Gears mechanism
Strategic Operator
From Chaos to Clarity

You're building something that matters

BUT YOUR TECH SYSTEM IS LOSING RHYTHM

That's when I step in — to bring your system back in sync

Get back in sync → Crisis mode
10+ Industries Navigated
18+ Years Experience
Week 1 Impact From

Why Tech Companies Bring Me In

I'm not a consultant — I'm an embedded operator

01
MOMENTUM

I rebuild momentum

Where product and infra teams have stalled for months, I restore velocity within the first week

02
STRUCTURE

I turn chaos into structure

Restoring delivery rhythm and clarity when everything feels like firefighting

03
LEADERSHIP

I add strategic leadership

Without the overhead of a full-time CTO — right expertise, right timing, right cost

04
OPERATIONS

I take real operational load

Working from the inside, not from the slides — actually building and shipping alongside your team

05
ROI

I deliver measurable ROI

Faster launches, fewer incidents, clearer ownership — with 2-5x return on investment

Choose Your Mission Type

Four specialized operations for different challenges

FIRST MONTH

Recon

Initial assessment and quick wins. Map the terrain, identify critical issues, and decide on the next engagement mode

Learn more →
6-12 MONTHS

HQ

Strategic backbone for your tech organization. Continuous alignment of engineering, IT, and product

Learn more →
3-6 MONTHS

Combat Missions

Crisis response when everything is on fire. Structured recovery to restore control and momentum

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6-12+ MONTHS

Expeditions

Navigate unknown territory. Build new structures for markets, compliance zones, or transformations

Learn more →

How I Work: From Crisis to Clarity

A battle-tested process that delivers results in weeks, not quarters

Month 1

Recon - Assessment

  • Map organizational landscape
  • Interview 20-30 key stakeholders
  • Identify critical issues & quick wins
  • Deliver initial improvements
Immediate Result Action plan ready
Month 2-3

Choose Path

  • Based on Recon findings
  • HQ: Establish strategic rhythm
  • Combat: Crisis intervention
  • Expedition: Build new structures
Key Milestone Engagement mode active
Month 3-6

Execute & Stabilize

  • Implement systematic fixes
  • Build/strengthen teams
  • Establish metrics & processes
  • Deliver tangible results
Major Win Systems stabilized
Month 6+

Scale & Transfer

  • Architect for 10x scale
  • Create sustainable systems
  • Document playbooks
  • Transfer ownership
End State Self-sufficient team

When to Call SpecialOps

I step in when reality has already hit the dream — but the dream can still bloom

Scaling Crisis

When scaling makes everything fragile — and your once-nimble startup starts moving like a slow enterprise

Firefighting Mode

When your engineers are firefighting, your PMs are stuck in Jira, and leadership has lost visibility

Unknown Territory

When entering new tech stacks, new markets, or compliance zones — and you need clarity in the fog

Crisis Self-Assessment

✓
Your CTO just quit or announced departure
✓
Product launches consistently slip by months
✓
Team spends >50% time firefighting vs building
✓
Lost a major client due to tech/reliability issues
✓
Board asking tough questions about tech delivery
✓
Tech debt is blocking business growth
✓
You're afraid to deploy to production
✓
Engineers are burned out, attrition rising

Checked 2 or more? Let's talk ASAP before it gets worse

Selected Crisis Cases

Not consulting reports — actual systems rebuilt and teams unblocked

Beeline
Oversun
Wargaming
DataPro
GCore
G
VK
P2P.org
Telegram
Wallet
TOP
Group
T
2005
2008
2011
2014
2017
2020
2023
2024
2025
03

Wargaming (World of Tanks)

Gaming • Deputy CTO
Before

Explosive player growth caused long queues and unstable gameplay. Infrastructure couldn't keep pace with millions of concurrent players

Action

Accelerated server rollouts globally, reorganized infrastructure processes, built dedicated network team for real-time game traffic

After

Fast global expansion, stable experience for millions of players worldwide. Platform ready for future growth

2012-2014 • Deputy CTO
Learn more
05

GCore (G-Core Labs)

Infrastructure • Co-CEO
Before

Growing CDN/Edge platform needed to scale globally. Complex technical and operational challenges across multiple markets

Action

Built global infrastructure platform, expanded to 100+ PoPs worldwide, orchestrated corporate growth and M&A

After

Major global player in CDN/Edge computing, stable operations across continents, successful business growth

2016-2021 • Co-CEO
Learn more
08

Telegram Wallet

Fintech • Fractional CTO / CIO
Before

Launched and scaled fast — then crashed. System instability, unclear ownership, security gaps, firefighting mode

Action

Built Internal IT, InfoSec, and DevOps from ground up. Implemented ZTNA, CMDB, MDM. Reorganized responsibilities

After

Stability restored, Security + Internal IT created, clear processes established, ready for next growth phase

2024-Present • Fractional CIO
Learn more
01

Beeline

Telco • Senior Network Engineer

Telco networks infrastructure and operations. Building carrier-grade network systems

2005-2009
Learn more
02

Oversun

Hosting • Deputy CTO

Hosting and infrastructure operations. Building scalable hosting platforms

2009-2012
Learn more
04

DataPro

Infrastructure • IT Director

Datacenters and enterprise IT operations. Building reliable enterprise infrastructure

2014-2016
Learn more
06

VK (Mail.ru Group)

Social • Deputy VP

Corporate infrastructure and scale operations. Managing large-scale tech operations

2021-2022
Learn more
07

P2P.org

Crypto • Head of Special Projects

Crypto infrastructure and operations. Building reliable blockchain validator infrastructure

2022-2023
Learn more
10

TOP Group

Enterprise • Group CIO

Unified IT platform implementation. SSO/Entra, Jira DC integration across organization

2024-Present
Learn more
View all projects
Pavel Poddubnyi

Pavel Poddubnyi SpecialOps Founder

I enter systems from the inside, feel their real temperature, and bring them back to rhythm

I've built, fixed, and scaled tech organizations globally for 18+ years across 10+ industries — from Gaming to Infrastructure, Fintech, and Crypto. Not from a distance — but by being inside the storm: restoring control, clarity, and forward motion

For me, "SpecialOps" isn't a metaphor. It's how I work: fast, structured, mission-driven, and with full responsibility for the outcome

Enterprise Scale

Built infrastructure serving 100M+ users at Wargaming, Telegram, GCore

Crisis Response

Led technical recoveries that saved companies from collapse

Cross-Industry

10+ industries: Gaming, Infrastructure, Fintech, Crypto

When your startup's dream collides with scaling reality — it can still be rebuilt

Let's discuss your challenge and find the path forward

Book a Sync Call

30 minutes to understand your situation, see if we're a good fit, and identify potential points of collaboration. No pressure — just an honest conversation.

Schedule Now
30 minutes
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[email protected]
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