Medhat Salem

Head of Data & Analytics | BI & AI/ML

Salary / Daily rate

Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Freelance, open to permanent contract

Can come onsite

Skills

Data AnalysisMachine Learning

Languages

Arabic (Native)English (Fluent)French

About me

Intro

Data & Analytics Leader with 18+ years experience driving insight-driven growth across diverse sectors. Proven success in leading cross-functional teams to architect and optimize analytics solutions, ML models, data pipelines, and deliver measurable growth in business performance. Strong track record in aligning development with executive goals, mentoring teams, and implementing data-driven decision-making frameworks. Adept at aligning insights to business results in fast-paced environments.

Links

Work experience

Head of Data, BI & Analytics

Maximus

Dec 2022 - Present

3 years 11 months

Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates · On-site

Maximus is a $5.3 billion global company with 35K+ employees worldwide, specializing in business process management, technology, and consulting to enhance health and human resources programs. (Official Title: Data & Business Intelligence Manager) ✅ Currently leading the enterprise-wide data and analytics function for Mawaheb Talent Hub, Maximus’s flagship human capital program in the UAE, reporting directly to VP of Operations. ✅ Own the BI strategy, stakeholder engagement, data governance standards, and advanced analytics delivery across multiple regions (UAE, KSA, UK). Drive value creation through cloud-native data architecture, self-service analytics, and predictive modeling. Key Highlights: ✅ Spearheaded 15+ data projects influencing workforce decisions, increasing candidate placement by 20% and operational efficiency by 25%. ✅ Rolled out Azure-based cloud data models, semantic layers, and Power BI dashboards aligned with corporate modernization goals. ✅ Built and enforced enterprise data governance framework (glossary, classifications, dictionary), boosting PII/GDPR/PDPL compliance from 30% to 80%. ✅ Launched AI/ML-driven initiatives (regression, NLP matching, root cause analysis), achieving 75% accuracy in key predictions. ✅ Designed and led a BI capability uplift program training 18 analysts across the UAE and UK, elevating the organization’s analytics maturity.

Lead Data Analyst - Project Manager

Digital Dubai

Jan 2014 - Dec 2022

9 years

Dubai - United Arab Emirates

At Dubai Data & Statistics,a central entity within Digital Dubai that shapes the emirate's data economy, I led the delivery of large-scale analytics and insight solutions across 20+ public and private sector clients. Owned the project lifecycle from business requirement gathering to BI dashboard delivery, team oversight, and vendor coordination. Key Highlights: ✅ Delivered 10+ BI programs, reducing time-to-insight by 40% through agile delivery and optimizing data ops workflows using Python. ✅ Drove AED 5M+ in cost savings by modernizing data pipelines and infrastructure. ✅ Oversaw data collection teams (25+ agents) and enforced data quality and governance standards across major studies. ✅ Designed and led enablement workshops for 40+ business users, achieving a 3x increase in BI adoption. ✅ Played a key role in drafting RFPs, defining SLAs, and managing external vendors for digital transformation projects.

Digital Analytics Manager

Holiday FactoryFreelance

Jan 2014 - Jan 2015

1 year 1 month

Hybrid

Optimize digital marketing performance using analytics, A/B testing, SEO, and paid media insights. Managed ad campaigns with a monthly budget of AED 30K+, focusing on ROI improvement and digital channel effectiveness. Key Highlights: ✅Achieved +225% increase in CTR and 200% reduction in CPC by restructuring digital ad strategy and web funnel. ✅Provided end-to-end analytics consulting across Google Analytics, paid media dashboards, and campaign insights.

Digital Transformation Lead – Analytics & Platforms

International Media Organizations

Mar 2011 - Jan 2014

2 years 11 months

Dubai Media City · On-site

Led analytics transformation and platform delivery for 2 international media organizations across regional offices in UAE, India, Russia, and Egypt. Oversaw delivery of content and performance analytics, user experience dashboards, and infrastructure modernization projects across multilingual news and media ecosystems. Key Highlights: ✅ Improved digital campaign effectiveness by 550% through funnel optimization and analytics-driven targeting. ✅ Delivered high-traffic digital platforms (web/mobile), overseeing development, QA, and deployment across distributed teams. ✅ Implemented end-to-end web analytics tracking frameworks to improve content and UX strategy decisions. ✅ Managed global vendor partnerships, delivery schedules, and stakeholder alignment across multiple time zones.

Web Team Lead - Digital Platforms

Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC)

May 2008 - Dec 2010

2 years 8 months

Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Led a digital modernization team to overhaul DIFC’s public-facing platforms and internal web infrastructure. Delivered enhancements to support digital service delivery and streamline legacy systems. Key Highlights: ✅ Led successful migration of legacy systems, modernized content management tools, and integrated secure payment gateways. ✅ Managed a team of 4 developers and designers across full web lifecycle and support.

Software Engineer

Cyber Gear

Jan 2007 - Mar 2008

1 year 3 months

Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Skills: Software Project Management · Project Management · Business Analysis · Stakeholder Engagement · Product Requirements · Digital Transformation · Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) · SQL · Databases


Education

Udacity

Advanced Data Analysis Nanodegree

2021 - 2021

7 months

Université de Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens)

Master’s Degree

2005 - 2006

1 year 1 month

Aleppo University

Bachelor of Engineering - BE

1998 - 2003

4 years 11 months


Licenses & certifications

Data Management Professional

Issued: Feb 2025

Certified by DAMA international

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