Milana Kurchenko
Partner, Associate Search Director
Stamford,CT
Summary
Strategic and results-driven Paid Search leader with 10+ years of digital marketing experience and a proven track record of scaling budgets, driving high-quality leads, improving ROI, and leading global, cross-functional initiatives. Expert in Google Ads, SA360, automation, analytics, and campaign architecture, with a passion for testing, mentorship, and leveraging innovative tactics in the evolving AI-powered marketing landscape. Obsessed with understanding user behavior and client goals to design lead generation strategies that convert.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
3
3
Certifications
Work History
Associate Search Director
GroupM
07.2016 - Current
- Led SEM strategy for IBM Cloud, Cybersecurity, Analytics, and Automation product lines leveraging Google AI with smart bidding tools such as Target ROAS and value-based bidding in SA360, driving high-quality leads, improving ROI, and scaling budgets from $4K to $6M+
- Developed testing and measurement best practices, enabling scalable experimentation and case study development across the Paid Search team
- Acted as the primary client contact, leading reporting discussions with a focus on storytelling and strategic budget planning
- Collaborated with Paid Social, Programmatic, SEO, and Analytics teams on reporting, creative strategy, web content, budget recommendations, and forecasting to ensure cross-channel alignment
- Led Japan market onboarding to a new Paid Search model, ensuring alignment on structure, workflow, and goals
- Strengthened team collaboration and morale by leading topic-focused knowledge-sharing sessions
- Executed A/B tests to boost performance and Quality Scores by aligning campaigns with the most relevant landing pages
- Ran GDPR-related campaigns, increasing budget by $200K/quarter for IBM Cybersecurity
- Launched cyber attack campaigns during internal system shutdown on a mobile device to maximize leads in real-time
- Promoted from Supervisor to Associate Director in 2017; took on full ownership of IBM Cybersecurity
- Restructured MaaS360 post-acquisition, implementing keyword governance and bid strategies that prevented overlap
- Trained and mentored over 20 associates and managers, many of whom were promoted into leadership roles
Sr. Associate, SEM
eBay Enterprise
07.2015 - 01.2016
- Managed ROI-focused SEM campaigns for women's fashion and toy brands, optimizing spend and performance to meet brand-specific goals using Kenshoo
Search Analyst
MediaVest (now Spark Foundry)
09.2013 - 06.2015
- Executed $2M+/month SEM campaigns for Walmart's broad consumer goods portfolio, with accelerated pacing and budget allocation during peak seasonal periods
SEM Analyst
ASME
09.2012 - 09.2013
- Created keywords and ad copy, provided SEO recommendations to optimize pages, and set up tracking in Coremetrics
Digital Marketing Associate
Clinical Fellows Inc.
04.2012 - 06.2012
- Analyzed user behavior with Google Analytics, developed keywords, ad copy, and web content
Marketing Coordinator
NopSec Inc.
11.2011 - 03.2012
- Expanded keywords, assisted with SEO, edited site content, generated new leads, and built client relationships
Education
Bachelor's Degree - Business Communication
Baruch College
New York, NY 05.2001 -
Skills
Google Ads
Microsoft Ads
Gmail Ads
A/B Testing
Google Experiments
Budget Bid Strategies
Value-based bidding
Target ROAS
SA360
Kenshoo
Google Analytics
Tableau
Excel
PowerPoint
Team management
Client Relations
Analytical Skills
Presentation Skills
Certification
Google Ads - Search Certification
Timeline
Associate Search Director
GroupM
07.2016 - Current
Sr. Associate, SEM
eBay Enterprise
07.2015 - 01.2016
Search Analyst
MediaVest (now Spark Foundry)
09.2013 - 06.2015
SEM Analyst
ASME
09.2012 - 09.2013
Digital Marketing Associate
Clinical Fellows Inc.
04.2012 - 06.2012
Marketing Coordinator
NopSec Inc.
11.2011 - 03.2012
Bachelor's Degree - Business Communication
Baruch College
05.2001 -