Abu Dhabi, UAE  ·  Open to executive opportunities

Alexei Ivanov

Head of IT & Digital  /  CFO-Facing Technology Executive  /  CITO-track

Delivering enterprise transformation with board-level clarity —
from ERP cutovers and cyber resilience to AI adoption at scale.

// LIVE

Executive Profile

CFO-facing Head of IT & Digital with 20+ years driving enterprise platforms, cybersecurity governance, and resilient operating models across complex, regulated environments. Currently at CYVN Holdings in Abu Dhabi — an investment holding group with high-profile ecosystem partners including McLaren and NIO — I report directly to the CFO and lead the end-to-end technology agenda, managing a ~AED 2M annual IT budget with disciplined allocation to risk, compliance, and strategic growth.

My track record spans high-stakes deliverables: a live ERP cutover to Dynamics 365 F&O on January 1 2025, a Host-to-Host bank integration that eliminated ~97% of manual payment handling, ICFR-aligned IT control frameworks that pass audit scrutiny, and an AI adoption programme delivering 28% productivity gains across targeted roles. I build operating models that survive beyond the project — with governance, service desk discipline, and measurable KPIs that hold.

My edge lies in translating technical complexity into CFO-legible outcomes: risk registers, ROI models, and phased investment strategies that earn boardroom confidence. I operate fluently across Microsoft cloud ecosystems, enterprise security, and UAE regulatory compliance — and I bring the same rigour to team culture, vendor relationships, and long-term IT strategy.

20+ Years IT Leadership
AED 2M Annual IT Budget Managed
4× Languages (EN · RU · RO · UA)
UAE Regulatory & Compliance Expert

Experience

Apr 2024 — Present Current

Head of IT & Digital

CYVN Holdings  ·  Abu Dhabi, UAE

Reporting directly to the CFO, leading CYVN's end-to-end technology agenda — enterprise transformation, cyber resilience, and scalable governance for a high-expectation investment group with ecosystem partners including McLaren and NIO. Architected a modern IT operating model balancing speed with control: delivering business-critical platforms (ERP, collaboration, security, data governance) while strengthening audit readiness and risk management. Manages a ~AED 2M annual IT budget with disciplined CapEx/OpEx allocation.

D365 F&O ERPM365 / AzureICFR ControlsAI AdoptionCybersecurityBCP/DR
Sep 2020 — Apr 2023

Head of Information Technology

MAPYR  ·  Dubai, UAE

Reporting to CEO of a fast-growing SMB, led full digital transformation of the company's IT landscape — ERP & BI, information management, collaboration, telecoms, networks, and information security. Managed a $250K budget and developed a 3-year IT roadmap. Led D365 F&O migration roadmap, D365 CRM and B2B customer portal implementation, and end-to-end IT setup for two greenfield warehouses including AI/ML productivity initiatives and 3PL integration.

D365 CRM & ERPWarehouse ITAI/MLCybersecurityIT Roadmap35% Cost Saving
Feb 2019 — Sep 2020

IT Service & Support Manager

Polarcus  ·  Dubai, UAE

Managed IT service delivery for 500+ users across UK, Singapore, US, Norway, UAE offices and eight offshore seismic vessels. Owned ITIL-compliant service desk processes, escalation, and out-of-hours emergency support. Environment spanned Palo Alto, Meraki, Hyper-V/ESXi, O365, Darktrace, VSAT/Inmarsat/Iridium, and Alcatel PBX. Reduced vulnerabilities by 60% onshore and 87% offshore within six months through improved patch management.

ITIL / ITSMPalo AltoVSAT / SatcomOffshore ITDarktracePatch Management
Dec 2015 — Feb 2019

Project Manager & Senior Technical Expert

ACIS Information Technology & Lukoil International Services  ·  Dubai, UAE

At ACIS (2016–2019): Reported to CEO, managed a team of 20 experts and delivered 10 end-to-end IT projects for hospitality, government, and private sector clients including Rotana (35 hotels) and Movenpick. At Lukoil (2015–2016): VIP helpdesk and mobile systems engineer supporting 1,000+ users across UAE and abroad. Recipient of multiple letters of appreciation for outstanding performance and initiative.

Project ManagementHospitality ITVIP SupportInfrastructure DeploymentTeam of 20

Core Competencies

Cloud & Infrastructure

Azure & M365 Platform Governance
Zero Trust Identity & IAM
Multi-Cloud Strategy & FinOps
Infrastructure & Virtualisation
Network Security Architecture
Business Continuity & Resilience

AI & Automation

Microsoft Copilot Deployment
Security Copilot (SecOps)
D365 AI & Knowledge Workflows
AI Governance & Data Protection
AI Adoption Roadmapping
AI ROI & Business Case Modelling

Governance & Security

ICFR-Aligned IT Controls
DLP & Data Classification
ITIL / ITSM Governance
Vulnerability Mgmt (Darktrace, Nessus)
Audit Readiness & Cyber Insurance
C-Suite Stakeholder Management

ERP & Finance Systems

Dynamics 365 F&O
Host-to-Host Bank Integration
CFO-Facing IT Delivery
ERP Cutover & Go-Live
IT Budget (CapEx / OpEx)
Vendor & Contract Management

Key Achievements

Jan 1, 2025 · On Time

D365 F&O ERP Go-Live

Executed the full enterprise rollout of Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations on schedule — stabilising finance operations, reducing month-end friction, and establishing structured IT controls that strengthened audit readiness.

~97% reduction

Host-to-Host Bank Integration

Spearheaded H2H bank integration enabling fully automated payments — reducing manual payment handling by ~97%, and strengthening financial control, traceability, and audit readiness across the group.

28% productivity gains

Enterprise AI Adoption Programme

Launched Microsoft Copilot, Security Copilot, and D365 AI capabilities backed by an AI governance and data-protection framework — delivering 28% productivity gains in targeted roles and 30–50% faster security triage.

~35% faster resolution

IT Operating Model & Service Desk Build

Built a formal IT operating model and service desk governance from the ground up — creating predictable execution across incidents and changes, reducing resolution cycle by ~35%, and raising endpoint management to 100% managed coverage.

Let's Connect

Open to executive technology leadership discussions, board advisory conversations, and strategic consulting engagements.