Dedicated to transforming strategic visions into reality, I specialize in leading complex programs, establishing robust PMOs, and defining impactful strategies within the dynamic tech and fintech landscapes.
My career journey began in 2010 as a Programmer at Amdocs, evolving through diverse roles including Business Analyst and Project Manager, culminating in leadership positions where I've established and headed PMOs on several occasions. This path has equipped me with a holistic understanding of the entire delivery lifecycle, from hands-on execution to strategic implementation across sectors like telecommunications, maritime, and SAP, with a deep focus on the fintech industry for the past five years. The last year I have been with Deriv as a Senior Portfolio Manager, managing delivery for several squads, primarily within the affiliates domain.
Previously, as Head of PMO at a major Forex firm, I established the PMO from the ground up, defining processes, procedures, and documentation. This involved creating automated reporting by integrating MS Project with Power BI and instituting comprehensive lessons learned practices. I successfully delivered approximately 50 projects aligned with company strategy. A key aspect of this role was coaching the team and implementing SMART KPIs.
I am recognized for improving communication between departments and increasing stakeholder engagement. My approach emphasizes close collaboration across all teams (Design, FE, BE, QA). My academic foundation is a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Southampton, complemented by PMP, PMI-PBA, PMI-ACP, and PRINCE2 Agile certifications.
My work heavily involves robust strategy definition, meticulous market research, and data-driven execution to ensure projects not only meet immediate needs but also align perfectly with long-term business objectives. My approach translates vision into actionable results through a structured framework.
I systematically perform in-depth competition analysis, selecting a competitor monthly based on predefined criteria to understand their offerings inside out, leading to annual gap analysis and strategic project proposals. This is complemented by rigorous external analysis using frameworks like PESTLE and Porter's 5 Forces to identify market opportunities and potential threats, informing proactive initiative planning.
My process for defining strategy involves collaborating with management to refine the company's vision and mission. This is broken down into multi-year strategic goals and specific 1-2 year objectives. A prioritized project roadmap is then developed, synthesizing insights from research and departmental project candidates, scored using a weighted criteria model (strategic alignment, growth potential, client retention) to ensure high alignment.
For selected roadmap projects, I develop detailed business cases to ensure profitability, validate strategic alignment, and assess various approaches to determine the most viable solution. This structured project selection process ensures initiation of the right projects. Strategic goals are revisited periodically to adapt the roadmap.
I emphasize providing clear, timely information via automated reporting dashboards (MS Project, Power BI) tailored for different stakeholder groups, showing real-time data on budget, time, and resource usage. Effective monitoring includes setting clear objectives, baselines, milestones, and tracking progress weekly for early deviation detection.
Proactive and structured risk management is integral to my project oversight, ensuring potential issues are identified, assessed, and managed throughout the project lifecycle to safeguard delivery and quality.
I initiate risk management by holding dedicated sessions with key stakeholders to collaboratively identify all potential project risks, drawing on diverse perspectives to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Risks are then systematically classified using a risk matrix that evaluates probability and impact to determine an overall risk exposure level. This allows for focused attention on the most critical risks.
For medium and high-exposure risks, robust mitigation plans are developed aimed at reducing either their probability or impact. Where feasible, contingency plans are also created to outline actions if a risk materializes.
Each identified risk is assigned a clear owner for accountability, along with a defined status and deadline for actions. Lower-exposure risks are accepted but closely monitored throughout the project lifecycle.
Lessons learned from past projects, such as ensuring vendor API certifications are confirmed early or assessing team skills thoroughly for complex tasks, continuously refine my risk identification and management strategies.
This proactive and structured approach to risk management has consistently increased project performance, improved speed of delivery through proactive mitigation, enhanced accountability, and uplifted overall project quality.
Effective stakeholder management is paramount for project success. My approach centers on early identification, tailored communication, active engagement, and fostering strong, collaborative relationships across all levels.
A critical first step in my projects is the thorough identification of all key stakeholders. Learning from past experiences where missed stakeholders led to late-stage requirement changes, I ensure this process is robust and inclusive from the very beginning.
I develop tailored communication plans for different stakeholder groups, utilizing various channels such as regular progress reports, formal presentations, focused meetings, and interactive dashboards. Transparency and honesty are core to all communications.
Stakeholders are actively involved throughout the project lifecycle via kick-off meetings, regular demos of progress, and inclusion in scope validation processes. I foster an environment where active listening to ideas, concerns, and feedback is prioritized. This includes close collaboration with Design, Front-End, Back-End, and QA teams to ensure alignment and quality.
Building good, honest relationships is fundamental. This involves understanding stakeholder needs and concerns (e.g., a sponsor initially hesitant due to unfamiliarity with a topic), and working collaboratively to build confidence and ensure buy-in. Using tools like a RACI matrix helps define clear roles and responsibilities, further enhancing clarity and trust.
When faced with conflicting priorities or requests (e.g., a sponsor wishing to alter a project's management-approved priority), I engage in clear, assertive communication, explaining the rationale behind strategic decisions and resource allocations to maintain alignment and manage expectations effectively.
I leverage strong interpersonal skills, including active listening, emotional intelligence, persuasion, and negotiation, to navigate resistance to change (e.g., convincing IT leadership to adopt agile methodologies) and resolve conflicts constructively, always aiming for a win-win outcome.
The Imperative: Assigned to an ongoing, long-overdue project to launch a new, customized affiliates platform from a third-party vendor, which was in a chaotic state after multiple previous project managers.
The project suffered from unclear requirements leading to reworks, lack of communication, no ownership, low stakeholder interest, no test plan, and no project plan, causing repeatedly missed deadlines and loss of management confidence.
Established clear communication (weekly vendor, daily internal stand-ups); created and validated a RACI Matrix; developed a project plan with an MVP approach; provided a detailed flow diagram for QA; and implemented a risk management plan.
The project normalized, meeting deadlines with improved communication and stakeholder interest. Issues were resolved swiftly, leading to an on-time, high-quality delivery, restoring management confidence.
The Vision: A strategic initiative to introduce stocks as a new asset class, requiring new infrastructure and navigating complex regulatory and operational challenges.
Lack of in-house expertise for IRS taxation and international tax rules; low engagement from a new project sponsor; coordination across numerous departments; and intense pressure for fast delivery.
Engaged external tax consultants; actively worked to engage the sponsor by building their confidence and understanding; maintained clear communication and task ownership across departments; and accelerated delivery via MVP, resource security, and active risk management.
Successfully launched an accurate, strategically vital product on a realistic timeline, followed by a Phase 2 for enhancements and expansion.
The Vision: The development of the firm's inaugural mobile application, a high-profile, strategic project critical for competitiveness and growth.
The project was managed 100% in an agile manner, aligning with an agile-oriented external vendor, featuring continuous backlog prioritization, frequent demos, retrospectives, velocity measurement, and an MVP for fast release.
Delivered on time and within budget, the app quickly drove almost 20% of total client onboarding and funding. Many agile techniques used became PMO standards, elevating future project benchmarks.
Led an initiative to optimize a financial company's client onboarding process. By creating a full flowchart, analyzing step-by-step data, performing root cause analysis, and benchmarking, I proposed solutions including automation and simplified registration, improving activation rates.
Successfully delivered a copy trading platform at a global brokerage, contributing to a 2% increase in company trading volumes.
Managed the launch of a third-party white-labeled solution. Despite an identified security risk, mitigation efforts allowed a successful launch, generating 1% additional company volumes.
At a financial services company, I successfully transitioned the delivery model from waterfall with shared IT resources to an agile approach with dedicated cross-functional teams and domain ownership, leading to improved speed, communication, and value delivery after an initial pilot.
When requested to bias a business case, I upheld my commitment to unbiased research, allowing for an informed decision that ultimately benefited the company and led to project approval.
A project experienced delays due to a key stakeholder being missed during initiation. Corrective actions included implementing robust early identification processes and adopting biweekly cycles for continuous feedback.
A team member's personal issues led to a performance dip. An empathetic discussion and temporary task reallocation highlighted the importance of observant and supportive leadership.
Facing a role termination due to company restructuring, I consciously chose to view it as an opportunity for new challenges, applying emotional intelligence to navigate the situation calmly and proactively.
Deriv (Financial Services / FinTech), Limassol | Apr 2024 - Present
Managing delivery for several squads, primarily within the affiliates domain. Spearheading enterprise-level strategic initiatives, integrating Al-enhanced project management tools, refining risk assessment protocols, and championing automation to boost operational efficiency.
Tickmill (Financial Services / FinTech), Limassol | Apr 2021 - Apr 2024
Established and led the PMO from the ground up. Hired and mentored project managers, optimized PM approaches, introduced agile tools, integrated BI dashboards for automated reporting, and standardized governance. Oversaw ~50 strategic projects.
Tickmill (Financial Services / FinTech), Limassol | Apr 2020 - Apr 2021
As the company's first PM, established PM processes, delivered key projects, introduced PMO tools, and cultivated a positive PM culture, leading to promotion.
IB - Influencing Business (Maritime Software Solutions), Limassol | Feb 2019 - Apr 2020
First Operations Manager for the new Cyprus branch. Set up infrastructure, hired staff, established processes, managed resources, and executed initial customer projects.
Supernova consulting (SAP), Limassol | Aug 2018 - Feb 2019
Championed digital transformation, established standardized project tracking, and optimized workflows using Agile and automation.
Spectec (Maritime Software Solutions), Limassol | Feb 2012 - Aug 2018
Managed maritime software projects, including Voyage Management module development. Implemented cost-effective training programs.
Amdocs (Telecommunications Technology), Limassol | Apr 2010 - Feb 2012
Started as a Programmer, then SME. Contributed to optimizing telecom billing systems and process improvements.
BSc in Computer Science
University of Southampton | 2006 - 2009
Chosen for its highly recognized program, the knowledge and reputation of which opened many career opportunities.
For a comprehensive overview of my qualifications and career journey, please feel free to download my CV.
Download CV (PDF)I welcome the opportunity to discuss how my expertise can contribute to your organization's success. Please feel free to reach out for collaborations or to explore potential synergies.
Email: kzinonos@gmail.com
Phone: 99400412
Location: Limassol, Cyprus
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/konstantinoszinonos