David Egerton

As Chief Digital Officer for a multi-market hospitality group, I lead the digital transformation and customer experience strategy across hotels, restaurants, bars, and pubs, with a clear focus on driving revenue growth, enhanced guest experience, operational efficiency, and cost optimisation. I oversee the end-to-end customer journey, ensuring digital initiatives deliver measurable commercial and experiential value. By identifying and implementing targeted digital and operational enhancements, I optimise performance across key revenue, engagement, and efficiency metrics.
I have executive oversight of all group-wide digital initiatives, both customer-facing and internal, and lead the Sales, Marketing, Digital and IT teams. My remit spans the full digital ecosystem, including websites, mobile apps, POS, payments, CRM, customer facing technology and back-office platforms, ensuring scalability, integration, and operational efficiency across multiple markets and multiple brands. These brands include fully owner operated, franchise and joint ventures.
A key focus of my role is continuous optimisation of the customer funnel, from discovery through to repeat visits. By aligning digital innovation with marketing, guest experience and on-the-ground operations, I drive measurable improvements in revenue, conversion, customer satisfaction, and long-term loyalty.

As the Group Product Director for the largest and market-leading FinTech in KSA, Egypt, and the UAE, I oversee the end-to-end Product Management of all Merchant Experience products, spanning digital onboarding, portals, reporting, mobile apps, wallet, card, and back-office portals. Additionally, I lead the Product Design function, ensuring a seamless user experience across all products. Leading a diverse team of 32 professionals across multiple regions and overseeing 11 engineering squads, I prioritise customer centricity, embedding user analytics into product development. Collaborating closely with Sales, Marketing, Risk, Compliance, and Operations teams, I ensure efficient and low cost digital operations, product compliance and support license submissions. My efforts are focused on driving revenue growth through customer-centric strategies and streamlined operations. I have been directly involved in the UAE Acquiring and KSA EMI license submissions. Key Accomplishments: • Streamlined Customer Engagement Platforms: Re-platformed portals and introduced new digital reporting features, reducing customer contact volume by 17%, and enabling same-day onboarding, cutting the process from 3 days. • Strategic Growth in KSA: Increased acquisition by 22%, reduced churn to 7%, and boosted NPS by 30% through our new portals and reporting services. • New Products: Introduced a range of customisable new experience products for the UAE launch, rather than use existing hard-coded portals. These new products will be rolled out into other new markets. • Innovative Super App Initiative: Spearheading the development of a FinTech Super App with merchant wallet and card features, aiming for launch in Q4 2024 and EMI license approval from SAMA.

Oversaw all Merchant Experience products at Network, including Merchant Portals, Mobile Apps ( including SoftPOS front end),
Onboarding platforms, and overall user experience. Focused on streamlining the onboarding process and enhancing product
usability to drive revenue growth.

Key Accomplishments:
• Efficient Onboarding Process: Reduced onboarding time from 2 days to 45 minutes, streamlining operations and
improving customer satisfaction.
• Revenue Growth Through Premium Services: Increased revenue by offering premium, charged reporting services to
24% of customers, enhancing the value proposition of the merchant experience products.
• Digital Transformation of Onboarding: Transitioned from a sales-led, manual, paper-based onboarding process to a
digital application-based onboarding portal, improving efficiency and accessibility for sales teams, partners, and
merchants.

Joined Network as a consultant to introduce an Electronic Cash Register/Point of Sale product into the Middle East and African
regions. Due to Covid-19, transitioned to manage the Acquiring Product business for Africa. Responsibilities included onboarding
new clients, setting up terminal service and distribution centres, and optimising product and service costs.

Managed the introduction and operation of the Acquiring Product business for Africa, focusing on onboarding new clients like
Tyme Bank in South Africa. Oversaw the creation and maintenance of terminal service and distribution centres throughout East
and South Africa. Ensured cost-effective sourcing and deployment of in-house terminal hardware. Streamlined onboarding
processes to significantly improve efficiency and reduce onboarding time.

Key Accomplishments: Cost-Saving: Established an Africa service centre model saved USD 200k annually by repairing terminals
replacing them.
• Hardware Cost Reduction: Sourced in-house terminal hardware, reducing the cost by USD 75 per terminal.
• Streamlined Onboarding: Reduced onboarding time from 2 days to 45 minutes, enhancing efficiency and customer
satisfaction.

Recruited by Al Futtaim to introduce basic in-store Omni-Channel services and lead the digital innovation of the store estate.
Responsibilities included end-to-end product lifecycle management, reporting to the MD of Digital, and managing a team of five
direct reports. Brands at Al Futtaim included Ikea, Marks & Spencer, Toys R Us, Ace Hardware, and Homeworks.

Implemented a range of in-store Omni-Channel services, including Click & Collect, In-Store Digital Shopping, Self-Checkouts,
Online Returns, and Store Fulfilment services. Oversaw the digital innovation of the store estate, focusing on digitising the in-store
shopping experience. Managed the full product lifecycle for these initiatives, ensuring seamless integration and effectiveness
across multiple major brands.

Following the success at Debenhams, I was headhunted by Landmark Group in the UAE and recruited to introduce and manage in
store Omnichannel operations across their brands throughout the Middle East and India. This role involved implementing a range
of omnichannel services and overseeing daily operations, with full budget responsibility.
I held full budget responsibility across revenue and costs, reported to the MD of Digital, and led a team of three direct reports.

My employment at Debenhams began within Store Management, transitioning to a head office role to spearhead the launch of in
store Multichannel (later Omni-Channel) services. This position involved implementing and managing all in-store omnichannel
operations, encompassing order in-store, fulfil from store, collect in store, and return in store. Oversaw daily operations across all
stores, managed a full budget, and reported to the retail director with a team of nine.

Directed daily operations across all stores, overseeing budget responsibilities for revenue and costs. Reported to the retail
director and led a team of nine, ensuring consistent operational excellence and strategic alignment.