Vasilii Bernshtein
Economic Sociologist | Digital Strategy Consultant
PhD in Sociology with a background in economics, public administration, and strategic communications. Since 2004, I have been studying human behaviour within economic systems — what was once called “economic sociology” is now known as data-driven marketing, behavioural design, and AI consulting.
I combine academic precision with practical expertise in translating strategies into real-world businesses — from restaurants and educational startups to personal brands and cross-cultural initiatives. My solutions are not abstract “concepts”, but tested, effective approaches at the intersection of technology, meaning, and sociocultural context.
Career
how twenty years in management, academia and education evolved into human-centred digital consulting
My career spans nearly two decades of structured work in management, analytics, research, teaching, and digital projects across government, business, education, and international cooperation. At every stage, I was doing what is now called digital transformation — long before it became mainstream.
I began my professional path at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Bashkortostan, conducting socio-economic analysis and evaluating the effectiveness of state programmes. Even back in 2004, I saw that digital transparency and data analytics could radically reshape public governance.
Next came marketing, PR, and strategic communications: I led the marketing department of a major regional leisure complex, built media relations, and created campaign concepts that today would be deemed omnichannel. Later, I took on managerial roles in city government and a university: designing business processes, implementing KPIs, working with government relations, accreditations, and strategic development programmes. It was a remarkable era — the Russian “digital thaw” — when it seemed the future was bright and our IT sector would remain world-class.
At EGO Translating, Russia’s largest linguistic holding, I served as Executive Director, building IT infrastructure, cutting operational costs, and automating workflows during the pandemic. This work stood at the crossroads of management, analytics, and digital tools. We introduced ISO standards, hybrid scheduling, and HR automation — a full stack of operational and digital consultancy. At the time, the greatest challenge appeared to be shifting two hundred people to remote work within three days.
After relocating to Spain, I obtained a startup visa and the status of innovative entrepreneur, passed the ENISA evaluation, and launched my own AI-driven digital marketing project for small businesses. Today, I consult, design strategies, conduct research, and develop brand positioning — drawing on a vast body of experience, a solid academic foundation, and a sophisticated technological toolkit.
Education and Academia
from the sociology department to digital cultures and neural-network marketing
My academic background began with a degree in “Public and Municipal Management” at UGATU, where, even in the early 2000s, I was working at the intersection of analytics, administration, and sociology. This interdisciplinarity has remained central to my approach — whether in politics or branding.
My PhD thesis (2007) focused on economic sociology and social stratification through the lens of land relations. But the essence of that research lay elsewhere: it was about uncovering hidden structures of motivation, behavioural patterns, and mechanisms of influence — what behavioural designers and corporate marketers now explore professionally.
Alongside this, I continually expanded my training — studying HR in Japan, municipal administration in Shanghai, and taking courses in journalism, communications, pedagogy, and human capital management. I learned to see society as a system of signals, and communication as a system of meanings.
My academic path is not just about degrees or certifications. It marks a shift from classical sociology to the digital realm: platform economies, marketing analytics, neural behavioural patterns, and emerging digital identities. Today, this path becomes a practical service — I explain, forecast, and help people adapt to this new reality with clarity and precision.
SKOLKOVO, Moscow School of Management
Programme: “Agile and Flexible Project Management Methods” at the SKOLKOVO School of Management
1996
г.
PhD Equivalent – Candidate of Sociological Sciences
(22.00.03, “Economic Sociology and Demography”)
Supervising institution — Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences
1996
г.
Ufa State Aviation Technical University
Faculty of Economics, Management and Finance, Degree in Public and Municipal Management, Final thesis awarded third place in the Russian National Graduation Thesis Competition
1996
г.
Cases and Clients
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marketing and sociological studies conducted across Europe and Asia
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satisfied consulting clients
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completed projects in business digitalisation
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undergraduate and postgraduate students taught at universities
Brands, partners, and clients
BERNSHTEIN © 2025 | Supervisión de autor
Des.:
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