About Me
Hi, I’m Ilya (ɪlʲˈja)
I am a Product Manager and Agile Product Owner with extensive experience in B2B Enterprise products. My passion lies in building platforms that empower others to develop and deliver their own products efficiently.
I specialize in API product management, helping teams integrate and adapt their APIs to meet customer needs as part of digital experience transformation in Insurance SaaS. My key focus areas include:
- API Discovery through developer portals
- API Design with low-code and no-code tooling
- Platform Infrastructure for scalable and efficient API ecosystems
- Since recently, UI Platform and Design System management
With over a decade experince in IT including a broad expertise in Business Analysis, I bring a unique ability to bridge the gap between technical and business stakeholders. Product Management, much like Business Analysis, is about translating customer needs into tangible product solutions—essentially, a form of interpretation and translation at a different scale.
Leadership & Mentorship
I am deeply invested in mentoring and building empowered product teams. One of my guiding principles comes from Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull:
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
I've seen this firsthand—strong teams, equipped with trust, the right tools, and shared knowledge, consistently outperform. I have built and led such teams twice, refining a framework for product team success along the way.
Writing & Speaking
I write extensively on APIs, Business Analysis, and Product Management, sharing insights across LinkedIn, Medium, and my blog. My goal is to provide valuable, experience-based content that resonates with professionals in these fields.
I am also an active speaker in the BA Warszawa community, a group I’m proud to be part of. While my schedule is limited, I am keen on expanding my speaking engagements to conferences and industry events.
A Few More Facts About Me
- I hold degrees in Linguistics (English & French translation) and Economics (Logistics & Supply Chain Management).
- I began my IT career as an L1 Support Engineer in 2014.
- I later transitioned to Business Analysis, working in outsourcing and product companies across various industries.
- Most of my projects have been B2B Enterprise-focused.
- I have hands-on experience with Python, SQL, RESTful APIs, and other technical domains.
My Social Media
Contact Me
I am the most active on LinkedIn so you can connect and write to me there. Also, you can send me an old-fashioned email to ilya.zakharau@gmail.com.