Fractional & interim data leadership

Your scale-up has outgrown its data setup.

In 3 to 9 months, I take your data team and platform from ad-hoc to audit-ready, so governance, compliance, and enterprise customers stop holding you back.

Book a free consultation How it works
Ilya Vladimirskiy, fractional and interim data leader
20+
Years in data
10+
Years leading data teams
25+
Largest data team led
Challenges

Is your data holding you back?

Common challenges scale-ups face in data and AI.

01

Has your data team become the bottleneck?

Too technical, too far from the business, too slow, and too focused on tools instead of business problems and outcomes.

02

Is bad data blocking your AI?

AI should be an enabler. Without a solid data foundation, it is garbage in, garbage out. Get the data foundations right, and AI starts to work in practice.

03

Facing an audit or certification?

HIPAA, MDR, GDPR, SOC 2. I bring the data side up to standard across people, processes, and technology: governance, incident handling, SLAs, and access control.

04

Ready for enterprise customers?

A big customer expects mature processes and reliability your team may not have delivered before. I have built for large enterprises and get your data ready to meet their bar.

Service

One offer, three durations.

I join as your fractional or interim data leader and take your team and platform to the next level. Each step builds on the one before. Pick the depth that fits.

3 months

Diagnose and stabilize.

  • A full read on your data, team, and platform
  • Quick wins on your most painful gaps
  • A prioritized roadmap you can act on

Most common

6 months

Build a change that lasts.

  • A platform, governance, and processes that keep running without me
  • Your team hired, levelled up, and closer to the business
  • Incident handling, SLAs, and access controls in place
  • AI and reporting built on data you can trust

9 months

Scale and step back.

  • Your data team scaled and running on its own
  • A permanent data lead hired and onboarded together
  • Mature, audit-ready processes across the business
  • A clean handover, so the team thrives without me

Other ways to work together

One-day workshop

On-site with your leadership, at the whiteboard. In a single focused day we map your situation and pin down the main challenges.

Two-week assessment

A deep look at your team, skills matrix, processes, technology, vendors, and stakeholders. A solid foundation for what comes next, with 50% off if it leads into a fractional engagement.

Advisory

A non-executive, non-operational role: we talk regularly so you have senior data guidance on call for strategy, architecture, vendors, and board or investor questions.

Kickstart

For early-stage startups starting their first data team and platform. Avoid early mistakes, skip the over-engineering, and save real money by getting to a slim, pragmatic setup from the start.

About

Who you'll work with.

I'm Ilya Vladimirskiy, a Berlin-based data leader. I help scale-ups build data teams and platforms that deliver real value, then hand them over and step away.

Over 20 years in data, with more than 10 years of leadership at companies like Ada Health, CARFAX, and Smartfrog, plus hands-on engineering at Zalando and eDarling. Two beliefs guide my work: success in data comes from people, not tools, and the only metric that matters is business impact. For the last two years I have worked as a fractional and interim leader, most recently with BioAge Labs, so you get senior experience for exactly as long as you need it.

Based in
Berlin, Germany
Led data at
Ada Health, CARFAX, Smartfrog
Industries
eHealth, life sciences, biotech, e-commerce, automotive, IoT, dating, finance
Languages
English, German
Case studies

What I did for clients.

Ada Health Full study

From 6 people to four teams in two years.

Grew the data department from a 6-person team to four teams and 25+ people in two years, while building B2B data products for global pharma and insurers.

  • Grew the data department from 6 people to four teams and 25+ people in two years.
  • Delivered B2B data products for Novartis, Bayer, Takeda, Kaiser Permanente, and Prudential.
  • Gave internal teams real-time analytics and self-service BI.
Scale-upeHealthIn-housePeopleProduct+2

Thank you so much Ilya Vladimirskiy, very much appreciated working with you at Ada Health. You are a strong leader in data and engineering!

Gülsah Wilke · Co-founder 2hearts, ex-Ada Health
Zalando Full study

The data backbone behind ML pricing.

Built the data infrastructure behind machine-learning demand forecasting and price optimization across 500K+ products.

  • Gave ML teams a high-performance foundation for model development and deployment.
  • Helped replace manual heuristics with machine-learning-driven pricing.
  • Supported Zalando's shift toward dynamic, AI-driven pricing at scale.
EnterpriseE-commerceIn-houseTechnologyData

Ilya is an exceptional engineer and I was happy to work with him at Zalando. He is a very supportive team player and greatly helped maintaining PostgreSQL based ETL processes as well as the communication with the Business Intelligence and Analytics departments. His previous experiences with databases, data processing and fundamental computer science research helped to largely improve the quality of Data Science at Zalando.

Valentine Gogichashvili · Built Zalando's first DB team
SmartfrogNow merged with Canary Full study

From gut-feel to data-driven, built from scratch.

Joined as the first data hire and built the entire data platform and team from scratch, turning a gut-feel business into a data-driven one.

  • Stood up a scalable data platform that supported company-wide analytics.
  • Gave the business real-time, reliable reporting in place of ad-hoc extracts.
  • Connected the ERP so finance and operations shared one source of truth.
StartupIoTIn-housePeopleProduct+3
Kunstschule Berlin (SBKG) Full study

Data-informed decisions for an offline business.

As Fractional CDO, took a non-technical art school from disconnected systems to data-informed daily decisions with Power BI.

  • Brought data-driven management to a non-technical organization.
  • Connected operational systems into a lightweight platform feeding Power BI.
  • Identified churn patterns and acted on them to improve retention.
Small businessEducationFractionalPeopleProcess+3

Ilya has been a game-changer for Kunstschuleberlin. He helped us become a data-driven organization by building a solid foundation for our data platform and getting our team organized around it. Thanks to his guidance, we now use data in a way that truly supports our work. Even after setting things up, he continues to support us, making sure we stay on track. His expertise and hands-on approach made a huge difference!

Rita Krioukov · Co-founder & CEO
CARFAX Europe Full study

From siloed teams to cross-functional.

As Director Data, led and restructured three teams of 15+ people across engineering, analytics, and BI, turning the data organization into a driver of data-driven initiatives.

  • Restructured three teams into a data department that could deliver as one.
  • Strengthened the team through hiring and developing engineers and analysts.
  • Modernized the platform so analytics and BI ran on a dependable foundation.
Scale-upAutomotiveIn-housePeopleProcess+2
eDarlingNow part of Spark Networks Full study

Billing data everyone could trust.

Led a small engineering team building the billing, payment, and ETL systems behind a subscription dating business, in close partnership with finance, product, and analytics.

  • Delivered a billing and payment system the subscription business ran on.
  • Gave finance and analytics consistent, trustworthy numbers to work from.
  • Led a small engineering team and owned the domain end to end.
Scale-upDatingIn-housePeopleProduct+1

Ilya is an excellent programmer, a hard worker, a dedicated and loyal employee and a great team worker. It is a pleasure to work with him.

Christian Vollmann · Entrepreneur & investor, 70+ startups
BioAge Labs Full study

Governed data for longevity research.

As fractional Data Architect, then Head of Engineering and Infrastructure, built the data integration, architecture, and governance behind a longevity research collaboration with Novartis.

  • Integrated multi-source research data into governed, usable assets.
  • Defined the data architecture and governance for a multi-party collaboration.
  • Kept compliance front and center in a regulated research setting.
StartupBiotechFractionalPeopleProcess+3
GeoAlert Full study

Engineering that moves at business speed.

As advisor to the CTO and CEO, helped a geospatial AI company move from a slow, deeply technical engineering org to a faster, more business-oriented one through better process and agile ways of working.

  • Helped the team move faster and ship with more focus.
  • Reoriented engineering around business outcomes, not just technical interest.
  • Introduced agile practices and a clearer development process.
StartupGeospatialAdvisoryPeopleProcess
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Testimonials

What people say.

Ilya is an excellent programmer, a hard worker, a dedicated and loyal employee and a great team worker. It is a pleasure to work with him.
Christian Vollmann Christian Vollmann
Entrepreneur and investor who has shaped Germany's digital landscape with over 70 startups, including nebenan.de, eDarling, and MyVideo.
Thank you so much Ilya Vladimirskiy, very much appreciated working with you at Ada Health. You are a strong leader in data and engineering!
Gülsah Wilke Gülsah Wilke
Industry leader featured by Forbes, co-founded 2hearts, and helped grow Ada Health, DN Capital, McKinsey, and IBM into key players in tech and innovation.
I had the pleasure to work with Ilya on a variety of topics. He combined a keen thinking and can-do attitude which I highly valued. We were sad to see him leave but I wish him all the best and beyond doubt he will succeed.
Michael Schrezenmaier Michael Schrezenmaier
Former Co-CEO of Pipedrive and CEO Europe at SumUp, now Partner at Incharge Capital Partners.
Ilya has been a game-changer for Kunstschuleberlin. He helped us become a data-driven organization by building a solid foundation for our data platform and getting our team organized around it. Thanks to his guidance, we now use data in a way that truly supports our work. Even after setting things up, he continues to support us, making sure we stay on track. His expertise and hands-on approach made a huge difference!
Rita Krioukov Rita Krioukov
Co-founder and longtime CEO of Kunstschuleberlin, a leading Berlin art school with 20+ years of history, offering diverse courses to hundreds of students daily.
Ilya was dealing with billing and data warehouse at a high professional level. He is a great developer and very pragmatic personality. I liked his accuracy and data driven approach. He is stress resistant and very focussed on result and performance. It was a pleasure working with Ilya and can highly recommend him.
David Rodriguez David Rodriguez
Former CEO of Delivery Hero Germany and CFO of Lieferando, data-driven leader who has led major digital transformations at multiple top companies.
I quickly came to rely on Ilya as a valued teammate who is able to consistently blend high technical acumen with a collaborative, empathetic, and supportive leadership approach that in itself is a rare commodity.
Peter Bannister Peter Bannister
A leader in digital health and AI-driven innovation, Honorary Professor at University of Birmingham, former CTO at Median Technologies, VP of Life Sciences at Ada Health, CSO at UGenome Biotech.
Ilya is an exceptional engineer and I was happy to work with him at Zalando. He is a very supportive team player and greatly helped maintaining PostgreSQL based ETL processes as well as the communication with the Business Intelligence and Analytics departments. His previous experiences with databases, data processing and fundamental computer science research helped to largely improve the quality of Data Science at Zalando.
Valentine Gogichashvili Valentine Gogichashvili
Renowned data leader, built Zalando's first database team, laying the foundation for a data infrastructure that now serves millions of customers.
Process

From where you are to where you want to be.

1

Assessment

Weeks 1 to 2

  • Technical and team assessment
  • Priorities mapped to business goals
  • Findings and a clear set of recommendations
2

Planning and quick wins

Months 1 to 2

  • Target architecture and execution roadmap
  • Governance and data quality foundations
  • The most painful problems fixed first
3

Implementation and handover

Months 2 to 4

  • Hands-on, guided implementation
  • Roles, ownership, and operating model in place
  • Your team trained and bought in
4

Hardening and succession

Months 4 to 6

  • Stabilized, hardened, and documented
  • Self-service and mature governance running
  • Your permanent lead hired and onboarded, then I step away
FAQ

Questions, answered.

What does "fractional" mean, and how is it different from a consultant or a full-time hire?

A consultant tells you what to do. I join your team, lead it, build with it, and take full responsibility for the results. You get a lot of senior experience for a limited time, usually enough to make a sustainable change, without paying to keep that level of experience on staff permanently. Sometimes I also take interim mandates full-time.

How much of your time do I get?

I work outcome-based, not by the hour. We agree up front on the results I will deliver, and my compensation is tied to them, so your risk stays low. I put in whatever time the work needs to deliver what I promised, and I am the one who judges that. I do not invoice days or hours, I deliver outcomes. We can of course agree on response times, regular meetings, and availability. So the real question is not how many days you buy, it is the value you get, and I make sure it is well worth the investment.

How long is a typical engagement?

From experience, nine months is the sweet spot. I recommend three months for smaller projects focused on quick wins and immediate needs, and six to nine for deeper, longer-term work. Every situation is different, so the length is never set in stone and is always negotiable. I also offer advisory support to former clients, mostly to protect what we built together and keep it from drifting off track.

Do you actually build, or just advise?

I build. I am an engineer at heart, and I also fix the processes around the engineering. I join your team, lead it, and stay very present. I do not build around your people, I work alongside them, teach them, and level them up, so we build it together and they can carry it forward.

What tools and tech stack do you work with?

If I have learned one thing over the years, it is that things usually go wrong not because of tools or technologies, but because of people and processes. So I focus on your real pains and business outcomes, not engineering for its own sake, and I go after the root cause. That said, I bring over two decades of experience across major technologies, clouds, and platforms, and I get up to speed quickly. At the level I work, concrete tools are rarely the blocker. People are far more complicated.

Can we start small with just an assessment before committing?

Yes, and it is very typical. A two-week assessment gives you a clear read on your current state, the quick wins you can fix right away, and a high-level direction for your future team and platform. If we run the assessment and then decide to work together, I credit half of its price to the engagement.

What happens when you leave?

Whatever I build is meant to last, whether that is process, culture, or technology. The goal is not to make myself irreplaceable, it is the opposite: I measure my success by how autonomous your team is after I leave. Depending on your situation, we might hire or promote someone to take over, upskill an existing person, or build a team that runs without a dedicated head of data and reports into another function. It depends on your scale, your goals, and many other factors we work out together.

Do you work remote or on-site? Where are you based?

I am based in Berlin and prefer a remote-first setup with the team gathering in person from time to time, but it is all negotiable and I am happy to fit a hybrid way of working. My clients are mostly in Europe, the US, and the UK, and I am always curious to open up new geographies.

Let's talk.

Whatever data or AI problem you're facing, let's talk it through first on a free 45-minute call. I'm genuinely curious about these problems; whether it turns into a contract is a conversation for later.

Book a free consultation