Allan Abbas

Founder of FinTech Lab

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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

2024 - Present

Founder @ FinTech Lab

Dubai - Hybrid

I'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).
2023 - 2024
Director of Business Development @ Media Building Contracting

UAE, Canada - Hybrid
Led 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.
- Business Development
- Deal Structuring
- Investment Management
- Strategic Marketing
- Financial Auditing
- Market Analysis
2021 - 2023

Product and Customer Insights Manager @ Amazon

United States
2021 - 2021

Program Manager | Operational Excellence (ACES) | Amazon Logistics @ Amazon

Ontario, Canada

Amazon 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.
2019 - 2021
Area Manager @ Amazon

Vancouver, Canada Area
Managed 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.
2017 - 2018
Founder/General Manager @ Media Tourism and Travel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Founded 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).
- Entrepreneurship
- Business Development
- Sales Strategy
- Market Analysis
2017 - 2017
General Manager @ Media Building Contracting

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Led 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:
- Leadership
- Project Management
- Strategic Planning
- Team Coordination
- Stakeholder Management
2016 - 2017
Construction Manager @ Media Building Contracting

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Managed 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:
- Project Management
- Construction Management
- Process Improvement
- Scaling Operations
- Budget Management
- Commercial Contracting
2015 - 2016
Area Manager - Fulfillment Centre Launch @ Amazon

Vancouver, Canada Area
Led 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.
- Lean Methodologies
- Project Management
- Team Leadership
- Operational Excellence
- Capacity Planning
- Process Improvement
2015 - 2015
Area Manager - Inbound Operations @ Amazon

Brampton, Toronto Area, Canada
Managed 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.
- Team Leadership
- Mentorship
- Lean Methodologies
- Performance Optimization
- Recruitment
2014 - 2015
Area Manager - Outbound Operations @ Amazon

Mississauga, Toronto Area, Canada
Led 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.
- Team Leadership
- Lean Methodologies
- Safety Management
- Process Improvement
- Root Cause Analysis
- Data-Driven Decision Making