Evgeny Protopopov

CTO

Limassol, Cyprus24 yrs 10 mos experience

Key Highlights

Over 20 years of experience in tech leadership.
Expert in building secure fintech platforms.
Proven track record in driving innovation and growth.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Fintech expert with a strong focus on infrastructure and technology leadership.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Technology LeadershipInfrastructureSoftware DevelopmentInformation SecurityIt Infrastructure ManagementTeam LeadershipTeam Management

Other Skills

Amazon Web Services (AWS)Business IntelligenceBusiness ProcessC Level ManagementChange ManagementCisco TechnologiesCloud ComputingCloud Computing IaaSContinuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)Disaster RecoveryERPIT OperationsIT OutsourcingIT StrategyITIL

About

Hey! I’m Evgeny - a hands-on technology leader with over 20 years of experience leading fast-paced tech teams and driving innovation in product development, security, operations and infrastructure. My career has primarily spanned the fintech and FMCG domains. I’m passionate about designing high-performance, secure platforms that serve real user needs. My focus is on delivering impact, improving customer experiences, and driving growth. As a tech-minded individual, I base my decisions on their financial impact on the company and actively engage with key stakeholders and clients to understand and address their needs. Key lessons I learned from my career: 1. Communication is Everything – Whether it's about my team, stakeholders, or clients, clear and open communication has always been the cornerstone of successful projects and operations. It's not just about what you say, but how well you listen and adapt. 2. Practicality Beats Frameworks – I've worked with many methodologies over the years, but at the end of the day, the best solutions come from applying common sense. Real-world problems require real-world solutions, not just adherence to a framework. 3. Hands-On Leadership is Essential – To effectively lead a tech team, you need to stay hands-on. It's not just about delegating; it's about understanding the challenges your team faces on the ground. That’s how you inspire trust and make the right decisions. Looking forward to connecting with like-minded professionals and exchanging insights! 🖖

Experience

Unipesa

Chief Technology Officer

May 2025 – Present · 10 mos · Limassol, Cyprus

As a CTO, I am responsible for Unipesa's overall technology vision, strategy, and execution. I lead the engineering and infrastructure teams to build, scale, and secure our innovative financial services platform tailored for the African market (but not limited to 😉). Drawing from my deep experience in tech leadership and launching B2B/B2C fintech solutions, I specialize in translating complex business requirements into a cohesive technology roadmap. My core focus is on architecting a resilient and agile system that not only powers our current offerings but also serves as the foundation for future growth and rapid innovation.

Technology LeadershipInfrastructureSoftware DevelopmentSecurity

Amega group

Chief Technology Officer

Feb 2023 – May 2025 · 2 yrs 3 mos · Limassol, Cyprus · On-site

I lead the strategic direction of Amega’s fintech products, managing a highly skilled engineering team. We ensure the round-the-clock reliability and performance of the MT5 trading platform, client-facing systems, and internal CRM. We develop React Native mobile apps for 3 products, supported by a highly scalable .NET backend, and a number of Next.JS web applications. I’ve driven significant improvements in system performance, customer experience, and operational efficiency. My focus is on delivering scalable, secure solutions while nurturing a team culture that encourages innovation and agility. Working closely with stakeholders, I also ensure that our technology investments are closely aligned with business goals.

InfrastructureSoftware DevelopmentContinuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)Amazon Web Services (AWS)Mobile Application DevelopmentSoftware Quality Assurance+2

Tixee

Chief Technology Officer

Jun 2021 – Feb 2023 · 1 yr 8 mos · Limassol, Cyprus · On-site

I was honored to lead an IT function of a modern and agile broker. We had a small, but very talented and hard-working team aimed to develop and improve our clients UX and trading experience using most effective combinations of technologies and products.
We ran our platforms in AWS and colocation, operated MT4/MT5 trading servers, serving all geos around the globe. The team also operated VoIP call centers and responsible for business continuity and infosec functions.
We managed to start operations from scratch in a very dense timeline in June 2021 and boosted company revenue during the following year.

Software DevelopmentAmazon Web Services (AWS)Information SecurityC Level ManagementTechnology Leadership

Exness

Head of IT Infrastructure

Jan 2017 – Apr 2021 · 4 yrs 3 mos · Cyprus

I led an international Team of IT professionals responsible for delivery of a full range of IT operations 24x7. We managed Exness hybrid environment with main focus on the Company web site and Trading Platform. That includes architecture, projects and operations of all datacenter stacks: servers, storage, networks, external providers. Also: Cloud providers, Docker, Kubernetes orchestration, CI/CD, Salesforce CRM, VoIP, office environment. I was also responsible for IT Security function: infra & appsec.
Achievements:
Drastically improved systems uptime, implemented sophisticated platforms and products monitoring
Improved products (web, trading) availability and performance in Asian markets including China
Improved security protection level via BugBounty program
Facilitated ERP migration to the new platform
Improved global phone calls coverage and quality for call center (250K calls / year). Implemented CTI for Salesforce
Improved email reputation rate for EDM and transactional emails

Voice over IP (VoIP)Salesforce.com DevelopmentIT Infrastructure ManagementNetwork DesignInformation Security

Jti (japan tobacco international)

2 roles

Data Center Operations Director

Promoted

Nov 2005 – Jun 2016 · 10 yrs 7 mos · Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation · On-site

Data Center Operations was a global IT team responsible for handling server operations and infrastructure projects in JTI worldwide.
I led JTI’s data center infrastructure for Europe, CIS+, and MENEAT regions. Focused on operational excellence, reducing costs and improving service quality. Key achievements included: reducing server deployment time by 3x through process automation and saving 3-5% on annual budget through hardware lifecycle optimization.
I played a key role in the successful integration of Gallaher post-acquisition (M&A). I also pioneered virtualization strategies and consolidated infrastructure services across 80 sites, laying the groundwork for future efficiencies.
Designed JTI’s global data center infrastructure, covering 100+ locations. I developed the public and private cloud strategies, driving significant cost savings by implementing converged infrastructure. I also led automation efforts that saved over 100 man-days / year.
Dimensions: 2’800 servers / 130 locations / 25’000 user accounts / 3,5 MM USD managed budget

IT Infrastructure ManagementVMwareStorage Area Network (SAN)Team LeadershipServers