Headline

Chief of Staff | Business Strategy & Efficiency | Ex-Volopay (YC S20) | Ex-Open | Ex-Start-up Entrepreneur | People’s Person | Corporate HR & Finance | Building Company Culture | Strategic Planning & Process Efficiency |

About

I'm a Chief of Staff & Strategic Leader with 20+ years of experience partnering with Founders and Group CEOs to build, scale and govern high-performing organisations across the GCC and Asia-Pacific. My career has spanned high-growth FinTech startups, diversified group enterprises and entrepreneurial ventures - giving me an unusual breadth that sits at the intersection of strategy, people, operations and commercial execution. I don't just advise - I build the systems, own the outcomes and hold the organisation to its commitments. What I bring to the table: At Silver Line Group, I serve as the sole strategic partner to the Group CEO, architecting the organisation's first-ever MIS reporting framework, leading a full end-to-end ERP implementation, building the CEO Dashboard, and restructuring cash flow to achieve complete operational self-sufficiency. I also founded SCALE (SilverLine Competency Academy for Learning & Empowerment) institutionalising a culture of capability development across the group from the ground up. I oversee the full BizOps mandate spanning Finance, Technology, HR, Admin and Inventory, and have institutionalised SOPs, KPIs, KRAs, SWOT analyses and Goals Tracking across every department. What I'm known for: I'm the person organizations turn to when they need structure where there is none, clarity where there is ambiguity, and execution where there is only intention. I've built governance frameworks, KPI systems, ERP platforms, training academies and people architectures, often simultaneously, always without a playbook. I operate equally well in the boardroom and on the floor. I translate executive vision into measurable outcomes. And I do it all with a deep belief that people, process and purpose, when aligned, are the most powerful force in any organisation. Core expertise: Strategic Planning & Business Transformation · Cross-Functional Leadership · ERP & Digital Systems Implementation · KPI Governance & Board Reporting · Global HR Operations & Architecture · Organisational Design & Change Management · Financial Management & Cost Optimisation · Learning & Capability Development · ISO Compliance & Process Auditing · Compensation & Benefits · MIS Reporting & Executive Dashboards. On a personal note: I'm a builder by nature and a fighter by character. I believe you cannot succeed if you never try, and I show up every day with the courage to define success on my own terms. I'm driven by a deep respect for equality, integrity, ethics and human potential and a genuine desire to inspire the people I work with to grow alongside me.

Location

Dubai

AI stack

claude code

notion

openai

claudecode

Microsoft Copilot

OpenAI Playground

Work experience

Chief of Staff at Silver Line Construction Machinery Rental LLC - Official New Page, Mar 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 7 mos, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Silver Line Construction Machinery Rental LLC is a leading equipment rental enterprise serving the construction, marine, oil and gas sectors across the GCC- UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. With nearly a decade of operation, Silver Line has built its reputation on prompt service, reliable customer support and a world-class equipment portfolio tailored to every project demand. As Chief of Staff to the Group CEO, I serve as the primary strategic partner across a diversified group of business units, translating executive vision into structured, cross-functional execution plans and ensuring the organization operates with governance, clarity and purpose. Since joining, I have built several of the organisation's foundational systems from the ground up including its first-ever MIS reporting architecture, first-ever end-to-end ERP implementation (Netsonic), and first-ever Group CEO Dashboard consolidating real-time KPIs, financials and operational metrics into a single executive view. I oversee the full BizOps portfolio spanning Finance, IT, Technology, ERP & Data Management, HR, Administration and Inventory - the broadest cross-functional mandate in the company's history. I have institutionalized SOPs, SWOT analyses, KPIs, KRAs and Goals Tracking across all departments, transforming the organization from informal management to a structured, cadence-driven operating model. On the financial side, I restructured cash flow management to achieve full operational self-sufficiency, eliminating the need for external capital injections and ensuring all expenses are met entirely from operating revenue. I also founded SCALE (SilverLine Competency Academy for Learning & Empowerment) a structured internal training academy with multiple ongoing programmes, institutionalizing a culture of continuous learning and capability development across the group.

Global AVP - People & Administration at Volopay, Dec 2021 - Jan 2024 · 2 yrs 2 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Volopay is a high-growth FinTech startup revolutionizing business expense management - the first AI-based real-time expense management platform designed to make expense workflows digital, fast, inclusive and safe, giving businesses complete visibility and control over their spending. As Assistant Vice President - People & Administration, I led the entire global people function across six countries; India, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and the USA, building every system, process and policy from the ground up where none previously existed. I architected the end-to-end global HR architecture encompassing recruitment, onboarding, training, compensation, performance management and succession planning - functional across all jurisdictions with localized statutory compliance. One of my most tangible early wins was designing and launching a global onboarding and cultural assimilation programe that improved early-stage employee retention by over 20%, reducing attrition cost and accelerating time-to-productivity for new hires. I partnered directly with the Founders and executive committee on strategic workforce planning, talent acquisition roadmaps and organizational design as the company scaled rapidly across geographies. I also collaborated closely with Product and Technology teams to integrate data-driven HR analytics - repositioning People & Administration as a proactive strategic business partner rather than a back-office support function. Beyond people systems, I established a global HR governance framework aligning local statutory requirements with international best practices, underpinning ISO-compliant HR audits and cross-border payroll integrity across platforms. I managed departmental budget planning, headcount optimization and forecasting - ensuring people costs remained aligned with growth targets throughout a period of rapid, multi-country scaling.

AVP - Business Development & Operations at Open Financial Technologies, Jun 2020 - Aug 2021 · 1 yr 3 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Open is Asia’s first neobanking platform for SMEs and startups. Powered by partner banks, Open offers a business account that let’s small business owners collect payments, auto-reconcile them, and make seamless payouts. Open also offer additional tools designed exclusively for businesses, such as an integrated payment gateway, automated accounting and expense management. - Launching, organizing and executing new business projects in Open App Store as individual and bundled offers & Value-added services (Fethr, LearnDash, OpenStore, OpenClass & much more) - Collaborate with the Sales & Marketing Teams for executing project and running relevant Digital Campaigns. - Analyse & Interpret the data and problems and comprehend the cause towards the success of the project. - Formulate recommendations and solutions with attention to resources, capabilities, and budget. - Liaise with the management, team & aggregators for the business plan, resolve any occasional discrepancies and implementing continuous improvement plans. - Drive, Lead and motivate the Business Development Team to achieve the targets.

Co-Founder & Chief HR Officer at Oru Pothichoru, Jan 2018 - Mar 2020 · 2 yrs 3 mos, Kochi, Oru Pothichoru is a lunch ordering platform that serves authentic Kerala meals on Banana Leaf. We don't use any plastic for packaging and everything is locally sourced so we assure the best quality always! Recognized as the emerging food tech startup from Kerala, we got incubated in IIMK & funded by MRPL. - Experience of having led a business or independent P&L and managed multiple stakeholders. - Manage the complete P&L and deliver sales growth while moving towards profitability. - Lead employees in aligning & contextualizing their tasks with the long term strategy of the company. - Instill culture of speedy decision making, sales aggression and accountability. - Invest personal time in coaching direct reports and top team members. - Set up a transparent appraisal system with annual/semi-annual cycles. - Set clear objectives, review progress periodically for continuous performance improvement. - Handle the monthly reports on key objectives and detailed financial analysis. - Ability to power through tough times and motivate others. - Responsible for supervising managing and motivating team members on a daily basis. - Team leader and a contact point for all team members with excellent communication skills. - Act proactively to ensure smooth team operations and effective collaboration. - Lead by setting a good example and engage the team to achieve sales target & goals. - Create an inspiring team environment with an open communication culture. - Set clear team goals, Delegate tasks and set deadlines. - Oversee day-today operations, Monitor team performance and report on metrics. - Suggest and organize team building activities.

HR Manager at Appscook Technologies, May 2017 - Aug 2017 · 4 mos, Teamed up with the Management as the HR Manager to oversee the aspects of HR practices and processes in the Company, Support the Business needs and ensure the proper implementation of Company Strategy, Policies and Vision & Objectives. The main objective being promoting of corporate values and enable business success through HR Management including but not limited to Job Design, Recruitment, Performance Management, Training & Development, Employment Cycle Changes, Talent Management and Facilities Management Services.

Senior Executive - HR & Accounts at Maico Gulf LLC, May 2010 - Oct 2016 · 6 y 5 mo, Dubai, UAE

HR & Accounts Officer at Precision Steel Fabrication Pvt Ltd, Feb 2010 - Apr 2010 · 2 mo, Dubai, UAE

Admin & Accounts Assistant at Dubai Autodrome LLC, Oct 2008 - Jan 2009 · 3 mo, Dubai, UAE

Accounts & Operations Assistant at Translink Express LLC, Mar 2005 - Apr 2007 · 2 y 1 mo, Dubai, UAE

Accounts Executive at Ahmed Hashim Advocates & Legal Consultants, Feb 2002 - Jan 2005 · 2 y 11 mo, Dubai, UAE

Education

Master of Commerce, Annamalai university

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Annamalai university