SMAEL ZABEER ALLEJAUN

• Leading five critical product domains, each with dedicated Product Managers and cross-functional squads
• Defined and executed product strategies that aligned with business goals, regulatory needs, and customer requirements
• Delivered high-impact payment products to drive revenue growth, conversion optimization, and merchant adoption
• Oversaw payment integrations with major card schemes, APMs, and acquirers across multiple markets
• Managed tokenisation programs (including Visa Network Tokenisation and MDES)
• Streamlined transaction routing, fallback mechanisms, and cost-based decisioning in Core Payments
• Built and scaled in-house Card Processing capabilities to reduce third-party reliance and improve margins
• Collaborated with Engineering, Commercial, and Operations leaders to prioritise and deliver cross-functional initiatives
• Mentored and coached product leads to build a high-performing product organisation
• Used OKRs and data-driven prioritisation to ensure product delivery aligned with company strategy

• Owned the end-to-end roadmap for the Core Payments domain, including transaction switching, authorization, routing logic, and scheme integrations(Gateway)
• Delivered key initiatives such as fallback mechanisms, in-house tokenisation, and smart transaction routing (cost- and conversion-based)
• Worked closely with card schemes (Visa, Mastercard) to implement and certify network tokenisation (VTS/MDES)
• Launched features to support multi-acquirer routing, reducing cost and improving transaction success rates
• Partnered with Engineering and Architecture teams to replatform legacy systems and modernize the card gateway infrastructure
• Championed operational efficiency by reducing technical debt and simplifying payment flows
• Defined KPIs and used data to drive product decisions, prioritise backlog, and ensure continuous improvement
• Supported merchant migration efforts to in-house payment rails, reducing dependency on third-party processors
• Ensured compliance with scheme mandates and collaborated with legal/risk for regulatory readiness
• Evangelised payments best practices across the broader product organisationmanagement and rapid iteration cycles in response to changing market demands.
• Consulted with product development teams to enhance products based on customer interest data.
• Managed product demonstrations and testimonials for performance evaluation.

• Strategic Planning: Developing and executing a forward-thinking vision aligned with business objectives, setting measurable KPIs, and capitalising on growth opportunities.
• Product Development: Orchestrating credit, debit, and prepaid card portfolio management, leading the design, development, and launch of innovative card products.
• Risk Mitigation: Proactively managing risks associated with card operations, implementing robust compliance and security protocols, and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements.
• Operations & Customer Service: Supervising seamless day-to-day card operations, optimising processes to elevate the customer experience, and resolving escalated inquiries promptly.
• Marketing & Promotion: Strategising cardholder acquisition and retention campaigns, collaborating with marketing teams, and evaluating campaign effectiveness.
• Financial Management: Overseeing financial aspects, including budgeting, revenue optimisation, monitoring key metrics, and ensuring cost efficiency.
• Business Development: Identifying strategic partnerships, negotiating alliances with merchants, payment networks, and driving cardholder base expansion.
• Compliance & Regulatory Oversight: Ensuring stringent compliance with industry regulations, collaborating with legal and compliance teams to navigate regulatory changes effectively.
• Team Leadership: Recruiting, nurturing, and leading high-performing teams, fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and accountability.
• Data Analytics & Reporting: Utilising data-driven insights to make informed decisions, track performance, and present comprehensive reports to key stakeholders and executives.

Dynamic Senior Product Manager with a track record of spearheading successful business strategies and driving corporate revenue growth. Proficient in leading cross-functional teams to exceed departmental goals and optimise product operations. Skilled in:

• Developing Business Models: Crafted strategic plans that propelled corporate revenue growth, leveraging a keen understanding of market trends and customer needs.
• Team Leadership: Motivated and supervised high-performing product teams, ensuring alignment with business objectives while fostering an environment of growth and achievement.
• Metrics-Driven Approach: Implemented robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, utilising metrics to measure operational efficiency and drive informed product roadmaps.
• Customer-Centric Solutions: Identified and addressed customer pain points, offering innovative product solutions and features that boosted engagement and profitability.
• Project Management Expertise: Orchestrated end-to-end project development and enhancement initiatives, optimising product operations and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Strategic Communication: Provided regular updates to executive leadership, offering comprehensive insights into product status, progress, and addressing critical issues promptly.
• Quality Assurance: Ensured end-product quality and adherence to customer expectations, driving initiatives to meet and exceed industry standards.
• Market Insight & Recommendations: Conducted competitive analysis, identifying market gaps and recommending strategic product improvements to maintain competitiveness.

Dedicated Product Manager with a proven track record of championing customer-centric initiatives and driving product success. Proficient in leveraging customer insights to enhance product offerings and optimise user experience. Key strengths include:

• Customer-Centric Approach: Advocated for exceptional customer experiences, embedding this ethos into every stage of the product development life cycle.
• Data-Driven Enhancement: Collaborated closely with product development teams, utilising customer data to inform and enhance product features, resulting in improved offerings.
• Project Coordination: Orchestrated seamless project planning and execution by fostering effective communication and collaboration among cross-functional team members and leads.
• Continuous Improvement: Conducted comprehensive evaluations to refine products iteratively, ensuring continuous enhancements in line with evolving user needs and market trends.
• Backlog Prioritisation: Strategically prioritised product backlog items, aligning with organisational goals and targets to maximise product value.
• Profitable Product Strategies: Played a pivotal role in implementing product changes that drove heightened customer engagement and firm profitability.
• Market Analysis & Forecasting: Accurately forecasted sales figures by analysing market and customer data, informing informed product decisions.
• Documentation and Alignment: Developed comprehensive product documentation to facilitate seamless communication and alignment across internal teams regarding upcoming features and products.
• Leadership & Performance Maximisation: Set clear goals, formalised policies, and enforced operational standards to maximise team performance, ensuring project alignment and efficiency.
• Methodology Expertise: Proficiently executed projects using both Waterfall and Agile methodologies, adapting approaches based on project requirements for optimal outcomes.
• Revenue & Margin Growth: Spearheaded successful product launches, contributing to revenue increase and boosted profit margins through strategic product enhancements.
• Metrics-Driven Performance: Defined and analysed key metrics to measure and optimise product performance, facilitating data-driven decision-making processes.

Results-driven Acquiring Operations Manager with a demonstrated history of streamlining operations, enhancing productivity, and driving cost reductions. Proficient in leveraging process analysis and customer feedback to effect strategic improvements. Key highlights include:

• Cost Reduction & Operational Enhancements: Successfully reduced costs and enhanced operational efficiency through rigorous process analysis and integrating valuable customer feedback.
• Strategic Recommendations: Advised senior leadership by recommending corrective actions and strategic improvements, contributing to overall operational effectiveness.
• Performance Monitoring & Business Strategy: Monitored and reviewed operational performance metrics, enabling informed business strategy formulation to maximise productivity and performance.
• Training & Policy Implementation: Minimised discrepancies by effectively training employees on best practices, policies, and procedures, ensuring standardised operational practices across the board.
• Team Leadership: Strategically scheduled, managed, and motivated a team of 5+ members, maintaining high-performance levels and ensuring seamless business operations.
• Functional Oversight: Led and supervised overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of department functions, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives.
• KPI Attainment: Managed and motivated high-performing teams to achieve successful Key Performance Indicator (KPI) attainment, contributing to departmental success.
• Profitability Improvement: Increased departmental profitability by implementing cost reduction strategies, optimising operations costs without compromising efficiency.
• Process Optimisation & Change Management: Analysed operations data to identify process gaps, successfully implementing change initiatives for improved operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Strategic Vision & Operational Excellence: Recognised for a strategic vision that combines operational excellence with team leadership to drive transformative change and achieve organisational goals.

Proficient Senior Business Analyst with a proven track record of planning and executing business optimisation projects that significantly enhanced profitability. Specialised in optimising business performance by developing best practices, standards, and guidance for teams. Key competencies include:

• Strategic Business Optimisation: Successfully planned and managed projects resulting in a substantial boost in profitability and operational efficiency.
• Standardisation & Guidance Development: Established best practices, standards, and guidance, optimising team workflows and performance.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Liaised between business and IT groups, aligning on short-term and long-term goals to ensure coherent operational strategies.
• Workflow Standardisation: Tested and maintained system operations, ensuring standardised workflows to streamline processes.
• Business Growth Initiatives: Identified and capitalised on business improvement opportunities, fostering growth and development.
• ROI Maximisation: Led projects that maximised return on investment through thorough user acceptance testing (UAT) and validation of user requirements.
• Mentorship & Training: Provided mentorship and training to junior business analysts, fostering a culture of best practices and quality standards.
• Stakeholder Relationship Management: Established positive relationships with key stakeholders, aligning visions and benefits for collective success.
• Project Monitoring & Documentation: Meticulously monitored project status and documented project lifecycles to meet objectives effectively.

Accomplished Clearing and Settlement Specialist with a proven record of expertise in acquiring certification for major entities such as MasterCard, Visa, and JCB. Successfully established and managed the clearing and settlement department for Checkout.com, collaborating with stakeholders to set up third-party processing operations. Proficient in liaising with key schemes like MasterCard and Visa for certifications and innovative product initiatives. Key strengths include:

• Acquiring Certification Expertise: Integral involvement in acquiring certifications for major entities including MasterCard, Visa, and JCB, ensuring compliance and operational excellence.
• Department Setup & Oversight: Established and managed the clearing and settlement department for Checkout.com, overseeing day-to-day operations and implementing robust reconciliation processes.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborated closely with various stakeholders to set up and manage third-party processing operations, ensuring streamlined and efficient processes.
• Scheme Liaison & Innovation: Engaged with key schemes like MasterCard and Visa to facilitate certifications and drive product innovation, contributing to enhanced operational capabilities.
• Team Management & Evaluation: Managed team evaluation, progress, and planning, ensuring cohesive and high-performing teams in support of organisational objectives.
• Interchange & Scheme Fee Management: Acquiring, calculating interchange, and scheme fee rates, optimising global acquiring and processing through meticulous data management.
• Business Enhancement & Management: Prepared and managed business enhancements for major schemes including Mastercard, Visa, DCI, AMEX, and JCB, contributing to improved operational efficiency.

• Evaluated and addressed individual client needs and concerns through targeted assessments
• Assessed needs and situations by conducting individual and group interviews
• Managed crises and emergency situations
• Produced reports within set timeframes and in line with industry standards
• Adapted communication styles to build two-way communication with clients
• Running the day-to-day Ecommerce, POS and issuing related reports for over 30 banks

• Internet Banking and Cards Support
• Maintained detailed cash-flow reports to monitor and maintain business performance
• Compiled business data for statistical analysis
• Create travel notifications for Debit and Credit cards
• Perform general card maintenance
• Answer queries and process financial transactions in an efficient manner
• Daily review of home banking messages, provide solutions
• Disbursed Credit Card Loans
• Assist in maintaining credit limit increases
• Review monthly / quarterly credit/debit card reports
• Provide monthly income and expense report for ATM/Debit cards
• Process PIN requests, plastic card orders and reorders for Debit, Credit, and ATM cards