"IT as a way of life," — Artem Kalivanov, IT Director at Beeline Uzbekistan, on his lifestyle

Artem Kalivanov, City — Tashkent, Chief Information Officer at Beeline Uzbekistan, LinkedIn

About Me

I am the CIO of Beeline Uzbekistan. I am originally from Ukraine and have been living in Uzbekistan since 2019.

My mornings usually start with coffee. My work schedule, due to the nature of my role, heavily depends on the current situation; however, there are several rules that I try to stick to:

1. In the morning, I fill out my To-Do List for the day and plan my tasks; in the evening, I review what was accomplished and what wasn't.
2. I try to keep my weekends free from work-related matters, reserving that time for rest.
3. I try to set aside one day a week without meetings to maximize productivity on autonomous tasks.

This set of simple rules helps me approach work in a more organized manner and, among other things, maintain a balance between work and home life.

Where and How I Learn

I constantly update my knowledge. An IT professional in general, and a CIO in particular, due to the high speed of market changes, is obliged to know and understand current technological trends. Besides the fact that it is simply interesting, it allows me, for example, to understand and plan the development of the IT department.

Among the most recent reads are the books "The Future of Leadership in the Age of AI: Preparing Your Leadership Skills for the AI-Shaped Future of Work" by Marin Ivezic and Luka Ivezic, and "Mastering API Architecture: Design, Operate, and Evolve API-Based Systems" by James Gough, Daniel Bryant, and Matthew Auburn.

I have acquired a significant portion of my management skills from my own managers, paying attention to their successful management models. Additionally, I can recommend, for example, Ivan Selikhovkin's channel and his project management courses.

I attend various events, including as a speaker. I choose those that can advance my profession, which includes IT, HR, marketing, strategic planning, management theory, finance, and much more. Given the speed of change in the IT market, I believe it is right to share knowledge, as it may become outdated by tomorrow. Besides everything else, this has brought me into a community where it is easy to find the necessary knowledge or not miss important market news among the speakers.

Environment

I have been in the profession for over 20 years, and one can speak of IT as a way of life. The IT community is a large part of my environment. Besides people from IT, this includes my family, employees of my company, and those with whom I share my hobbies.

If you have experience that you are interested in sharing, I recommend finding any platform to do so. Besides the fact that this way we repay our debt of learning, it is an effective method to find like-minded passionate people.

Platforms like TMW and WMC are considered good examples, although they may not be accessible to everyone due to their cost. In Uzbekistan, you can also find interesting events, but unfortunately, there are not many yet. I believe it is important to support them to develop the local community.

Where I Spend My Free Time

I spend my free time traditionally — with my family. Whether it's a mountain hike or a board game depends on the situation.

I am into HEMA — Historical European Martial Arts. This activity significantly loads the brain and body during training, allowing me to completely disconnect from work.

HEMA attracted me for several reasons. First, it is history, which is interesting in itself. Second, it is a large community that is constantly developing. HEMA is a young discipline that is actively developing and moving towards improvement. Fencing in this style is as close to historical as possible, allowing one to feel as if transported five centuries back.

In historical fencing, tactics, strategy, physical strength, endurance, proper pacing, and courage are important. These qualities, necessary in my work, are developed through this hobby. Moreover, due to its multifaceted nature, HEMA leaves no room for sadness, reflection, or other negative emotions. Sometimes it is useful to get hit on the head in the literal sense to distract yourself from current issues and switch gears.

Where to Buy What

I like Palo Alto as a provider of network firewalls. In my personal life, I am quite brand-independent and tend more towards interesting geek solutions. For example, split DIY keyboards.