Fernando Academia Jr., CDMP, PCM

C&S Cabinets

Full Stack Marketer

Concertina Team

CIIT College of Arts and Technology Inc.

Instructor

Netcore Cloud

Customer Success Manager

TL;DR Digital Marketing

President & CEO

Brand30

Member

BorderBuddy

MoEngage Inc.

Autogrow

Marketing Strategist

Growth Blazers

Full Stack Marketer | Digital Marketing Instructor | Speaker/Trainer

Over the last decade, I’ve worked across FinTech, E-commerce, and SaaS, helping businesses unlock the power of digital marketing and MarTech.

In 2020, I realized that the strategies and successes I’ve helped others achieve could be applied to my own ventures, allowing me to assist even more businesses in my own way.

I took action.

I joined masterminds and business groups, executed campaigns firsthand, and consulted as a marketing strategist and customer success expert. Through these experiences, I’ve built a growing community of professionals eager to learn and apply the strategies I’ve developed.

Now, I’m preparing to launch my newsletter, Future-Forward Marketing, where I’ll be sharing actionable insights that have fueled my success.

My mission: To help you master the complexities of MarTech and digital marketing, turning them into powerful growth engines.

My results:

→ 10+ years of experience driving growth in FinTech, E-commerce, and SaaS
→ Managed multimillion-dollar portfolios, ensuring high retention and growth
→ Educator at CIIT Philippines, empowering the next generation of digital marketers
→ Preparing to launch Future-Forward Marketing, a newsletter packed with actionable insights and strategies

If you’re looking to build a robust, data-driven marketing strategy, I’m here to help.

Fernando Academia Jr., CDMP, PCM, CSSWB

Last year, I watched an enterprise burn through a massive budget on a platform their organization couldn't digest.

The technology was perfect.
World-class vendor.
Proven at scale.
Executive champion.
Unlimited budget.
External consultants.
Everything textbooks say you need.

Six months later? Dead.

Not because the platform failed. Because the organization couldn't absorb it.

After 15 years implementing marketing technology across Southeast Asia, I've seen this pattern destroy more transformations than any technical failure:

Organizations have an absorption capacity. Exceed it, and everything fails.

Think of your organization as having a digestive system for change. Feed it too much, too fast, and it rejects everything. Even the good stuff.

I learned this lesson repeatedly across enterprises serving millions of customers.

Major platform implementations failed not because the technology was wrong. 

They failed because they required:
- Workflows that didn't exist
- Skills nobody had developed
- Cultural shifts nobody prepared for
- Integration patterns that weren't documented
- Governance models that weren't designed

This painful education led me to develop a MarTech Maturity Framework that measures absorption capacity across four dimensions:

*Integration Debt: How many manual handoffs exist between systems?
*Data Debt: How fragmented is your customer information?
*Process Debt: How many workflows still run on spreadsheets?
*Vendor Debt: How much overlap exists between tools?

The rule is simple: Score below 60% on any dimension, and new technology multiplies problems instead of solving them.

One client scored 85% on technical capability but 35% on process maturity. We spent six months fixing processes before touching technology. Result? 22x ROI improvement using mostly existing tools.

Vendors will never tell you this.
Consultants won't admit it.

But here's reality:
Most organizations can successfully absorb about 30% of what vendors promise.

Not because vendors lie.
Because organizations overestimate their readiness.

You wouldn't run a marathon without training. Yet companies attempt digital transformation without building organizational fitness first.

The solution isn't moving slower. It's building absorption capacity systematically. Strengthen your foundation before adding weight.

Your Absorption Reality Check:
- How many transformation initiatives has your organization "completed" versus actually adopted?
- What percentage of your tech stack features do teams actually use?
- How many platforms solved one problem but created three new ones?

If you're uncomfortable with the answers, you're not alone.

Want to dive deeper? I've just published below a comprehensive analysis combining insights from Oxford Saïd Business School's latest research with real-world implementation patterns across telecommunications, fintech, and digital platforms.

#DigitalTransformation #MarTech #AITransformation #ChangeManagement #OrganizationalChange

Fernando Academia Jr, EMBA, CDMP, PCM

Marketing Technology | Building SukiNomics | 15+ Years helping eCommerce/SaaS/FinTech scale with MarTech & Strategy

View newsletter: Future-Forward Marketing

Insights from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford's latest webinar on intelligent systems, validated through 15+ years implementing enterprise 

Open article: From Oxford to Operations: 10 Critical Lessons on Leading AI Transformation That Actually Works by Fernando Academia Jr, EMBA, CDMP, PCM • 9 min read

From Oxford to Operations: 10 Critical Lessons on Leading AI Transformation That Actually Works

Your marketing team has more tools than ever. They're using less than a third of them.

Every modern marketing organization runs on four foundational systems:

→ CDP (Customer Data Platform): Your single source of truth for customer data. Unifies profiles across every touchpoint.
→ DAM (Digital Asset Management): Your single source of truth for brand content. Eliminates hours wasted searching for the right assets.
→ MAP (Marketing Automation Platform): Your engine for scalable engagement. Delivers the right message at the right time.
→ CXM (Customer Experience Management): Your orchestration layer for the entire customer journey. Connects acquisition to advocacy.

Together these four markets exceed $50 billion.

The growth trajectory is strong. 
The utilization rate is not.

McKinsey found not one of 50+ senior marketing leaders could clearly articulate their martech ROI. The problem is not the technology. It is how we buy and deploy it.

Three insights that separate winners from laggards:

→ First-party data readiness is now a competitive moat. Those without unified customer data are scrambling as third-party cookies disappear.

→ AI integration is table stakes, not differentiation. The real advantage comes from AI working across all four pillars, not in isolated point solutions.

→ Fewer tools with deeper integration beats more tools with shallow adoption. Organizations with composable architectures deploy new capabilities 80% faster.

The winners in 2026 are not the ones with the biggest martech budgets. They are the ones who can actually measure what that budget delivers.

Full analysis with 2025 market data and strategic recommendations below:

TLDR The Core Four martech stack (CDP, DAM, MAP, CXM) now exceeds $50 billion in combined market value, with CXM and CDP showing the fastest growth th

Open article: The Core Four martech stack in 2025: A $50B+ ecosystem reshaping customer engagement by Fernando Academia Jr, EMBA, CDMP, PCM • 10 min read

The Core Four martech stack in 2025: A $50B+ ecosystem reshaping customer engagement

Enterprise tools do not fail because of bad technology. Hear me out…

I’ve seen dozens of enterprise tool implementations fail or fall way behind schedule.

Same pattern every time.

Marketing buys a CDP. IT refuses to integrate it. Analytics team never gets access. Finace never brought in to understand brand & longterm ROI.

Years later, the platform sits unused while everyone blames each other.

The real problem was simpler.

Nobody wanted to collaborate.

#Digitaltransformations require co-ownership. The tools do not care about your org chart.

They require integrated data flows, unified governance, and cross-functional decision-making.

When you purchase an enterprise tool, you are not buying software. You are buying an org-wide commitment to work differently.

That means:

#Marketing must explain business outcomes in technical terms IT understands.

IT must translate infrastructure constraints into business impact.

Analytics must make data actionable for both teams.

Finance must understand ROI beyond immediate cost reduction.

Every successful implementation I have seen had one thing in common. Teams who treated the tool as a shared asset requiring shared accountability.

Every failure had people who wanted results without collaboration.

You cannot #lead transformation initiatives alone. Not because you lack the skills. But because enterprise tools touch multiple systems, multiple teams, and multiple workflows.

The question is not whether you can drive the project. The question is whether you can get everyone to own the outcome together.

#Stakeholdermanagement is not politics.

It is the actual work of making technology deliver business value.

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The expectations of executive leadership are shifting. In #digitaltransformation, the C-suite can no longer lead through decks, dashboards, and delegation alone.

I saw this firsthand during a week-long executive program at UCD Smurfit in Dublin. We analyzed why GE Digital failed while Airbnb succeeded. We visited Pinterest, HubSpot, and Google.

One pattern emerged across every case: the gap between technology capability and organizational capability. That gap closes only when executives get close to the work.

The Magazine Luiza transformation in Brazil shows what this looks like.

When Frederico Trajano became CEO in 2016, he faced a choice. Follow the Silicon Valley playbook of burning cash for growth, or find another way.

He chose neither separation nor delegation. He personally incubated a technology unit of 55 engineers, eventually growing to 850. He housed them in a secluded corner of headquarters with one instruction: build digital tools for both online and offline businesses with total focus on the end user.

The result was a 7,900% stock price increase over four years. The company transformed from a traditional retailer into a tech company.

The Thinkers50 Transformation Playbook captures the key insight. If a technology unit is left to fend for itself inside a larger organization, it will get rejected.

It needs to be separated and incubated by the CSuite, who should give it opportunities to get initial credibility through small wins.

This is why executive sponsorship is the connective tissue in digital transformation.

Harvard Business School research calls this the “use of self.” Leaders model future behaviors early in the process. They visibly tackle new challenges outside their comfort zone. This serves as a template for others to follow.

In #MarTech, the same principle applies. You cannot lead a CDP implementation from a quarterly business review. You cannot transform customer experience through filtered reports.

HubSpot  CEO Yamini Rangan  recently shared what works instead:

Do gemba walks. Sit with your team. Watch how the work happens. See where the friction is.

Triangulate feedback. Listen directly to customers, partners, and employees.

Experiment with #AI yourself. Write prompts. Share what you learn. You cannot #lead transformation if you are not learning the tools shaping it.

Communicate relentlessly. Share what is known, what is unknown, and how decisions are made.

As Rangan puts it, the best C-suite leaders today lead by doing. They provide clear direction and then protect the space for teams to execute.

Sources: 
- Thales Teixeira, Leandro Guissoni, and Frederico Trajano, An Unlikely Case of Successful Digital Transformation, The Transformation Playbook, Brightline Initiative/Thinkers50.
- Ryan L. Raffaelli, Leading Organizational Change, Harvard Business School Core Curriculum, 2017.
- UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School Digital Transformation Executive Program, Dublin, 2025.

A candid, documentary-style photograph from the side of a conductor's podium. A single hand, cufflink visible on a suit sleeve, holds a baton steady in mid-air, commanding attention. The conductor’s body is partially visible but anonymous. The background orchestra is a wash of indistinct shapes and warm stage lights, representing diverse, fragmented elements waiting to be aligned. Shallow depth of field. The mood is authoritative and singular.

I’ve watched the same pattern destroy implementations across fintech, government, ecommerce, healthtech, and SMEs—and it’s not what you think.

Over the past 15 years working with enterprise clients on martech implementations, member management systems, and #digitaltransformation projects, I’ve reviewed my notes and found one consistent thread:

80% of #martech implementations fail to deliver their promised value—and the failure point is almost never the technology.

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝.

The data backs this up:
• 97% of mid-sized enterprises reported a martech failure that negatively affected customer relationships in the last 12 months .
• 72% fail from lack of post-launch monitoring .

Across every sector I’ve worked in—from government agencies managing constituent data to healthtech companies orchestrating patient journeys—the pattern is identical.

The Core Four stack (CDP, DAM, MAP, CXM) gets approved at the executive level, then delegated to mid-level leaders who lack the authority to make it work.

Here’s what I’ve observed goes missing:
→ No one mandates data sharing between Sales and #Marketing.
→ No one resolves the turf war between Acquisition and Retention teams.
→ No one reallocates headcount from legacy system maintenance.
→ No one absorbs the political cost of standardizing processes across business units.
→ No one owns the compliance risk of unified customer data.
→ No one protects the 18-36 month transformation timeline against quarterly pressure.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬—𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲.

When Gartner surveyed marketing leaders, they found that successful implementations have one thing in common: active C-suite involvement in vendor selection, change management, and continuous oversight.

This isn’t about blame.

It’s about recognizing that the Core Four requires a different kind of leadership engagement than traditional software purchases.

Read on below to understand what real executive sponsorship requires—and why the gap between leaders and laggards widens every quarter you wait.

The Core Four martech stack is not a technology decision. It is an organizational design decision. And that is why it keeps failing without executive 

Open article: The Core Four: Why your Martech Stack is an Organizational Problem by Fernando Academia Jr, EMBA, CDMP, PCM • 4 min read

The Core Four: Why your Martech Stack is an Organizational Problem

tabbio

On a mission to reinvent hiring.
I founded Tabbio to give every jobseeker a SmartCV in one link, and every company a free career page with unlimited job posts.
Transforming how people and businesses connect,  simple, fair, and future-ready.

Founder

Tawdheef.com

Tawdheef.com is a recruiter-built career consultancy and product system designed for today’s fast generation, professionals who don’t want to study job search theory, but use what works.

I built JobSearchKit™, a plug-and-play toolkit that includes:
• ATS CV templates recruiters actually read
• AI-generated cover letters that sound human
• LinkedIn fixes that attract offers
• Interview scripts, follow-ups, and message templates
• 1-click ChatGPT prompts trained on real recruiter data

Nothing to study or follow checklist. No fluff. Just tools that get you hired, faster.

We also offer Done-for-You services for CV writing, LinkedIn optimization, and full job application support, designed for those who want results without doing it alone.

🛠 Now launching Tabbio, a SmartCV + job tracker SaaS platform, built to systemize job search and hiring across the Gulf.

Mission:
Make hiring human again.
Backed by recruiters. Designed for outcomes.

ALEF

Premium Activewear Company

Every cap felt off, wrong fit, wrong story.
So I built ALEF.
Gulf-born activewear. Built for heat.
Not white-labeled. Not made elsewhere.

ALEF (أ) is the first letter in Arabic.
Just like Alpha (Α) in Greek.
It’s where every word begins.
Our own Alpha. Our origin. Our standard.

We started with headwear.
We're just getting started.

ابدأ مع ألف | Start With ALEF
@Alef.fit

Confidential

Led strategic HR initiatives at confidential , integrating HCM and ITSM systems to enhance employee experience. Established compliance frameworks and implemented appeal systems, boosting transparency. 
Spearheaded innovative help desk and e-service projects, significantly improving operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Human Resources Business Partner

Silal

At SILAL, spearheaded the full implementation of the Human Capital Management system, managing all phases from planning to execution. 
Led comprehensive HR operations, optimizing processes and aligning them with organizational objectives.

Senior Human Captial Officer

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

At CCAD, partnered closely with department managers, offering specialized HR guidance to optimize team performance. Delivered tailored solutions to departmental challenges, fostering a cohesive work environment. Aligned departmental goals with CCAD's strategic vision and consistently liaised with executive leadership to ensure HR strategies supported top-level objectives.

Human Capital Business Partner

EARTH

There I performed HR orientation program to gain knowledge and skills in each HR function including Employee Relations, Learning & Development, Performance Management, Recruitment & Manpower Planning, Payroll Management and Organizational Development. 

Prior to this with the same company I worked as Office Manager and handled different types of confidential matters on a regular basis internally with the CEO directly

Office Manager

🚫 The simplest career fix you’ve never tried
→ You already know what I mean… 
 
 

Since you tapped “see more,” that tells me:
If you’re a job seeker
→ You’ve rewritten the same CV for every application
→ You’ve stared at Word, AI tools, and templates again and again
→ Or you’ve paid someone else to do it for you, and it still feels the same
→ Apply. Wait. Silence.

If you’re a recruiter or hiring agency
→ Your inbox is stuffed with a thousand CV versions
→ Files scattered across your PC, phone, and cloud
→ Every candidate looks identical

If you’re a resume writer, coach, or even a friend trying to help
→ You edit, send, re-edit, send in endless loops
→ Clients get lost in versions
→ You get stuck fixing commas instead of building careers

I’m Ahmed AlDhraif AlShamsi
HR Business Partner • Digital Transformation Lead
🏆 Award-winning Human-First Hiring Expert
🎓 MBA • CIPD • MIT Future Leaders Alum

I’ve been on both sides
→ 200+ interviews as a candidate
→ 1,000+ CVs reviewed as an HR lead
→ Years of testing every so-called career hack, most of them didn’t work

So I built Tabbio

Not another CV template
Not another job board
A career identity in one link, simple, freemium, human

For job seekers
→ One Smart CV that is always up to date, private until you choose, ready anywhere

For recruiters and companies
→ One clear reference instead of endless email attachments and lost files

For coaches, mentors, friends, and family
→ A way to co-create and hand over a career identity someone can truly own

Tabbio is free to start, freemium by design
→ No paywall
→ No gimmicks
→ Just the simplest and only reference your career needs

⚡ Try it free in beta → [https://tabbio.short.gy/smartcv]

Let’s make hiring human again.

Ahmed AlDhraif

People who haven’t been through a long job search don’t always realize how heavy it can get.

They say things like:
“Just keep applying.”
“Something will come up.”
“Use this time to work on yourself.”

They mean well.
But they don’t know what it feels like to send hundreds of applications and get silence.
To wake up wondering if you’re the problem.
To feel your confidence shrink a little more each time you refresh your inbox.

A long job search isn’t just about finding work.
It tests your patience, your self-worth, and your resilience in ways most people never see.

If you’ve never been there, lead with empathy.
If you have, you know that people don’t always need advice.
Sometimes they just need someone who listens.

Because until you’ve lived it, you don’t realize how exhausting hope can become.

🚨(PS: I built a one-link CV generator to make applying a little easier. If you’re in a tough search, you’re welcome to try it: https://www.tabbio.com )

اذا هذا السيفي مالك بينرفض ❌🔎

Weak managers protect power.

Strong leaders share it.

The best teams are not built by controlling everything.
They’re built by trusting people who know things you don’t.

A confident leader does not fear capability.
They welcome it.

A weak manager feels threatened by talent.
A strong leader feels supported by it.

Because smart people do more than finish work.
They elevate the work.
They raise expectations.
They bring ideas that sharpen everyone around them.

Growth comes from humility.
Threat comes from ego.

If someone solves problems faster than you, learn from them.
If someone thinks differently, listen to them.
If someone challenges your approach, consider the possibility they see something you missed.

Great leaders are not competing with their team.
They are growing with their team.

Surrounding yourself with capable people
is not a sign of insecurity.
It is a sign of wisdom.

And here is the truth:
Leaders who fear talent end up driving it away.
Leaders who value talent end up attracting more of it.

Choose the second path.
That is the path that builds real leadership.

💬 Have you ever worked with someone whose presence made you better?

♻️ Repost to remind leaders that talent is meant to be embraced.

➕ Follow Ahmed AlDhraif for people-first HR insights.

Hiring managers notice far more than candidates think.

Interviews aren’t just about skills. They’re about how you carry yourself before, during, and after the conversation.

Here’s what most people overlook:

They aren’t only hiring talent.
They’re paying attention to your attitude, your presence, and the way you treat people.

And you can shape that impression.

Walk in with confidence.
Treat everyone with respect.
Talk about your work clearly, not perfectly.

What actually makes you stand out:

Your first 5 minutes
↳ Your presence speaks before your resume.

How you treat people outside the interview
↳ True character shows up fast.

How you talk about your wins
↳ Simple, honest stories stay with them.

How you handle pressure
↳ Staying steady matters.

How willing you are to learn
↳ Managers choose people who can grow.

The interview isn’t a test. It’s a look at who you are at work.

Show them someone they’d be proud to hire.

💬 Which point hit you the most?
♻️ Share this with someone preparing for interviews
➕ Follow Ahmed AlDhraif for more career guidance

7 things hiring managers won’t tell you. 

Hey all, I’m looking for developers with solid expertise in React, React Native, and mobile app development who already use AI and automation in their workflow. If you build fast and smart, DM me or tag someone in the comments who fits.

People don’t trust what they can’t understand.

Everyone is moving fast.
Recruiters. Hiring managers.
Even someone who lands on your profile for a few seconds.

They are all scanning for clarity.

Clear communication feels honest.
It helps people understand who you are without effort.

You do not need complex words.
You need simple language that respects attention.

Try this:
	•	Short lines
	•	Real words
	•	Clear outcomes

Your message should help people get you fast.
That is what builds trust and keeps people reading.

Clarity is not about being basic.
It is about being understood.

And being understood is a career advantage.

💬 Have you ever read something that instantly made you trust the person?

♻️Repost to help more people simplify their message

➕Follow Ahmed AlDhraif for more people-first HR insights

Honoured to see Mark Pollitt, a respected Principal and Mentor, trying out Tabbio  and sharing his experience 🙏

Our main focus is simple:
✅ A CV that can be scanned in 6 seconds by any recruiter
✅ System friendly (ATS) to help you match and rank higher
✅ Fully hyperlinked so recruiters can click, contact, or view your latest updates instantly
✅ Downloadable anytime and all for free

Thank you Mr. Mark for the trust and kind words. We built Tabbio to make professional identity simple, modern, and accessible for everyone 

P.S. Our mobile app for iOS and Android is coming soon for a seamless experience 📱

Principal & Mentor | Advocate for Neurodivergent Talent

Having just read an insightful article by Ahmed AlDhraif, founder of Tabbio, I decided to try out his platform. Tabbio helps you create an ATS-compatible CV that presents your experience clearly and professionally.

Below is my CV generated through the platform. I encourage anyone reviewing their professional profile to explore it. It’s simple, effective, and gives your CV a clean, modern finish.

Try it and see how your professional story comes together.

Tabbio created CV - Mark Pollitt

كيف تشتغل كطبيب في الإمارات 2025؟ 💼 

من CV احترافي على Tabbio  إلى الترخيص الطبي الرسمي والإقامة … كل الخطوات  
 موضّحة في الفيديو. 

شاركها مع أي طبيب يدور فرصة جديدة! 🇦🇪 

#العمل_في_الإمارات #وظائف_الأطباء #Work_in_UAE #ترخيص_طبي

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Fernando Academia Jr., CDMP, PCM, CSSWB

Ahmed AlDhraif

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The Battle

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