# Usama Wagih

Dubai, UAE · me@usamawa.com · +971 585233222 · [linkedin.com/in/usamawa](https://linkedin.com/in/usamawa) · [usamawa.com](https://usamawa.com)

A product design leader with 15+ years of experience building design functions from scratch, leading full product redesigns and rebrands, and shipping products that drive measurable growth. I turn chaotic, opinion-driven environments into evidence-based design cultures combining AI, human-centered design, and product strategy across the full product lifecycle.

Most recently led the design function of an AI technology venture, integrating Claude, Figma AI, and LLM-powered tools directly into the product workflow. Across roles at Floward, Al-Futtaim, and Landmark Group, has scaled design teams from 0 to 12, driven conversion uplifts of up to 2x, and built design systems that cut delivery time by 50%. Open to scale-up, enterprise, and AI-native companies where design is a strategic driver.

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## Work Experiences

### Director of Product Design, Floward, Dubai, UAE
*Sept 2022 – Mar 2026*

- Built the product design function from scratch, grew the team from a single graphic designer to a team of product designers, UX researcher, and UX writer across a 9-country gifting ecommerce platform operating in the Middle East and UK.
- Led a full product redesign and rebrand, elevating the experience from a dated interface to a premium brand-aligned product.
- `Doubled conversion rate` through redesigned user journeys and drove a `5% increase in reorder rates` by converting gift recipients into repeat buyers.
- Established the company's first structured design process, embedding user testing, journey mapping, and research-driven iteration, shifting decision-making from opinion-based to evidence-based.
- Introduced AI-powered design workflows, integrating Figma Make and Claude Code into daily operations, eliminating design as a delivery bottleneck.
- Created a unified design system from scratch, standardising the experience across markets.

### Fractional Head of Product Design, Ginni.AI, London, UK (Remote)
*Oct 2024 – Present*

- Leading 0-to-1 product design for an AI-driven sales enablement SaaS platform on a fractional basis (2–3 hours/week). Platform has processed `600K+ sales calls` across enterprise clients.
- Translating complex AI and data capabilities into intuitive, insight-driven workflows for enterprise sales teams in partnership with product, engineering, and data stakeholders.

### UX Director, Al-Futtaim Group, Dubai, UAE
*May 2021 – Aug 2022*

- Led UX strategy across IKEA, Blue Rewards, Marks & Spencer, Toyota, and Volvo with a centralized team of 6 product designers, unifying fragmented experiences into a coherent customer journey.
- Secured chairman-level funding and led the design vision for the revamp of Blue Rewards, Al-Futtaim's group-wide super app platform.
- Introduced scalable design systems and standardised UX processes, reducing handoff friction and accelerating delivery.

### Head of Product Design, Landmark Group GCC & India, Dubai, UAE
*Sept 2016 – May 2021*

- Scaled the design function from `1 to 12` across 10+ retail brands including Max, Splash, Home Centre, CentrePoint, BabyShop, and the Shukran loyalty platform.
- Drove `double-digit conversion uplifts` across core e-commerce journeys through A/B testing and usability programmes, reducing rework by `25%+`.
- Led the digital revamp of Shukran, Landmark Group's loyalty platform with `14M+ active members`, transitioning from physical to digital card.
- Built the group's first unified design system from scratch, cutting average feature delivery time from `9 weeks to 4 weeks`.
- Reduced concept-to-prototype time by `30–40%` through design thinking practices and structured design sprints.
- Led CX audits and benchmarking that directly shaped product roadmap prioritisation.

### Product Design Manager, Souq.com (an Amazon company), Dubai, UAE
*Oct 2015 – Sept 2016*

- Led UX improvements across checkout, product pages, and post-order journeys on the MENA region's largest e-commerce marketplace.
- Reduced checkout abandonment, improved add-to-cart rates through a product page redesign, and contributed to a `20% reduction` in post-order support call volume.

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## Education

**BSc, Management Information Systems**
Delta Academy for Technology and Science, Cairo, Egypt