Pearl M.

Marketing & Communications Executive · Fractional CMO · Brand Strategist

Freelancer based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

I'm a senior marketing and communications executive with more than 25 years of progressive experience across financial services, telecommunications, fintech, enterprise B2B, and luxury brand strategy — built entirely from the ground up. My career began on the front lines of customer experience in banking before I moved into mobile network operators, where my ability to translate complex technology into accessible language established me as the bridge between product and consumer. With an IMM qualification and a Post Graduate Senior Leadership Certificate from Wits Business School, early marketing and communications roles, I entered brand leadership at Vodacom, a Vodafone company, progressing across Brand Management, Sponsorship, Product Commercialisation, and Product Marketing. I expanded my expertise across Southern and Eastern Africa as a strategic marketing manager, before being recruited by PayU on the strength of my Vodacom track record, having led the South African launch of M-Pesa. At PayU I drove a comparable fintech service to market, gaining sharp insight into consumer readiness, launch timing, and the conditions required for adoption to take hold. I went on to lead marketing for Vodacom Business Africa across 54 markets, and was subsequently appointed Head of Group Communications for the Middle East and Africa at Dimension Data, an NTT Data company. Today I'm based in Dubai, UAE, where I serve as CMO of Xplora Luxe, Founder of Dahabia — an AI-powered marketing intelligence SaaS platform — and Principal of XL Marketing Services. Available for fractional CMO engagements, senior marketing consultancy, and strategic brand leadership mandates across the UAE and South Africa.

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