Private company

• Advised Family Offices on growth capital and pre-IPO opportunities in Education, Tech, and other sectors.
• Conducted deal-making and venture evaluations to identify lucrative investment opportunities.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to strategize and execute successful investments for high returns.

CEO / Operating Partner

TomouhCL

Member

OPUS

OPUS is a global community focused on empowering the next generation of business innovators. We believe community is the key driver of opportunity. Built on inclusivity and diversity, our community brings together carefully chosen individuals known for their talent and ambition.

Our mission is to become the world’s foremost connector of people and creator of opportunities.

Kïdo

* Spearheaded establishment and growth of the 3 UAE Schools via greenfield and acquisitions, conducted a successful exit to a strategic investor through an exceptional due diligence and negotiation process achieving high multiple ROI. 
* As part of executive committees / senior management, working across geographies to review, evaluate and plan corporate-wide strategies and organizational initiatives to build infrastructure, operations, sales processes and systems to achieve growth of the Revenue by 50% year-on-year.  
* Evaluating potential expansion via Joint Venture and Franchising with Private Equity, Regional Family Offices and Strategic Investors into Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Oman, Qatar and Africa. 
* Canvased for and engaged in multiple fund-raising discussions with Private Equity, Venture Capital, Individual and Strategic Investors globally. 
* Designed, implemented and championed a robust financial infrastructure (budgeting, forecasting and reporting) from scratch across geographies, subsidiaries and product verticals.

Group CFO & CEO, Middle East & Africa

Standard Chartered Bank

* Achieved performance beyond management expectations for the Sub-Saharan Africa Financial Markets Business to make it one of the best-performing segments by expanding cross-asset derivatives solutions across flow and bespoke structured deals. 
* Harnessed the transformative power of a new well-trained team and selected global stakeholders to increase revenue from 20x + in less than 4-years.

Head of Africa Structuring, SSG Group (Emerging Market Structuring)

* Closed the largest derivative trade in Pakistan for the Group. 
* Development of Islamic Shariah-Compliant Derivatives.

Derivatives Structurer - Middle East and Pakistan

* Set-up and fast-tracked the growth of the credit structuring business in London from less than USD 200k to USD 8mio during the credit crisis of 2007-2008. Cultivated a strong collaboration with European / US Sales teams to build distribution channels to pension funds, hedge funds, asset managers and private banks. 
* Successfully closed a USD 1 Billion+ Capital Relief Balance Sheet transaction for the Bank through a Structured Trade in December 2007, which was recognized by Head of Wholesale Bank and Group CEO.

Structurer

* Launched and developed the strategy for the MENA Capital Markets business across the Origination and Distribution business lines, product initiatives in the Structured Credit space, resulting in numerous firsts for the Bank. Contributed to increase in revenue by more than 200%. 
* Led the execution of 4 Structured IPO Lending transactions (Revenue USD 10mio+) for the largest local IPOs in the UAE in 2005-2006, coordinating structural requirements internally and liaising with sales teams and clients.
* Pitched and executed the first SCB IPO Lead Receiving Bank mandate for the Al Baraka Bank IPO in 2004. Put together a regional syndicate of 12 banks and the infrastructure to deliver a highly successful transaction.
* led the efforts to sell-down CDO equity tranches to institutional investors in MENA

Associate Director, Capital Markets

National Bank of Abu Dhabi

* Structured a USD 20mio Fund of Hedge-Funds - manager / strategy due diligence, risk evaluation, selection.
* Launched the FAB UAE Trading Fund which currently has an AUM of AED 141mio.

Investment Analyst

I am the man in the arena!

I’m a serial entrepreneur who started selling a hand-copied local newsletter at 8-years old, and I’ve never known what it’s like not to be responsible and be a leader. No set-back has kept me down, and I have always approached my next “adventure” with enthusiasm. I would put this down to my huge capacity to learn, my resilience, and curiosity allowing me to identify paths to reinvent myself and my organizations. 

I have enjoyed many executive positions in my career with my strong commercial acumen, and ability to deliver operational excellence with scale across multiple markets. I focus on delivering key outcomes, building amazing teams and collaborations and scaling to new heights. 

As Regional CEO / Group CFO for Kido, my experience has allowed me to gain extensive international knowledge of the learning markets and impact investments including early childhood education, edtech and school operations. We have leveraged technology and innovative pedagogy to improve delivery in Pre-School Education.

• I built, lead and grew the UAE Nursery Business over 7 years and orchestrated a successful exit.
• I have had extensive experience with creating finance strategy, managing cashflow, and optimizing pricing, costs and revenues. 
• I have contributed by advising on and executing M&A, capital raising (Private Equity and Venture Capital), build-out, tax optimization, strategic, corporate and legal restructuring transactions for portfolio companies across UK, US, India, UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore. 

At SCB, I joined in 2004 in the Capital Markets MENA team, was promoted in two years to be based in London to build and grow the credit distribution platform across Europe and North America. In 2009, I joined the Strategic Solutions Group in Middle East and within a year was asked to lead the team and expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa. I Implemented exceptional growth in revenue for the Africa FM Sales business and for all business lines multiplying sales by at least 3x to upto 20x and higher throughout. 

Professional Skills
Strategic Planning | Transformational Leadership | Team Development | Product Roadmap | Portfolio Strategy | Deal Making | Investment Analysis | M&A | Financial Systems | Global Expansion

Domain Knowledge 
Investment | Private Equity | Capital Markets | Education Management | Education Consulting | EdTech

Umair Tariq

Another excellent session arranged by TomouhCL !

Excellent and though provoking discussions and great to meet leaders from across the region!

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #strategy, #education, #investment, #impactinvesting, and #entrepreneurship

Family Office Advisor | CEO | CFO | Private Markets Deal-Maker | Buy-and-Build & Portfolio Operations | Education Strategy | Ex-Standard Chartered | CFA Charterholder | GCC • UK • US • Africa

A year of consistent engagement with UCEA - Family Office Group events has reinforced a fundamental truth: the most valuable deals rarely come from cold pitches but they emerge from trusted relationships built over time.

Last week's gathering was another testament to Michael Reeves and his team's ability to curate not just investment opportunities, but meaningful dialogues. What makes these events exceptional isn't simply the quality of dealflow presented, though it consistently impresses, it's the intentionality behind who's in the room.

Throughout this year, I've watched this community evolve from individual connections into a genuine ecosystem where family offices and institutional investors can think collectively about complex allocations. The conversations have shifted from transactional to strategic, from reactive to proactive.

A particular highlight from last week: the cross-border opportunities that wouldn't typically reach traditional channels, presented with the kind of operational transparency that serious allocators demand.

To the UCEA team—thank you for understanding that effective capital deployment starts with effective relationship building. The consistency and quality you've maintained throughout the year hasn't gone unnoticed.

Already looking forward to the next one.

#FamilyOffice #InstitutionalInvesting #PrivateMarkets #CapitalAllocation #DealFlow

UCEA - Family Office Group

Regional Investment Manager @ UCEA Family Office | Relationship Development

"It is better to lose time than temper in a negotiation"

#FamilyOffice #Dealmaking #Investing #Growth #Leadership

An Excellent Biography. 

I've been very interested in John Malone's deal-making and structuring creativity since reading "The Cable Cowboys". 

While not that much in-depth on the structuring part, its a must-read for entrepreneurs on fast-changing industries, mergers, acquisitions, deal-making and growth and challenges. 

I now need to research on tracking stocks, spin-offs and the various structures used by John Malone throughout his career and look forward to that study. 

#Mergers #FamilyOffice #PrivateEquity #ReadingClub #Leadership

“Reality will pay you back in equal proportion to your delusion.”

— Will Smith

#Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Growth

Every year end, many review the Investment Outlooks from various banks and investment houses, navigating through differing opinions in extensive reports. 

This year, I utilized NotebookLM to help summarize the information, and it is impressive to see how it synthesizes data and documents into a coherent summary. 

While I still recommend reading the original documents in full, you may find this #2026 #MarketOutlook Compendium useful. 

#Investing #AI #Markets #FamilyOffice #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital

Compendium of 2026 Outlooks

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
- Michaelangelo


#Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Growth #Creativity

“An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.”

- Pliny the Younger: Roman senator, lawyer, and author 


#Leadership #Growth #Goals #Entrepreneurship

Are you a successful CEO or founder who should have a strong LinkedIn presence, but either don’t have time, or just aren’t seeing real results?

Maybe you’ve tried content agencies who treated you like another number, pushed out generic posts, or ignored what actually matters (authority and revenue).

I get it.

I was in the same spot not long ago.

No LinkedIn presence. No audience. No pipeline. Zero authority in my space.

So I went all in. Studied LinkedIn inside and out for months, tested every strategy I could find, and figured out what actually works.

Grew from 0 to 28K followers in under a year. Pulled in over 2.5 million impressions. Built a calendar packed with clients.

Now my team and I use that same system to help CEOs and founders like you.

Here’s what we've deliver for our clients:

→ 162 sales calls booked for a consulting CEO in just 90 days
→ 700,000 impressions monthly for multiple clients
→ 19 sales calls in a single day (our record!)

We handle everything:
Strategy, content, creative, posting, lead-gen, all dialed to your voice and goals.

You run your business. We build your authority.

Clients come to us tired of:
- Cheap agencies that treat them like #237
- AI-written, boring posts
- Wasting time on courses or tactics that never even get implemented
- Watching less talented people become the “go-to” in their space

Our process is simple:
1. Deep onboarding on your goals, market, and style
2. Custom personal branding shoot
3. Original content and full LinkedIn takeover (posting, outreach, performance check-ins)
4. Daily WhatsApp updates, weekly strategy, total transparency

You don’t need more followers. 

You need the RIGHT audience, engaging content, and calls with people ready to buy.

A thousand random connections won’t change your business.

But the right personal brand will.

If you’re ready to stop being the best-kept secret and become the market authority, DM me or book a call. 

Email: info@lanzimedia.com
Website: www.lanzimedia.com

Lanzi Weideman

Every personal brand starts by sucking.

Here’s how “perfectionism” is killing yours:

I take 20+ calls every week from business owners.

Some of them are all in on starting their brand…

Others have worries:

—> What if I don’t know what to post?
—> What if nobody likes it?
—> Can’t I get judged?

I call this problem “main character syndrome…”

A hidden belief that the world is watching and judging you.

And when this gets into your head, one thing happens:

You never post.

The day you realize that:

—> Most people don’t care what you post
—> People actually want you to post
—> Sucking is the first step
—> People are searching for your expertise 

Is the day your personal brand is born.

Get out of your head. Get to posting.

What’s the first thing you’d want to write about?

Build Your Authority. Get Seen by the Right People | LinkedIn Personal Branding for CEOs & Founders

You don’t need another marketing strategy.

You need something completely different...

You need a complete revamp of your personal brand.

Nahh.. I’m kidding.

Or am I?

If you’re already running a successful company.

Your reputation should arrive before you do.

On LinkedIn, most founders don’t have that advantage.

They’re not lacking expertise to do that.

It’s because nothing online communicates how they think, how they lead, or how they solve.

Your business is premium.

But your digital presence still looks “in progress.”

Not a good look for a founder.

Here’s what actually moves the needle:

1. Your expertise should be obvious in 10 seconds.
2. Write like you lead, not like you're trying to sell something. 
3. Show how you think, not just what you've achieved. 

When I started LinkedIn.

I had no network and no credibility on the platform.

I turned that around in less than 8 months.

29K followers, 19 inbound sales calls in a day, it was crazy.

That's what happens when your content actually sounds like you.

My ideal clients started seeing the quality of work I was offering.

Before that, I was just invisible to them.

Now tell me.

Your ideal client is checking your LinkedIn right now. What are they seeing?

No LinkedIn? No entry.

That's what my founder friend heard when she applied to a premium networking club.

Her business? Doing $1M annually.

Her Instagram? 40K+ engaged followers.

The rejection reason? 

"We can't verify your professional credibility without a LinkedIn profile."

Most people get LinkedIn wrong. 

It's not just a platform for job updated anymore.

It's your professional passport.

Private members clubs use LinkedIn to:

→ Verify your career achievements (not just what you claim)
→ Assess if you'll add value to their network
→ Check your professional reputation through recommendations
→ See if your values align with their community

Instagram shows lifestyle. 

LinkedIn shows leadership.

You could be running an 8-figure business, but without a strategic LinkedIn presence, you're invisible to the opportunities that matter most.

High-ticket clients. Board positions. Speaking engagements. Premium partnerships.

They all start with one question: "What does your LinkedIn look like?"

My friend is now building her profile from scratch.

But she's already years behind competitors who've been establishing authority this whole time.

Your LinkedIn profile isn't vanity. 

It's validation of your credibility.

The best time to build it was a year ago.

The second best time is today.

What opportunity have you missed because your LinkedIn wasn't where it should be?

This year changed my entire business.

And it had nothing to do with luck.

It happened because of one decision I avoided for way too long.

Something a lot of founders still avoid.

Thinking personal branding was a nice-to-have.

Something you work on when things slow down.

Something “extra.”

But visibility isn’t optional anymore.

Not for founders, not for CEOs, not for anyone building something real.

People don’t trust what they can’t see.

And in a noisy world, the founder is the signal.

Here’s what shifted once I finally took my own presence seriously:

- A full pipeline, all without chasing.
- Clients who aligned with our values, not just our pricing.
- A boutique agency with a waitlist instead of a calendar gap.
- Partnerships, and opportunities I didn’t pitch for.
- Leaders I admire showing up in my DMs.

And none of this came from “waiting for the perfect moment,” or “perfect content.”

I say this as someone who started from zero:

Your personal brand is the only asset in your business that compounds even when you’re offline.

It build trust, and brings opportunities to you.

Without you running after them.

And it grows whether you have time or not, as long as you show up.

This year proved that for me.

Next year, I’m doubling down.

What’s one thing you’re committed to showing up for, even when it’s not perfect?

2026 starts in one month.

And I already know what’s coming:

The annual “This year I’ll finally work on my personal brand” resolution.

Every December, I hear the same thing.

You want visibility, authority, inbound opportunities, and even a brand people can trust.

But then January comes..

And the posts stay in the Notes app.

The brand stays “in progress.”

And the year looks exactly like the last one.

Only because visibility requires consistency.

And consistency requires actually working on your identity.

Here’s the truth I learned building my own presence from zero:

You don’t build a personal brand in January.

You build it in the tiny decisions you make today.

- Write the post even if it’s not perfect.
- Show up even when the algorithm feels slow.
- Share the lesson instead of hiding the mistake.
- Let people see how you think, not just what you do.

Most founders wait for the “perfect month.”

But personal brands aren’t built in perfect months.

They’re built in momentum, even if it’s imperfect.

Every opportunity I have today came from posts that almost didn’t see the light of day.

I booked 19 sales calls in one day! 19! That’s crazy.

And all of them inbound.

I got 20,000+ followers in less than 6 months!

And to imagine I thought of never even posting that post.

If you’re looking for a “sign” to start work on your personal brand in 2026.

Then my friend, take this post as that sign. 

But start your journey, and start showing up.

If you feel like you don’t know what you’d post about, just answer this:

If you posted ONE thing today that your future clients needed to hear, what would it be?

Most LinkedIn strategies fail because of one fundamental mistake.

I see this pattern constantly:

They treat LinkedIn like Instagram.

Beautiful carousel graphics.

Daily motivational quotes.

Does it get views? 

Yes, sometimes

Does it increase your revenue?

No

This approach completely misses LinkedIn's core psychology.

LinkedIn users are in work mode

They're looking for solutions, not inspiration.

They engage with content that helps them Monday morning.

The LinkedIn mindset shift that changes everything:

Instead of asking "Will this get likes?" ask "Will this solve a problem?"

Instead of creating entertaining content, create helpful content.

Instead of broad appeal, focus on specific audience needs.

The content that generates actual business on LinkedIn:

→ Addresses specific problems your ideal audience faces
→ Shares frameworks they can implement immediately
→ Tells stories that relate to their current challenges
→ Provides insights that make their work easier

LinkedIn rewards problem-solving, not entertainment.

Business value, not social validation.

Helpful insights, not hollow inspiration.

Your LinkedIn strategy should feel like consulting, not content creation.

When you shift from entertaining to helping, everything changes.

What specific problem could you solve in your next LinkedIn post?

You don’t need a a fancy system to grow your audience.

Too many founders overcomplicate visibility:

They think growth means landing pages, ads, and automations.
⠀
But visibility isn’t built through systems.

(especially not at the beginning) 
⠀
It’s built through trust.
⠀
And trust starts with showing up consistently.
⠀
The founders who grow fastest usually skip systems entirely.
⠀
They keep their system simple and clear:
⠀
→ Share valuable content three times a week
→ Make it about your audience, not your expertise
→ Stay consistent when no one’s watching yet
⠀
This kind of content changes how people see you.
⠀
It earns credibility before any conversation starts.
⠀
It shows how you think, through action, not promises.
⠀
And when it gets specific enough,
⠀
People start to recognise themselves in your posts.
⠀
That’s when your audience grows.
⠀
Not because of tricks or timing.
⠀
But because your message finally resonates.
⠀
Funnels are useful for conversion.
⠀
But trust is what drives discovery.
⠀
And trust doesn’t need automation.
⠀
It needs clarity, consistency, and voice.
⠀
Are you building connections or just building systems?

Your brand isn't bland because it's weak.
⠀
It's bland because... 

You're trying to please everyone.
⠀
Most founders avoid specifics because they fear exclusion.
⠀
So they speak to everyone, but connect with no one.
⠀
General messaging feels safe.
⠀
But it’s exactly why your posts get ignored.
⠀
Specificity is what turns readers into buyers.
⠀
It makes someone stop and say:
⠀
“This sounds like it was written just for me.”
⠀
Your audience doesn’t want vague ideas.
⠀
They want real relevance.
⠀
Not “content for founders” but:

→ Growth tactics for B2B SaaS CEOs at $1–10M ARR
→ Retention strategy for service businesses losing clients monthly
→ Content systems for startup marketers with no team
⠀
The sharper your message, the stronger your pull.
⠀
It filters the wrong people out,
⠀
And pulls the right ones in.
⠀
Every successful brand sounds focused.
⠀
Not because they ignore everyone else,
⠀
But because they finally speak clearly to someone.
⠀
Want better engagement, leads, and conversions?
⠀
Start by narrowing your focus.
⠀
How specific is your brand?

Your content should close deals while you sleep.
⠀
If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong.
⠀
Most founders treat content like marketing.
⠀
But it’s more than awareness.
⠀
It’s your most scalable sales tool.
⠀
Done right, it handles your top-of-funnel work:
⠀
→ Attracts qualified leads
→ Educates them on your approach
→ Warms them up before you ever say a word
⠀
I haven’t cold pitched in over a year.
⠀
Because my content does the prospecting.
⠀
It speaks directly to the pain my clients feel.
⠀
It shows how I think, how I work, how I help.
⠀
By the time they reach out…
⠀
→ They trust me
→ They understand the value
→ They’re ready to talk
⠀
No awkward intros. No convincing. No chasing.
⠀
Just booked calls with people I actually want to help.
⠀
That’s the power of founder-led content.
⠀
It pre-sells without pressure.
⠀
And scales without ads or outreach.
⠀
If you're still guessing what to post…
⠀
You're leaving qualified leads on the table.
⠀
Build your content system before your pipeline dries up.

You could spend ten years making content based on six months of experience.

Or

You could spend six months sharing insights from ten years of actual work.

There's a big difference.

We've all seen the accounts posting "wake up early" and "be consistent" like it's groundbreaking.

Generic advice everyone already knows. No real insight. No depth.

And you can tell.

The engagement is hollow.

The trust isn't there.

The brand never really takes off.

Building in public is one thing.

But trying to teach what you haven't actually lived?

People feel that.

If you've put in the years, your content has weight before you even hit publish.

That's the unfair advantage to personal branding that nobody talks about.

Tell me your thoughts, do you agree?

Your LinkedIn content strategy has a blind spot.

You're posting for the wrong stage of the buyer journey.

Most LinkedIn content targets people who already know they need help.

"Here's how to solve X problem."
"5 strategies for Y challenge."
"The framework for Z success."

This content serves people actively seeking solutions.

But what about prospects who don't know they have a problem yet?

The content gap most miss: awareness-stage content.

1 - Content that helps people recognize problems they didn't know they had.
2 - Insights that reframe how they think about their situation.
3 - Perspectives that make them question their current approach.

The full LinkedIn content spectrum:

Awareness stage: "Why your current approach might be limiting growth"
Consideration stage: "3 alternatives to the traditional method"
Decision stage: "How to choose the right solution for your situation"

Most people only create consideration and decision-stage content.

They miss the massive awareness-stage opportunity.

Awareness-stage content advantages:

→ Larger audience potential
→ Less competitive content space
→ Positions you as thought leader
→ Builds authority before they're shopping

Stop assuming your audience knows they need help.

Start helping them recognize opportunities for improvement.

The prospects who don't know they have problems often become the best clients.

What awareness-stage insight could you share this week?

Your LinkedIn profile fails the 3-second test.

Here's how to fix it:

Most LinkedIn profiles are digital resumes:

Generic headlines. Achievement-focused descriptions. No clear value proposition.

Visitors leave immediately because they can't figure out:

→ What you do specifically
→ Who you help exactly
→ How you solve their problems

The profile optimization framework that converts:

1. Headline that solves a specific problem

Instead of: "Marketing Consultant"
Try: "I help B2B companies reduce customer acquisition costs"

1. About section that addresses pain points first.

Start with their challenges, not your achievements.
Lead with problems you solve, not credentials you've earned.

1. Featured section with proof of expertise

Share frameworks, case studies, or valuable resources.
Make it easy to see your approach and results.

1. Clear next step for interested visitors

Don't make them guess how to engage with you.
Make the path to conversation obvious.

Your LinkedIn profile is working 24/7.

It's either attracting ideal prospects or repelling them.

Every element should answer the visitor's question:

"Can this person solve my specific problem?"

Profile optimization checklist:

→ Does your headline clearly state who you help?
→ Does your about section address their pain points?
→ Is your expertise immediately obvious?
→ Is the next step crystal clear?

Your profile is your most important piece of content.

Optimize it like your business depends on it.

What specific problem does your LinkedIn profile solve?

taplio

The Battle

Umair Tariq

Lanzi Weideman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreUmair Tariq's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreLanzi Weideman's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Umair Tariq

Lanzi Weideman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Umair Tariq's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreLanzi Weideman's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreUmair Tariq's LinkedIn Performance