Feb 2024 – Present · 2 yrs 3 mos · Dubai, United Arab Emirates · On-site

• After spending 15+ years building, scaling and exiting my own companies... and then going in-house as CPO at one of the fastest-growing companies in the GCC... I kept seeing the same thing: founders who were brilliant at product and fundraising but were winging it on people.
• That's why I started Alnaas (it means "People" in Arabic).
• We work with scale-ups and growth-stage companies across the Middle East who've hit the point where hiring wrong costs real money and getting culture wrong costs real momentum.
• What we do:
• → People Advisory... I act as a fractional CPO / senior HR advisor for founders who need experienced guidance without the full-time price tag. Org design, compensation frameworks, performance systems, leadership coaching... the stuff that separates companies that scale from companies that implode.
• → Embedded Talent... we place dedicated recruiters inside your business to run hiring like an internal team, not an agency. Built for companies hiring 10-50+ people who can't afford to get it wrong or go slow.
• → Executive Search... finding senior and C-suite talent across the GCC. We know this market deeply because we've been operators in it, not just recruiters selling into it.
• Our advisory team includes former CPOs from Careem, Kitopi and eyewa... people who've actually sat in the seat and scaled teams through the chaos of hypergrowth, fundraising and expansion.
• If your company is growing fast and your people infrastructure isn't keeping up... that's exactly where we come in.

Jul 2023 – Present · 2 yrs 10 mos · Dubai, United Arab Emirates · Remote

• Mophead Cleaning is one of the fastest-growing Airbnb & holiday home cleaning companies in the UAE, servicing 400+ Airbnb properties across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
• We built Mophead to solve a problem most hosts know too well: inconsistent standards, unreliable teams, and cleaning that hurts ratings instead of helping them. Today, we work with some of the region’s leading short-term rental operators, including Silkhaus, Nestify, and Bergstays.
• Airbnb is our core focus, but we also provide residential and office cleaning for clients who want consistency, accountability, and zero drama.
• We treat cleaning as an extension of our clients’ business, not a commodity. Systems over shortcuts. Standards over excuses.
• Built in Dubai. Scaling fast. Raising the bar on what “clean” actually means.

Mar 2021 – Oct 2023 · 2 yrs 7 mos

• Had the wonderful and uniquely rare experience of going from Angel Investor to joining the team as Chief People Officer to help take the company to the next level of growth.
• Over the past 2+ years have rebuilt the end to end people ops and talent acquisition strategy for the business as we grew from 120 to 800+ 'eyewans', increased our physical store presence from 1 store to 85+ in 23 different cities across KSA, UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, all whilst maintaining a high performance culture which has led to year on year records and culminating in official accreditation as a 'Great Place to Work' in the GCC
• Expert within Talent Attraction across Tech, Product, Marketing, building teams, coaching, Implementing tools, processes and data to create meaningful experiences which continue to enhance our employee engagement and keep us driving towards our mission to bring affordable and fashionable eyewear to the masses.
• Awarded Great Place to Work 2023 for KSA
• Awarded Great Place to Work 2023 for UAE
• Awarded Great Place to Work 2023 for Kuwait
• Awarded Great Place to Work 2023 for Bahrain
• "If you're offered a seat on a rocketship 🚀 don't ask which seat... just get on!" -
• Putting talent, culture and retention at the top of the agenda for one of the fastest growing omnichannel eyewear companies on the planet 🌍.

Jul 2017 – Present · 8 yrs 10 mos

• The first angel investor in eyewa at seed stage. 🌻
• Fundraising:
• Seed round - raised USD $1.1m,
• Series A - USD $7.5m - Lead Investor Wamda
• Series B - USD $21m - Lead Investor Kingsway Capital
• Series C - USD $100m - Lead Investor General Atlantic

Feb 2020 – Jun 2025 · 5 yrs 4 mos

• Are you looking to supercharge your internal referral network?
• Intrro is a tech platform that uses AI and Machine learning to tap into your employees’ social connections and match potential candidates with open positions. Leveraging the power of connection to help you build a strong team, a great work culture and most of all, a higher return on investment.
• 88% of employers agree that a referral program is the No1 source for finding 'unicorn' hires
• 45% - after 2 years, retention of referred employees is 45% compared to only 20% via job boards.

Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 · 2 yrs 11 mos · London, United Kingdom

• Gimme Samosa is a London based gourmet food brand. Putting a refreshing twist on a classic household food item, we have launched 6 flavours of our baked handcrafted Samosa’s. The perfect snack food for group gatherings, parties, weddings or office meals. We have sweet flavours such as Nutella filled, Pecan Pie & Apple Pie, we also have three savoury flavours – Butter Chicken, Spicy Lamb and Potato filled. The baked nature of our product along with the delicious taste and eye-catching branding has really helped to propel the brand in the past 12 months.
• Having featured at the London Halal Food Festival in 2019 the brand continues to grow within its niche, partnering with catering companies and available in certain areas via Deliveroo and UberEats.
• Due to the Covid19 outbreak we decided to stop services in London. The business will be looking to relaunch in the Middle East in 2024.
• Check it out -
• www.instagram.com/gimmesamosa
• www.gimmesamosa.com

Feb 2017 – Dec 2021 · 4 yrs 10 mos · Greater Los Angeles Area

• We Are Leone are a high-end LA based womenswear fashion brand - stocked in Net-a-Porter, Barneys, Selfridges, Revolve, the Modist and many more stores around the world and featured in articles for Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and Grazia.
• Over the past 3 years the brand has gone from strength to strength, starting out as a small business based in London and Milan, to mass wholesaling from LA, to selling their pieces online globally whilst extending their luxurious range. With over 37k+ organic Instagram followers and A-list customers and influencers such as Selena Gomes, Kate Hudson, Gigi Hadid, Eve and Rocky Barnes, it’s only the beginning for this super brand.
• Weareleone was part of a managment buyout and rebranded and relaunched in 2023
• www.instagram.com/weareleone
• www.weareleone.com

Jan 2017 – Mar 2021 · 4 yrs 2 mos

• Made the big decision to move to Dubai in Jan 2017 to help turnaround our flagging Middle East Business, experiencing low staff morale, low client retention and brand damage in the region. In the last few years we have seen the whole team grow as a unit, a record number of placements, some superb key client wins and record months/quarters across the entire DG/Rethink group. It's a great sign for the digital economy in the region and we look forward to partnering with more of the best businesses in the Middle East.
• My experience spans nearly a decade within digital recruitment. In that time whilst growing our business globally, I've met and worked with some of the top companies and individuals London & Dubai has to offer, from Careem, EmiratesNBD, Majid Al Futtaim, Emirates, Facebook, Accenture, Google, Amazon, Deliveroo and so many more. I'm keen to work with clients out here as they learn to compete globally and embrace digital change/transformation and help them to attract and retain the best talent on offer.
• Our specialist digital team cover all areas of digital across:
• Creative, Product & UX
• Technical (front end, backend, mobile, testers, DevOps)
• Client Services & Project Management
• Product & Ecommerce
• Data & Analytics (including Cyber Security)
• Marketing & Sales
• It would be great to speak to anyone who is interested in working out here, clients who are looking for that specialist digital expertise or consultants who might be keen to explore opportunities with Digital Gurus.
• Check us out at www.digitalgurus.ae

May 2008 – Dec 2022 · 14 yrs 7 mos

• Voted Best Company to Work For (medium) - 2015 @ Recruiter Awards
• Voted Agency of the Year 2012 @ UK MARA Awards.
• May 2008, I remember it like yesterday… 3 guys, passionate about digital media and how it was revolutionising the industry decided to carve out a little niche in the market for themselves. Tired of shark-like recruiter tactics and no thought and love for the process where we were, that tiny idea is what brought about the creation of Digital Gurus as we know it.
• A few years on, 5 office moves, 1 credit crunch and 50+ staff later what started out as a pipe dream in a dingy spare room in S.London, now feels like so much more.
• I'm extremely proud of where we have got to in a relatively short space of time and for all the help and support we've received from clients, candidates and people we can now genuinely call our friends who have been there since day one and watched as we've grown up.
• We’re committed to delivering the highest possible standard based on our knowledge and expertise within the marketplace and look forward to forging even more relationships with people who are as passionate as we are.
• DG is a global digital recruitment agency based in London, Manchester, Dubai & Sydney. We cover a variety of verticals within digital for both perm and contract recruitment including:
• Creative & UX
• Technical
• Project Management
• Client Services
• Search & Marketing
• Social Media/PR
• Ad Tech and Sales
• Mobile
• Big Data
• Our foundations as a business are built on long standing relationships and delivering results, through our various sponsorship of industry events, DrumTop100 Agency, BIMA Awards, Glug London and many more, we’re keen to give back to an industry that has given us so much.
• Whether you’re a start-up, small boutique agency, one of the big players or a brand looking to establish your digital presence you should definitely get in touch for a chat and see how we can help grow your business and help you retain the very best staff.

Sep 2007 – Dec 2007 · 3 mos

Sep 2006 – Apr 2007 · 7 mos

Jan 2006 – May 2008 · 2 yrs 4 mos

• Promoted rapidly through the ranks to the most senior level of one of londons largest specialist recruitment agencies to become a specialist consultant and advisor to some of London's Top Digital Media Agencies.
• Providing clients and candidates alike with a high level of service due to my passion and understanding of the industry, building relationships with the people that matter and having the knowledge to be successful as a digital media recruiter in the modern era.

Mar 2007 – Jun 2007 · 3 mos