Umair Aziz

I'm an impact-driven leader with deep technical roots, uniquely positioned at the intersection of People Operations, Product Innovation, and Strategy. My mission is to help leaders improve their organizational performance and profitability through business reinvention, technology and culture.Building on my engineering roots, I've scaled not just software but entire organizations. I presently oversee several global businesses employing 300+ professionals in diverse fields like experience design, web and mobile application development, devops and remote staffing, with development hubs in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.I've helped Staples, Advance Auto Parts, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Stericycle, Foxtons, Weir, Emaar, GNC, Telenor, GoPro, Spark Telecom, TicketPro and many others grow through strategy & product innovation.As an angel investor, I invest in startups through a micro VC fund that I created. I’ve been involved in startups from ideation to exit: Jill's List acquired by Mindbody, Podium Data acquired by Qlik, BEZNext acquired by Dynatrace, Verbdata acquired by Revive. Some incredible startups in my portfolio include: Cloaked, Vertosa, Litterati, WillPort, Teamlift, and Showingly.I'm currently leading a new approach to how we think about People Operations and company culture. This will soon be published as the 'PeopleOps Manifesto’. This manifesto is born out of a crucial need: the traditional models of human resources and organizational behavior are antiquated and often misaligned with the rapidly evolving landscape of work. My manifesto will help CEO's and HR, prioritize employee well-being, foster a culture of trust, respect, and accountability, and adapt to the changing nature of work.Outside of work, I am passionate about music, play the guitar, and aspire to become a pilot (New England weather permitting!). My amazing wife and daughter are a constant source of inspiration, teaching me the importance of advocating for a world that empowers and supports women.CEOs of SMBs and founders of seed / Series A startups find my expertise indispensable.As a way to give back to the community, I am always open to connecting and advising founders and CEOs on challenges related to strategy, culture and technology.I am also open to opportunities to serve as an independent board member where my multidimensional expertise can be a catalyst for change. For collaboration, strategic or technical advice, board membership and speaking engagements, please email me at ([email protected])