In the rapidly evolving landscape of global business, procurement plays a pivotal role in enabling growth, fostering innovation, and ensuring operational efficiency. For Irina Poliakov, the Head of Procurement at AppsFlyer, leading a transformation in a company known for its innovative culture and fast-paced growth has been both a challenge and an opportunity. From building a cohesive procurement team to implementing cutting-edge tools like generative AI, Irina’s journey is a testament to the value of strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and technological integration. This interview highlights her experiences, the milestones achieved, and the vision for a future where procurement is not just a function but a key driver of organizational success.
Irina, you joined AppsFlyer as Head of Procurement at the start of 2022. What did procurement look like on day one?
When I joined AppsFlyer, the procurement function was largely undeveloped. There wasn’t a formal procurement team in place—just two tactical buyers and one person focused on opening POs within our ERP tool. Without a dedicated P2P solution, the process for making purchases was cumbersome and inconsistent. Employees would open an Asana task to request items, tag a large number of people, and wait weeks for a PO to be issued. There were no established processes or a procurement policy, which made it difficult to gain visibility into our spending or manage contracts. We also lacked alignment in procurement across local and global teams, and the absence of data insights made it challenging to understand where money was going or to make strategic purchasing decisions.
What was the initial remit from the leadership team and having assessed the situation what areas did you focus on?
The primary expectation from leadership was to implement the new P2P tool, ZIP, which had already been purchased. However, the tool selection and purchase process hadn’t included a thorough requirements list or the necessary involvement from key departments, particularly finance and IS. This lack of cross-functional input led to significant challenges in getting the tool implemented. Recognizing these gaps, I immediately focused on building strong, trusted relationships with finance and the CIO. I established a core project team with representatives from each critical department, defined a clear vision for how we wanted procurement to operate at AppsFlyer, and drafted an initial procurement policy. With these foundations in place, we were able to relaunch the tool implementation with a much clearer direction and alignment across teams.
Your CV is very impressive with your last two companies being global leaders in their field with workforces of many thousands. Within this experience is your exposure of driving successful transformations and change management programs. What are the main differences between creating change at AppsFlyer as opposed to a larger more established business?
In many ways, AppsFlyer’s smaller size compared to other large corporations I’ve worked with made decision-making smoother and quicker. Without multiple layers of management to navigate, I had direct access to the key decision-makers, which allowed me to present ideas and gain approval for changes more efficiently. At the same time, AppsFlyer still had a “start-up” mindset when I joined. This mindset often means people wear multiple hats and tackle a range of tasks, but it doesn’t always follow structured, defined processes since the primary focus is on growth—attracting new clients, expanding market share, and so forth. When I came on board, however, I could sense that the company recognized the need for a shift. As AppsFlyer evolved into a larger global player, it became clear that establishing more structured processes would be crucial for sustainable growth and future ambitions, like a potential IPO. Leading this change was challenging and required me to tailor my communication style based on where different teams or individuals were in the transformation journey, helping them transition from a start-up mentality to a more mature operational approach.
A lot has been achieved in a small amount of time with a small team. What would you point to as the primary successes for procurement so far and what are the aims moving forward in 2025?
I’m especially proud of the team I’ve built and the strong sense of unity we’ve cultivated. My main focus has been to create a cohesive group that genuinely supports each other. I always emphasize to them that, to the “outer world,” we’re one unit—Procurement. Our stakeholders don’t need to know the internal dynamics; we operate as a unified front. I like to compare it to a theater where the curtain is closed: the audience, or in this case, our stakeholders, see only what’s on stage. They don’t need to know what’s happening behind the scenes, and for them, everything should feel seamless. If someone on the team is unavailable, another person steps in without disrupting the service experience, so stakeholders consistently feel they’re getting top-notch support. Another success I’m proud of is the strong, trust-based relationships I’ve built across all departments at AppsFlyer. This trust is crucial; it enables me and my team to perform at our best because stakeholders know we’re committed to their success. They have complete faith in our decisions and guidance, which allows us to operate with greater efficiency and impact. Looking forward, my focus for 2025 is to continue building on these foundations, driving even more strategic value through procurement, and ensuring we remain an agile, trusted partner as AppsFlyer grows.
Culture is extremely important as highlighted, but how important has developing strategic close-knit relations with key vendors been to the journey? What do you believe the value proposition is for prospective and existing suppliers?
The trust-based relationships we’ve established with stakeholders extend naturally to our key suppliers as well. I firmly believe in transparency; when the other party truly feels you’re being open and genuine, they build trust, which is vital. This way, suppliers know we’re not trying to manipulate or maneuver them with some negotiation tactic but are genuinely invested in mutual success. With our key suppliers, we have open, collaborative conversations where they share market trends with us. Together, we explore how these insights align with our future plans and discuss ways to leverage our partnership to bring more value on both sides.
Challenges are around the corner for every procurement team. Where do you see your main challenges and how do you plan to tackle these?
AppsFlyer’s tech-driven, innovative approach aligns perfectly with my own outlook—I’m a bit of a tech enthusiast myself. Over the past 18 months, I’ve been integrating generative AI into our daily procurement tasks to streamline processes and boost efficiency. This not only makes us more agile but also allows my team to provide faster, higher-quality support to our stakeholders without needing to expand headcount. Our strategy is to focus on high-value areas where we can make the biggest impact, while also empowering stakeholders with the right tools to handle lower-risk or lower-value transactions independently. This keeps procurement from becoming a bottleneck and ensures we support, rather than slow down, business operations. From an ESG and ethical perspective, we place a strong emphasis on supplier diversity and have recently started to implement more structured processes to reflect that in our procurement practices. Additionally, managing the complexities of global geopolitical challenges is essential, especially as they impact business travel, which we continuously work to mitigate to keep our teams safe and our operations stable.
Generative AI has already transformed our work, enabling faster and more informed decision-making at the click of a button. Previously, preparing for a meeting with a new vendor or conducting a thorough competitive analysis could take days, if not weeks. Today, I can input a prompt into ChatGPT and have all the insights I need within seconds. This is a massive advantage, and I’m a firm believer that AI should play a role in nearly everything we do. The possibilities for AI in procurement are vast. For instance, we could use GPTs as contract lifecycle management tools by integrating ChatGPT with our contract repository, or design a chatbot to simulate negotiation processes for stakeholders handling lower-value transactions. We can create a chatbot that holds all our procurement policies and FAQs, helping stakeholders access answers instantly rather than waiting on our team. Reviewing contracts for “red flags” in any language could be done seamlessly with AI, reducing the need to rely on legal or translation services. The opportunities are nearly limitless—AI can support procurement in ways we’ve only begun to explore.