LUKE DACEY • AI PRODUCT & STRATEGY
Most product failures aren't about execution. They're about decisions.
From founding team product director to global design leadership at 70M+ user scale. I work at the intersection of product strategy, AI integration and human-centred design.
• OPEN TO WORK
Senior permanent roles in AI product, design leadership, transformation and founding teams. Fractional and advisory engagements. Dubai-based. Remote considered.
HOW I WORK
I see the same problems in most organisations.
I've seen the same patterns across 23 years and seven sectors. The design problem was downstream of something structural. Changing the designer doesn't fix it, changing the conditions does.
Design is brought in too late
By the time design is involved, the problem is already constrained. I work upstream, shaping the problem before solutions are defined.
Ownership is unclear, so decisions drift.
When no one owns the decision, everything slows down. I define ownership so teams can move without escalation.
Teams scale faster than their structure.
At Careem the team had the talent, the structure was the problem. I restructure around accountability. eNPS moved from -24 to +78.
AI is introduced, not integrated
Most teams add AI on top - this is the wrong model. I build it into how the system works, so it changes how decisions actually get made.
What sets Luke apart as a leader is his ability to combine vision with collaboration. He communicates ideas with clarity and passion, bringing others on the journey and motivating them to raise their own standards.
Jay Tulloch - Head of Product Design - Platform, Careem
HOW I WORK WITH AI
Most teams are experimenting with AI, very few are restructuring around it.
THE STRATEGIC SHIFT
The mistake is treating it as a tool layer. I build AI into how work actually gets done — research, synthesis, decisions, delivery. Not to generate output. To remove the thinking that was never worth doing manually in the first place.
The wrong question about AI is getting more expensive to ask
The first place AI should live isn't in your product
AI won't replace you. It will expose you.
SELECTED WORK
Where I’ve defined product direction, built from zero, or changed how teams operate.
CAREEM • GLOBAL HEAD OF DESIGN • 70M+ USERS
40+ designers across 10 verticals, shipping fast with no shared direction.
-24 to +78 - 102 point eNPS improvement.
300% - Improvement in team satisfaction.
40% - Increase in early stage design involvement
THE AA (AA-X) • HEAD OF UX • 14M+ USERS
Legacy services, built without a shared product model.
27% - Increase in bookings in app
18% - Increase in upsell conversion rate
57% - Decrease in customer service call volume
CASIM • FOUNDING • MENA
Defined product direction, operating model & secured the first early adopters
9 months - Zero to market-ready
5 early adopters - Secured through strategic positioning
Strategic playbook - Built and used from day one
CAREEM • UBER • MENA
A core product at scale, where broken flows cost users and revenue.
12% – Increase in rides completion
23% - Fewer driver related cancelations
95% - CSAT scores improved
HOW I LEAD
I don’t manage people, I manage the conditions around them.
Clear direction, honest feedback, no surprises
My job is to create the conditions for good work, clarity on the brief, protection from noise.
Honesty and transparency as standard
I stay close to the work. When something isn't working I say it early. When it is, I say that too.
Air cover without isolation
Clear ownership, honest feedback, no surprises. The teams I've built keep delivering at scale.
Freedom within a framework
Strong opinions on direction, clear ownership, then genuine autonomy on execution.
FROM THOSE WHO WERE THERE
Linden Dance - Lead Product Designer, Careem
“Luke’s leadership was pivotal to the success of our projects. Luke combines strategic thinking with a deep sense of empathy”
Samantha Hamadeh - Product Marketing Lead, Careem
"His ability to balance hands-on execution with big-picture thinking makes him an invaluable example in any team."
Nadia Roeleveld - Product Designer, Koos
"Luke is the kind of leader who always raises the bar for quality, for accountability and for the culture of the team."
TEAMS & PRODUCTS I’VE SHAPED
BACKGROUND
I’ve spent 23 years working across product, design and strategy, from early definition to deliver. I’ve built from zero, led global teams and worked across fintech, consumer, automotive, B2B, maritime, and government.
Whether it’s across early-stage companies, or products at scale, the environments are different, but the underlying challenges are the same.
I operate across product, design, and strategy, from early definition to delivery.
Casim - VP of Design
Make it a Conversation - Founder, Fractional Design Leader & Advisor
Careem (Uber) - Global Head of Product Design
Careem (Uber) - Head of Design - Rides, Captains, Pay
The AA (AA-X) - Head of User Experience Design
YTree - Head of Design
EARLIER
Pace Revenue (FLYR) - Lead Product Designer, Ninety Percent of Everything - Design & Product Manager, Aviva - Senior Product Designer, Simply Business - UX Specialist, Digital Catapult - Senior UX/UI Designer, iDirect - Interaction & Visual Designer.
