Behind Every Missed Delivery: Igor Kiselev Redefines Operational Efficiency in Global Logistics

An expert in operational efficiency and supply chain strategy with 15+ years of experience reveals how misalignments create costly friction across logistics, systems, and teams—and how smart fixes can restore the flow. 

Most of us take for granted the smooth movement of goods, from the packages that arrive at our doors to the raw materials that keep factories running. But behind the scenes, global logistics is becoming more fragile by the year. Only in 2024 did global supply chains face unprecedented challenges, with disruptions increasing by 38% compared to the previous year, according to a Resilinc report.

As companies scramble to respond, the spotlight is shifting to those who can bring clarity and control to increasingly complex systems. One of them is Igor Kiselev—a strategist who has made a career out of fixing what others overlook. With a robust background in business operations and analytics, Kiselev has held key roles at Amazon and Vaillant Group, consistently identifying and resolving operational inefficiencies. His cross-disciplinary expertise is reflected in his professional affiliations as well: he is a senior member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the E-Commerce & Digital Marketing Association, and a member of the International Association of Entrepreneurs and Leaders. In parallel, he has served as a judge for global innovation awards, including the Globee Disruptors and ECDMA Global Awards, recognitions reserved for top professionals shaping the future of business.

This mix of corporate and academic experience shapes how he approaches problems, with a focus not just on processes, but on people. At the University of Georgia, he mentored more than 100 students working on analytics projects linked to real-world business needs. Over 90% of them secured jobs before graduation, many within Fortune 500 companies. Igor’s contribution not only bridges theory with practice but also nurtures the next generation of supply chain and analytics talent.

What follows is a closer look at how inefficiencies disrupt logistics and operations and how targeted, practical fixes can restore flow, reduce waste, and improve performance at scale.

Identifying the Overlooked: The Art of Spotting Operational Gaps 

One of the most persistent barriers to operational efficiency lies in the routines that teams stop questioning. Most large organizations operate with inefficiencies hidden in plain sight. These may not immediately derail operations, but they step-by-step drain time, money, and morale. For instance, a company might have teams duplicating data entry into multiple systems, or delays in cross-department approvals that stretch simple vendor onboarding into a multi-week ordeal.

In his role as a Program Manager at Amazon, Igor’s work was critical in designing and executing the transformation plan for such inefficiencies. Manual reporting of logistics KPIs, like on-time delivery, travel times, or product damage rates, was draining time across departments. Igor introduced a centralized digital system that pulled and transformed data from multiple datasets and business lines to automate the process. As a result, the company got clearer daily oversight, saved over nine hours of manual work per person each week, and achieved more than $4 million in annual savings.

“I’m not a fan of tech for tech’s sake,” says Igor. “What we did was cut through the clutter. Instead of adding new layers of procedures and tools on top of already complicated processes, we automated what people were already doing manually. That gave teams their time back, made the data more reliable, and saved millions without disrupting the operation.”

But operational gaps aren’t just about internal workflows. They also show up in how goods move across regions and how logistics decisions impact bottom lines.

Logistics Optimization: Streamlining Complex Supply Chains 

With logistics costs climbing, optimizing delivery and warehouse operations has become a priority across industries. But what does true optimization look like in practice? It’s not always about investing in new technologies or expanding fleet capacity. Often, it means rethinking the use of existing infrastructure to make smarter decisions.

“You look at a map and think: this can’t possibly be the best way,” says Igor. “But that’s the thing: these inefficiencies sit in routing logic, in courier drive times, in zones that haven’t been rebalanced in years. And the cost just piles up, day after day.”

For instance, Igor led a project to restructure Amazon’s delivery zones across the U.S., where each warehouse previously served a broad mix of urban and rural areas. This mix caused courier delays and inflated fuel costs. By analyzing traffic density, distance, and route overlaps, he redistributed delivery segments to make urban routes denser and rural ones more manageable. His optimization strategies have since been adopted across multiple countries and business lines at Amazon. The initiative not only reduced courier fatigue and drive times but also saved Amazon over $20 million annually.

As Igor recalls, “Fixing such issues isn’t glamorous, but the impact is huge. And you can feel it immediately in how the teams work. But what’s even more important is the immediate value you bring to your customers,” he adds. “Our clients get their orders faster, and couriers are happy to save time and money on each route.”

The same mindset applied earlier in his career, when he tackled logistics inefficiencies across borders. At Vaillant Group, a German manufacturer of heating systems with a strong presence in Europe and Asia, Igor led an initiative to improve logistics between Russia and Kazakhstan. Frequent customs delays and long-distance transportation were increasing delivery times and costs. He proposed creating a distribution center in Kazakhstan stocked with in-demand products. Beyond the core components of customs processing and financial modeling, used to evaluate both expenditure and projected revenue, this large-scale and multifaceted project required an in-depth analysis of international legal and regulatory compliance, coupled with localized labeling of products to meet country-specific requirements. The solution reduced customs processing time, cut transportation costs, and allowed faster product availability for local clients.

Fortunately, meaningful improvements don’t always require significant investments. A closer look at how things work, and the willingness to make smart, practical changes.

Enhancing E-commerce Through Digital Ecosystems 

Many companies struggle because their customer engagement tools aren’t connected to how the business actually runs day to day. Marketing systems operate separately from logistics or inventory data, which leads to poor targeting and wasted effort. The result is marketing that feels impersonal and, for example, offers discounts on products the customer doesn’t want or promotes services they already use. These missed connections not only waste budget but also erode trust and engagement.

Kiselev encountered this issue firsthand at Vaillant Group, where the company needed a better way to connect with professional installers which is its most critical sales channel. Instead of using standard CRM software designed for general audiences, he led the development of a custom loyalty system built around how professional installers work.

“We built a mobile app and online portal that gave us live insight into what equipment professionals were using and how often,” he explains. “It wasn’t about points or perks. On the contrary, it was about understanding the user journey and making it easier and more rewarding.”

That insight-driven approach didn’t just increase engagement. Additionally, it helped drive measurable sales growth and was eventually copied by competitors, which serves as a testament to the strategy’s effectiveness and its influence beyond the company. Later at Amazon, Kiselev used the same idea to improve coordination between what customers want and expect and what teams deliver. Amazon’s customers value speed and place significant trust in the company to deliver their orders promptly and with care. For example, when a certain region shows a pattern of delayed deliveries, his system identifies the root cause of the problem and equips multiple teams with the data needed to address and resolve the issue, ensuring the customer promise is consistently upheld.

These practical shifts, while often subtle, reflect a larger idea: meaningful improvement doesn’t always require dramatic reinvention. When organizations face rising complexity, the temptation is often to chase major overhauls. But some of the most effective change happens through subtle, well-placed process improvements. This article explored how identifying overlooked gaps, rethinking logistics flow, connecting customer experience with backend systems, and fostering a culture of operational clarity can lead to real and lasting value.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned,” says Kiselev, “it’s that good operations are invisible. When everything flows, no one notices. But that’s exactly the point. Leaders shouldn’t wait for a crisis to fix what feels off. Pay attention to where people are repeating work, where decisions get stuck, or where the customer promise doesn’t match what teams can actually deliver. That’s where the real improvements start.”

As global logistics grows more volatile, professionals like Igor Kiselev are indispensable. His ability to see the full picture—strategy, systems, and human behavior—and drive smart, measurable change puts him at the forefront of modern supply chain and logistics leadership.

In today’s climate of high uncertainty, businesses that prioritize clear, data-informed process thinking, not just tech adoption or scaling for its own sake, are better positioned to respond to change. Fixing what’s broken is not only practical but strategic.

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