Tobie Forbes

Growth Manager  |  Digital Transformation  |  AI & Automation  |  Proposition Development
+971 55 825 4593 tobieallen@gmail.com Dubai, UAE
Profile

Growth strategist and digital transformation operator with 20+ years of experience translating market insights into actionable propositions, building AI-powered systems, and driving measurable adoption outcomes. I sit in a rare position: I can develop the strategy, architect the digital solution, build it, deploy it, and measure its impact without handing off at each stage. At Exscape, a high-growth digital platform, I served as Growth and Customer Experience lead through rapid scaling from zero to 11 million downloads designing proprietary retention frameworks, deploying AI chatbots, building automation stacks, and leading a cross-functional team of 20+ across MENA, Africa, and Pakistan. I have a proven track record of identifying ecosystem opportunities, developing business cases, defining KPIs, and working across product, commercial, and digital teams to deliver end-to-end. I also teach marketing strategy and branding at Berklee College of Music, Abu Dhabi which means I can translate complex frameworks into clear direction for any audience. Entrepreneurial mindset, corporate-ready execution.

Speaking, Media & Industry Recognition
Core Competencies
Growth Strategy & Proposition Dev Translating market insights into actionable commercial propositions and market-entry strategies.
Market Analysis & Competitive Intel Identifying ecosystem opportunities and tracking competitive landscapes to inform strategic decisions.
Business Case Development Building robust financial and strategic cases for new digital initiatives and platform expansion.
KPI Design, Tracking & Reporting Defining measurable success metrics and implementing automated reporting cycles for real-time tracking.
Digital Product & Service Adoption Driving measurable user growth and engagement through data-informed product roadmaps.
Go-to-Market Planning Designing and executing end-to-end launch strategies for complex digital products in multi-market environments.
AI Systems Design & Deployment Architecting internal and customer-facing AI solutions to improve operational efficiency and retention.
CRM & Lifecycle Automation Building automation stacks to manage the full customer journey from acquisition to advocacy.
Stakeholder & Partner Management Leading senior discussions and facilitating partnerships across creator, corporate, and investor ecosystems.
Customer Experience Design Crafting unified CX frameworks that balance technical efficiency with high-quality user engagement.
Cross-functional Team Leadership Managing multi-territory teams of 20+ specialists across product, commercial, and digital operations.
Content & MarComm Strategy Developing high-impact communications that resonate across corporate and creator audiences.
AI, Digital & Technology Capabilities
AI Chatbot Design, Build & Deployment
Constructing conversational agents that resolve user issues and reduce manual support overhead.
Marketing & CRM Automation (n8n, Make, GHL)
Engineering automated workflows to streamline lead management and user lifecycle operations.
Vibe Coding Custom Apps & Tools
Developing bespoke internal applications to solve specific operational bottlenecks from scratch.
Prompt Engineering & AI Agent Architecture
Designing specialised AI agents to automate complex research, reporting, and operational tasks.
Push Notification & Retention Frameworks
Designing behaviour-based notification strategies that significantly increase daily active usage.
AI Literacy Training for Senior Leadership
Translating emerging AI trends into actionable strategic roadmaps for C-suite executives.
Performance Tracking & Pixel Implementation
Ensuring technical tracking accuracy to provide reliable data for growth experiments.
Landing Page, Website & Funnel Build
Constructing high-conversion digital assets that align with acquisition and brand strategies.
Career History
Head of Customer Experience & User Retention  |  Exscape
2024 – Present
Digital rewards and marketplace platform operating across MENA, Africa, and Pakistan.
  • Led cross-department, cross-territory team of 20+ to deliver a unified customer experience across all active markets
  • Designed and handed over Ask Exy a customer-facing AI chatbot built to resolve member issues, reduce support load, and improve retention outcomes, delivered to the Product department for deployment
  • Rebuilt company SOPs, marketplace workflows, and operational systems reducing operational clearance time from 30 days to 7 days
  • Applied behavioural marketing frameworks, AI-assisted tooling, and lifecycle design principles across the full customer journey to reduce churn and increase lifetime value
  • Managed prize fulfilment operations averaging AED 338,000 per month across all active markets
Head of Growth & Marketing Strategy  |  Exscape
2023 – 2024
  • Strategic growth adviser to the CMO shaping proposition strategy, automation architecture, and KPI frameworks across the business
  • Designed and built a proprietary Push Notifications Framework combining behavioural theory with AI-driven personalisation driving retention, daily active usage, and platform revenue
  • Developed and monitored KPIs tracking customer adoption, engagement, and utilisation feeding directly into strategic planning cycles
  • Built and deployed AI automation systems across the full marketing stack email, push, content pipelines, and reporting
  • Designed and delivered AI literacy and digital transformation training for senior management, embedding new capabilities organisation-wide
  • Vibe-coded a price scraper that reduced manual team workload from 20 hours to 5 hours per week, freeing capacity for strategic priorities
  • Collaborated with Head of Product on integrated growth roadmaps applying AARRR and lifecycle frameworks across multiple markets
  • Contributed to platform growth from launch to 11 million downloads within the first year through data-informed proposition strategy
Head of Media Relations / Head of Music Licensing  |  Exscape
2022 – 2023
  • Established Exscape's media presence and partnership strategy across MENA entertainment and music sectors
  • Led music licensing strategy and content ecosystem development before the division was strategically reprioritised

Founder & Managing Director  |  Ma'ana Ltd
2017 – Present
Full-service agency artist marketing and management alongside Gossip Guru, a corporate MarComm division (2022–2025) operating concurrently with Exscape roles.
Gossip Guru Corporate MarComm Division (2022–2025)
  • Delivered end-to-end marketing communications for Omniyat, Dubai Opera, Nifty Souk, Exscape, Dreamscript, M Premier, BE Creative, AudioSwim, CanCan, and Dandelion
  • Full-service delivery: content strategy, copywriting, media relations, press monitoring, experiential campaigns, brand strategy, press releases, and press kits
Ma'ana Music Artist Marketing & Growth
  • Executed 200+ full-funnel marketing campaigns across MENA social, email, streaming, PR, content, and paid with full ownership from brief to reporting
  • Preferred PR and content partner to Universal Music MENA and Sony Music Middle East; platform strategy partner to Apple Music, Spotify, and Anghami
  • Founded and scaled The Profitable Musician (TPM) coaching brand marketing education, content strategy, email automation, and brand building for independent musicians
  • Maintained a curated media network of 500+ outlets across MENA and international markets

Head of New Business  |  Salt & Pepper Events LLC
2017 – 2018
360-degree events and brand activation agency, Dubai.
  • Led proposition development and pitching for Fortune 500 clients across MENA Emaar, Etisalat, Dubai Tourism, Air Arabia, Lamborghini, Expo 2020
  • Managed ATL, TTL, and BTL integrated campaign execution from brief through delivery
  • Designed and implemented inbound and outbound go-to-market strategies in collaboration with the CEO
Head of Business Development  |  Mosaic Live Communications
2014 – 2016
360-degree events agency, Dubai.
  • Contributed to business growth from AED 7 million to AED 20 million in three years through strategic market development
  • Secured major campaigns for Dubai Sports Council, Etisalat, Standard Chartered, MAF, Emirates NBD, Red Bull, and DEWA
  • Designed and executed go-to-market strategies; delivered presentations to C-suite decision makers
Teaching
Marketing & Branding Guest Lecturer  |  Berklee College of Music, Abu Dhabi
2022 – Present

Teaches marketing theory, brand strategy, and applied marketing frameworks to creative entrepreneurs. Curriculum covers full-funnel marketing, content strategy, digital platforms, branding, and business development demonstrating the ability to translate complex strategic concepts into actionable frameworks for non-specialist audiences.

Education & Qualifications
MSc Performance Coaching Stirling University, Scotland 2018 – 2020
A Levels: Art, French West Kent College, UK 1991 – 1993
GCSEs Tonbridge School, Kent, UK 1988 – 1991
ICCA Global Level 3 High Performance Cricket Coach 2017