Yulia Yatsenko
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Helsinki, Finland
Toptal member since February 27, 2025
Yulia is an accomplished program manager with a robust track record at Qvantel, where she has specialized in customer transformation, R&D, and innovations. She has spearheaded the rapid delivery of SaaS digital solutions worldwide and led significant digital transformation projects, demonstrating exceptional leadership and problem-solving skills. With experience in Agile and delivery methodologies, Yulia is well-versed in project portfolio management, stakeholder engagement, and innovations.
Expertise
- Agile Program Management
- Change Management
- Innovation
- Leadership
- PMO Governance
- Program Management
- Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
- Stakeholder Management
Work Experience
Program Manager and Director – Customer Transformation, R&D, and Innovations
Qvantele
- Led digital transformation program delivery across the entire delivery lifecycle for major telecom operators, including WindTre (Italy), Etisalat (Egypt), and Millicom Group.
- Built innovation processes in the company, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across teams.
- Managed an R&D and innovation projects portfolio, driving the development and implementation of cutting-edge solutions.
- Handled the fully remote delivery of Qvantel's SaaS cloud-based digital business support system (BSS) to the Mexican market in a record time of three months.
- Held P&L and budget management accountability for various programs.
Project and Program Manager
Qvantel
- Led the development of microservices infrastructure for 3rd-party integrations on VEON Marketplace.
- Managed the telecom marketplace concept and solution development, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and quality standards.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration, producing clear and comprehensive documentation to support project success and stakeholder communication.
- Enabled the digital transformation program setup for a tier-one telecom operator.
Consultant
Self-employed
- Led an innovation network and innovation culture-building project for TeliaSonera (Finland).
- Provided global product and project portfolio analysis for Zed (Spain, Russia).
- Conducted research on Big Data strategies for telecom operators, analyzing how Big Data can be utilized to improve business performance.
Head of Innovation and Business Development
VEON
- Created and led the "Incubator" unit, driving investigation and testing with customers to identify real value potential, resulting in the successful launch of multiple innovative products.
- Managed overall responsibilities for P&L and post-launch reviews, ensuring new products operated like small-scale internal startups to achieve strategic business goals.
- Built and maintained the company's innovation network, collecting, screening, and selecting ideas from various sources and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
- Launched several projects, including a joint venture with a bank for mCommerce operations and mobile advertising, an NFC ticketing pilot, and a smart home M2M pilot.
Head of PMO
VEON
- Developed and implemented PMO policies, procedures, and processes to ensure project delivery success, reducing new product time-to-market by 40%.
- Monitored KPIs associated with each project's performance against pre-defined targets, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and quality standards.
- Managed the budgeting process for all PMO-related activities, including resource allocation and cost control.
- Organized workshops and seminars for project managers to share best practices, fostering collaboration and enhancing team efficiency and knowledge sharing.
Project History
Cloud-based Digital BSS for the Mexican Market
Led the fully remote delivery of Qvantel's SaaS cloud-based digital business support system (BSS) to the Mexican market within a record time of three months.
Digital Transformation Program Delivery for WindTre
Led a digital transformation and Qvantel's BSS solution delivery program for WindTre (Italy).
PMO Establishment for VEON
Developed and implemented project management office (PMO) policies, procedures, and processes to ensure project delivery success, reducing new product time-to-market by 40%.
Education
Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
Henley Business School, University of Reading - United Kingdom
Master's Degree in Informatics and Applied Mathematics
Lomonosov Moscow State University - Russia
Certifications
PRINCE2 7 Foundation Certificate in Project Management
PeopleCert
Professional Certificate in Coaching
Henley Business School
Skills
Tools
Microsoft Project, Google Sheets, Jira, Confluence, Zoom
Paradigms
Change Management, Agile Project Management, Scrum, Kanban, PRINCE2
Other
Microsoft 365, Analytics, Mathematics, Statistics, People Management, Leadership, Program Management, Project Management, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Project Budget Management, Stakeholder Management, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Stakeholder Engagement, Project Planning, PMO Governance, IT Project Management, Budget Management, Project Portfolio Management Office (PPMO), Resource Management, Governance, Resource Allocation, Risk Management, Issue Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Agile Program Management, Business Transformation Project Management, Client Management, Team Management, Process Management, Innovation, P&L Management, Agile Transformation, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Coaching, Computer Science, Data Science, Financial Management, Operations Management, Strategy, Startups, Product Management, Business Administration, PRINCE2 Project Management, Big Data
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