The People Behind Podium

Built by executives.
Made for executives.

We know what it takes to build a personal brand from scratch — because we've done it. Twice.

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Co-Founder & CEO

Wahaj Siddiqui

18 years navigating finance, aviation, and banking across the GCC — before building and scaling Oblique Consult from a solo practice into a 20-person firm serving Fortune 500 clients. Podium is the distillation of everything he learned about personal authority, executive visibility, and what separates the leaders who get remembered from the ones who don't.

  • KPMG Audit Associate
  • Etihad Airways Finance
  • Al Hilal Bank Risk
  • Emirates Airlines Head of Indirect Tax
  • Oblique Consult Founder & Managing Partner — 8 years, 20-person team, Fortune 500 clients across GCC
  • Beyond Decimals Host — Podcast exploring the intersection of finance, business, and leadership
  • Simpla AI Co-Founder
Co-Founder & Head of Strategy

Anam Hilal

Fourteen years building campaigns across AMER, EMEA, and APAC — over $100M in pipeline generated at Autodesk. Currently Head of ABM at Core42. She brings the same rigour to executive positioning that she applied to markets spanning six continents.

  • Autodesk 7 years — $100M+ pipeline generated across AMER, EMEA, APAC
  • Core42 Head of Account-Based Marketing
  • Harvard Business School Executive Education Certificate
  • Wharton Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing
  • Heriot-Watt University MSc International Business Management
The Founding Story

Why we built Podium

The GCC has no shortage of executives with the credibility, the track record, and the network to command serious attention. What it lacks is a service that treats their personal brand with the same seriousness they bring to everything else.

We watched talented people — operators, founders, board members — lose opportunities to louder voices with thinner portfolios. Not because they lacked authority. Because they had no time, and no platform, and the people who should have been helping them weren't doing their job.

Podium is our answer. A full-service personal branding agency built for how GCC executives actually work: demanding, fast-moving, and intolerant of mediocrity.

Proof of Concept

Beyond Decimals

We know what compelling executive content sounds and feels like — because we've been making it. Beyond Decimals, hosted by Wahaj, explores the intersection of finance, leadership, and business across the GCC and beyond.

Listen to the podcast