MBA in Entertainment, University of Southern California | Ex: Disney, JPMorganChase, KPMG, PwC

Fun fact: My LinkedIn isn't my resume. 

So don't come here looking to evaluate hiring me based on my LinkedIn. 

Or maybe you should look at my LinkedIn to realize I beautifully blend data and analytics with entertaining and educational storytelling. 

I always dreamed of being a television programmer. It never happened, so instead I live out my dream programming LinkedIn like my own TV channel. 

Over the past 5 years, I’ve logged 10,000+ hours on this platform. I’ve built a following of 100,000+ by programming my LinkedIn like my own TV channel. My content isn’t random. It’s strategic. Story-driven. Designed to drive real outcomes.

And it’s worked, generating $10M+ in deals for the companies I've worked. Read that one again. Not me, but my companies. The power of companies leveraging LinkedIn is the future of LinkedIn. 

In 2021, I launched a global  events company while working with a Mark Cuban and Ashton Kutcher startup, producing 40+ events in LA, NYC, Dubai, Paris, and London that drove millions of dollars in  revenue. I understand how to leverage LinkedIn so companies can drive real results. 

A few highlights:

-Closed a strategic partnership with CAA
-Raised $7M in funding for a Mark Cuban venture-backed startup
-Secured $4.13M in brand deals for one of the world’s top celebrities

My background spans banking (JPMorganChase), global advisory (PwC, KPMG), and a decade as CFO/COO in the luxury design world, managing 50+ people and overseeing $40M+ in ARR and $1B+ in real estate projects for icons like President Obama, George Clooney, and Cindy Crawford.

I’ve lived and worked in LA, NYC, and Dubai. I’ve built communities in tech, luxury, and now the creator economy. I’m obsessed with solving complex business problems through storytelling, partnerships, and scalable brand strategy.

Always open to meeting new and interesting people that love life, love to win, and love to make the world a better place.

John Kraski

Want to win on LinkedIn?

Talk about someone other than yourself.

My first post of 2026 is a shoutout.

To Nila Makhfi, M.S.

We both went to University of Southern California.
Same school. Same campus. Same Trojan pride. 
Never crossed paths.

Then LinkedIn happened.

We connected here.
Finally talked this past week.
And now we're teaming up.

We're putting together an event at USC. 
To teach students the power of LinkedIn.

Because in this job market?
A personal brand isn't a nice-to-have.
It's a necessity.

And Nila Makhfi, M.S. gets it.

She graduated with a 4.0 in her master's.
Consulted for Snap, LinkedIn, and Dunkin'.
Founded LinkedUp to bring creators together IRL.

The woman is a force.

That's the magic of LinkedIn.

It connects people who should've met years ago.
And turns strangers into collaborators.

So here's to 2026.
Here's to Nila Makhfi, M.S.
And here's to talking about someone other than yourself.

Trust me and Nila Makhfi, M.S. on this one.

Creator, Celebrity, and Brand Partnerships Executive I MBA in Entertainment, University of Southern California

I showed up to a conference with no friends.

Then Monica Khan saved my life.

Creator Economy Live in Las Vegas.
Hosted by my good friend Justin Johnson

Hundreds of creators.
Everyone already knew each other.
I knew no one.

I started having flashbacks of high school.

Was I going to be walking around like a lost little puppy dog?

With no friends that wanted to hang out with me. 

Then Monica Khan came to the rescue. 

I landed in Vegas around the same time as her.

She said, "Don't worry. Stick with me. I'll introduce you to everyone."

And she did.

I met so many amazing people including: 

David Neyman, Joe Sousa, Val Guerrera, Kimia Kalbasi, Gary Zucker, Garin Fons, Adrienne Fleming, MS, Erica Fieldman, Kenny Layton, Colin Duethorn, Meredith McLuckie, Grace Niu, Lisa Zlotnick, Courtney Buckhanon, Brendan Gahan, Keith Bendes, France Tantiado, Dylan Huey, Nila Makhfi, M.S., Oksana Kravchenko, Morgan Swinford, and so many more. 

Monica Khan took me under her wing.
Introduced me to her friends.
Invited me to her events.

She even got me into an amazing dinner hosted by Later.
Special shoutout to Tim Clarke, Scott Sutton, and Lyle Stevens. 

Think about that.

Most people at conferences network for themselves.
The best ones open doors for others.

That's the difference between a connector and a collector.

Collectors hoard relationships.
Connectors share them.

Make sure to follow Monica Khan.

Trust me and every person with no friends at a conference on this one.

Your degree won't get you hired.

Your network will.

21% of Duke MBAs were still job hunting 3 months after graduation.

15% at Michigan.

That's according to The Wall Street Journal.

These are elite programs.

And the job market is still brutal.

Here's the uncomfortable truth most students learn too late:

A degree gets you educated.
A network gets you employed.

That's why I'm heading back to the University of Southern California.

I got my MBA there.
Now I want to give something back.

I'll be on a panel about personal branding on LinkedIn.

With Nila Makhfi, M.S., Jessica Lam, and Dylan Huey.

We're breaking down how to actually build relationships that lead to jobs.

Because the students who crack this?

They're not sending 300 applications.

They're getting warm intros.
Recruiter DMs.
Offers before graduation.

LinkedIn isn't a resume database.

It's a relationship engine.

And right now, relationships beat résumés.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gbzJREK4

Trust me and every student struggling to find a job on this one.

The best kept secret on LinkedIn?

Azzy Maizer✨.

Not going to lie.

I thought she was AI at first.

Her posts are seriously next level.

The pacing.
The energy.
The intelligence.

Then we got on a call.

Two hours later, I realized I was wrong.

AI has nothing on her.

She's just operating on a different level.

Goldman Sachs.
Now part of Deloitte's stealth venture arm.
Building relationships with Anthropic, OpenAI, and Neo4j.

She creates playbooks before the market even exists.

Her banner says it all: "Together makes progress."

She's not here to chase followers.

She's here to make the world a better place.

That's why I follow her.

I love connecting with people who don't think like me.

People who open my mind to new ways of thinking.

Azzy is one of those people.

Do yourself a favor.

Follow Azzy Maizer✨.

Trust me and the future of AI on this one.

integrationWorks Romania

interim CEO 

S2Bconnected.com

CEO I Owner

integrationWorks GmbH

COO I Strategy & Architecture 

CSPO I Strategy & Architecture

Munich University of Applied Sciences

Assistant Lecturer

EU Business School

Digital Economy for Bachelors and Master Degrees

Lecturer

integrationWorks Asia Co., Ltd.

Chief Information Officer

UniCredit Business Integrated Solutions

Major Activities:
- Architecture Community
- SOA / Capabilities / Integration (BIAN, SOA, ESB, Service Repository & Registry, API Gateway)
- Digital Agenda (OCR, ECM, BPM, CM, Robotics)
- Open Banking (Open API, Hackathon Slovenia, PSD2, ...)

Senior Architect

Senior IT Architect

Head of the Global Competence Center of Application Architecture spread over Italy and Germany:
- Establish the global Architecture Team
- Global Process Owner for the Architecture Management Process within UniCredit Business Integration S.C.p.A. (setup of the new Process, establishment of the Architecture Community)
- Scouting and Evaluation of new Platforms and Softwarecomponents and implementation of new strategic components within the service landscape
- Establishment and maintenance of UniCredit Business Integrated S.C.p.A. Reference Architecture regarding initiatives like SOA (ESB), open API, Microservices, Big Data, ...
- Implementing the Global Enterprise Architecture within UniCredit Business Integrated Solutions S.C.p.A. following BIAN as Reference Model
- Leading the Cartography (set up of the Application and IT Landscape) Initiative, Project Lead within the Transformation Program (responsibility of the Open System transformation - Virtualization, new Standard Definition, Cloud), Technical Workstream lead within the Digital Agenda Initiative for E2E process Automatization

VP - Information System Architectures

Vice President – Head of IT Function: 
responsible for 70 employees with 6 direct reports (over 8 locations in Italy, Austria and Germany)
solution and architecture responsibility as well for budget. The area I was responsible for was the
overall Development Environment for UniCredit Business Integrated Solutions S.C.p.A. and should
be shortly described with the following tops.

- Development Services for Mainframe Applications (COBOL, PL/I, Assembler)
- Development Services for open Applications (Microsoft, Java, Package Applications)
- Development Workplace (IDE provisioning for Microsoft, Java, Mainframe based on avirtual Developer Desktop Solution (VMWare))
- Software Engineering and Quality Management (methods and tools for Requirements-,Test Management, Source Code Analysis, Data Modeling, Process Model, Meta Data Management).

Customers: about 5.000 internal developers and external partners across Europe (core community
is based in Italy, Germany and Austria, with satellites in Hungary, Poland and Romania)

VP - Head of Global CA Development Management

HVB Information Services

Responsibility of HypoVereinsbank Middleware solutions and platforms (Application Servers, ECM, BPM and ESB (HyperTube) Platform)
Active involvement into HypoVereinsbank transformation program into UniCredit Core Banking System and platform transformation.

Head of Enterprise Services

CEO I COO I Business Coach I FOLLOWyourPURPOSE I People-Processes-Products: Guide you through your Digital Transformation - Coach, Mentor, Facilitator I ICF - ACC | BVC - CTT

"There is nothing good unless you do it!" (Erich Kästner)

My experience ranges from a software engineer, IT management to IT and Enterprise Architecture. Proven record of E2E Service implementation - 360°. 
It is about PEOPLE - PROCESSES - PRODUCTS where transformation will affect.

My personal commitment is to foster End-2-End Digitalization from a different perspective - to start with PEOPLE:

As a partner for your business and team development. Sometimes existing decision-making structures have become ineffective regarding current to manage challenges, other times the upcoming scaling is problematic. Especially in start-ups, medium-sized or family-run companies, there is often a lack of insight into smooth processes and opportunities for modern management strategies. I gained professional experience from successful transformations of internationally positioned companies in the banking and IT sectors.
Size alone is no guarantee of success. Growth needs a combination of proven structures and innovative leadership strategies. I do bring transformative power and responsible coaching to the process. Upon explicit request and depending on the situational context, we can also provide mentorship and consulting.
 
🧩 Certified Group&Team Coach as for individuals, Certified Barrett Value Centres Consultant


PROCESSES & PRODUCTS:
Facilitator and Lecture for topics around the context of using and establishing the digital economy, Workshops, and training in coaching capabilities, intercultural competencies, methodologies, and technologies like the adoption of Robotic Process Automation, Process Mining, Integration, Blockchain, ...

If you want to know more - just look at: 
https://s2bconnected.com 

or request a pro bono coaching session:
https://s2bconnected.com/s2bccoach-lp-eng/

Jana Bulkin

I’m convinced: transformation needs 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁.
Not as a slide deck. But as behavior — every single day.

S2Bconnected stands for “𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱” because real change is never just coaching, just training, or just consulting.
It’s the connection of 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

And yes — I love strong concepts. But my work doesn’t end with a PowerPoint.
I stay for the implementation. As a sparring partner. As a bridge between 𝗜𝗧 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. And as 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿, so it’s easier for everyone involved to stay aligned — especially when things get complex.

In 2026, I want to work even more closely with entrepreneurs and leadership teams who say:
“We want to shape the future — and truly bring our people along.”

My values: 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱.

👉 If you want 2026 to be not just “more digital,” but genuinely 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆, send me “2026” — and we’ll do a short sparring session to find your biggest lever.

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂: What should feel noticeably different in your organization by the end of 2026?

Transformation Mentor: Helping you to implement your Strategy | 20+ Yrs Banking IT Expertise | Integration Architect for Scalable Ecosystems | Bridging IT & Human Adoption (L-T-A)

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Back from the break — refreshed… and maybe still waiting for the sun and spring energy? 🌤️
Why wait. Let’s create momentum now.

My first 2026 edition is out: “𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱” ✅
5 signals you can measure 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 to see if your organization is ready to scale digital transformation and AI adoption.

Which signal is your biggest challenge right now: 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁? 👇

S2Bconnected #DigitalCultureMastery #DigitalTransformation

5 signals you can measure without tools We’re back. A few days off, a fresh mind, maybe a bit more patience again. And yes — in January we sometimes w

Open article: Your 2026 Digital Culture Scorecard by Jana Bulkin • 4 min read

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The Battle

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