the next step isn’t clear. The request: "I don’t know where to go next."
What was done:
Applied structured problem solving to frame the challenge and and break it down into key drivers.
Tested hypotheses, then built a sustainable career strategy and a personal brand roadmap.
Crafted a negotiation approach with leadership to create a new function, which the individual went on to head.
5
coffee meetings
12
weeks from “I don’t know where
to go” to starting a new role

BACKGROUND

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Operations Director in Banking, FinTech, and Banking-as-a-Service with 15 years of experience building processes and teams across the EU, Russia, India, and Mexico.

Education & Certifications:
- MBA in Banking Management (RANEPA)
- Crisis Management (MESI)
- AI-Driven Leadership (Stanford)
- Agile Coach (Wemanity)
‍
‍Languages: English (C2), German (C1), Spanish (B2), Russian (native)

More details on LinkedIn

APPEARANCES