How Spotify scales: Strategy, expansion & leadership with Ruthie Qadan

Inside Deliveroo: Scaling Operations with Michelle from Beco Capital

In this episode, I sit down with Michelle, Director of Operations at Beco Capital, one of the region’s biggest early-stage VC firms, managing half a billion dollars in AUM. Michelle has spent over a decade scaling tech startups from her time as Head of Sales Planning at Deliveroo to her current role at Beco. She’s worked on the ground in hyper-growth startups and inside a VC firm, giving her a rare perspective on how businesses actually scale. Whether you're an operator, startup founder, or thinking of moving to the UAE, this episode is packed with insights on building and scaling businesses. - 00:43 — Michelle’s background and transition from startups to VC 02:15 — The power of generalists in high-growth environments 04:20 — What operations really means beyond “stabilizing the ship” 06:10 — Inside BECO: lean VC teams and partner-founder dynamics 09:15 — The broad scope of ops at BECO: finance, IR, people, tech 11:50 — Document writing and hiring frameworks that drive execution 15:10 — Ops at Deliveroo vs Zego: startup vs scaleup challenges 18:40 — Culture shifts: why high performance means losing people 22:15 — Where culture actually starts and how to protect it 25:00 — Why Michelle believes Dubai is the land of opportunity 27:20 — How AI is reshaping ops infrastructure and vendor thinking 30:10 — AI in marketing: content creation, personalization & impact 33:45 — Michelle’s toolkit: fiction, sleep, and better decision-making 36:30 — Final takeaways on ops, growth, and performance-driven culture - Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shebuildspodcast - Get in touch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhewerdine/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_hewerdine

Careem’s growth engine: From ride-hailing to Super-app with Heidy Nasr

In this episode, I sit down with Heidy Nasr, Director of Growth at Careem, the Middle East’s leading super app, to unpack how they scaled ride-hailing, expanded into 15+ verticals, and built an obsessive focus on retention, personalization, and growth loops. Heidi has been at Careem for 7+ years, navigating its evolution from a high-growth startup to a market leader in ride-hailing, food delivery, and fintech If you’re in growth, product, or marketing, this one’s a must listen for scaling businesses in emerging markets. - 00:44 Defining growth in business 01:41 The art and science of growth 03:23 Collaboration and team dynamics in growth 08:20 Building a growth team 15:05 Early growth strategies at Careem 16:26 Evolving growth tactics and personalization 21:57 Operationalizing the growth team 24:27 Meeting rhythms and collaboration 25:51 Common mistakes in hiring for growth 28:45 Understanding non-linear customer journeys 32:31 Experimentation and a/b testing 35:42 Building a culture of experimentation 44:24 The future of growth and AI 46:39 SEO in the age of AI 48:21 Pass the toolkit - Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shebuildspodcast - Get in touch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhewerdine/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_hewerdine

How Spotify scales: Strategy, expansion & leadership with Ruthie Qadan

In this episode, I sit down with Ruthie Qadan, Head of Strategy & Operations at Spotify MENA & South Asia, to unpack the hidden strategies behind market expansion, team building, and scaling global businesses. Ruthie started her career in marketing but transitioned into business strategy and operations, proving that being a generalist is a superpower. If you’ve ever wondered how to break into a leadership role in a tech company, how to structure teams in different markets, or how to balance data with creativity, this episode is packed with takeaways. Whether you're a startup founder, strategy leader, or marketer, this is a must-listen for understanding Spotify’s playbook on growth, expansion, and execution. - 00:38 Ruthie's career transition to a generalist 01:25 The value of being a generalist 03:42 Skills and leadership as a generalist 04:55 KPI’s and team structure at Spotify 09:20 Building and executing strategy 14:24 Localization and market strategy at Spotify 19:14 Balancing centralization and decentralization 20:28 Key hires for new markets 21:24 Maintaining brand consistency 23:47 Market entry decisions 26:07 Future of marketing: Brand vs. performance 29:54 Measuring marketing effectiveness 33:39 Understanding fandom at Spotify 35:11 Customer feedback and sentiment analysis 35:44 Pass the toolkit - Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shebuildspodcast - Get in touch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhewerdine/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_hewerdine

Amazon's playbook: How to build and scale with Shweta Johri Scott

At Amazon, every decision starts with the customer. In this episode, Shweta reveals Amazon’s frameworks—the Working Backwards approach, PRFAQs, input metrics vs. output metrics and the reality of high-stakes decision-making inside one of the world’s most influential companies. Now a founder herself, she’s applied these principles to building her own business, The Midori Company. This conversation is packed with insights for product managers, founders, and anyone obsessed with growth. 00:48 Shweta's journey at Amazon 02:52 The Amazon memo culture 03:52 Working backwards: PRFAQ model 09:40 Customer obsession at Amazon 12:59 Operational rhythms and metrics 18:38 Amazon's used business and sustainability 24:53 Hyper-personalization vs. customer obsession 26:04 Understanding your customer 27:33 Building customer personas 28:01 Real-life example: technology adoption 29:09 Targeting the right audience 30:54 Creating effective personas 31:33 Launching a product 37:29 The importance of brand in product management 43:52 Challenges in marketing Alexa in Europe 46:42 Starting a new venture 52:18 Pass the toolkit - Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shebuildspodcast - Get in touch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhewerdine/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_hewerdine

She Builds: Season One Trailer

I was an inexperienced marketeer thrust into the start up world and made to learn and build as I went, giving me a thirst for knowledge and curiosity for how others built before me. So I created 'She Builds'. Featuring product, marketing and strategy experts from the likes of Amazon, Deliveroo, the UAE unicorn Careem, I dig deep to find out how they did it, if they had the same problems that I had and what didn't work. I also only interviewed women, because there's some incredible talent out there, still overlooked. - Get in touch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhewerdine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_hewerdine