Sohail Nawaz MBE is the CEO and Co-Founder of Aurum Advisory, a Dubai-based
retail and commerce media advisory firm launched in 2026 following a successful
investment round. At the heart of Aurum is RMAIOS (Retail Media AI Operating
System), a proprietary team of 19 specialist AI agents built by Sohail. RMAIOS
quantifies the commercial value locked in a retailer’s or marketplace’s data and maps
a complete go-to-market strategy for the clients Aurum works with.
Before founding Aurum, Sohail was Vice President and Head of Retail Media at
Landmark Group, where he built the group’s retail media network from the ground
up into one of the region’s leading RMNs, activating a loyalty base of more than 20
million customers across the GCC. Prior to that, as Chief Digital Officer of Khaleej
Times, he led a full digital transformation of the iconic publisher, rebuilding its
technology stack and delivering 366% growth in digital revenue.
With more than 30 years of experience across media, retail, e-commerce and telecom
in the GCC and European markets, Sohail was awarded an MBE by His Majesty
King Charles III. He holds AI executive education credentials from Kellogg School
of Management and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He is a
regular speaker and commentator on retail media, commerce media and agentic AI
across the region