DUBAI, UAE · GCC · GLOBAL
Damien Collins
Fractional COO · Operations & Delivery
Sixteen years inside operations — project manager to programme lead to director of delivery to Group COO. Founder and Principal of DRC Project Management, a single-operator practice for businesses that need a senior pair of hands, not another advisor.
Open for: COO · Fractional COO · Post-acquisition integration · Delivery mandates
“Most businesses already know what needs to happen. I'm here to make sure it does.”
16+
years inside operations
10+
industries served
$250M+
managed
GCC+
UK, UAE, KSA and broader GCC
Areas of expertise
- — Fractional COO Leadership
- — Operational Turnaround
- — Post-Acquisition Integration
- — Programme & Delivery Management
- — Shared Services & Reporting Cadence
- — Governance & Accountability Systems
- — Automotive, Logistics, Hospitality, Retail
- — UK · UAE · KSA · GCC
Profile
Sixteen years inside operations across automotive, defense, medical, logistics, hospitality, retail, family office portfolios and post-acquisition integrations — in the UK, the UAE, KSA and the broader GCC, in businesses doing AED 5M and businesses doing AED 500M+. Operational problems are rarely limited by company size: unclear ownership, weak cadence, slow follow-through, poor reporting, and decisions that never turn into action. DRC exists so businesses of any size get senior operational leadership without the full-time executive cost.
How he works
- — Operate, don't advise — every engagement is structured around delivery, not a report.
- — Senior, always — no associates, no juniors; the person on the call is the person on the engagement.
- — Direct, calm and clear — what needs to happen, why, and what he is going to do about it.
Founder & Principal — DRC Project Management
Dubai, UAE · 2019 — Present
- — Fractional COO and strategic project management practice.
- — Engagements across automotive, defense, logistics, hospitality, retail, family office portfolios and post-acquisition integrations.
- — Backed by a curated network of senior specialists in finance, marketing, sales, governance, workflow and training.
Track record
- — 2015–2019 — Group Chief Operating Officer, holding group, UAE: operational ownership of a six-company GCC portfolio; restructured shared services, standardised reporting, led two acquisitions through 100-day integration.
- — 2011–2015 — Director of Programme Delivery, international consulting firm, Dubai: led delivery teams on enterprise transformation programmes for government and large private clients worldwide.
- — 2008–2011 — Senior Project Manager, international: capital projects, ERP implementations and operational turnarounds across EMEA.
- — Automotive exposure includes Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Nissan Middle East, KTM, W Motors and leading GCC groups.
Work with Damien
Placements and mandates from the SECGroup® network run through us — fractional, interim or permanent.
Request an introduction