Building
things.
Making
them work.
BasedLondon
CurrentlyFounder & Chief Product Officer, Shimmr AI
Before thatChief Revenue Officer, ProQuo AI
Before thatDroga5, BBH, Grey London
EducationBSc Psychology, Manchester
MentoringMentorCruise

I started in advertising. Droga5, BBH, Grey London — five years of trying to find the real problem inside a brief before anyone else did, and then making something around it that couldn't be ignored. A Cannes Lion. A bunch of campaigns I'm proud of. I loved a lot of it. What I didn't love was finishing a piece of work and having no idea, six months later, whether it had done anything.

That frustration is, honestly, what started everything that came after. I wanted to see the thing land. So in 2018 I became Chief Revenue Officer at ProQuo AI, a brand management platform that was trying to answer exactly that question with data. We scaled to $3M ARR. I ran a 40-person team across London, New York, and Johannesburg, brought in over a million in enterprise sales myself, and learned more about how commercial systems actually work — or don't — than I could have from any other job.

Innovation Excellence Awards 2024 Innovation Excellence Awards · 2024
Searsha SadekSearsha Sadek

In 2022 I started Shimmr. Publishing has a problem that's been visible for years and hasn't been solved because the economics made it impossible to justify: 95% of books never get marketed after they publish. The window closes, the budget moves on, and most titles just quietly disappear. AI changes the cost structure enough that it doesn't have to be that way. Shimmr builds the tools. We're now working with some of the largest publishers in the world.

I also run a Substack called Searshing for Meaning, which is where I think in public about what AI is doing to culture — not the hype version or the doom version, just what I can actually see happening. There's also a peer-reviewed paper in the JAISD (that's the UNESCO one) introducing something I call the Cultural Vitality Framework, and a second paper in progress. The academic work is useful because it forces a different kind of rigour, and I like that it slows me down.

Alongside all of this, I kickbox. It's not a metaphor for anything. I just genuinely enjoy it.

Psychology degree from Manchester. Grew up between County Mayo and the UK.

Creative work

Other things I've made

Music video production

Shaefri

Irish-Egyptian musician and songwriter based in London. BBC Introducing, Spotify New Music Friday, Apple Music NMD, Sunday Times Culture, Billboard. Warner's boutique publisher W Songs. Syncs on Netflix, Amazon, ITV.

I produced music videos for her releases — hands-on, from brief through to cut.

Visit shaefri.com

YouTube production

Boss Bikes Club

A motorcycle travel channel. Discovering the boss in every bike, in places around the world.

Producer on the channel — shoot logistics, creative direction, and post.

Watch on YouTube

2013 to 2018

Droga5, BBH, Grey

Five years as a strategist at some of the better agencies in London. A Cannes Lion Silver. Campaigns for Vodafone, Peroni, Pantene, Kahlua, Uniqlo, Coal Drops Yard.

This is where I learned to find the real problem inside a brief, quickly. Still use it constantly.

What people say

"Searsha blends deep technical understanding with an intuitive sense for user needs, market signals, and commercial impact. She doesn't just build products — she builds product ecosystems that scale, self-learn, and deliver real business value. Her ability to translate complex AI capabilities into elegant, usable, high-performing products is extraordinary."

Brooke DobsonCo-Founder & CCO, Shimmr AI

"She didn't just offer high-level advice; she got into the trenches with me on everything from idea iteration and brainstorming to building a solid financial plan. Her feedback on my pitch deck was critical in refining our narrative. If you need a mentor who understands the full lifecycle of a startup, Searsha is the one."

Mohsin HassanFounder & CEO, AmpVerve

"Searsha is an exceptional product leader combining strategic clarity with hands-on delivery. As Chief Product Officer, she built our product function from scratch with confidence and empathy. She brings discipline without bureaucracy, understands customers instinctively, and creates momentum quickly. She excels in fractional roles, delivering real change whilst elevating everyone around her."

Nadim SadekCEO, Shimmr AI

"It's rare to find someone that can be both expansive and reductive, high and low culture, theoretical and practical, left brain and right brain, serious and irreverent, hard-working and fun. Searsha is whip-smart and culturally on-point, someone that truly cares both about the work and about those she works with. Anyone would be lucky to have her."

Chris WatlingHead of Production, Droga5

"Searsha has a naturally creative mind and solves problems laterally. She builds strong relationships with clients and is quickly perceived as a trusted advisor. She carries high EQ, is an independent thinker, and ensures her contribution serves the entirety of the team effort."

Bill ScottCEO, Droga5

"Searsha is a bold strategist, applying creative problem solving and critical thinking to answer client challenges and develop award-winning work. She uses insight and empathy in equal measure. She shines in pitches, building relationships and inspiring creatives, and isn't afraid to put in the hard work to make an impact."

Grace FrancisChief Experience Officer, Droga5

"Despite us being completely up against it in terms of time, Searsha's ability to develop, land and explain a complex strategy in a changing environment really helped us cut through. The relatable strategy helped the team make decisions at times of impasse. She was a key member of the team whom we 100% could not have made progress without."

Gary FozzardGreenwich Peninsula

"Searsha blends deep technical understanding with an intuitive sense for user needs, market signals, and commercial impact. She doesn't just build products — she builds product ecosystems that scale, self-learn, and deliver real business value. Her ability to translate complex AI capabilities into elegant, usable, high-performing products is extraordinary."

Brooke DobsonCo-Founder & CCO, Shimmr AI

"She didn't just offer high-level advice; she got into the trenches with me on everything from idea iteration and brainstorming to building a solid financial plan. Her feedback on my pitch deck was critical in refining our narrative. If you need a mentor who understands the full lifecycle of a startup, Searsha is the one."

Mohsin HassanFounder & CEO, AmpVerve

"Searsha is an exceptional product leader combining strategic clarity with hands-on delivery. As Chief Product Officer, she built our product function from scratch with confidence and empathy. She brings discipline without bureaucracy, understands customers instinctively, and creates momentum quickly. She excels in fractional roles, delivering real change whilst elevating everyone around her."

Nadim SadekCEO, Shimmr AI

"It's rare to find someone that can be both expansive and reductive, high and low culture, theoretical and practical, left brain and right brain, serious and irreverent, hard-working and fun. Searsha is whip-smart and culturally on-point, someone that truly cares both about the work and about those she works with. Anyone would be lucky to have her."

Chris WatlingHead of Production, Droga5

"Searsha has a naturally creative mind and solves problems laterally. She builds strong relationships with clients and is quickly perceived as a trusted advisor. She carries high EQ, is an independent thinker, and ensures her contribution serves the entirety of the team effort."

Bill ScottCEO, Droga5

"Searsha is a bold strategist, applying creative problem solving and critical thinking to answer client challenges and develop award-winning work. She uses insight and empathy in equal measure. She shines in pitches, building relationships and inspiring creatives, and isn't afraid to put in the hard work to make an impact."

Grace FrancisChief Experience Officer, Droga5

"Despite us being completely up against it in terms of time, Searsha's ability to develop, land and explain a complex strategy in a changing environment really helped us cut through. The relatable strategy helped the team make decisions at times of impasse. She was a key member of the team whom we 100% could not have made progress without."

Gary FozzardGreenwich Peninsula

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