Sergey Bush (Sergej Busch)
Personal information
Name: Sergej Busch Email: busch@lab321.de Date of birth: 17.02.1966 Nationality: German, Russian
My Favourite Quote
“95% of variation in the performance of a system is caused by the system itself; only 5% is caused by the people.”
~ W. Edwards Deming, Introduction to The Team Handbook
About me
Organisational development has been my passion since my student years. During almost 40 years of working in various organisations in Russia and across Europe (UK, Germany) I have gained valuable experience in the field - due to the tremendous transformation that all organisations in Russia have experienced over these years.
As a result of my work, organisations have seen millions and tens of millions of euros in annual economic benefits, critical IT systems have been implemented and run for decades at exceptionally low total cost of ownership (TCO), and entire departments and separate specialised teams of different size and scope have been created.
There’s no substitute for experience, especially when it comes to understanding the long-term consequences of decisions. Some of my projects have spanned over 30 years, with most lasting more than a decade.
My experience covers a wide range of areas including scientific research, dealing with demand failures and operational losses, managing M&A projects, implementing various project management approaches from Waterfall to Agile, building key IT systems from scratch and managing or replacing legacy systems, embracing open source software since the mid-nineties. I have also been involved in the development of corporate business and IT within sectors such as banking, housing and utilities, and building engineering. Additionally, I have managed my own small IT and engineering businesses.
My consulting journey began in 1997, and since the early 90s, I have maintained regular contact with various social, business, academic, and non-profit organizations in Europe.
Experts like Bill Deming, Eliyahu Goldratt, John Seddon, and Bob Marshall advocate for the usage of systems theory and thinking in management, which highlights the need for external consulting for effective organizational development. This need is particularly relevant for medium and large organizations and should be addressed in various ways, one of which is by hiring an employee who specialises in organisational development.
Even the success of IT solutions relies less and less on technology and engineering and more on soft skills and organizational psychology. The ability to grasp the social context and effectively communicate plays a crucial role in my professional background.
Skills:
- IT Stack: Broad platform knowledge
- Development Methodologies: Waterfall, Agile, DevOps, CI/CD, TDD, Lean, Cynefin framework, Rightshifting
- Soft Skills: Exceptional people management, systems thinking and organisational psychology, building resilient distributed teams.
Work Experience:
Founder & Company Group Executive
Hardsoft321 Ltd & Lab321 GmbH
- Omsk, Russia 1990-present
- Bad Homburg, Germany 2020-present
- Pioneered digitalization strategies, focusing on customer self-service and process streamlining.
- Orchestrated the management of intricate IT landscapes, legacy systems, and M&A projects, actively addressing failure demand and operational waste, as well as TCO.
- Deep knowledge of the application of diverse development methodologies, including Waterfall, Agile, DevOps, CI/CD, and TDD.
- Executed Cynefin framework principles and rightshifting to harmonize strategy and execution.
Head of IT for Corporate Department
Bank Otkritie Financial Corporation (PJSC)
- Moscow, Russia, 02/2010 – 07/2013
- Navigated complex M&A initiatives, ensuring seamless technology integration and minimizing failure demand.
- Designed and maintained an automated loan processing system and customer support services utilizing SugarCRM with BPM-engine, reducing operational waste and achieving minimal TCO.
- Established an efficient help desk solution based on OTRS, enhancing responsiveness and efficiency.
Advisor to First Deputy Chairman of the Board
JSB Sobinbank
- Moscow, Russia, 10/2007 - 12/2008
- Offered strategic IT and operational insights.
- Guided the successful implementation of SugarCRM for the corporate department.
Deputy CEO & Head of IT
Bank Sootechestvenniki
- Omsk, Russia, 10/1995 – 03/1998
- Managing the IT and correspondent banking departments.
- Development and operational support of a core banking system.
Deputy CEO & Head of IT
Omsk Bank
- Omsk, Russia, 05/1992 – 04/1995
- Oversaw IT, correspondent banking, international banking, and securities departments, addressing failure demand and operational waste.
- Spearheaded the inception and continuous support of a core banking system still in operation, enhancing operational efficiency.
R&D Engineer
Research Lab 321 for Superconductive Sensors at the Omsk State Technical University
- Omsk, Russia, 03/1985 – 05/1990
- Developed an electronic model of DC-RSQUID and discovered a fractal form of its VA-curve.
Education
- 02/1994-09/1994 – Financial engineering, banking and mortgage market internship. Leeds Permanent Building Society, Leeds University, Leeds, UK.
- 09/1983-07/1988 – BSc Hons, Information and Measurement Technology (Electronics Engineering), Omsk State Technical University.
Languages
English: Good conversational
German: Intermediate (B1)
Russian: Native speaker