Peter Dolukhanov leaves Karmarama to found tech consultancy

Peter Dolukhanov, the Group CTO of Karmarama, has left the company to launch Decoded Consulting. The new consultancy will focus on technology strategy support to agencies, brands and start-ups.

Karmarama is a UK-based creative design agency, focused on creating advertising campaigns, data-driven content and mobile platforms, among others, for its clients from a range of industries. The agency was founded in 2000, with a small team of four professionals, and has since grown, in part through backing from Phoenix Equity Partners in 2011, into a team of more than 260. Major clients to the agency include the BBC, Confused.com, Honda, Just Eat and Unilever.

In 2016, Accenture purchased Karmarama as part of a billion-dollar push into the advertising sector. In the three years since, Karmarama has enjoyed strong growth, which has in turn led to an enlargement of the firm’s headcount, and in 2018, the company announced the hire of 100 staff to better cope with the needs of clients.

Having been part of the company for the duration of these developments, Group CTO Peter Dolukhanov has announced that he is exiting Karmarama to establish a consultancy of his own. Dolukhanov had been with Karmarama since 2014, when Nice Agency – which he had founded and been a Managing Director for – was acquired by the creative firm. Overseeing the integration of the two firms, Dolukhov took up the role of Group CTO, which he maintained after Accenture subsequently bought Karmarama. Earlier in the year, this even saw him lead and deliver the world’s first AI-moderated debate, launched at SXSW 2019.

Decoded Consulting, his next project, is intended to be a modern technology leadership practice, offering CTO services and helping businesses grow and scale via technology, digital products and services. Dolukhanov’s new firm will offer tech strategy and leadership services to agencies, brands and start-ups, and plans to work in close collaboration with brand, marketing, experience and product teams.

Commenting via a post on his personal LinkedIn, Dolukhanov said, “Decoded Consulting is a modern technology leadership practice offering CTO services – providing both broad Technology Leadership, as well as a deep specialism in areas such as Digital Products & Services, Security, DevOps, AI / ML and Enterprise Technology. I’m passionate about launching a new business, to build on my 20+ years of experience and help clients succeed with their technology ambitions.”