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Zahed Ahmed What I do I help CxOs and MDs in global corporates, scale-ups and start-ups: make better commercial, organisational and operational decisions identify and unlock value across the enterprise understand and plan for the future drive growth and sales revenue foster better leadership and management across functions and teams I advise investors looking at market entry, pre-investment due diligence and post-investment oversight. I conduct commercial/investment due diligence for projects and investment in a consulting capacity I help teams deliver better outcomes across business focussed projects I help solve highly complex business, technical and regulatory problems I manage projects and programs from inception to tangible outcomes I troubleshoot and turnaround failing projects I rapidly master new concepts and domains and deliver value early I help design, build and launch technology and AI-powered products (2019+) Professional Summary Seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in strategy consulting as well as strategy execution & program management, 15+ years in investment banking, and 10+ years in fintech, including significant involvement with tech startups and scale-ups. Proven expertise in driving growth, conducting commercial due diligence, and managing complex projects from inception to successful outcomes. Adept at advising CxOs and MDs in making strategic decisions, unlocking enterprise value, and fostering leadership across teams. Skilled in financial modeling and developing investment cases for large corporates. Key Skills Commercial & Operational Strategy: Extensive experience in advising global corporates and startups on commercial, organizational, and operational strategies. Investment & Market Due Diligence: Skilled in validating investment opportunities and post-investment plans through thorough market and commercial due diligence. Financial Modeling: Expertise in financial modeling and developing investment cases for large corporates and startups. Banking & Fintech: Deep experience in banking and fintech sectors, with notable projects including bipo bank, CleverChain, RentJoy, and web3 payments orchestration. Business Growth & Development: Expertise in identifying growth opportunities, driving sales revenue, and executing business strategies for startups, scale-ups and corporates Project & Program Management: Proven track record of managing projects and programs with budgets up to £50m, from planning to delivery. Tech & AI Product Development: Hands-on experience in designing, building, and launching technology and AI-powered products. Professional Experience Cambridge Research Group Nov 2019 – Present Conducting pragmatic inquiry in partnership with client organisations Advised technology startups from conception to market analysis, fundraising, and development. Notable projects include: bipo bank: Digital banking for SMEs, supporting the full lifecycle of business journey from formation, trading, management, and growth. CleverChain: KYC/AML Big Data platform, providing business advisory services. RentJoy: Payments startup focused on supporting payments in the property industry. web3 payments orchestration platform (KumoPay): Business strategy lead and product owner for a cutting-edge web3 payment orchestration platform. BigoLive streaming competitor acquisition due diligence for private equity Smaller scale investment due diligence for a portfolio of SME companies on behalf of family office (businesses up to £5m revenue) VODworks / Kumopay – web3 Consultancy Nov 2023 – Present Assisted in market validation, business strategy, and product definition of a web3 payment orchestration platform. Conducted investment appraisal for a major private equity client entering the game streaming market in ASEAN. Led business development for the core consulting business. Zebra.Associates – Niche Commercial Strategy Firm Sep 2023 – Oct 2023 Conducted extensive transaction, customer and web and google analytics data analysis to develop, test and refine a set of commercially leverageable recommendations that projected a 15% revenue increase for a luxury hotel chain. Delivered recommendation to CMO and CEO. NewLink Consulting – Investment Banking Strategy Firm Mar 2022 – Jan 2023 Acted as a client strategy partner, owning key client relationships and contributing to firm 45% of firm’s revenue and margin targets. Positive reception to the year’s effort resulted in invitation to buy in as full equity Partner. ChangeForce – Founder (Exited) Jul 2013 – Dec 2019 Led strategy and change projects for a range of clients, including consulting firms and banks, with full sales and delivery accountability. Clients included HSBC, Credit Suisse, UBS, DWS, and Deutsche Bank (London and GmbH), as well as pro bono advisory to several charities and third-sector organizations. Capco – Principal, Capital Markets Consulting Jan 2011 – Jul 2013 Managed strategy and transformation consulting assignments in investment banking and asset management. Investance – Strategy Consultant Jul 2009 – Dec 2010 Provided strategic advisory to investment banks, including Credit Suisse (prime brokerage) and HSBC (payments). Detica (formerly m.a. Partners) – Account Lead Jun 2007 – Jul 2009 Delivered strategy and change projects for government and banking clients. Sapient – Senior Associate Sep 2004 – Jun 2007 Senior business consultant across banking, telecommunications, government, and healthcare sectors. University of Cambridge Researcher Jun 2004 – Sep 2004 Research role in computational linguistics focussing on the implementation of Arabic morphology and translation. Education & Professional Qualifications BA, MA Computer Science, Pembroke College, University of Cambridge PhD in Computational Linguistics & Machine Learning, University of Leeds (completed 5 of 7 years) Additional Experience Strategy advisor to several UK charities Philanthropy advisor to family foundations and high-net-worth individuals Further project-specific details and references available on request Contact: zahedahmed@gmail.com
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