From Siberia to Tokyo: How ISSEK Graduate Gleb Cherdantsev Built an International Career in Technology Management
For Gleb Cherdantsev, professional growth has always meant moving beyond familiar boundaries while building on previous experience. A graduate of the Master’s Programme ‘Science, Technology and Innovation Management and Policy’ at HSE University in 2017, he now works as a Program Manager at Rakuten Group in Japan, applying concepts first encountered during his years at ISSEK.
Today, Gleb works in the technology management division of Rakuten, one of Japan’s largest technology companies. His team is responsible for developing and managing the company’s internal IT platforms, supporting employees and business processes across the organization. His role combines business analysis, technology strategy, and management.
Before moving into technology management, Gleb worked in business analysis, product management and consulting. Over time, he became increasingly interested in a field known as Enterprise Architecture, which he describes as a combination of analytical and managerial work. The discipline focuses not only on understanding how organizations function across different levels: business, technology, applications, and data, but also on implementing long-term strategic changes across all these domains
One of the concepts he still actively uses in his work today is technology roadmapping, first introduced to him during his time at ISSEK.
If a company has a large portfolio of technologies, it needs to understand how they connect and impact each other, what should be developed, replaced, or retired in the future. That whole concept is something I learned working at ISSEK ten years ago, and I’m still using it today.
Building a Career Across Borders
Gleb’s international career developed gradually. After starting in a regional company in Russia, he moved to Moscow seeking new professional opportunities. But curiosity about different working environments and cultures continued to grow.
I always wanted to develop professionally without just repeating the same old tricks, but I also didn’t want to throw everything I learned away and start from scratch every time. I wanted to keep building on the foundation of knowledge and skills I already had.
Although he had long been interested in Europe and considered several possible destinations, Japan eventually became the country where he decided to continue his professional journey. Part of the motivation was personal, but he was also attracted by the challenge of adapting to a completely different environment.
Living and working in Japan required significant adaptation, especially in terms of language and professional culture. One of the biggest differences he noticed was the decision-making process in Japanese organizations, particularly the importance of consensus-building.
He highlights the Japanese concept of Nemawashi (根回し), an informal process of stakeholder alignment before formal decisions are made.
In Japan, decisions are rarely made individually. You need to align with everyone beforehand and prepare the foundation carefully before presenting an idea formally.
According to Gleb, learning patience and understanding different approaches to communication and management became essential professional skills during his time in Japan.
Learning How to Think
Reflecting on the influence of the Master’s Programme, Gleb believes its greatest value was not a single technical skill, but the ability to think critically about technology and innovation.
The short answer is that it taught me how to think. The better the higher education, the better alumni are able to think about complex problems.
He also recalls that one of the most difficult aspects of the Programme, writing academic papers, later became one of the most valuable experiences in his professional development.
Those hard exercises improve your thinking and help you develop both personally and professionally.
Gleb remains especially grateful to professors Vitaliy Roud and Carol Scott Leonard, whom he credits for helping him strengthen his analytical and research skills.
Advice for Current Students
When asked what advice he would give to current students interested in technology and innovation management, Gleb encourages them to focus on developing independent thinking rather than simply following trends. He also cautions against overreliance on artificial intelligence tools.
Our ability to think creatively and independently is one of the most important assets we develop during higher education. You should always keep your thinking abilities sharp.
Looking ahead, Gleb plans to continue developing enterprise architecture practices within Rakuten while working on increasingly complex international projects. Even after nearly a decade since graduation, he says the knowledge and ways of thinking developed at HSE and ISSEK remain part of his daily professional life.
I’m really happy that even after ten years, I’m still able to use what I learned at HSE and at ISSEK in my day-to-day work and even for planning my future.
