Elevate Your Brand. Showcase Your Innovation

Metro 2.0 is a strategic initiative by METRO to transform its offline retail strengths—such as personalized recommendations, volume-based discounts (BMPL), and social proof—into a successful online business model. This digital transformation enhances the data-driven approach with AL/ML learning & AB testing improves customer experience, increases sales, and strengthens brand loyalty.

Results:
-A 4.17% increase in purchases and 3.02% higher revenue among new users exposed to private label brands recommendations.

BMPL Impact:
-1.65% increase in average order size;
-3.81% growth in purchase volume.

2.5% more purchases and 3.58% higher ARPU (average revenue per user) with social proof tactics.
10% less churn.

First-Impression Advantage: New users unfamiliar with METRO’s assortment discovered own brands organically, reducing reliance on external marketing.
Higher Margins: Private label & BMPL products typically yield better profitability than third-party brands.
Trust Over Information: Prioritized peer validation (reviews) over technical details, aligning with how users make decision.

Metro 2.0 is a digital transformation initiative that bridges METRO’s offline strengths—private label appeal, bulk discounts (BMPL), and trust-building—into online retail:
+4.17% Metro brand sales lift among new users
+1.65% larger baskets via BMPL
+3.58% ARPU growth
Key innovations include cross-category discovery, volume-based discounts, and social proofs. The results highlight METRO’s ability to digitize wholesale advantages while enhancing margins and loyalty.

I am a Technology Strategist. One of my clients was a big retail chain with a large volume of online sales. They had a huge volume of customer transaction data and wanted to use it to improve the quality of product supply forecasting. My task was to analyze the client’s business needs and current state and then prepare and implement an innovative strategy to achieve the goals.

With over a decade of experience in international trade marketing, product launches, and marketplace strategy, Katerina Lychak stands out as a visionary e-commerce consultant who combines strategic thinking with hands-on marketplace expertise. Her work bridges global standards with local relevance — a skill that has been especially impactful in Armenia’s rapidly evolving digital commerce sector.

Katerina has played a pivotal role in helping both emerging and established Armenian companies thrive in the online economy. As a business development consultant, she has guided brands like Telcell Market, Elassi, Reyma, and Arcada through every step of their e-commerce journey — from positioning and product range strategy to performance marketing and customer experience enhancement. Her nuanced understanding of marketplace dynamics, particularly on platforms like OZON and OZON Global, enables her to elevate listings and drive measurable growth for her clients.

Beyond technical expertise, Katerina is recognized for her ability to see the full picture. She integrates digital marketing with customer-centric design, optimizing every touchpoint to boost KPIs such as conversion rates, cart value, and repeat purchase frequency. Her multilingual skills and international background make her an ideal connector between cultures, markets, and platforms.

Katerina’s impact goes beyond consulting. She actively supports the development of Armenia’s digital ecosystem by mentoring, speaking, and participating in professional juries, including the Armenia Digital Awards. Her message to entrepreneurs and marketers is clear: “If your project is solving real problems and creating new possibilities, this is your time to shine.”

This nomination honors Katerina Lychak not only for her track record of tangible results but also for her forward-thinking approach and dedication to empowering brands across borders. Her work exemplifies what it means to be a true e-commerce consultant in today’s digital-first economy.

Over the past three years, I have made a significant impact in digital marketing, personal branding, and content creation, helping creators and business owners build strong digital presences. My expertise has been recognized internationally, leading to jury positions at prestigious awards, including ECDMA Global Awards and Armenia Digital Awards.

I have worked with many successful creators and entrepreneurs, including Angela Pearl, a well-known international celebrity, global awards winner “WIBA AWARDS”^ frequent guest at events like the Cannes Film Festival. I contributed to the development of her personal brand on the international market, enhancing her visibility and positioning.

Beyond individual collaborations, I am a member of professional marketing associations and guilds in Russia (“Guild of Marketers” and “RASO”), where experts are selected based on their industry contributions. My work spans across personal branding, social media marketing, and content strategy, impacting thousands of professionals and businesses.

My book, “How to Become a Content Creator and Build a Personal Brand”, became a #1 Amazon bestseller in Global Marketing and E-Commerce, further solidifying my authority in the field. Through my blog, I have built an engaged audience of over 11,000 followers, sharing insights on branding, content marketing, and social media strategies. My marketing campaigns have reached millions, driving engagement and business growth for my clients and collaborations.

My transition from architecture and teaching architectural design to content creation began in 2016 when I started collaborating with hotels as a content and UGC creator and social media manager.
What’s truly interesting is how my architectural background has become an unexpected (even for me) advantage in content creation. I apply fundamental design principles — composition, spatial awareness, and color theory—to create visually sophisticated content that resonates with audiences.

This unique perspective has led to amazing partnerships with over 32 hotels across 15 countries from 2017 (14 for the last 3 years), where I’ve curated content strategies that drive engagement and deliver measurable results in social media traffic and audience growth.
These successes opened doors to collaborations with global brands like Lancôme, Penhaligon’s, Huawei, Lenovo, Yves Rocher, NYX, Milka, Nutella, Purina One, Pfizer, Sony, and many others. Since 2018, I’ve also expanded my impact by developing comprehensive courses on brand collaboration and hotel partnerships. As a mentor to over 1,000 students who now work with industry leaders like Vogue, Four Seasons, and Mandarin Oriental.

The strategy is very simple:
Keep your finger on pulse of marketing, be creative, and develop your powers of observation.
Develop a teaching methodology in which everything will be clear and structured, so students can apply the information as instructed step by step.

Candidate for the “Professional of the Year” award: Sergey Kurazhev and his achievements in HR PR and HRM Marketing

Over the past three years, the technology market has been characterized by significant changes and challenges, but Sergey Kurazhev’s work at DataArt Armenia has been proof that it is possible to achieve impressive results even in conditions of instability. His achievements are not only large-scale but also qualitative, and we are happy to share their details.

Sergey has developed a unique scientific sociological approach, which, thanks to the application of a completely new methodology, has been successfully integrated into the company’s business cases. Unlike traditional methods, this approach allows to rely on scientific data and sound research, which is a highly effective solution in the context of HRM marketing. This innovation has opened new horizons for DataArt Armenia, allowing the company to more consciously and purposefully implement changes that are reflected in measurable business performance.

Sergey strives to ensure that all changes recommended within HRM are based on facts and analytical data, which minimizes risks and makes the process of people management more transparent and predictable. This not only improves team performance, but also creates a sustainable foundation for a corporate culture based on respect and trust.

Understanding and applying science-based methodologies in HRM marketing allows Sergey to promote changes that affect not only the internal atmosphere in the company, but also its positioning in the labor market. He actively contributes to DataArt’s positive image, thus strengthening the company’s reputation as an employer that values and develops its employees.

Despite external challenges and market instability, Sergey’s work is hard to overestimate. His approach to HR management to the DataArt Armenia team has become a role model and best practice in HR PR and HRM marketing. He applied principles that help not only to solve current problems, but also lay the foundation for the future sustainable growth of the company.

Taking into account all the above-mentioned factors, we can confidently state that Sergey Kurazhev is the strongest professional on the market. His achievements based on deep understanding and scientific approach to HRM make him a candidate eligible for nomination to the ECDMA Global Awards. We are confident that his successes will not go unnoticed and he will become an example for future HR and marketing professionals around the world.

As a Senior Cloud Quality Engineering Specialist at SAP, I work within the fast-paced e-commerce domain, ensuring the stability and scalability of SAP Commerce Cloud. My achievements, such as reducing solution provisioning times from 6 months to 1 day, implementing proactive monitoring systems, and setting quality standards, address the critical need for reliable, efficient, and customer-focused solutions. These contributions have empowered clients to optimize their operations and maximize their technology investments in a competitive digital marketplace.

Polina Varfolomeeva’s nomination for the “Outstanding PR Achievement” award reflects not only her extraordinary capabilities as a legal strategist but also her rare ability to navigate public narratives and regulatory landscapes across high-stakes, multi-jurisdictional environments.

As the Founder and CEO of Ation Law, Polina leads a consultancy that supports media, tech, and creative businesses in over 20 countries. Her approach uniquely combines legal precision with PR foresight—ensuring that organizations under reputational, regulatory, or geopolitical pressure not only survive but maintain operational integrity and public trust.

A standout example of this was her leadership in crafting and executing crisis PR strategies for companies affected by international sanctions. These strategies safeguarded reputations while simultaneously mitigating legal exposure in over 10 key markets. Through coordinated legal-communications frameworks, she helped businesses maintain access to financial services, retain strategic partnerships, and continue international operations—achievements that speak to both legal mastery and reputational resilience.

Polina also brings PR sensibility into the heart of brand architecture. She has successfully structured marketing campaigns in tightly regulated industries like alcohol and tobacco, delivering legally sound yet creatively vibrant campaigns that reached over 3 million users. These campaigns not only complied with varying national advertising laws but were also recognized with multiple industry awards, highlighting her ability to fuse compliance with competitive positioning.

Further demonstrating her cross-functional leadership, Polina has advised on the launch of media platforms, lifestyle venues, and digital products with valuations up to $10M—each requiring a coordinated legal and PR foundation to build credibility, manage public messaging, and support investor relations. Her experience structuring high-profile media deals with global entertainment leaders such as Netflix, Warner Bros., and HBO speaks to her deep involvement in content rights, brand alignment, and stakeholder positioning.

Polina’s excellence lies in her strategic ability to ensure that every public-facing message is not only compelling but legally secure—an essential asset in a world where media exposure, market regulation, and litigation risk are deeply intertwined.

In an industry increasingly shaped by public perception and legal scrutiny, Polina Varfolomeeva exemplifies what it means to lead with clarity, integrity, and cross-border influence. Her achievements position her as a clear frontrunner for the Outstanding PR Achievement award.

Over the past decade, digital advertising has evolved dramatically, but automation in Google Ads management remains a challenge for many businesses. I founded Yakiv Ads to bridge this gap, providing a seamless and efficient automation tool that enables marketers to create and manage Google Ads SKAG campaigns in minutes without technical complexities. My expertise in computer science, digital marketing, and automation led to the development of this solution, helping businesses, agencies, and individual advertisers save time, reduce costs, and enhance campaign performance. In 2024, after extensive testing on over 200 projects, we launched Yakiv Ads as a publicly available tool, revolutionizing PPC management. This nomination recognizes my contributions to marketing automation, AI-driven advertising optimization, and the empowerment of businesses through efficient digital advertising solutions.

ThinkAd was created by Dmytro Balan to address a critical challenge faced by small businesses selling on Amazon: the complexity and inefficiency of managing advertising campaigns. Many small business owners lack the expertise, time, and resources to effectively optimize their Amazon PPC campaigns, leading to wasted ad spend and unprofitable sales. Recognizing this gap, ThinkAd developed an AI-powered advertising automation platform designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. The platform automates keyword bidding, budget allocation, and campaign optimization, enabling sellers to reduce wasted ad spend, improve profitability, and scale their businesses efficiently. Since its launch, ThinkAd has been tested by over 100 small business owners and has demonstrated measurable improvements in Advertising Cost of Sales (ACoS), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), and overall ad performance. The platform has already contributed to the success of well-known U.S.-based brands such as Handcraft Blends, Brooklyn Botany, and New York Biology, helping them scale their operations and increase sales. With a commitment to supporting entrepreneurship and economic growth, ThinkAd is not just a software tool—it is a business enabler that empowers small businesses to compete effectively in the Amazon marketplace.

Sergiu Metgher is a technology executive, AI architect, and founder of ReignCode, specializing in large-scale digital transformation for Fortune 500 companies and international enterprises. He has led the development of AI-powered platforms across fintech, retail, and B2B marketplaces, including nationwide financial systems serving more than eight million users and managing over €250 billion in assets.

Sergiu is the creator of multiple enterprise frameworks and platforms, among them SourceMate PIM, an AI-driven product information system that orchestrates millions of SKUs and powers major European marketplaces. His work emphasizes structural modernization, data governance, and the safe deployment of intelligent automation in complex legacy environments.

Alongside his commercial work, Sergiu has founded education and innovation initiatives that have trained more than 100 professionals transitioning into software careers. He is currently pursuing a PhD in International Law focused on AI, ethics, and digital regulation.

The collaboration between GoMining and AdQuantum has played a crucial role in the app’s growth and market expansion. The primary goal was to grow the active paying user base within the app and run campaigns worldwide to reach a global audience. AdQuantum assisted GoMining by optimizing top traffic sources, generating high-quality traffic, and achieving significant results.

During the five months of collaboration, AdQuantum generated over 350,000 registrations for GoMining, leveraging various traffic sources such as Unity Ads, Moloco, Google UAC, Meta, and ironSource. The partnership delivered impressive results, including a ROAS of 646.04% during the initial campaign period.

By integrating advanced advertising techniques, AdQuantum has transformed GoMining into one of the leading platforms for Bitcoin mining. AdQuantum’s remarkable success in promoting GoMining makes it a strong contender for the ECDMA Global Awards.

With over 10 years of experience in the market, Kazarian Marketing provides a full range of services tailored specifically for businesses. Our primary clientele comprises 80% organizations involved in the auctioning of real estate, including one-bedroom apartments, houses, historical buildings, deposits, manufacturing sites, and land plots. We primarily serve real estate agents and auctioneers from Russia, Armenia, Cyprus, and Kazakhstan. Our expertise lies in delivering a complete online marketing cycle, focusing mainly on paid advertising across all possible platforms, with the selection being project-dependent. Our dedicated team consists of skilled professionals, including designers, copywriters, content marketers, web developers, photographers, and videographers, ensuring that we can meet the diverse needs of our clients and help them achieve their marketing goals effectively.

Sergey Kurazhev and his achievements in HR PR and HRM Marketing Over the past three years, the technology market has been characterized by significant changes and challenges, but Sergey Kurazhev’s work at DataArt Armenia has been proof that it is possible to achieve impressive results even in conditions of instability. His achievements are not only large-scale but also qualitative, and we are happy to share their details. Sergey has developed a unique scientific sociological approach, which, thanks to the application of a completely new methodology, has been successfully integrated into the company’s business cases. Unlike traditional methods, this approach allows to rely on scientific data and sound research, which is a highly effective solution in the context of HRM marketing. This innovation has opened new horizons for DataArt Armenia, allowing the company to more consciously and purposefully implement changes that are reflected in measurable business performance. Sergey strives to ensure that all changes recommended within HRM are based on facts and analytical data, which minimizes risks and makes the process of people management more transparent and predictable. This not only improves team performance, but also creates a sustainable foundation for a corporate culture based on respect and trust. Understanding and applying science-based methodologies in HRM marketing allows Sergey to promote changes that affect not only the internal atmosphere in the company, but also its positioning in the labor market. He actively contributes to DataArt’s positive image, thus strengthening the company’s reputation as an employer that values and develops its employees. Despite external challenges and market instability, Sergey’s work is hard to overestimate. His approach to HR management to the DataArt Armenia team has become a role model and best practice in HR PR and HRM marketing. He applied principles that help not only to solve current problems, but also lay the foundation for the future sustainable growth of the company. Taking into account all the above-mentioned factors, we can confidently state that Sergey Kurazhev is the strongest professional on the market. His achievements based on deep understanding and scientific approach to HRM make him a candidate eligible for nomination to the ECDMA Global Awards. We are confident that his successes will not go unnoticed and he will become an example for future HR and marketing professionals around the world.

Anna Slitskaia is a pioneering force in the global e-commerce landscape whose work has reshaped the professional education of Amazon specialists and set new benchmarks in the industry. As the founder of XSELLER8 Academy, she created a comprehensive educational platform that has equipped hundreds of professionals with the skills needed to thrive in competitive marketplaces like Amazon. Her flagship programs—Amazon Account Management and Amazon PPC Advertising—are among the most rigorous and practical in the field. They not only deliver certification but also real-world results, with graduates successfully launching their own ventures or securing roles in high-performing e-commerce teams.

Since entering the field in 2016, Anna has launched and scaled over 10 brands, placing more than 350 unique products on major platforms including Amazon, Wildberries, and Ozon. Her strategic focus on deep competitor analysis and lean marketing has enabled multiple products to reach category leadership with advertising costs reduced by as much as 78%. One of her most notable achievements includes adapting a Russian brand for the U.S. market on Amazon, where post-rebranding sales surged while marketing spend decreased—a case now widely referenced in e-commerce education circles.

Beyond entrepreneurship, Anna is a recognized thought leader and educator. Her detailed guide to launching a business on Amazon, published on VC.ru, has become a practical manual for new sellers, widely shared across the professional community. She is also a published academic, with three peer-reviewed articles on artificial intelligence in e-commerce and marketing—each indexed by Google Scholar and cited by industry researchers.

Anna’s influence extends to industry leadership. She served as a jury member for the National Creative Industries Award 2024, where she evaluated innovations across AI startups, education, and tech-enabled commerce. She is also a member of the International Association of Entrepreneurs and Executives, actively shaping programs that support business growth and policy dialogue.

Her career is distinguished not only by revenue performance—reaching over 885 million rubles in a single year—but by her consistent commitment to professionalizing the e-commerce sector. Through training, publishing, mentoring, and international judging, Anna Slitskaia has made a measurable impact on the development of the global e-commerce ecosystem.

Developed by Alena Astravukh and her team, Backlinks360 is revolutionizing SEO by solving a looming challenge: fragmented, inefficient backlink management. This cutting-edge SaaS platform centralizes, automates, and optimizes backlink tracking and reporting, eliminating manual SEO professional and agency work. Streamlining workflows and enhancing agency-client collaboration, Backlinks360 introduces a brand-new communication strategy allowing clients to receive and approve potential backlink opportunities. With its real-time insights, Backlinks360 boosts efficiency, improves rankings. It’s a game-changer in digital marketing that frees up businesses to focus on strategy rather than tedious link management.
The Challenge
Backlinks are a SEO staple, yet professionals face several related challenges including:
Disorganized Link Tracking: Spreadsheets create inefficiencies and increase the risk of lost data.
Inconsistent Client Reporting: Agencies lack streamlined tools to efficiently generate branded, professional-quality reports.
Limited Accessibility: High-cost SEO tools make advanced backlink management inaccessible to freelancers and small businesses.
Ineffective Monitoring: Existing platforms lack real-time link status updates, leading to missed opportunities and diminished SEO performance.

So much more than just a software tool, Backlinks360 represents a revolutionary SEO link management shift. More specifically, the platform:
Eliminates Operational Bottlenecks
Reduces manual tracking and reporting time so SEO professionals can focus on higher-value tasks
Enhances SEO Data Transparency
Provides real-time insights that strengthen client trust and campaign accountability
Democratizes Advanced SEO Tools
Removes financial barriers, making enterprise-grade backlink management accessible to freelancers, agencies, and corporations alike
Improves SEO Efficiency & ROI
Helps teams detect issues faster, optimize strategies, and improve search rankings—all without additional staff or the need to outsource
Provides Full Backlink Investment Visibility
Allows SEO teams to track and manage only the approved backlinks they pay for, ensuring greater transparency, smarter budget allocation, and more strategic collaboration with agencies.

Proven Success: Client Testimonial
SOFTSWISS SEO Team Lead Nikita Trutsko speaks to the proven impact of Backlinks360:
“With Backlinks360, our team has finally found a solution that streamlines every aspect of link tracking and management. The centralized dashboard, real-time monitoring, and automated reporting have saved us countless hours of manual work. The ability to generate professional, branded reports has improved transparency and enhanced stakeholder communication. Unlike expensive competitors, Backlinks360 provides a straightforward, scalable, and cost-efficient experience. This tool isn’t just a convenience—it’s a game-changer.”

A transformative AI-driven system that unified sales, support, inventory, and marketing through intelligent automation—saving 40+ hours weekly, boosting forecast accuracy to 92%, and reducing customer response time from hours to seconds. This innovation empowered real-time decision-making and delivered measurable gains in efficiency, revenue, and customer satisfaction.
Developed a centralized AI-driven system for a leading supplier of laboratory equipment. that gathers, processes, and analyzes data from across an entire organization — turning raw data into strategic, coordinated actions.
Think of it like the “brain” of digital operations.
When AI agents (Sales Agent, Marketing Agent, Inventory Agent, Support Agent, Analytics Agent) communicate within a Central Intelligence System like expert teammates, they form an intelligent network where each agent performs a specialized task but shares data and decisions to optimize outcomes across the business. This leads to faster, smarter decisions across the company.

Denis Saliukov is an entrepreneur and business leader specializing in manufacturing operations, digital product development, and applied AI solutions. He launched and scaled a manufacturing business from scratch, building the full operating model across sales, marketing, production, and logistics. Under his leadership, the company achieved nationwide distribution, partnered with federal retail chains, and reached peak annual turnover of 180 million rubles.

Oleksandr Pliekhov is an award-winning Senior Android Engineer and recognized authority in mobile and IoT systems engineering, with over 11 years of experience in native mobile development. A Senior Member of the IEEE—a distinction reserved for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional technical achievement—he is acknowledged by the Ukrainian IT community DOU.UA as a top-tier technical expert. Oleksandr has gained sustained national recognition for his pioneering work in Bluetooth communication, mesh networking, and performance optimization in mobile systems.

He has played a critical role in the success of several award-winning and high-impact technology projects. At Ezlo Innovation, Oleksandr was the lead Android architect behind the Atom Smart Hub, a smart home device that won the 2020 IoT Breakthrough Award. He engineered the hub’s Android system, enabling robust communication over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and developed multiple MVPs using BLE and mesh networking. His innovations in this area have had a lasting impact on the development of low-power, high-reliability mesh communication protocols in consumer IoT products.

Oleksandr’s work has been consistently recognized for its technical originality and practical application. His thought leadership includes multiple published articles on Android-based mesh networking and mobile power/resource optimization, including: “Strategies for Minimizing Power Consumption and Optimizing Resources for Android-Based Mesh Networks,” “Optimizing Android Mesh Networks for Mobility,” and “Disaster-Proof Mobile Networks.” These publications have informed the creation of FindMe.AI, his most recent invention—an indoor navigation system using voice, AI, and hybrid BLE/Wi-Fi localization for real-time guidance in airports, campuses, and shopping centers.

In addition to his technical achievements, Oleksandr has served in a leading capacity at distinguished companies such as Welltech and Intellias, where he directed codebase modernization, implemented CI/CD pipelines, and mentored engineering teams. At Welltech, his optimization initiatives helped raise app stability to 99.8% and increased the Play Store rating from 4.4 to 4.9. He also created and published the productivity app “Clients & Visits,” which has surpassed 5,000 downloads. Oleksandr’s consistent record of innovation, influence, and leadership positions him as a candidate of extraordinary ability within the field of mobile and IoT engineering.

Evgeniia Sonts is a seasoned PR expert, entrepreneur, and consultant with over 25 years of experience in strategic communications and personal branding. She is the founder of the PR agency ApPRove, which specializes in international promotion and personal brand development for business owners and creative professionals.

Eugeniia Sonts exemplifies a professional who combines deep expertise in PR with personal charisma and an active life stance. Her approach to building personal brands and international promotion makes her a sought-after expert in her field.

Articles about her clients have been published in leading international media such as Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and others. Throughout her career, Evgeniia has helped more than 500 entrepreneurs develop their personal brands, win prestigious awards, and build strong international reputations.

Before this project, VTB clients could only check and update their personal data in person at a bank branch. Remote modifications were impossible due to high fraud risks, internal security concerns, and the lack of secure digital interfaces for customer interactions. However, the growth of digital services and the rise of fraud schemes involving identity theft required a secure and reliable solution for remote data management. The primary goal of the project was to create a system that would allow clients to verify and update their personal data remotely while minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and manipulation by fraudsters. To achieve this, the bank integrated its systems with the national digital profile via state services such as ESIA and SMEV. The use of National ID ensures secure identity verification through official government sources, preventing fraudsters from making unauthorized changes. Now, any update to personal data requires additional authentication through state services, significantly enhancing security. The project not only improved client access to their personal data but also significantly reduced fraud risks. When applying for a loan, mortgage, account, or bank card, the system automatically verifies client data against government records. Additionally, built-in regulatory compliance checks and interdepartmental data exchange detect suspicious activity and prevent fraudulent data modifications. The key innovation of this project is the ability to securely update personal data remotely without compromising security. By leveraging National ID, the bank ensures that it always works with accurate and verified client information, protecting customers from fraud and financial crimes. This initiative has strengthened cybersecurity and set a new standard for secure digital identity management in banking.

I am a software engineer specializing in civic technology, with a focus on building open, scalable tools for public participation. Since 2022, I have been a contributor to Decidim—an open-source platform for participatory democracy used by governments and institutions around the world. Decidim powers citizen participation processes in cities like Barcelona, Helsinki, Paris, and Zurich. In 2024, the Brazilian federal government formalized a national-level partnership with the Decidim Association, aiming to bring the platform to millions of citizens. My work has been part of this ecosystem. Over the past years, I have contributed to the platform’s architecture, improved its modularity, and led the development of new features. In 2023, I played a leading role in one of Decidim’s most ambitious technical evolutions: integrating a full digital voting system into the platform. Before this work, Decidim supported deliberative processes, proposals, and participatory budgeting, but it lacked the ability to conduct formal voting within its core. Institutions that wanted to run verifiable digital votes had to rely on external or closed-source tools, which often conflicted with the transparency and autonomy values that define civic tech. I was responsible for designing and implementing the core elements that made voting possible directly within Decidim. That included the backend logic, admin flows, participant-facing voting interface, scheduling system, result display, and public traceability. I worked to ensure that the module followed platform conventions, was easy to adopt by cities and organizations, and could operate without introducing unnecessary complexity. This development has already been used in real-world decision-making contexts, such as the Decidim Association’s General Assembly. At the same time, all of this work was published as free and open-source software. I ensured the module was cleanly structured, documented, and extendable—allowing others to build on it across countries and contexts. My role combined technical leadership with product thinking and a deep understanding of how public-sector technology must work: reliably, transparently, and under public control. This nomination reflects both my technical contribution to a key innovation in Decidim and my broader commitment to building open, civic-focused digital infrastructure that can serve millions of people, today and in the future.

Yang Liu’s nomination arises from her transformative leadership in China’s rapidly evolving children’s physical education sector. She joined iKidFit in 2015 as a founding team member when the company was a single-classroom startup with limited market visibility. Over the next eight years, she played a pivotal role in turning it into China’s leading children’s fitness education brand, growing it to over 400 chain stores nationwide and helping the company achieve listing on the New Third Board.
Her achievements occurred during a period of dramatic shifts in both consumer behavior and digital marketing. The younger generation of parents demanded more personalized, high-quality services, while traditional education marketing methods were being disrupted by platforms like Douyin (TikTok China). Within this context, Yang Liu not only scaled operations and standardized franchise systems across the country but also successfully led a digital transformation that positioned iKidFit as a benchmark case for livestream e-commerce in the education sector.
Her ability to integrate user insights, brand storytelling, and tech-enabled marketing solutions allowed iKidFit to thrive in a highly competitive and regulated industry — even during challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her efforts directly impacted both B2C growth and B2B training systems, making her a standout leader worthy of global recognition.

Kirill Baryshkov is a global digital marketing leader at L’Oréal, based in Paris. Since 2016, he has driven large-scale transformation across key markets, building in-house media teams, replacing agency models, and introducing a performance system requiring every ad dollar to deliver at least 2× ROI.

He led the creation of real-time analytics and forecasting systems adopted globally, enabling agile, data-driven decisions during periods of rapid market change, including the COVID-19 crisis. His work in automation, AI-driven personalization, and scalable data architecture continues to shape how L’Oréal and the wider industry approach digital strategy, investment, and growth.

Alena Astravukh is a transformative leader in digital marketing, recognized for redefining what’s possible at the intersection of technology, growth, and strategy. With over a decade of high-impact experience across SaaS, B2B, and eCommerce, she’s built a reputation for bold execution, systems-level thinking, and a relentless focus on results.

She leads complex transformations with clarity and conviction — from scaling SEO ecosystems and CRO frameworks to launching AI-powered content architectures that push the boundaries of what marketing can do. Her work doesn’t follow trends — it sets them.

Alena’s track record includes award-winning initiatives across global markets. She has built and led cross-functional teams of up to 25 people, consistently delivering measurable growth in highly competitive sectors. She’s the kind of leader who makes complexity feel navigable — and inspires teams to move fast, think sharp, and build what matters.