Welcome Dimitri to the Team!

Bottom Line Up Front: As our newest Chief Technology Officer, Dimitri Ponomareff brings his 13 years of leadership, wow-worthy accomplishments, & impact-oriented approach to the table — and we couldn’t be more excited to have him. Check out what makes him so remarkable below.

While it’s true that the measure of a team comes down to each and every member that supports it, the direction that the team moves in — and the speed at which it moves — is often decided by the leaders.

The coaches and captains who use their expertise and energy to guide the group. 

The higher-ups with the experience necessary to craft new gameplans, assess new problems, and think one step ahead of the competition. 

And the individuals who see the team’s pitfalls and successes as more than just one-noted happenings — but as part of a story they’re responsible for impacting. 

At InkSoft, every single member of our team is important, and we wouldn’t be who we are without them. But it’s our leaders — it’s the people we bring on who have that special understanding, that extraordinary insight, and that powerful sense of self-determination — that we spend the most time vetting. 

Because our team, our ship, is crucial to our company. In fact, it is our company. So — when we let someone else take the wheel and get steering, you better believe that we trust them with everything we’ve got.

And that takes us to today’s announcement. 

An announcement we’re more than a little excited to be making. An announcement that will kick off our 2021 year of growth — and give you that much more access to the behind-the-scenes world of InkSoft. 

Today’s announcement centers on the role of Chief Technology Officer — a role that, for a software company like us, is pretty darned important. As the captain, mentor, and guide for all things technology, the person who holds this role must be as knowledgable as they are open-minded. As experienced as they are innovative. And as learning-obsessed as they are hungry to teach.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Dimitri Ponomareff. 

He crosses off all those boxes — and then some — with his thirteen-year leadership track record in the industry, his remarkable accomplishments, and his commitment to seeing new ideas all the way through. From coaching to founding new businesses, he’s built himself quite the reputation. And we’ll be the first to tell you: it’s worth every bit of praise it’s received.

Ready to get to know Dimitri? Great — let’s welcome him to the stage. 

Chief Technology Officer: Dimitri Ponomareff

In today’s day and age, there are plenty of people who know their stuff when it comes to technology. But if you’re looking for the people who go beyond just knowing their stuff — the people who care enough about their stuff to actually build new frameworks for making it better accessible — you’re looking at a much smaller population.

And since care is at the backbone of our business model, when InkSoft began searching for its new CTO — we looked for that passion, that determination, first. 

Luckily for us, Dimitri showed right up. 

So, how did he get to be as accomplished as he is today? It all started with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree in Management Information Systems. From there, he went on to hold different IT and e-commerce roles (as manager and director) before landing his first position as an Agile-specific coach for JDA Software Group. 

Nearly two years later, he formed his own coaching business: Torak, Inc. And that’s where his leadership standing really took off. 

Providing coaching and training services for Agile, Lean, and DevOps to clients ranging from American Express to Best Western International, Charles Schwab to Morgan Stanley, and Mayo Clinic to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Dimitri’s first company was a persistent — and much in-demand — success.

But even though Dimitri and his team of world-class coaches were working with some of the biggest businesses across industries, and even though they were seeing real-time results from their efforts, Dimitri knew he could be doing more. He had an inkling that there was still an untapped market — where his expertise and ideas could make a real difference.

So, in early 2017, he took the leap.

Kanban Zone, a business oriented around utilizing technology to increase results, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction across industries, was born. Serving as the CEO and co-founder, Dimitri drove the company to help organizations of all kinds by creating the most innovative visual process management tool out there. Industries impacted include advertising, agriculture, energy, finance, industrial, institution, insurance, and manufacturing — to name a few. 

The through-line between Dimitri’s two businesses, the thirteen years he’s spent with Agile and Lean, and the organizations he’s worked with is simple: he genuinely likes to help people reach their fullest potential.

He really, wholeheartedly, and unfailingly cares.

Beyond just the coaching and training he offers with Torak and Kanban Zone, Dimitri is also a master facilitator of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” — and he enjoys using that paradigm to lead strategic sessions and speak to groups of all sizes. Whether he’s helping a major institution find weak points or training individuals to better use their systems to reach new heights, Dimitri has his finger on the pulse of today’s best solutions.

And he can’t wait to share what he knows. Passionately, dynamically, and earnestly.

If it’s not abundantly clear yet, we’re overjoyed to have Dimitri on our ship. And not just on it, but right up front — helping us tackle the waves, adjust direction, and think bigger as we continue on our journey forward. 

As a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner, a Certified Scrum Practitioner, a Certified Scrum Master, and a Project Management Professional, Dimitri has all of the qualifications, the skills, and the experience required to enter this role seamlessly. And, paired with his growth-oriented approach and authentic love for his specialty, we know that major impact awaits.

We can’t wait to see how Dimitri will help our team here at InkSoft soar. And we especially can’t wait to see how his touch betters your experience. (Because we know it will. It’s just a matter of when.)