Curriculum vitae
Ali Owji, M.Sc.
AI Strategy & Digital Transformation · Founder & Managing Director, Trustline Digital
Dubai, UAE · Vancouver, BC · GCC / MENA · Canada
I help leadership teams define the right problem, test the options and turn the decision into a strategy, product or operating system people can actually use.
I have led more than 40 people across marketing, finance, sales, design, development and operations in management, consultancy and delivery roles.
Experience
6 of 6 roles
- Founded and lead a specialised digital strategy, analytics and product consultancy whose work contributed to a 32% revenue increase for the group.
- Designed an integrated analytical suite spanning semantic clustering, seasonality, SEO prioritisation, campaign signals and a Monte Carlo-enabled media planner.
- Led end-to-end client engagements across discovery, positioning, product UX, conversion architecture, campaign systems and performance review.
- Built client-scoped operating products that connect research and planning to delivery logs, governance and measurable outcomes.
- Led cross-functional marketing, design, data and engineering delivery across GCC and Canadian engagements, while representing the firm in industry and university settings.
- Co-developed an industry-modernisation programme for MKTG 361 at the American University in Dubai, rebuilding a four-week arc around live analytics, attribution, Python and disciplined AI-agent workflows for Fall 2026.
Education and credentials
M.Sc. Financial Risk Management
University of Glasgow
Sep 2017 — Nov 2018 · Scotland, United Kingdom
With Merit · Thesis: volatility forecasting across the FTSE 100, DAX and CAC using ARCH-family models and out-of-sample validation
BBA Economics & Finance
American University in Dubai
Sep 2013 — Jun 2017 · Dubai, UAE
Cum laude · Dean's Honor List, Dec 2016 and Jun 2017
Certified Digital Marketing Professional
Digital Marketing Institute
Jan 2023 · IE-DMI145324
Bloomberg Market Concepts
Bloomberg
Feb 2018 · BLbwdp1tBM59zCWNZeKmxX9e
Honours
- Mar 2026
Rising Star Volunteer Badge
JA British Columbia
For hands-on education in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship across B.C.
- Sep 2025
KT+150 List Honoree — Top Innovators in Software & Web Development
Khaleej Times
Named among the top 150 innovators in the MENA region for founding the region's first specialised quantitative digital marketing firm.
- Jul 2024
Alumni Awards Finalist — Business and Innovation
British Council
Finalist for innovation and impact.
- Apr 2017
Outstanding Economic Student
American University in Dubai
- Feb 2017
Equity Research Challenge — team member
CFA Society Emirates
Led the valuation of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications using DCF, trading and transaction multiples, with Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis.
- Dec 2016
Prize Winner — Read & Innovate contest
Dubai Economic Council
First edition of the contest, for work on Phishing for Phools: The Economics of Manipulation and Deception.
Working tools
Analysis and modelling
Where the quantitative work happens. Models are written and validated here, then their results are published — not re-implemented by hand.
- PythonPrimary modelling language — simulation, valuation, allocation
- NumPyVectorised simulation
- pandasData preparation and analysis
- SciPyDistributions and optimisation
- EconometricsEstimation, hypothesis testing and model diagnostics
- Time-series forecastingARCH, GARCH, EGARCH and GJR-GARCH model comparison
- Out-of-sample validationRMSE, MAE and benchmark comparison
- Factor modellingMarket, size and value attribution
- JupyterExploratory work and model review
- SQLWarehouse and reporting queries
- ExcelWhere the client actually works
- BloombergMarket data — BMC certified
- Stata · SPSS · EViewsAcademic econometric and statistical work
Systems and delivery
The stack the eight production systems are built on, and the one this site runs on.
- TypeScriptStrict, everywhere
- Next.jsApp Router, static export
- React
- Tailwind CSS
- Azure FunctionsServerless API layer
- Microsoft GraphIdentity and data access
- SharePointSystem of record
- Azure PipelinesType checks, lint and tests before deploy
Method and practice
The non-technical half, which decides more outcomes than the technical half does.
- Risk quantification
- Monte Carlo simulation
- Discounted cash flow
- Attribution modelling
- Change management
- Governance design
- Post-implementation evaluation
- Experiment design
- KPI architecture
- Capacity planning
- Root-cause analysis
- Data storytelling
- Stakeholder and client leadership
- Curriculum and assessment designIndustry-aligned lesson architecture, project briefs and assessable AI-use workflows
Markets and underwriting
Specific analytical methods from the academic record, applied selectively when the decision calls for them.
- Portfolio constructionRisk-return trade-offs, covariance and benchmarks
- Empirical asset pricingFactor exposure and return-model testing
- Derivatives and hedgingPayoff logic and scenario-dependent value
- Stress testingDownside cases and assumption failure
- Real-estate underwritingNOI, cap rate, GRM, cash-on-cash and financing
- Market intelligenceComparables, price-per-square-foot and inventory structure
Teaching and speaking
Guest Lecturer, Heriot-Watt University Dubai
Nov 2023 — Nov 2025 · Dubai, UAE
- Lectures and workshops at bachelor's and MBA level, on quantitative digital marketing and strategic marketing.
- A marketing analytics workshop on data-driven approaches, and a professional development session on CV and profile building.
Guest Lecturer & Curriculum Co-Developer, American University in Dubai
Nov 2023 — Present · Dubai, UAE
- Introductory session on quantitative digital marketing for undergraduates — foundational principles of data-driven marketing and the role of analytics in strategy.
- Invited to co-develop approximately 20% of MKTG 361 — Marketing Research, restructuring four consecutive weeks around a shared GA4 dataset, attribution analysis, Python and AI-assisted development.
- Built two curriculum options, a stakeholder walkthrough, complete lesson plans, a revised group-project brief and a six-step framework for specifying, reviewing, testing and owning AI-assisted code; approved for Fall 2026 within the existing learning-outcome mapping.
Languages
Arabic, English and Persian — native or bilingual proficiency.
References
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