Ahmed Essa
Head of Product · Dubai, UAE

Head of Product building and scaling high-growth commerce products.

Founder mindset with P&L ownership, driving measurable outcomes including revenue growth, conversion optimization, and large-scale product transformation.

10+

Years in product leadership

High-traffic products

Across grocery and marketplace platforms

0→1 & growth ownership

From launch to scaled product systems

Impact

Impact across commerce and marketplace products

Selected outcomes from product work across grocery, commerce, and loyalty platforms serving millions of users in the UAE and MENA

+3.2×

Increase in Add-to-Cart Rate

Redesign focused on behavioral friction and substitution anxiety

+28%

Increase in Average Order Value

AI merchandising, Marketing enablers, and discounts optimizations

−40%

Reduction in Checkout Drop-off

Improved checkout UX, and error recovery flows

+4×

Increase in Shopping Engagement

Rebuilt discovery flows to reduce friction and improve decision-making

What I Do

Three areas where I create product impact

Product Strategy & Growth

I connect business goals to product decisions that scale. From opportunity sizing to roadmap prioritization, I focus on where to invest for maximum leverage.

  • Market opportunity analysis
  • Roadmap prioritization
  • OKR and goal alignment
  • Growth system design

Conversion & Growth

I optimize discovery, decision, and checkout flows to turn intent into action.

  • Funnel analysis and optimization
  • Behavioral UX and decision design
  • Experimentation and A/B testing
  • Checkout and conversion flow optimization

Product Leadership & Systems

I design how product teams operate — from structure and rituals to decision-making and delivery — ensuring alignment between business goals and product execution.

  • Product team structure and org design
  • Product operating model and delivery processes
  • Cross-functional alignment with engineering and business stakeholders
  • Hiring, mentoring, and PM capability development

Experience

10+ years of product work

2024 — Present

Head of Product

Grocery & Commerce Platform, UAE

Leading product strategy across discovery, checkout, and loyalty for a large-scale grocery platform serving millions of users.

30% YoY Revenue Growth2× Funnel OptimizationBuilt and scaled Product team

2020 — 2024

Product Manager

High-Growth Consumer & Gamification Platforms, MENA

Led consumer product for discovery and search. Introduced experimentation and behavioral analytics across the org.

data-driven CultureFunnel OptimizationCross-functional leadership

2017 — 2020

Founder & Product Lead

Physical Product Venture & Manufacturing

Managed the end-to-end lifecycle of a physical product enterprise from market discovery and customer research to manufacturing scale and go-to-market (GTM). Developed foundational competencies in P&L ownership, complex supply chains, and unit economics.

0-to-1 ExecutionP&L ownershipgo-to-market strategy (GTM)

2014 — 2020

UX Lead & Product Designer

Digital Agency & In-House Enterprise Teams

Designed and delivered UX and UI systems for digital products across blockchain, retail, and SAS domains.

Design ThinkingDesign systemsMentored junior designers

Product thinking principles

Principles that guide my work

After 10+ years in product, these are the mental models I keep coming back to — across industries, team sizes, and problems.

01

Business before features

Every decision must connect to revenue, cost, or strategic value."

02

Systems over solutions

I design feedback loops, not isolated fixes.

03

Behavior over opinion

What users do matters more than what they say.

04

Constraints reveal clarity

Limitations force better product decisions.

05

AI as leverage

I use AI to enhance decision-making, personalization, and product intelligence.

06

Ship to learn

The goal is learning velocity, not release velocity.

Consulting

I occasionally advise companies on product strategy, and growth optimization.

Engagements are selective and scoped — I take on a small number of projects where I can create meaningful impact. If you're facing a difficult product problem, reach out.

Start a conversation →
Product Strategy
Systems Thinking
Behavioral UX
Team Leadership
Dubai, UAE

About

Product sits at the intersection of business, design, and technology — and that’s where I’ve spent the last decade.

I started in UX, moved into product management, and have since led products used by millions across grocery, commerce, and consumer platforms in the UAE and MENA.

I’m most effective in environments where product decisions directly impact revenue, behavior, and operational outcomes.

Outside of work, I’m interested in behavioral economics, AI in consumer products, and building product teams that scale beyond their founders.

I've also founded and operated a business, which gave me a healthy appreciation for the pressure product decisions carry when it's your own money on the line.

Based in

Dubai, UAE

Open to

Senior / C-level roles

Domain

Grocery · Q-Commerce · Consumer

Contact

Let's talk about
product.

Whether you're hiring a Head of Product, building a new growth initiative, or solving a complex product challenge — I’m open to meaningful conversations.