When the numbers are not clear enough to make the decision
Buying, pricing, allocation, and staffing decisions often rely on the most experienced person in the room. I build models that put the assumptions and trade-offs where everyone can see them.
Operations consulting, AI automation, and internal tools
I help growing companies find out what isgetting in the way—and fix it.
I'm Tarik Lebbadi. I've spent 20 years running operations. I help growing companies understand what is slowing them down and fix it. That often means using AI to automate repetitive work, improve decisions, or build a tool that fits the business.
Based in Vancouver · Working across Canada and the US · You work directly with me
Tarik LebbadiFounder & Principal
20 years in operations
Clients and companies I've worked with
Destination Canada0ne.comCareemJumiaJohnson & Johnson
What I help with
The team usually knows what is not working. The harder part is fixing it.
Most teams have already built workarounds. Reports disagree, manual work keeps growing, or an important process depends on one person remembering how everything fits together. I help work out the cause and make the change.
When manual work keeps piling up
People spend hours reading emails, reconciling records, compiling reports, and moving data between systems. I work out what can be removed or automated, and what still needs a person.
When the existing tools do not fit the work
Work moves into Slack, spreadsheets, and people's heads because the official system does not match how the team operates. When a focused internal tool is the right answer, I build it.
How I work
I start by understanding how the work is done today.
Follow the work from beginning to end
I talk to the people involved, follow the work from beginning to end, and test what I hear against the numbers. Then I show you where I think the problem is and what I would tackle first.
A clear view of the problem and where to start
Make the change
The answer might be a model, a simpler process, automation, or a focused internal tool. We agree on what should change, and I put it in place with the team.
A working change, tested with the people who use it
Decide what comes next
Once the first problem is fixed, we decide whether I should stay involved. Sometimes I hand the work over. Sometimes we move on to the next bottleneck.
A clean handover or a clear next step
Recent work
Two recent engagements.
Followed by a few results from earlier operating roles.
0ne.com · E-commerce
0ne.com needed a task system that matched how the company worked.
What was happening
Priorities were moving into Slack threads and people's heads. Asana was still the official project system, but the team no longer relied on it to manage the work.
What I found
The problem was not a lack of task-management software. The team needed a system built around the way they assigned work, made decisions, and changed priorities.
What I built
Flux, a company-specific task application that uses AI to break projects into tasks, suggest owners, and show each person what needs attention. I built it during a three-month engagement.
In use20–30 people
use Flux in production to assign and track work.
I also builtFirst-line support agents and an order-reconciliation engine.
Destination Canada · National tourism organization
An AI roadmap and Gemini Enterprise pilot for Destination Canada.
I worked across the marketing organization to identify where AI could help, prioritize the strongest opportunities, and turn them into an implementation roadmap. I also designed the pilot and evaluation framework for Gemini Enterprise.
Earlier roles
15×
daily ride growth in nine months as GM of Careem Morocco
2×
procurement capacity after redesigning an e-commerce sourcing network
$35M
e-commerce operation across seven functions and 60–80 people
About me
I've spent most of my career running operations.
20+ years operatingFour continentsTeams up to 80
I know what these problems look like from inside the business.
Before Gradient Ops, I was GM of Careem Morocco, CCO of Jumia, COO of a public company, and VP of Operations for a $35M e-commerce business. I managed P&Ls and teams of up to 80 people, with responsibility for forecasting, procurement, logistics, cash, and getting several functions to work together every week.
I studied computer science and mathematics and started my career in software. Today I use that background, along with newer AI tools, to build working systems myself. Clients work directly with me, and I usually take on only one or two at a time.
MBA · IESE Business School (#4 MBA worldwide, Financial Times 2026)BA · Computer Science & MathematicsEnglish · French · Arabic · Spanish
Best fit
I work best with founder-led companies of 10–100 people that have grown faster than their processes and tools.
There is enough complexity for the problems to matter, but the company is still small enough to make decisions quickly. Leadership is ready to make changes, and I can work directly with the people who know the process best.
- Growth has exposed weaknesses in the reporting, processes, or tools
- Too much important work is manual or lives in people's heads
- The company wants to use AI for real operating work, not just experiment with it
- Decisions can be made without months of meetings
Get in touch
Tell me what you're trying to fix.
You don't need to write a polished brief. A few plain sentences about the problem are enough. I'll tell you whether I think I can help.
tarik@gradientops.ca