# Paul Shikhaleev

> Paul (Pavel) Shikhaleev is a Web3 sales and partnerships leader at Cointelegraph who manages sales, partnerships planning and execution, and business operations for the crypto media company.

- Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/paul-shikhaleev
- Categories: People in crypto
- Tags: Ethereum, Bitcoin, Influencer, Speaker
- Created: 2026-10-12T19:02:34.185Z
- Last updated: 2026-10-12T19:02:34.185Z
- Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki)

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**Paul Shikhaleev** (also known as Pavel Shikhaleev) is a sales and partnerships executive in the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) media industry who serves as Head of Sales and Partnerships at [Cointelegraph](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cointelegraph), a technology, information and media company that publishes news and analysis about the crypto industry. His work centers on media, public relations and event partnerships, helping crypto companies secure visibility, coverage and distribution.[[2]](#cite-id-uiryff15ra)​

## Education

Shikhaleev earned a bachelor's degree in Business/Managerial Economics from Saint Petersburg State University. During his studies he helped organize more than ten events featuring speakers from entrepreneurship, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), consulting and audit sectors that attracted over 1,300 attendees in total, and organized five football tournaments between faculty teams. He then completed a master's degree in Business/Managerial Economics with a focus on investment project management at the Higher School of Economics. [\[1\]](#cite-id-oauqw6i2cm) 

## Career at Cointelegraph

Shikhaleev joined [Cointelegraph](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cointelegraph) in August 2019 and, as of 2026, has spent seven years at the company.[\[3\]](#cite-id-e59075twwe)​

### Business Operations Manager

From August 2019 to April 2022, Shikhaleev held the role of Business Operations Manager within [Cointelegraph](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cointelegraph)'s operations department. In that position he was responsible for setting up internal business processes, controlling departmental key performance indicators (KPIs), activity and resource planning, and managing reports and documentation.[\[1\]](#cite-id-oauqw6i2cm)​

### Sales and Partnerships Lead

In April 2022 Shikhaleev moved into the role of Sales and Partnerships Operations Lead, positioned at the head level of the company's sales department. His responsibilities include managing the sales team, leading agents' sales processes, managing the planning and execution of partnerships, controlling and managing departmental KPIs, handling reports and documentation, activity and resource planning, and implementing and managing changes in the product.[\[2\]](#cite-id-uiryff15ra) By late 2026 [Cointelegraph](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cointelegraph) referred to him publicly as Head of Sales and Partnership Operations.[\[4\]](#cite-id-8q7mzuczv4)​

## Event Partnerships and Conferences

A substantial part of Shikhaleev's work involves representing [Cointelegraph](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cointelegraph) at industry conferences and coordinating the company's event-based media partnerships. In March 2026 he announced that [Cointelegraph](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cointelegraph) was joining [Paris Blockchain Week](https://iq.wiki/wiki/paris-blockchain-week-pbw) 2026 as a strategic partner, framing the conference as a venue where new partnerships were being shaped as "the line between Web2, institutions and crypto capital is getting thinner."[\[5\]](#cite-id-f3e0bqtpwh)​

In the autumn of 2026 he was part of Cointelegraph's push into the Asian conference circuit. The company announced a schedule of events during Korea [Blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) Week and [TOKEN2049](https://iq.wiki/wiki/token2049), anchored by two of its branded formats: CONNECT, a curated networking and content gathering for [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) founders, builders and investors, and LONGITUDE, its invite-only flagship event that the company described as bringing institutional capital together with [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) leadership for a selected group of 350 leaders at its tenth edition.[\[3\]](#cite-id-e59075twwe) Cointelegraph positioned the events around speakers and attendees including [Arthur Hayes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/arthur-hayes), [Nikil Viswanathan](https://iq.wiki/wiki/nikil-viswanathan), [Kain Warwick](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kain-warwick), [Avery Ching](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avery-ching), [Bobby Ong](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bobby-ong) and [Keone Hon](https://iq.wiki/wiki/keone-hon), and listed participation from leaders at Visa, Franklin Templeton, [Polygon](https://iq.wiki/wiki/polygon) [Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/foundation), [Monad](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monad) [Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/foundation), [Aptos](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aptos), SharpLink, Arkham and Maelstrom.[\[3\]](#cite-id-e59075twwe)​

Shikhaleev's own schedule across the period included CONNECT Seoul on September 29, LONGITUDE Singapore on October 8 at the Amara Singapore, and CONNECT Singapore on October 9 at RASA Space, with his video team producing interviews, social videos and event coverage throughout Korea Blockchain Week and [TOKEN2049](https://iq.wiki/wiki/token2049).[\[3\]](#cite-id-e59075twwe) Cointelegraph named him among the team on the ground in Seoul for Korea Blockchain Week from September 28 to October 2, 2026, and again among the crew traveling to Singapore to cover TOKEN2049 week from October 5 to 10.[\[6\]](#cite-id-odtgxcf6rt)​[\[7\]](#cite-id-qht3wkfqcv)​

In addition to partnership work, Shikhaleev has taken on speaking roles at conferences. At [Blockchain Life](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain-life) 2025 in Dubai he led a panel titled "Tokenization of Sports: New Business Models for the Sports Industry," joined by Par Helgosson of Paris Saint-Germain Labs, Max Rabinovitch, Chief Strategy Officer at Chiliz, and Alice L., Research Lead at [CoinMarketCap](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coinmarketcap).[\[8\]](#cite-id-vhwi0pef74)​

## Industry Commentary

Shikhaleev has written publicly about shifts he observes in the crypto conference and partnerships landscape. In a June 2026 post reflecting on [Paris Blockchain Week](https://iq.wiki/wiki/paris-blockchain-week-pbw) and Istanbul Blockchain Week, he argued that conferences were moving away from large, random lead-generation events toward more selective, value-driven meetings, and that cold outreach and generic AI-generated outreach had become less effective.[\[2\]](#cite-id-uiryff15ra)​

In the same commentary he identified real-world assets (RWA) and institutional [tokenization](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tokenization) as areas becoming more serious, described [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and payment infrastructure as among the strongest narratives in the sector, and said that the combination of artificial intelligence and [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) was prevalent but "still needs real utility, distribution and a clear business model." He noted that institutional areas such as RWA, [tokenization](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tokenization), [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and payment infrastructure require serious capital, compliance, infrastructure, banks and funds, and concluded that crypto "did not become less interesting. It just became less random."[\[2\]](#cite-id-uiryff15ra)​