Ivan Ponomarev

Director One Store @ Digital Turbine | Strategic Product & Business Operations | GameDev & Publishing, Digital Platforms & Mobile Stores | C-Level Track

Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

About

Helping Gaming & Tech companies turn bold ideas into scalable products, enter new markets and build high-performing teams. With 12+ years of experience in corporate, startup, and advisory roles, I bring a unique mix of founder mindset with strong C-level execution muscle and full-cycle product ownership. Strong cross-cultural communicator with hands-on experience in European, US, Asian and CIS markets. Always focused on long-term growth, operational clarity and cross-functional alignment. Trained Space Rocket Engineer → now applying systems thinking and high-stakes problem-solving to fuel innovation-driven ventures 🚀 Passionate about market disruption and creating value at the intersection of technology, gaming, and user experience.

Experience

  • Director of Mobile App Store Operations at Digital Turbine
    Nov 2024 - Present · 1 yr 8 mos

    Following the acquisition of OneStore International, continued to drive scaling across western markets under Digital Turbine umbrella, shifting focus to optimization and long-term growth. - Led the enhancement and expansion of data infrastructure; designed and implemented a robust reporting system for internal and external stakeholders, significantly improving decision-making speed and transparency. - Optimized operational processes by mapping and streamlining workflows, improving user flow, and enhancing store installation behavior, resulting in increased overall efficiency and performance. - Engineered a bottom-up revenue forecasting model based on 40+ input parameters, enabling daily user behavior simulation for 8 telecom partners; this model became a strategic tool for business planning and partnership negotiations. - Built and scaled the Customer Support department from the ground up, designing processes and development structures to support rapid European expansion. - Developed operational systems, processes, and toolkits to manage store operations across all European countries; these frameworks were later adopted as the foundation for U.S. market operations.

  • Founder & Lead Consultant at Game Production & Publishing Consulting
    Aug 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 11 mos

    Provided end-to-end consulting support to early-stage mobile and PC game projects, including "Where’s Tess" (Mobile, 0.75M+ Downloads, $0.5M+ Hybrid revenue) and "Dark Lord" (PC). - Advised teams on securing investments and identifying publishing partners, successfully facilitating funding rounds and publisher negotiations. - Supported product development and market readiness, offering hands-on guidance in refining game design, feature set, and user experience to meet market and publisher expectations. - Delivered expertise in building efficient product pipelines, developing go-to-market strategies, and implementing effective data management practices. - Helped teams establish scalable infrastructure and business processes to support future investment and growth opportunities. - Acted as a strategic advisor, bridging creative and business objectives, and enabling studios to position their products for successful launch and sustainable market presence.

  • Director of Mobile App Store Operations at ONE Store Corp.
    Nov 2023 - Nov 2024 · 1 yr 1 mo

    Led the European rollout of the largest Korean third-party mobile app store — through its Dutch subsidiary. Responsible for full strategic and operational groundwork to launch the product in Europe and lay a foundation for global expansion. - Led market research and assessment of alternative mobile stores across global markets, developing a top-to-bottom analytical model for 5-year market forecasting and opportunity mapping. - Conducted in-depth product analysis and developed a comprehensive improvement plan, which was implemented and resulted in measurable growth of key product metrics (user retention, engagement, conversion). - Developed an evaluation algorithm and model to assess app attractiveness by consolidating product and market metrics into a unified scoring system for app selection and prioritization. - Audited and analyzed data infrastructure under highly limited data conditions; insights from this analysis informed critical strategic decisions and product roadmaps. - Actively participated in the development and alignment of the European market entry strategy, collaborating closely with Korean partners and adapting the product for regional compliance and user needs. - Prepared and presented a regulatory case to the EU Commission on Apple and Google’s restrictive market practices regarding third-party app store distribution, contributing to high-level industry dialogue and positioning the company as an advocate for fair competition in the mobile ecosystem. - Performed comparative analyses of Apple, Google, and OneStore clients, identifying critical product improvements that enhanced user experience and reduced operational workload.

  • Head of Mobile Publishing at The 4 Winds Entertainment
    Aug 2022 - Mar 2024 · 1 yr 8 mos

    Led the mobile publishing division working with AAA and hit titles, including "Eggy Party" (NetEase – 500M+ downloads, $1B+ hybrid revenue) and World of Tanks: Blitz (Wargaming – 200M+ downloads, $500M+ IAP revenue). - Defined and executed T4W’s mobile publishing strategy, establishing clear standards for timelines, quality, budgeting, and revenue optimization. - Overseeing expansion and product adaptation for AAA titles in multiple regions. - Collaborated with cross-functional teams on the development of product vision, brand positioning, and go-to-market strategies, ensuring successful market entry and sustainable user growth. - Built and maintained strong, trust-based relationships with global developers and publishers, designing collaborative pipelines that enabled efficient, transparent, and scalable project delivery. - Authored and managed comprehensive game design documentation, improvement plans, and knowledge bases, ensuring alignment across all stakeholders and supporting iterative development. - Oversaw and optimized all project negotiation and documentation processes, streamlining communication and accelerating decision-making. - Drove organizational learning by developing and maintaining a robust knowledge base, capturing all development milestones, negotiation points, and project insights for future scalability.

  • Head Of Publishing at Playcore Publishing
    May 2021 - Aug 2022 · 1 yr 4 mos

    Built and led the company’s publishing organization, managing 40 direct employees across Production, Marketing, UA, Business Development, and Analytics — while implementing scalable workflows and performance standards. Launched products includes Order of Fate (2.5M+ Downloads, $0.7M+ IAP Revenue) and Tallest Tree (0.6M+ Downloads, $0.3M AD Revenue) - Led the end-to-end evaluation and greenlighting process for over 400 mobile game titles in 18 months, overseeing user acquisition testing for 50 projects and publishing 10 new games across various genres (mid-core, roguelike, arcade, visual novel). - Developed and implemented go-to-market strategies, ensuring timely and successful market entry for each title while aligning launch timelines with broader company objectives. - Fostered and maintained strong partnerships with external development teams and studios, facilitating smooth collaboration, knowledge sharing, and long-term engagement. - Instituted robust cross-departmental workflows and feedback loops, increasing overall efficiency, transparency, and speed to market. - Drove data-informed decision-making by integrating advanced analytics into every stage of the publishing pipeline, optimizing title selection, user acquisition, and product performance. - Supported organizational growth by mentoring and developing leadership talent within the publishing, product, and analytics teams.