Alexey Manichenko
CEO and Co-Founder at Skylark Learning Ltd.- Claim this Profile
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English Full professional proficiency
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French Professional working proficiency
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Russian Native or bilingual proficiency
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Ukrainian Limited working proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
David Keane
Having worked directly for Alexey for more than 3 years it is hard to do justice in words to the total business package he represents. He possesses a wide-ranging knowledge of various aspects of business, from strategy development to financial management. I always felt this came from his passion for lifelong learning. He not only encourages continuous growth in himself but also instils this value within the entire team. Skylark was one of the few companies I have been in where there was a business library and a genuine exchange of ideas and really looking at ways of operating from a new perspective – all encouraged by Alexey. His commitment to personal and professional development is evident in the way he embraces new challenges and seeks innovative solutions. Alexey's work rate is unparalleled. He leads by example, consistently putting in the effort required to achieve our goals. His dedication to our mission was unwavering, and it motivated the entire team to excel. In terms of organizational excellence, Alexey is a master of creating and maintaining efficient systems. His attention to detail and commitment to excellence were reflected in every aspect of Skylark Learning's business processes. A key aspect I experienced was our work culture. He fostered a passionate and high-performing team that shared his dedication to our vision. Under his leadership, Skylark became a place where creativity thrived, and employees felt valued and inspired. I doubt anyone who worked for him would not, given the opportunity, want to work for or with him again. He is a very decent person and would be an outstanding asset in any organisation looking for an original, diverse and innovative but grounded, efficient and effective operator.
Tony Jennings ACA CA(SA)
Alexey has been a client of mine for some years, and I have worked with him on a range of issues. He is able to grasp the implications of events and issues rapidly and comprehensively, and to utilise his breadth of learning and experience to provide insight and guidance. He possesses great attention to detail, and inspires confidence that the project he undertakes, will be conducted diligently and with imagination. He has well honed managerial skills, which coupled with his integrity and generosity make Alexey a pleasure to work with and to have as a client.
David Keane
Having worked directly for Alexey for more than 3 years it is hard to do justice in words to the total business package he represents. He possesses a wide-ranging knowledge of various aspects of business, from strategy development to financial management. I always felt this came from his passion for lifelong learning. He not only encourages continuous growth in himself but also instils this value within the entire team. Skylark was one of the few companies I have been in where there was a business library and a genuine exchange of ideas and really looking at ways of operating from a new perspective – all encouraged by Alexey. His commitment to personal and professional development is evident in the way he embraces new challenges and seeks innovative solutions. Alexey's work rate is unparalleled. He leads by example, consistently putting in the effort required to achieve our goals. His dedication to our mission was unwavering, and it motivated the entire team to excel. In terms of organizational excellence, Alexey is a master of creating and maintaining efficient systems. His attention to detail and commitment to excellence were reflected in every aspect of Skylark Learning's business processes. A key aspect I experienced was our work culture. He fostered a passionate and high-performing team that shared his dedication to our vision. Under his leadership, Skylark became a place where creativity thrived, and employees felt valued and inspired. I doubt anyone who worked for him would not, given the opportunity, want to work for or with him again. He is a very decent person and would be an outstanding asset in any organisation looking for an original, diverse and innovative but grounded, efficient and effective operator.
Tony Jennings ACA CA(SA)
Alexey has been a client of mine for some years, and I have worked with him on a range of issues. He is able to grasp the implications of events and issues rapidly and comprehensively, and to utilise his breadth of learning and experience to provide insight and guidance. He possesses great attention to detail, and inspires confidence that the project he undertakes, will be conducted diligently and with imagination. He has well honed managerial skills, which coupled with his integrity and generosity make Alexey a pleasure to work with and to have as a client.
David Keane
Having worked directly for Alexey for more than 3 years it is hard to do justice in words to the total business package he represents. He possesses a wide-ranging knowledge of various aspects of business, from strategy development to financial management. I always felt this came from his passion for lifelong learning. He not only encourages continuous growth in himself but also instils this value within the entire team. Skylark was one of the few companies I have been in where there was a business library and a genuine exchange of ideas and really looking at ways of operating from a new perspective – all encouraged by Alexey. His commitment to personal and professional development is evident in the way he embraces new challenges and seeks innovative solutions. Alexey's work rate is unparalleled. He leads by example, consistently putting in the effort required to achieve our goals. His dedication to our mission was unwavering, and it motivated the entire team to excel. In terms of organizational excellence, Alexey is a master of creating and maintaining efficient systems. His attention to detail and commitment to excellence were reflected in every aspect of Skylark Learning's business processes. A key aspect I experienced was our work culture. He fostered a passionate and high-performing team that shared his dedication to our vision. Under his leadership, Skylark became a place where creativity thrived, and employees felt valued and inspired. I doubt anyone who worked for him would not, given the opportunity, want to work for or with him again. He is a very decent person and would be an outstanding asset in any organisation looking for an original, diverse and innovative but grounded, efficient and effective operator.
Tony Jennings ACA CA(SA)
Alexey has been a client of mine for some years, and I have worked with him on a range of issues. He is able to grasp the implications of events and issues rapidly and comprehensively, and to utilise his breadth of learning and experience to provide insight and guidance. He possesses great attention to detail, and inspires confidence that the project he undertakes, will be conducted diligently and with imagination. He has well honed managerial skills, which coupled with his integrity and generosity make Alexey a pleasure to work with and to have as a client.
David Keane
Having worked directly for Alexey for more than 3 years it is hard to do justice in words to the total business package he represents. He possesses a wide-ranging knowledge of various aspects of business, from strategy development to financial management. I always felt this came from his passion for lifelong learning. He not only encourages continuous growth in himself but also instils this value within the entire team. Skylark was one of the few companies I have been in where there was a business library and a genuine exchange of ideas and really looking at ways of operating from a new perspective – all encouraged by Alexey. His commitment to personal and professional development is evident in the way he embraces new challenges and seeks innovative solutions. Alexey's work rate is unparalleled. He leads by example, consistently putting in the effort required to achieve our goals. His dedication to our mission was unwavering, and it motivated the entire team to excel. In terms of organizational excellence, Alexey is a master of creating and maintaining efficient systems. His attention to detail and commitment to excellence were reflected in every aspect of Skylark Learning's business processes. A key aspect I experienced was our work culture. He fostered a passionate and high-performing team that shared his dedication to our vision. Under his leadership, Skylark became a place where creativity thrived, and employees felt valued and inspired. I doubt anyone who worked for him would not, given the opportunity, want to work for or with him again. He is a very decent person and would be an outstanding asset in any organisation looking for an original, diverse and innovative but grounded, efficient and effective operator.
Tony Jennings ACA CA(SA)
Alexey has been a client of mine for some years, and I have worked with him on a range of issues. He is able to grasp the implications of events and issues rapidly and comprehensively, and to utilise his breadth of learning and experience to provide insight and guidance. He possesses great attention to detail, and inspires confidence that the project he undertakes, will be conducted diligently and with imagination. He has well honed managerial skills, which coupled with his integrity and generosity make Alexey a pleasure to work with and to have as a client.
Experience
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Skylark Learning Ltd.
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United Kingdom
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Book and Periodical Publishing
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1 - 100 Employee
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CEO and Co-Founder
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Mar 2013 - Present
Skylark Learning creates international award-winning resources that help parents/carers and early years professionals to provide children with more opportunities by developing crucial life skills. Skylark products are for fun, play-based early education, grounded in latest research. • Founded and cultivated a lean startup culture, building a talented team and establishing efficient systems. • Implemented financial modeling, project management, and organizational planning using tools like Asana. • Introduced data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement practices, evaluating opportunities and performance using NPV and NPS metrics. • Applied Design Thinking to integrate geographically dispersed teams, streamlining processes and technology. • Formed strategic partnerships with leading research centers, driving development and marketing of innovative connected products in multiple languages. • Anticipated market shifts, aligning strategy and operations for future success. • Led Waterfall and Agile projects, optimizing outcomes based on specific project needs. Show less
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Umnitsa
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Russian Federation
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Book and Periodical Publishing
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1 - 100 Employee
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CEO
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Feb 2007 - Jul 2012
The company creates and distributes educational books, toys and games for children under 5. The products focus on early childhood emotional development and school readiness.• Transformed a single-product mail-order business into an international franchise with 60 shops across four countries, expanding staff to 100 based in six cities.• Led development and marketing of 200+ products.• Achieved tenfold sales growth in five years by building an international sales and marketing organisation, robust product portfolio and streamlined processes. • The carefully implemented succession planning project was featured as a case study in the book New Business: Next Steps by Ed Goodman and Ann Hawkins (Pearson, 2015). Show less
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Deputy CEO
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Jan 2003 - Jan 2007
During the company’s early growth stage, established and led a cross-functional team of up to 25 professionals, covering Direct-to-Consumer sales, 24/7 customer service, supply chain, financial, legal and HR functions.Implemented robust budgeting, financial and operating reporting systems to enable data-driven decision-making.Achieved a cost reduction of 50% and a market-leading product quality through strategic outsourcing of manufacturing overseas.
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CA 17 International
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France
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Business Consulting and Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Project Manager
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Sep 2001 - Jan 2003
An international consulting firm specialising in rural development. • Developed projects for tenders initiated by EU, World Bank, the French Government, and other governments in Eastern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Northern and Central Africa. • Engaged in negotiations with EU officials in Brussels and with peer firms from France, Germany, Spain and Greece. • Collaborated closely with consultants and government officials from over 10 countries across EMEA. • Developed the expertise and became in charge of budgeting for all company projects. Show less
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Co-operative Extension Adviser and Assistant to Resident EU Expert
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Nov 1998 - Sep 2001
An international rural development consultancy implemented an EU-sponsored technical assistance project in four regions of Russia. • Managed operations including office support, travel and events, local government relations, management accounting and reporting. • Following an extensive training and mentoring programme, delivered business planning, strategy and marketing consulting to food processing co-operative ventures. • Established long-term productive relationships with senior experts from Greece, France, Italy and the UK. Show less
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Education
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2010 - 2012
The University of Chicago - Booth School of Business
Executive MBA -
2012 - 2012
Stanford University Graduate School of Business
Executive Education, Managing Talent for Strategic Advantage -
2001 - 2002
La Rochelle Université
Master, Project Management -
1993 - 1998
Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University
Higher Education Diploma, Teacher of English; French
Community
