Anikin joins the company from Pipedrive, the global, sales-first CRM and revenue platform, where he was CTO and Co-CEO, steering the company from 25 employees to over 900 worldwide. He succeeds Vilve Vene, who co-founded Tuum in 2019, and who will be assuming an advisory role for the CEO. The appointment of Anikin is part of the company’s wider expansion strategy to scale and drive sales across regions.

Anikin has been working in leadership roles at technology firms for over 25 years, having held roles at Skype, Swedbank and Microsoft. Under this agreement, he will assume the role of interim CEO with the aim of it developing into a permanent position. His proven aptitude and experience in devising agile organisational models and in scaling up businesses without losing velocity or momentum was a key reason for his appointment by Tuum, as it prepares the company for significant expansion.

Margus Uudam, Founding Partner at karma.vc and chairman of Tuum’s board commented: “We are delighted to have Sergei join Tuum as CEO. He brings a wealth of experience to the company and strong leadership having grown Pipedrive from a small startup to Estonia’s 5th unicorn during his eight years there. The demand for next-generation core banking technology is growing quickly and Sergei's expertise in managing global expansion will be a huge asset to Tuum as we drive the organisation to the next phase of development.”

In the three years that Tuum has been operating, demand for its next-generation core banking platform has seen rapid growth, with Tuum’s contracted annual recurring revenue increasing more than 3 times in 2021 compared to the previous year. The platform is now trusted by an ever-growing list of regulated banks, fintechs and embedded finance players from various industries and across geographies.

Vilve Vene, ex CEO and co-Founder of Tuum, commented: “I have had the pleasure of working with Sergei for many years, having previously hired him for a role at Swedbank and having worked together on various successful projects over the years. With his strong technology and banking background, Sergei will bring a valuable, external perspective to the company and help to propel growth and expansion at this time of unprecedented demand for our flexible core banking solution. There is no one I would trust more than Sergei to take over my role at Tuum. I have the utmost confidence in both his skillset and wisdom, and believe he is the best person to take Tuum to new heights. Of course, I will continue to support Sergei and Tuum, and am certain they will continue to achieve great things.”

Anikin’s appointment is part of Tuum’s wider growth strategy as it seeks to increase headcount from 80 to 140 by the end of the year and expand operations across EMEA region. The company will soon be announcing more appointments as it seeks to further bolster its management and sales teams.