HSE Graduate School of Business and Avito open a space for future product leaders
More than 100 people attended the vibrant event marking the start of the master’s program “Product Management in IT Business.” The first classes took place in the new Avito classroom. The educational space, located on the fourth floor of Building 4 at the HSE GSB campus on Shabolovka, represents another step in strengthening the strategic partnership between the business school and one of the country’s leading IT employers. Designed to accommodate 80 people and decorated in Avito’s corporate style, the room was immediately used for the first lecture. In the future, it will host student project work, master classes, and meetings with IT industry leaders.
The “Product Management in IT Business” programme is designed for 42 students, 30 of whom receive full tuition grants from Avito.
The symbolic launch of the joint educational programme was conducted by Valery Katkalo, Director of HSE Graduate School of Business; Sergey Piven, Managing Partner at Avito; Tatyana Semina, Head of Avito’s Intern Development Programmes; and Mikhail Komarov, Academic Supervisor of the master’s programme and Professor at the HSE GSB Department of Business Informatics.
Valery Katkalo
Director, HSE Graduate School of Business
“Partnerships with leading Russian companies are part of the DNA of the HSE Graduate School of Business. Today, we are developing strategic collaboration projects with 15 of the country’s top companies. I am very pleased that Avito is now among them — a company that stands out not only for its leadership in innovative business models but also for its ability to scale and its ambitions for growth. Our joint master’s program with Avito had record-high applicant competition in its very first year of admission, and the newly opened dedicated Avito classroom at the HSE GSB campus will become a platform where students from all our programmes can discuss advanced concepts and technologies in business management using Avito’s case studies.”
The curriculum of the “Product Management in IT Business” program includes courses on analytics, user research, digital product business models, machine learning, and other technologies essential for middle-level product managers. During their studies, future digital leaders will work on real-life cases, develop projects based on Avito’s data, complete internships, and get opportunities for hands-on practice within the company.
Mikhail Komarov
Academic Supervisor of the Master’s Program “Product Management in IT Business,” Professor, Department of Business Informatics, HSE Graduate School of Business
“The joint master’s programme with Avito has become one of the most in-demand in the educational landscape, and the opening of the dedicated classroom will allow us to develop digital leaders — middle-level product managers — in the modern environment of the HSE Graduate School of Business campus. We build on Avito’s product competency framework and complement it with the expertise of our leading professors at HSE GSB.”
Sergey Piven
Managing Partner, Avito
“Avito’s product culture is unique. For us, everything begins with understanding user needs. We combine this principle with deep analytics, working with data, and rapid hypothesis testing. This approach allows us to remain the largest classified platform in the world and ensures continuous growth. The foundation of Avito is talent. Collaboration with educational institutions is a key part of our strategy. We are grateful to our colleagues at the HSE Graduate School of Business for this joint master’s programme: now we have the opportunity to share our expertise and help young people build their careers while they are still students. I am confident they have a great future ahead.”