Product Transformation at Scale: Emirates Technology

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Simon joined the Emirates Technology team in Dubai, at an early stage of their Digital Transformation initiative across the entire team of c3,000 and of course further encompassing reach across the wider operation of the business.

Upon joining the team, Simon took on the leadership role as Head of Chapter for Product Management, inheriting a team of in excess of 150 Business Analysts, with an average length of service in the region of 15 years.

The pivot to Product Management was essentially a re-wiring exercise not just for the team themselves, it also required a close partnership with Engineering, Architecture, Delivery, DevOps, and business wide Stakeholders groups.

Key to the success of building and developing a large team was to start from the fundamentals of Product, and to consider how best practice could be understood and adopted. As a result, Communities of Practice were at the heart of the transformation, focusing in on particular areas of practice, and sharing with other groups, and the wider organisation.

Development frameworks, where teams supported the Product Owners and Managers with their progression, was a key to a servant leadership led development approach.

External guest speakers were invited to share their own journey in Product, or working with Product, and proved an inspirational input.

And through the entire journey, the focus turned to delivery at pace, data driven decision making, and customer centricity.

Testimonial: Raghu Gupta | LinkedIn
Simon was entrusted with the monumental task of building a robust Product organisation, comprising over 150 individuals, with diverse skill sets, maturity levels, and backgrounds. Through his exceptional leadership and expertise, he successfully guided the transformation of business analysts and project managers into accomplished Product leaders.

Simon played a pivotal role in fostering Community of Practice, leveraging his dynamic approach to mentoring and transitioning IT professionals into Product leaders. His infectious enthusiasm, unparalleled knowledge of the Product domain, and innovative methods of sharing insights with peers and the broader community were instrumental in shaping the teams growth.

One of the standout moments of the journey were the interactive sessions Simon facilitated with Product leaders from across the globe. These sessions, tailored specifically for Emirates’ Product teams, were key in nurturing the 150 strong team into future Product leaders.

Thank you Simon for your invaluable leadership and guidance throughout the transformative journey.

Testimonial: Lakshmi Das | LinkedIn
I had the privilege of working closely with Simon during his tenure as the Product Chapter Head at Emirates, where he played a pivotal role in leading the IT Transformation.

As a Chapter Lead, I had the opportunity to support him and witness firsthand his exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and ability to drive meaningful change.

Simon’s leadership was instrumental in guiding our transition from waterfall to agile methodologies, helping us optimize product strategies, and fostering a collaborative, high-performing team culture. His insights on modern ways of working, and product excellence were invaluable, not only in achieving our transformation goals but also in enhancing the skills and mindset of the teams he mentored.

His ability to inspire, empower, and lead with clarity makes him an outstanding leader in the product space.

Simon, I am deeply grateful for the positive impact you have had on us.