Skip to content

About

Profile, background, and the people I've worked with.

I'm Faheem Nusrat. I run Meta-You — an independent practice combining senior consulting with philosophy based on 30 years of practice, and proud to have had an impact beyond the technical delivery.

Book a Plus-Fit Assessment LinkedIn

The short version

I'm an independent consultant based in the UK. The current practice is built on years inside Shopify Plus working with the merchants who push the platform hardest, and before that, years building cross-border backend systems for a fast-growing African telco.

Before Meta-You, before Shopify

Five years at Helios Towers Africa as Group Application Manager, leading cross-border teams across the UK, Congo, DRC, Ghana and Tanzania to roll out the backend systems (telco asset and lease management, project management, Microsoft 365, custom workflows, SAP Business ByDesign) that let a fast-growing tower company support mobile operators connecting tens of millions of new internet subscribers across Africa.

It's the work that most shapes how I think about consulting now: practical infrastructure-building in the service of getting more people connected to information. Five-country rollouts taught me about cross-functional alignment, COTS-vs-custom decisions, and how to run delivery across jurisdictions and currencies without it unravelling at integration time.

Before Helios, a decade of Microsoft-stack integration and workflow consulting at Intermomentum, a year leading application development at The Royal British Legion, and earlier still a stint at Accenture on global quality and client excellence. The throughline: systems that connect people to information, shaped to fit how the organisation actually works.

AI — not what you expect

I have a deliberately unconventional educational position on AI: less productivity hack, more emergent phenomenon worth tracking; less tactical, more strategic; less about what AI does for people, more about what it does to the relationships between people and the work. It's the angle I bring to teaching and the strategic conversations I'm most useful in. Most AI consulting is the other thing.

That side of the practice lives on the Learning page — co-teaching Living with Uncertainty: AI, Symbiogenesis & the Human at 3rd Space with Steve Brett, and the Nova Institute for Health's Campfire series on relational intelligence in an AI world. For a longer conversation, get in touch.

Recommendations

From people I've worked with.

Verbatim from LinkedIn recommendations — longer ones lightly trimmed; full text on LinkedIn.

“Faheem's superpower is breaking down complex issues into bite-sized, easy-to-digest components — doing deep discovery and applying consultative, collaborative techniques to then deliver truly consultative solutions and recommendations. One of the most empathetic and creative people I have ever come across in a professional setting.”
DG Daniel Glock Head of Enterprise, EMEA · Shopify
“He possesses a unique blend of technical acumen, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, enabling him to not only excel in SE work but also cultivate meaningful team culture and partnerships. His deep care for Shopify's products is evident in his commitment to thoughtful and customized solutions for our European enterprise.”
RL Rachel Lo Head of Applied AI for Tech · Anthropic (ex-Shopify)
“Faheem persistently demonstrated a strong knowledge of our products and industry. He excelled in designing tailored solutions to address the most complex customer needs. With absolute sincerity, I advocate for Faheem in any role related to solution engineering or technological leadership.”
FM Fabian Muessig Head of Solutions Engineering, EMEA · Shopify
“What's special about Faheem is his ability to understand the complex and build a level of trust in most scenarios. At Shopify he was dealing with some of our most complex opportunities and he navigated that level of ambiguity in his stride.”
MH Michaela Hutchins Solutions Engineering · ex-Shopify, Microsoft, HPE
“Faheem has a unique talent for breaking down complex problems into manageable pieces and finding creative solutions. He possesses excellent communication skills and is a great team player.”
BC Beniamino Colombo Solutions Engineering Leader · Shopify
“Faheem was one of the best Solutions Engineers I've had the pleasure to work with at Shopify. Always incredibly knowledgeable and persuasive — the type of colleague you're hoping to have in your team. Instrumental in ensuring some of our biggest partners had the right information to onboard some of our biggest clients.”
CZC Carlotta Zorzi-Chapman Leading Market Expansion, Europe & MEA · Shopify
“A fountain of knowledge and human that was always so willing to help. I always heard great things about Faheem from other colleagues, and working with him directly gave me the reassurance that everyone needs when working on complex, technical projects.”
JD Jonny Dixon Partnerships & Ecosystem Leader · ex-Shopify
“Faheem always delivered fabulous work in the context of the largest prospects around the region — not only solutioning for technical needs but always keeping the strategic aspect of things in mind, and able to communicate it in a way that was digestible to all types of stakeholders.”
NB Nicolas Berg Senior Enterprise Account Executive · ex-Shopify
“A smart, calm, competent and empathetic true-born leader, I can't recommend Faheem enough. I had the pleasure of working alongside Faheem at Shopify for many years. Faheem, you are an absolute joy to work with.”
AM Angela Mahon eCommerce Technology Leadership · ex-Shopify
“Faheem is the most knowledgeable SE I have ever worked with. He is not only extremely analytical and solution oriented, but has impressive soft skills, creating an environment of complete trust with clients and AEs he works with.”
AU Ane Usarraga GTM & Market Launch Specialist
“Faheem has both a spiritual and professional nature which allows him to excel in stakeholder management, achieving quick buy-in throughout a project's lifecycle. A great listener, clear communicator and talent who balances both creativity and logic to quickly identify solution options.”
JY Jessica Young Director, Program Delivery & Chief AI Office
“Faheem is a multi-talented technologist who ranges from filming and post-production to designing and building complex IT systems and transmedia. He is also a deeply ethical and spiritual person who is an absolute pleasure to work with. I trust him implicitly.”
RLW Robin Lincoln Wood Co-Founder & CEO, Regenovation Ltd

Want to talk it through?

Drop a note about what you're working on, or about the AI conversation. I'll come back within one business day.

Get in touch