The Leader | Mehdi Nadifi at Sia Partners for Emarat Petroleum | Embedded Product and Delivery Lead | 2023 to 2025
Four months to launch. Number one within 30 days of going live.
Although the launch date was fixed, the program faced delays. Six integration tracks, more than 30 team members, and three organizations needed alignment to deliver a unified customer experience.
Mehdi led the product and delivery turnaround, then expanded the program through partnerships with Blue Rewards, Emirates Skywards, and EtihadWE, integrating fuel loyalty with retail, travel, and utility services.
- Number onein the UAE App Store Lifestyle category within 30 days of launch.
- 100,000 registered membersin the first month.
- 30% revenue increaseacross stations compared with the same period a year earlier.
- 80% reductionin loyalty fraud.
The story in 30 seconds
The pressure
With four months until launch, six workstreams operated independently. Leadership needed a credible production plan and clear accountability across all organizations.
The decisive move
Teams were unified under a single delivery model, the core customer journey was protected, and integration dependencies that threatened the launch were resolved.
The result
EmCan launched on April 26, 2023, reached number one in the UAE App Store Lifestyle category within 30 days, and expanded through partnerships in retail rewards, airline miles, and utility payments.
What was at stake
Emarat Petroleum needed to strengthen customer loyalty, reduce reliance on cash, and better understand customers across its station network.
The program integrated point-of-sale, CRM, ERP, loyalty, fraud, and audit capabilities. However, the overall customer experience remained fragmented despite progress in each workstream.
The fixed launch date created an immediate delivery challenge. The broader goal was to establish a customer and loyalty platform that supports personalization, new services, and partnerships beyond the forecourt.
The key question was whether the organization could deliver the promised experience on time.
The mandate
Mehdi joined as the embedded product and delivery lead at Sia Partners for Emarat Petroleum, responsible for resetting delivery governance, aligning client and partner teams, and meeting the fixed launch date.
He co-owned the roadmap, led the steering committee, and translated business priorities and technical dependencies into actionable decisions for more than 30 team members across product, engineering, design, data, marketing, and operations.
After launch, the scope expanded to include partner solution architecture and integration delivery. Mehdi collaborated with partner organizations to translate commercial agreements into customer journeys, account relationships, transaction rules, and coordinated implementation plans.
The decisive moves
Replaced six separate workstreams with one operating model
Shared standups, incident channels, visible ownership, and a unified decision cadence connected the teams. Dependencies became collective priorities with defined ownership and clear escalation paths.
The program began operating as a unified embedded product organization.
Protected the essential customer promise
Customers needed to earn and redeem loyalty value reliably, with their balances updated after qualifying transactions.
This experience became the decision filter. Features and integrations that did not support the launch promise were challenged, simplified, or deferred to ensure the agreed outcome.
Built the data foundation beneath the app
EmCan’s customer data platform linked member identities to previously anonymous fuel transactions, enabling fraud detection, personalization, and future CRM initiatives.
The wider program used a Salesforce technology backbone, with Sia Partners and Sirocco contributing to implementation and integration. See the program’s launch and delivery coverage for more details. (opens in a new tab)
Turned steering meetings into decision forums
Mehdi presented trade-offs in business terms, linking technical constraints to customer impact, launch risk, and delivery priorities.
Leadership made timely decisions, and delivery teams received actionable direction and consistent priorities.
Partnership architecture and expansion
After launch, the next phase extended EmCan’s value beyond its core network.
Mehdi led product, solution architecture, and integration delivery for three partnership models: earning rewards across two programs, converting value between loyalty currencies, and earning rewards through qualifying utility and other service payments.
Each partnership required alignment across the commercial proposition, customer experience, partner systems, and operating responsibilities.
Blue Rewards | Extending loyalty across retail and fuel
Blue Rewards was the first of these partnerships, connecting EmCan with Al-Futtaim’s rewards network.
The double-dipping model enabled customers with linked accounts to earn benefits in both programs on qualifying purchases at participating Emarat stations and Al-Futtaim brands. This expanded the value of each membership across fuel, shopping, and everyday services.
Mehdi led product and integration efforts with partner teams. The solution required account matching, customer permissions, transaction information, reward allocation, loyalty economics and reconciliation, and reward reversals for refunded qualifying purchases.
This partnership provided a connected earning experience across two organizations, giving members more reasons to use both programs. Learn more about the Blue Rewards double-dipping model (opens in a new tab).
Emirates Skywards | Connecting everyday spending with travel rewards
The next partnership connected EmCan with Emirates Skywards through Skywards Everyday.
Members could link their accounts and convert EmCoins into Skywards Miles or vice versa. The customer proposition was described as “Fuel and Fly” and “Fly and Fuel,” connecting everyday fuel spending with travel rewards in both directions.
Mehdi led product, solution architecture, loyalty economics, and integration delivery with partner teams. The scope included account linking, identity matching, conversion eligibility, financial reconciliation, transfer rules, and confirmation of resulting loyalty value.
The partnership gave customers greater flexibility in using their rewards and expanded EmCan’s relevance beyond fuel and retail. Learn more about the Skywards and EmCan conversion model (opens in a new tab).
EtihadWE | Bringing loyalty into essential utility services
The EtihadWE partnership extended EmCan into electricity and water services, allowing eligible customers to earn EmCoins through timely utility bill payments.
Mehdi led product, solution architecture, and integration work connecting the utility and loyalty journeys. The scope included linked utility accounts, qualifying payment confirmation, reward crediting, and defined responsibilities for billing and loyalty support.
This introduced another practical use for EmCan beyond station visits, connecting recurring household services with customer rewards. Eligibility depends on the applicable payment and timing conditions. Learn more about the EtihadWE partnership terms (opens in a new tab).
Results
Across the launch and subsequent growth phase, the program recorded:
- Launch on schedule on April 26, 2023.
- Number one in the UAE App Store Lifestyle category within 30 days, achieved organically without paid acquisition.
- 100,000 registered members in the first month.
- Station revenue was 30% higher than in the same period a year earlier.
- Cash transactions decreased from 40% to 30% during the first year, representing a 25% relative reduction.
- Loyalty fraud was reduced by 80%, supported by a machine-learning engine built on the customer data platform.
- Expansion through Blue Rewards, Emirates Skywards via Skywards Everyday, and EtihadWE.
- EmCan won the Best Customer Loyalty Program award in the Retail Fuel Sector 2024 during the Global Loyalty & CX Awards held in Dubai, UAE.
- The engagement evolved from launch recovery into multi-year initiatives.
Engagement context: This case study describes Mehdi Nadifi’s work at Sia Partners for Emarat Petroleum. The outcomes reflect the combined contributions of the client, delivery teams, and partners. The delivery lead reports performance figures and Mehdi’s individual responsibilities. Linked announcements provide additional details on the wider program, recognition, and partnerships.
What they got back
Gained control of the launch, confidence in the team, and a platform for growth.
Emarat leadership established a unified operating rhythm, a single product promise, and a single decision forum.
After launch, this foundation supported a broader loyalty proposition. Customers gained more ways to earn and use rewards, and the organization developed the capability to connect new partners and services to the EmCan experience.
Why this matters to your organization
A stalled product requires a clear outcome, accountable decisions, and teams capable of resolving dependencies together.
Growth introduces another challenge: transforming commercial partnerships into usable customer services. This requires product leadership that connects business value with solution architecture, integration requirements, and operational delivery.
The EmCan engagement demonstrates both: recovering a critical launch and extending the platform through distinct partnership models.
The wider EmCan partner offering
Beyond the three integrations described above, EmCan’s benefits also include Samsung offers for Gold members, Rayna Tours benefits for eligible Silver and Gold members, and Wild Wadi benefits, subject to eligibility conditions.
These illustrate the breadth of the wider program’s offering and are included as program context, separate from the integrations attributed to Mehdi in this case study.
Press and recognition
Selected coverage highlights EmCan’s launch, industry recognition, and expansion through partnerships.
- EmCan launches with support from Sia Partners and Sirocco (opens in a new tab)
- EmCan receives the Best Customer Loyalty Program award in the fuel stations category (opens in a new tab)
- Blue Rewards and EmCan announce their double-earning partnership (opens in a new tab)
- Skywards Everyday and EmCan introduce two-way rewards conversion (opens in a new tab)
- Emarat announces the EtihadWE and EmCan partnership (opens in a new tab)