What’s in this episode?

In this episode of GCC Tech Talks, ⁠Tom Stroud⁠ and ⁠Sye Rahman⁠ sit down with Taiyab Ghafoor — a people-first operator with a background spanning the UK and the Gulf, from retail and leadership roles to now running an e-commerce toys startup as COO.

This one is a deep dive into operational leadership, culture, and what it really takes to build teams that thrive plus where AI is already making a real difference (including recruitment and customer experience).

We cover:

• Why “a leader’s job is to make your people better”
• Culture vs performance and why toxic environments kill outcomes
• Hiring smart people (and letting them tell you what to do)
• Practical AI use cases that actually work: recruitment scoring + faster shortlisting
• Data visibility in sales businesses: dashboards over “email reporting”
• UAE e-commerce realities: trust, convenience, delivery, and reducing friction
• What leaders should focus on next: adoption culture, transparency, and change readiness

Join us to listen about operational leadership through a retail lens: building culture, developing people, using data properly, and where AI is already delivering value (especially in hiring).

Check out what Taiyab is building at Marah Kids.