Allan Abbas
Founder of FinTech Lab
About
I'm an ex-Amazonian-engineer who enjoys pushing the boundaries both personally and professionally. I've previously launched and sold $1.2M of products in my first startup (Niche Sports Tourism, Dubai, 2018), all bootstrapped, with no mentorship, no funding, no previous experience leading companies. My corporate experience spans product / program / operation / launch management with 6 years of increasing responsibility at Amazon. I specialize in assembling and leading high performing large teams. Currently, I'm building an AI-powered FinTech startup for the MENA region.
Experience
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Founder @ FinTech LabDubai - HybridI'm building a MENA FinTech app with no funding 💸, no software experience 👨💻, no connections 🤝, and zero "official" industry knowledge in Finance 📉 (yeah, I've done this before and I freaking love it but lost my hair in the process).
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Director of Business Development @ Media Building ContractingUAE, Canada - HybridLed business development initiatives, including the successful sale of a high-revenue business and the management of a diverse investment portfolio.
Responsibilities:
- Spearheaded the sale of a brick-and-mortar business generating CAD $3 million in annual revenue, securing a $0.7 million valuation.
- Orchestrated the entire sale process, including financial auditing, strategic marketing, negotiation, and deal structuring.
- Managed a CAD $300k investment portfolio across stocks, cryptocurrencies, and real estate, conducting in-depth market analysis and implementing strategic investment decisions.
Achievements:
- Secured a favorable 50% upfront cash payment for the business sale, with the remainder structured over 2 years with personal guarantees, optimizing cash flow and mitigating risk.
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Product and Customer Insights Manager @ AmazonUnited States -
- Program Manager | Operational Excellence (ACES) | Amazon Logistics @ AmazonOntario, CanadaAmazon Logistics - ACES (Amazon Customer Excellence System) Program Manager. Scope: SWON (South-West Ontario), including Kitchener, Cambridge, London, Hamilton & Brampton. Supported the Launch of 3 sites: London (DLC4, DLC1) and Stoney Creek (DXT8) in Q3 2021.
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- Area Manager @ AmazonVancouver, Canada AreaManaged night shift operations, overseeing all 4 outbound departments (pick, pack, sort, and dock). Consistently outperformed productivity, safety, and engagement goals across the center.
Responsibilities:
- Ran shifts in all 4 outbound departments (pick, pack, sort, and dock).
- Identified and developed talent within the team.
- Maintained an excellent track record in meeting and exceeding operational goals.
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- Founder/General Manager @ Media Tourism and TravelDubai, United Arab EmiratesFounded and managed a tourism and travel business in Dubai, achieving $1.2 million in sales within 16 months. Successfully built the business from scratch with no prior experience, industry connections, or external funding.
Achievements:
- Achieved $1.2 million in sales within 16 months without prior experience in tourism, no industry connections, and no business funding (bootstrapped).
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- General Manager @ Media Building ContractingSharjah, United Arab EmiratesLed the company through a critical growth phase, ensuring the successful completion and handover of key projects.
Responsibilities:
- Oversaw and handed over multiple construction projects, ensuring they met quality and timeline requirements.
Achievements:
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- Construction Manager @ Media Building ContractingSharjah, United Arab EmiratesManaged multiple residential projects and led efforts to scale the company’s operations to handle larger contracts.
Responsibilities:
- Managed 5 residential projects with a total contract value of AED 13.97 million (USD 3.8 million).
- Led initiatives to scale the company’s capacity to handle contracts up to AED 30 million (USD 8.7 million) by the end of 2017.
- Focused on process improvements and expanding the company’s capabilities into commercial contracts.
Achievements:
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- Area Manager - Fulfillment Centre Launch @ AmazonVancouver, Canada AreaLed the launch and rapid ramp-up of outbound operations for a new fulfillment center, successfully supporting Amazon’s first Prime Day event and managing significant operational changes.
Responsibilities:
- Launched the outbound operations for a new fulfillment center in record time in collaboration with an operations manager and interdisciplinary teams.
- Rapidly scaled up outbound operations to support Amazon's first Prime Day event, achieving record-breaking order volumes.
- Applied lean tools such as Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, bottleneck analysis, Gemba, and Standardized Work to optimize operations.
- Acted as an operations manager during their absence and launched the night shift, overseeing promotions, training, and development of the outbound team.
- Managed the retrofit of facility technologies to increase shipping capacity by 250% in preparation for peak 2015.
- Led shifts with over 100 associates, achieving over 100% efficiency within 3 months of launching the night shift.
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- Area Manager - Inbound Operations @ AmazonBrampton, Toronto Area, CanadaManaged inbound operations, leading a team to optimize performance through lean methodologies and data-driven decision-making.
Responsibilities:
- Led a team of 15-20 associates and 2-3 process assistants each shift.
- Identified, developed, and mentored promising candidates for advancement into higher technical and managerial roles.
- Conducted interviews for external hires.
- Utilized lean tools daily, including Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, bottleneck analysis, Gemba, and Standardized Work.
- Focused on metrics and data analysis to optimize performance, overseeing 10-15 KPIs per production shift.
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- Area Manager - Outbound Operations @ AmazonMississauga, Toronto Area, CanadaLed a large team in outbound operations, focusing on performance optimization and safety improvements through lean methodologies.
Responsibilities:
- Led a team of 2-5 process assistants and 35-60 associates, focusing on optimizing outbound operations.
- Utilized lean tools daily, including Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, bottleneck analysis, Gemba, and Standardized Work.
- Focused on metrics and data analysis, managing 10-15 KPIs per production shift.
- Conducted investigations and root cause analysis following safety incidents, leading to new standard operating procedures that reduced defects and injuries across the facility.
Education
