Jason Smolek

Advisor to Chairman and President @Tier 1 Battery | BESS Manufacturer

• Drove strategic growth through key account development, high-impact partnerships and joint ventures to support localized production and deployment of lithium- and sodium-ion battery energy storage solutions (BESS).
• Enabled large grid-scale installations in mature markets, often multi-country in scale, with an emphasis on turnkey energy storage solutions that align with global decarbonization and grid electrification goals.

• Executed international and external projects as part of Deutsche Telekom Group with an emphasis on government/state-owned incumbent operators and those requiring modernization
• Spent 12 months in an APAC country on a large scale national telco transformation, establishing and operationalizing the financial function of the NewCo; advised in areas of financial management, governance & steering, digital finance and digital efficiency
• Advised clients in areas of corporate strategy and performance transformation with a strong focus on cost optimization and efficiency, including on the Group HQ and OpCo level for major mobile & telco operators (across B2B, B2C and Digital) and B2G clients
• Experienced in growth, go-to-market and marketing strategies, transformation execution, cost optimization, performance management, KPI development and design, business casing, commercial and financial modelling, network economics and CAPEX-OPEX optimization, M&A, due diligence and post-merger integration (PMI), stakeholder management
• Specialized experience with mobile operator transformation in frontier and emerging markets – MENA, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen and Central Asia

• Managing Director @Terra Magna – Family office and investment holding
• Proprietor @The Last Ottoman – Ottoman era antiques and heritage

• Structured and provided analysis for the establishment of a 1.8 MW biogas station
• Managed special projects in the field of renewable energy (biogas, co-generation, solar and wind); completed investment memorandum and collaborated with local banks for debt financing
• Engaged with investment targets and local farmers to acquire land shareholdings, increasing the scope of the existing agricultural land fund owned by the holding company

• Restructured the firm into the leading management consultancy for the telecom, media and technology sector by brand and market share in Russia/CIS
• Executed M&A mandates (sell-side) for a CRM integrator and Ethernet home-fiber provider in Russia and a wireless broadband provider in Kazakhstan; buy-side for a South African internet holding to acquire a 25% share in a major Russian internet portal
• Provided M&A advisory for mining assets across Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia
• Advised on divestment of a broadband/satellite/WiMAX operator owned by Kazakhtelecom
• Advised a large Korean investor during the bid process for a Kazakh GSM mobile operator, including conversion options to WiMAX
• Raised debt financing for a digital LED outdoor screen operator in Russia
• Performed due diligence for an investment fund to acquire internet assets in Russia
• Completed business plans and feasibilities for cloud services startup, nanotechnology state holding, identification of high-value customers in Moscow (fiber rollout), satellite launch for Gazprom and wind turbine local production in Kazakhstan
• Provided advisory to regulators and government ministries including the Ministry of Communications and State Duma
• Developed and trained staff, many of whom have led accomplished careers in Moscow and abroad

• Conducted research on Russian tax reform to improve the fiscal standing of regions post-financial crisis under Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs