Bashara Hinnawi
I help businesses streamline and improve how they run — integrating the right processes, systems, and AI.
Head of Operations at findIQ and a COO-style operations leader with 25+ years turning complexity into clear, data-driven processes across sales, customer success, support and marketing.
Making businesses run better — with the right processes, systems, and AI
I sit at the intersection of operations, technology and people: finding where work is slow, manual or siloed, then redesigning it and integrating the tools — increasingly AI — that make it fast, transparent and measurable.
AI Integration & Automation
Identify where AI and automation remove manual, repetitive work — then integrate the right tools into daily workflows and drive real adoption, not shelfware.
Business Process Optimization
Develop and redesign processes that track, optimize and deliver results across B2B/B2C sales, service and delivery — with continuous-improvement and agile techniques.
Systems & Tooling Selection
Lead the selection and implementation of the right tools for the business — cutting a bloated stack of 150+ tools by 30%+ while raising capability and saving cost.
Data Centralization & SSOT
Turn scattered SaaS data into a Single Source of Truth — using platforms like Salesforce and Tableau to give every department one trusted, real-time view.
Go-To-Market Operations
Build a 360° view of the customer journey — from first touch to success and support — breaking silos across Sales, CS, Support, Partnerships and Marketing.
Change Management & Adoption
Coach teams and C-level stakeholders through change — driving behavioural shift, transparency and collaboration so new processes actually stick.
From ambiguous problem to working process
A pragmatic, data-first method that turns operational complexity into something clear, measurable and adopted.
Understand & measure
Map how work really flows today, find the bottlenecks and silos, and define the metrics that actually matter.
Redesign the process
Rethink the process around outcomes — simpler, transparent, and built for scale rather than the tool of the week.
Implement AI & systems
Select and integrate the right tools and automations, centralize the data, and connect the workflow end to end.
Adopt & improve
Drive adoption, coach the teams, and keep tuning with continuous improvement so the gains compound.
Outcomes, not just activity
A sample of measurable impact delivered across recent operations and transformation roles.
25+ years running and improving operations
From global tech and BPOs to startups and my own ventures — a track record of building the systems that let companies scale.
Driving performance and growth through the improvement of processes and operations across all business departments of a fast-growing company.
COO-style role boosting productivity across every department. Built a Single Source of Truth (Salesforce + Tableau), consolidated a 150+ tool stack, and delivered 44% ARR growth and an 11% churn reduction through the exit to IBM.
Salesforce CRM solutions for Malta and Iberia — reached the yearly target within the first 7 months.
Led sales-funnel automation and process redesign that increased productivity 500%, sales performance 300%, and customer satisfaction from 52% to 97%.
Designed and ran acceleration programs (Lisbon Challenge, Smart Open Lisboa) — mentoring 105 startups from 79 countries that raised ~€50M and created ~200 jobs.
Grew revenue 162% year-over-year, built a PM workspace tool that lifted responsiveness 5×, and earned repeated Top Performer awards.
Experience across a broad range of sectors
Two-plus decades optimizing operations have taken me across very different industries — which is exactly what makes spotting transferable, high-impact process and AI improvements second nature.
Industrial Technology & AI
AI for machine service & equipment maintenance — findIQ
Enterprise Software & SaaS
Data-lineage & B2B platforms — Manta (an IBM company), findIQ
Data Management & Analytics
Single-source-of-truth & BI — Salesforce, Tableau, Manta
CRM & Technology Consulting
Salesforce CRM for Malta & Iberia — iMovo
BPO & Customer Experience
Contact centers & outsourcing — Webhelp, SELLBYTEL
Networking & Telecommunications
Enterprise tech & hardware — Cisco, VMware, Fujitsu, Logitech
Startups, Innovation & Smart Cities
Acceleration programs — Beta-i (Lisbon Challenge, Smart Open Lisboa)
Real Estate
Sales & go-to-market for consultants — Luso Realties
Food & Beverage / Hospitality
Catering & retail ventures — Hummus.pt, E.B. Hinnawi Drinks
Education & Culture
International education operations — British Council
Companies & brands along the way
As an employee, consultant, or outsourcing partner — a selection of the organizations and technologies I've helped run, sell, or optimize.
Trusted to hold the operational core together
He brings structure to complexity, stays calm under pressure, and reliably turns ambiguous problems into clear, workable processes. Once he takes ownership of something, you simply stop worrying about it.
Bashara always impresses with his intelligence and sharp mind. His honest, constructive attitude — combined with deep expertise across the Go-To-Market areas — helped us build our Operations department.
His technical ability and strong business acumen are one of the main reasons he is consistently successful. He handles stressful situations with ease and would be an immediate asset to any organization.
A lifelong learner
An International MBA and a Master's in Management (graduating 9.71 / 9.63), on top of 100+ courses and certifications spanning business, technology and leadership.
The human behind the operations
Process is my craft, but it isn't the whole story.
Music
My moment of zen — playing guitar, covers and the occasional original, purely for the love of it.
Listen on YouTubeWriting & Levantine food
Personal essays and stories — plus co-founding Hummus.pt, bringing Middle-Eastern flavours to Portugal.
Read "Just Rambling"Let's make your operations work harder
Whether you're scaling, cleaning up a tangled tool stack, or figuring out where AI actually fits — I'd be glad to talk.