She Builds

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 VC02:15 — The power of generalists in high-growth environments04:20 — What operations really means beyond “stabilizing the ship”06:10 — Inside BECO: lean VC teams and partner-founder dynamics09:15 — The broad scope of ops at BECO: finance, IR, people, tech11:50 — Document writing and hiring frameworks that drive execution15:10 — Ops at Deliveroo vs Zego: startup vs scaleup challenges18:40 — Culture shifts: why high performance means losing people22:15 — Where culture actually starts and how to protect it25:00 — Why Michelle believes Dubai is the land of opportunity27:20 — How AI is reshaping ops infrastructure and vendor thinking30:10 — AI in marketing: content creation, personalization & impact33:45 — Michelle’s toolkit: fiction, sleep, and better decision-making36:30 — 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 

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 fintechIf you’re in growth, product, or marketing, this one’s a must listen for scaling businesses in emerging markets.-00:44 Defining growth in business01:41 The art and science of growth03:23 Collaboration and team dynamics in growth08:20 Building a growth team15:05 Early growth strategies at Careem16:26 Evolving growth tactics and personalization21:57 Operationalizing the growth team24:27 Meeting rhythms and collaboration25:51 Common mistakes in hiring for growth28:45 Understanding non-linear customer journeys32:31 Experimentation and a/b testing35:42 Building a culture of experimentation44:24 The future of growth and AI46:39 SEO in the age of AI48:21 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 

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 generalist01:25 The value of being a generalist03:42 Skills and leadership as a generalist04:55 KPI’s and team structure at Spotify09:20 Building and executing strategy14:24 Localization and market strategy at Spotify19:14 Balancing centralization and decentralization20:28 Key hires for new markets21:24 Maintaining brand consistency23:47 Market entry decisions26:07 Future of marketing: Brand vs. performance29:54 Measuring marketing effectiveness33:39 Understanding fandom at Spotify35:11 Customer feedback and sentiment analysis35:44 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

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 Amazon02:52 The Amazon memo culture03:52 Working backwards: PRFAQ model09:40 Customer obsession at Amazon12:59 Operational rhythms and metrics18:38 Amazon's used business and sustainability24:53 Hyper-personalization vs. customer obsession26:04 Understanding your customer27:33 Building customer personas28:01 Real-life example: technology adoption29:09 Targeting the right audience30:54 Creating effective personas31:33 Launching a product37:29 The importance of brand in product management43:52 Challenges in marketing Alexa in Europe46:42 Starting a new venture52:18 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 

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/sarahhewerdineInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_hewerdine