Hi, I'm Fadi.
Born in Beirut, based in London, working in digital since 2001. I build businesses, and I help other people build theirs.
I hand-coded some of London's first luxury online shops, built that into an agency, took it to New York and sold it. It became BORN. Early on I also built and sold a small user-generated video business. Read the agency story.
Then I was Global Chief Digital Officer at Geometry, part of WPP, working with Coca-Cola, Unilever, GSK and Heineken.
Today I run HIRO and OTO, mentor founders, sit on the board at D3R, and speak on ecommerce and AI.
I'm direct, I'm on your side, and I'll tell you about the mistakes as well as the wins.
- Exits
- Pod1, which became BORN, and an early video business
- Group role
- Global CDO, Geometry (WPP)
- Co-founded
- Swiss Mountain Rescue
- Board
- D3R, trustee
- Practice
- Ecommerce & Co
The wins, and the ones that didn't make it.
When I advise you, it comes from numbers I looked at this morning and from mistakes I've already paid for. Tap any of them for the story.
HIRO
Whole health nutrition: hydration, superblends and supplements. It started life as HUX in 2021, one of the first UK electrolyte brands. A trademark dispute over the old name took us off Amazon for three years and nearly took the company with it. I bought the business back from my partners, renamed it HIRO, and now run it day to day.
It's growing, with a loyal subscription base and coverage in BBC Good Food, GQ, Women's Health and The Independent.
OTO
CBD for calm and better sleep. OTO was already an established brand when I took it on, and I now run it alongside HIRO. Beautiful products, a premium customer and a category where trust and education matter as much as the product itself.
Swiss Mountain Rescue
Performance and recovery supplements, built first for alpine sport. I co-founded it with a close friend and we had three good years together. The early raise was hard. Then it came together, we launched, and the first season was strong. We spent much of it in a cable car we'd rebuilt as a pop-up, up mountains and at events.
Early in 2026 I stepped back from the day to day. I couldn't run three supplement businesses and give each of them everything, and HIRO needed me. The brand is still going, and I'm proud of what we built.
BORN
Started as Pod1 in London in 2001, one of the earliest ecommerce agencies. We launched Matches Fashion online, put Mr & Mrs Smith's first bookings on the web and worked with Net-a-Porter and the big luxury names. In 2010 we opened in New York, put our prices up four or five times and won almost every pitch. I sold the business while it was profitable, and it became BORN.
Fountain
One of the UK's first hard seltzer brands, built in lockdown and grown on Instagram. A Live Nation deal put us in around fifty festivals in one summer. Then, in the heatwave of 2022, cans from a faulty batch started bursting in the warehouse. We recalled everything, and our backers closed the business. It taught me more than any exit.
Barry
Calm supplements for anxious dogs, named after the St Bernard who saved dozens of travellers in the Alps. A brand I still love. Pet wellness is an expensive category to win customers in, and with HIRO growing I chose to pause Barry rather than run it half-heartedly. The site is live and the brand is intact. Dormant, not dead.
Twenty-five years, one click at a time.
Tap a year, or swipe through. The agency, the group job, the brands, and the ones that went wrong.
Pod1, London
I start Pod1 and hand-code online shops in PHP, late into the night. One of the first ecommerce agencies in London.
Mr & Mrs Smith
Their coffee-table hotel books go online, then a full booking engine. The first big project for Pod1.
Matches Fashion
A long build with a lot of firsts, including Shop the Look. The site crashed at launch after a Sunday Times spread nobody had told us about.
Early on Magento
One of the first UK agencies on Magento, pitching it to brands before most people had heard of it.
New York
I move to New York, cut clients, put the prices up and win DVF, Ferragamo and TAG Heuer.
Sold Pod1
Sold to an investment group. A year later I led the rebrand to BORN, which later sold to Tech Mahindra.
Global CDO, Geometry (WPP)
Building the ecommerce offer across 55 offices for Coca-Cola, Unilever, GSK and Heineken. Sat on the Cannes Lions digital jury.
Out on my own
Consulting for Richemont, Samsung, Unilever and investors. Co-founded Looper Insights, digital shelf data for TV and streaming.
Lockdown
Rebuilt Josh Wood Colour on Shopify as the shops shut and sales went through the roof. Launched Fountain hard seltzer the same year.
HUX, now HIRO
One of the first UK electrolyte brands. A trademark fight took us off Amazon for three years. I bought it back and renamed it HIRO.
The recall
Cans from a faulty batch burst in the heatwave. We recalled everything and Fountain closed. I learned more than from any exit.
Training and a new brand
A year training Philip Morris International's ecommerce team. Co-founded Swiss Mountain Rescue.
HIRO, OTO and Ecommerce & Co
Running two brands, mentoring founders, D3R trustee, and speaking on ecommerce, AI and agentic commerce.
Let's talk.
Tell me where you are and what's on your mind. Book a call, or email me if that's easier.
- You book a time or send me an email.I read and reply to enquiries personally, usually within a day.
- We talk for 30 minutes.You tell me what you're working on and what you need.
- I tell you straight whether I can help.If I can't, I'll point you to someone who can.