Slava Raykov

Joined at an early stage to help the company reach market readiness. Partnered with the CEO on growth strategy and brand positioning across acquisition, channel mix, and communication. Built the marketing foundation, hired the initial team, and introduced AI-based CRM automations for 10k pre orders. The company ultimately paused operations due to product-market-fit challenges.

• Achieved +250% YoY volume growth across 30 markets at one-third the cost of acquisition (CAC) of the traditional model by defining and executing the global CX strategy for the oral smokeless category, aligning retail, eCommerce, and partner channels.

• Scaled consumer acquisition and retention through end-to-end journey ownership, securing cross-functional and cross-market buy-in and embedding KPI frameworks.

• Tripled conversion rates via a trial program with 700K+ participants, supported by offline playbooks ensuring brand consistency across 15K outlets while maintaining operational efficiency.

• Improved retention and engagement with offline-to-online journeys, A/B testing, and AI-based analytics, increasing open rates by 25% and reducing churn by 15%.

• Enhanced trial efficiency and brand connection by piloting sensorial retail experiences (e.g., aroma stations previewing flavor profiles).

• U.S. Market Entry. Mandated directly by CEO to prepare IQOS market entry across four key cities (>$1 B opportunity). Assessed risks and identified synergies with existing U.S. ZYN business.

• Grew consumer base from 6.6M to 19.5M in four years (31 % CAGR) by leading PMI's largest-ever transformation from a B2B to B2C model.

• Delivered a global omnichannel strategy spanning online and offline retail, defining channel roles by audience and embedding KPI frameworks for acquisition and retention.

• Rolled out across 15 top markets, lifting NPS by ~10%, saving $50M through channel-mix optimization and reducing CAC by ~25%.

• Enhanced consumer experience and retail impact by partnering with boutique managers and creative agencies to design emotionally engaging retail concepts and zones.

• Led and aligned cross-functional teams, supervising 10 consultants and coordinating markets, marketing, operations and digital; recognized by CEO and senior leadership.